Physical therapy

Physical Therapy
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

Working with physical therapy clients is one of the high points of a volunteer, an aide or a physical therapist because one is able to gain knowledge and skills that can influence the choice of career path one may follow. One such experience is when I was volunteering in a physical therapy center, and I was allocated to help with gait training a fifty-six years woman who was recovering from a stroke which had limited the patient’s dorsiflexion and hip extension. Notably, gait training places emphasis on the legs and the core which are essential in balancing of the rest of the body (Wiart, Rosychuk & Wright, 2016). After the patient suffered a stroke, walking became a problem as her body could not decipher signals from the brain. Therefore she needed to reactivate her neuroplasticity by relinking the mind to the muscle. The lead physical therapist emphasized a lot of walking because it will strengthen the feet, legs and core muscles. This particular case was essential to me because I was able to make a choice of the career I wanted to pursue, an exercise physiologist.
One key reason that informed that decision was seeing the level of impact the entire team had on different patients especially this woman who after three months was able to regain her gait. Second, I acquired valuable knowledge and skills which will be instrumental in my future career. Third, I learned the value of working in a team because everybody was allocated a particular type of exercise which was to contribute to the recommended set of activities.

Working in a team in such a scenario instilled a sense of discipline which will be a critical element of physical therapy professionals.

References
Wiart, L., Rosychuk, R. J., & Wright, F. V. (2016). Evaluation of the effectiveness of robotic gait training and gait-focused physical therapy programs for children and youth with cerebral palsy: a mixed methods RCT. BMC Neurology, 16(1), 86.