Rehabilitation Tara Sutherland CAT(C) HK447

Concepts of Rehabilitation

Basics of Rehabilitation  WHAT  WHY  WHEN  HOW  WHERE  WHO  It is one thing to merely do something and another to why… difference between technicians and professionals  A technician knows how.. But a professional knows, appreciates and understands the technique

The Rehab Team  Primary Team Members  Athletic Therapist /(physiotherapist)  Physician  Patient  Orthopedist  Additional Team Members (athletes)  Student therapist  Parents/ Spouse  Coach

The rehab team Secondary Team Members  Emergency medical technicians  Pharmacist  Psychologist/counselor  Nutritionist  Kinesiologist  Exercise Physiologist  Ophthalmologist  Peers\fellow athletes  Equipment Manager  Professors

Athletic Therapist CAT(C)  Clinician most often responsible for the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries in the athletic environment  Clinician's role requires many different professional and interpersonal skills  Therapist is at the centre of the team –regardless of how many people make up the team  Therapist has daily contact with patient and therefore has to communicate well with other members of the team

Interpersonal skills  Therapist must be dedicated to the rehab process but must also be energetic and competent  Rehab process can be lengthy and challenging, therefore therapist must be interested and empathic to the patient and their needs  Therapist must act professional at all times, to all members of the team  Therapist must be considerate, show respect for others, confident, honest, and sincere, be able to reassure the patient, and all members of the team that you the therapist posses the knowledge, ability and skill to coordinate this team and succeed with the rehabilitation  Therapist needs to be a good active listener, being involved in the conversation, participating appropriately and understanding what the patient is saying

 Therapist must keep accurate and up-to-date records of the assessment, the rehab and the response to treatments  Therapist must be involved with the education of others, coaches, family, employers etc  Therapist, education of student therapists, or others  Therapist must develop a good rapport with the physician and earn their respect and trust, communication is the key to this relationship

Communication  Communication with the patient  Being responsible in communication means knowing when to say something and when not to.. Using jargon ???  Keep things basic and simple especially when someone just injured.. Not the time for big lengthy explanations  Even at good times people do not recall more that 5 instructions at one time ( Rastall 1999), in stress for times the ability to retain information is impaired  Instructions should be a few at a time and reinforce with handout ( home exercises )

Communication  Therapist should communicate with the patient with sincere compassion, understanding of the individuals situation and confidence in their own knowledge of injuries and rehab.  You need to instill the patients confidence in yourself and your abilities  Provide the patient with the information he or she seeks about extent of injuries, time to heal, treatment plan.. However as mentioned all of this does not have to be done right away …

Communication with the physician  Therapist should never hesitate to contact the treating physician regarding a patients injury.  Whether it is to discuss the seriousness of he injury or the patients response to treatment.  Many different methods of communication work – phone, , written reports or face to face  Both must agree on the treatment plan, many will have strict protocols to follow, others will leave it in the hands of the therapist

Communicating with family members  Depends on the age of the patient  youths – family members are much more involved at the time of the injury and through out the rehab process  Adults – family members may be involved or not, remember it is the patients medical information and you must have their consent to talk to others about their injuries etc

Communicating with Coaches  Therapist must have open lines of communication both ways with the coach – injury notification and restrictions are important for coaches to know and how to incorporate the patient into the practices –  Always respect the right to privacy of the patient

Professionalism  Being a professional means looking like one and acting like one  A true professional gives back to their organization.. CATA (Tara CATA education committee, ethic committee, board of directors, President of the CATA, co chair three CATA conferences )  Adhering to legal standards and or ethical standards of your association and any provincial and national regulations  Continuing to update your knowledge and skills, new techniques or medical information, continuing education  Treating your patients with concern, respect and a consistently professional attitude

Professionalism  Looking like a professional  Dressing appropriately  Neatly groomed, clean  A presentation that encourages confidence and respect, if you are to be taken seriously, you need to look professional  Acting like a professional  Showing respect and consideration for others, colleagues or patients  Sensitive to the private information of your patients  Morally and legally responsible

Consent  Sometimes patients will not want to follow your course of treatment  Patients may refuse to perform a specific activity  A therapist may try to convince the patient why the activity is good for them and their healing process but you can not force a patient into doing any activity they do not want to do  It may be a lack of confidence in their ability or where they are in their rehab program, may need to try something different and then return to that activity ?  In other words patient always has the last say

Touch  Therapy is a touching profession  Touching is an integral and necessary part of therapists duties.Palpate injuries, feel for spasms, temperature, swollen areas  Must be continually sensitive to the patients perception of our touch  touching must always be purposeful, with specific reason an da goal in mind  Professional manner, respect for patient and their sensitivities  If unsure of how someone will handle the touching, have another professional present  Keep treatment room doors open, treat in a common area, if you feel uneasy about a situation be cautious