Swimming In The Orthopedic Patient Room

Being on my school’s diving team has had its ups and downs but one the biggest setbacks I went through while on the team was my freshman year when I got a concussion. I was doing a simple reverse dive I under rotated enough that when I hit the water, it pushed my head into my knee. I am unsure whether or not I blacked out but all I remembered was climbing out of the pool dizzy and confused. I went to a doctor and found out I had a concussion. Having a concussion was a big setback in itself, but what made it the worst was that the conference meet was coming up in about a week. I had to rest for the remainder of the week and was cleared to practice again the next Monday. Because of the whole situation I felt like quitting all together. I only had three days of practice before the conference meet and had nothing prepared. I did not think it would be possible for me to practice all eleven of my dives that I needed to do at the meet in time. Then I remembered my goal for the season: to earn my varsity letter. I had not achieved my goal yet and the conference meet was my last chance to do so. I was not about to

Instead of focusing on the pain, I’d focus on my goals of being a leader and captain of the swim team, becoming a four year varsity swimmer, breaking a minute in butterfly, and making it to states. These goals motivate me to work harder, push through the pain, and set a good example for the team. As time progressed, I have gotten better at handling the anxiety of meets and now I barely get nervous for my events. Over the years, swim taught me a lot about myself and life. It has shown me that when you think you can’t go on you really can; all you have to do is keep pushing because the outcome is always worth it. It’s helped me with time management as I do have a lot homework during the season and very little free time to complete that homework. Swim has also made me much stronger mentally: I’ve learned how to stay positive even when everything is going wrong. It has shown me to be a leader, even when I questioned my own commitment. Swim has proven to me that I am powerful, and I can do whatever I set my mind too. My dedication to this sport has made me a much better athlete and more importantly a better

For the past four years of my life I have been majorly involved with my school’s color guard. I went from learning the basics freshman year to leading a large group of girls who were mostly beginners. When senior year rolled around I felt ready to lead my team to victory. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out the way I had hoped. While sprinting during a practice I land hard on my left side and felt my knee pop out of place. The following week was spent away from guard icing my now grapefruit sized knee. When I went to the doctor I was pretty nervous, but he assured me that it didn’t appear to be serious. When I came in for my second visit my heart sank to see what was waiting for me in his office. It was a pamphlet that said the ins and

My knee suddenly feels as if someone set it on fire, and I instantly know something terrible has happened. My body quickly goes into shock, and I succumb to a sea of blackness. Awaking I hear a loud, sobbing sound of a wounded animal, slowly realizing that sound has come from myself. I open my eyes to see my mom, Coach Pendleton, and the athletic trainer leaning over me with questioning looks, as if they can not see the pain that I am feeling. All three are shouting questions at me as the red and black crowd sits silently with horrified faces. The trainer’s mouth is moving but I have no idea what she is saying, and it is as if I have lost my hearing, because the pain is too much too bear. Finally, I start to regain my thoughts and I can hear the trainer asking, “can you locate your pain for me?” I point to my knee, which is already swollen like a balloon. My mom and Coach Pendleton slowly help me to my feet and carry me to the sidelines like a child, where my team is staring at me with tear-filled eyes. I overhear the trainer talking in hushed voice with my mom, saying, “ I am concerned with the amount of swelling in the ACL area of her knee.” My stomach drops as I consider what she's just said. I will miss many games of my senior year, in the sport I love. My heart slowly shatters as I sit

It all started in seventh grade. I was in p.e. And we were playing Dodgeball. This was normal because that was what we usually played. That day was different, I went to throw a ball and managed to tear my kneecap off. When I threw it, I went to turn, but my foot stayed still and my knee popped nine times and I fell to the ground. I didn’t think anything of it because my knees will randomly pop. I got back up and walked away like nothing happened because I am used to my knee popping. But I only took about five steps before it started to hurt. I must not have noticed it because of the adrenaline that was in me from the game. Mr.Hookfin noticed and helped me to the nurse's office. I limped there because I couldn’t put any pressure on it without it wincing from the pain. It all happened before 10:00a.m. and my dad didn’t get there until noon because he was in school. He got me a doctors appointment for 3:00 p.m. because it was really swollen. When we got there they were not sure why it was so bad, so they gave me painkillers and I had to go for an M.R.I. scan the next day. Later we found out that I tore my kneecap off and had to get surgery to put it back in place. I went in for surgery two days after that. The surgery itself only took a few hours, but rehab to get it to work normally again was torture. Everyday for two hours I had to go in and work on my leg. It started of simple, but once I started to get

As I sat there and let the doctor examine my knee and diagnosis me with a “left knee sprain”. I started to cry. I already knew the outcome that I had a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). I tried to continue to play on it until one time I was playing in a tournament, and I went up to block a girls shot and landed on my

During the swim season of my sophomore year I was at the peak of my swimming career. I was swimming great times and had a very successful season. Prior to the regional swim meet I was qualified and all I had to do was swim my qualifying times to advance to the 1A/2A state swim meet. Exactly one week before the regional meet I broke my foot in two places. I was heartbroken because for a swimmer this is what you train for all year long. I felt like all my hard work and hours in the pool were for nothing. I immediately began physical therapy and told my parents I wanted to try and swim the following Saturday at regionals. My foot was not in a cast, but in a boot. My physical therapist even told me there was no way I would be able to swim at regionals.

To Shower After Knee Surgery, you have to Wrap plastic with tape around the bandaged knee or cast. You need to ensure the covering is watertight. You must Wrap plastic around any support aids . If it is possible to remove the brace, you can do so before putting plastic around the knee or cast. Besides, Use sufficient support once getting in and out of the shower after knee surgery. You should put a towel on the shower floor, and use a stool for knee support. You have to Be careful as you will be unable to bend your knee. If you use crutches, you need to ensure that they are secure and do not slide. In addition, Bathe your body with a sponge. You must avoid the water-protected area around the knee or cast. You should ensure it does not get wet.

I needed to get my injury cleared, so i could get back to doing what i love, playing soccer. I have visited this doctor a couple of times, but hopefully this was the last time. After the nurse got done asking me questions she said, “Dr.Brown will be in shortly” and she then left the room. I sat in a large uncomfortable chair, in the small, bright, white walled room. The room was dead silent. So quiet, you could hear your own thoughts. But the squeaking noise the door made opening interrupted the silence. Dr.Brown walked in; Dr.Brown was a skinny white male, who was no taller than 6 feet, he had brown hair and eyes. He had a very friendly personality, and you could tell after talking to him that he wants me out on that soccer field as bad I wanted to be out there. That's why we had a very good connection, and after 2 months of not being able to play soccer, Mr. Brown told me “You are officially cleared to

Physical Therapy is a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialty that is performed by physical therapists with a goal to improve a person’s quality of life, mobility and function. In short, it is a way of relieving pain and improving person’s life. A lot of the time it is used by elderly people, people with disabilities, or wounded/now disabled military personnel to, at least partially, restore their mobility and return their life to normal as much as possible. The main goal of physical therapy is to relieve pain and pressure on certain body parts and make life as easy as possible. Physical Therapy can help with:

Mrs. Green, that’s my therapist’s name. She smelled like vanilla. I hate vanilla. She gave me a list of stretches to do among other exercises and I did them. Everything was going good. As good as I could pretend because lord knew how painful it felt when she would push on my legs. My legs were not the only part of my body that was in pain. Using the crutches had made my armpits become swollen and the palms of my hands to become bruised. I felt absolutely miserable. Mrs. Green wasn’t going to know that. She’s smart I’ll give her that. I could tell she never believed me every time she would ask “How does this feel?” and I would reply through gritted teeth “It’s alright. I’m good”. This sly old lady ordered a body scan. The results showed that I was even more fucked up than I thought. Mrs. Green continued on being the worst person ever (okay she really wasn’t and I know she was just trying to help me heal but I just didn’t want her help). Along with my stress fractures I have a torn meniscus. Great this means surgery. Mrs. Green started writing on a paper. This was to be my new chit. She handed it to me and I swear I would’ve smacked the hell out of her I was so angry. If there was such a thing as smoke coming out of a person’s ears then you would most definitely have seen it coming from mine. On the paper read “transfer patient to RCU”. I was being taken out of my division and placed into the Recruit Convalescents Unit, also known as RCU. They were sending me where all the broken kids go. I wasn’t going to graduate on time. This was the worst possible thing that could have ever happened to

For children and adolescents, the experience in pediatric emergency waiting rooms can be problematic. According to different age groups, there are a variety of psychosocial concerns and developmental considerations that health professionals should be aware of in the pediatric unit. The environment of the emergency room is busy and chaotic, which can increase the level of anxiety and stress for the whole family. For infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children, parent separation is a common factor that makes them anxious (Brunnquell & Kohen, 1991). In the chaotic environment, children express their anxiety by crying, kicking or even regressive behaviors such as stop walking. Thus, there should be more family couches for patients to

Three doctor’s visits later I’m heading down to Ames to have shoulder reconstruction surgery. I got hurt on September 28th and I had surgery on October 24th. Heading down there I was numb. I wasn’t scared, but I definitely wasn’t excited. I was maybe more

Aquatic therapy is a type of physical therapy that is done on water instead of land. Aquatic therapy can include water weights, exercises in the water, and water aerobics. Some programs will combine both land and water exercises, and others will be just aquatic exercises. Aquatic therapy takes the weight off people so people are not bearing on all their body weight like they are on land which is called buoyancy.1 Aquatic therapy can be used for many different types of illnesses, diseases, syndromes, disorders, and musculoskeletal problems, including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, low back pain, and multiple sclerosis.1

The doctor walks over to the table. In the background, you can hear the minimal sound of the television. “Okay. Well, I have some bad news. The MRI showed an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear.” speaks Dr. Anderson. “Will I ever be able to do gymnastics again or even go to the Olympics?” sniffles Zoella. “I believe it is possible only if you believe in yourself and fight to get back to the level that you once were. It’s not going to be easy, but not everything goes as planned. You did not want this to happen, but many athletes sustain injuries that hold them back for weeks, months, years or even for the rest of their lives. I would like set up an operating room to get you into surgery right away.” explains the doctor. “Okay, thank you for everything you have done so far. I’m just scared, you know? I’m scared that I won’t be able to do what I love just because of an injury.” states Zoella. “Yes, definitely normal to feel the way you are right now. I just received information that an operating room has just opened so I would like to get you in there to make this process go faster. Well, goodbye and I will see you right before the procedure.” farewells Dr. Anderson. Zoella hopes that she will bounce back quickly from this injury to make her dream a