Benefits from Exercising to Fatigue

When a patient is trying to regain strength in their legs or arms, they benefit more from exercising until the muscle is fatigued. The muscle of the patient isn't being pushed to its limit unless it reaches fatigue. When the muscle becomes fatigued, it means that the patient has worked as hard as they could on the muscle and makes room for improvement because of the extra push. The muscle is working to its fullest and blood circulation increases as well. Every time the muscle becomes fatigued it has done a small amount of improvement on its strength and eventually well get to its normal strength.

The Use of Heat

On a patient in physical therapy there is a lot of stretching for strengthening that has to be done. When a physical therapist stretches a patient it enhances muscle extensibility, but sometimes a physical therapist has to use heat on the area to get the muscles to loosen up more. When recovering from an injury, patients usually go a long time without moving the injured area, for say a leg, because it causes too much pain. Keeping the leg straight or bend for an extensive amount of time the muscles tighten up and make it difficult to bend or straighten the leg all the way.

             As I've seen with my mentor, Emily Sevilla, when she has a patient who isn't able to straighten or bend the leg all the way, she applies heat. Applying heat to the muscle that has been stiff allows it to relax and loosen up. The heat is usually left on the leg for roughly around 10 to 15 minutes to really have an effect on the muscle. Once the heat is removed and she begins to bend or straighten the patients leg and there is less pain and more flexibility.   

An example of a heating pad

Blog 9: EQ

Content
1. "I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ."

2. a.  "What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?"
              -This EQ does not meet the rule of 3 because it's not specific on what body type, age, height, or gender. Having a healthy weight loss is different from a child to an adult so being specific on who is trying to loss the weight is important.
    b. "What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?"
              -This EQ also does not meet the rule of 3 because conviction is too broad. It can be narrowed down to a specific type of conviction and it would help have a more firm framework for research.
    c.  "What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?"
              -Customer can be narrowed down to age and gender for more depth in research. As well as hairstyle can depend on the occasion, such as a wedding, birthday, etc.
     d. "How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?"
              - Knowing who is treating the pain gives great depth to the research but chronic pain can be narrowed down to a specific part of the body to have a better framework for studies.

3. What is the best way a physical therapist can decide what treatment method to use on a teenage patient recovering from a fractured leg bone?

Hand Pedal

The Hand Pedal exerciser is a great piece of equipment that allows the patient to work out either their legs or their arms. It is a very simple piece of equipment any person of any age can use. They place their hands or feet on the pedals and simple pedal, either forward or backward depending on what muscles they are trying to strengthen. The nob on the top gives the physical therapist the ability to change the resistance of the pedals; the more resistance works out the muscles more because the patient has to apply more force in order to pedal. The patients that are put to use the hand pedals are trying to regain their strength in their arms or legs either because they are loosing mobility or are recovering from an injury or surgery.  

Hand Pedal Exerciser 

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

Content:
1. What is your working EQ?
What is the best way for a Physical Therapist to decide what treatment method to use on a leg injury?

2. What is a possible answer to your working EQ?

• Evaluate the patient by knowing their health history, doing tests and measurements, and know the diagnosis.

3. What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your EQ?
The most important source that has helped me come up with this answer to my EQ was a chapter in a book called "Opportunities in Physical Therapy Careers" by Bernice R. Krumhansel. It explained the process done by a physical therapist during an evaluation. The evaluation is the most critical step on deciding what treatment method the patient will be placed in because the physical therapist gets to know the patient and see where they need the most help on.

4. Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?
My mentor is Emily Sevilla, she is a physical therapist assistant at  Emeritus in San Dimas. By observing Emily work with her patients, I learn how to tell if the exercises you are having them do is actually helping them out. Knowing that the exercises are helping the patients means that the evaluation and treatment method you decided for them is having affect.

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
For my 30 hours I plan on going into my mentorship to observe and work with patients. Try to have a more hands on experience with the patients and have a feel of the day to day environment that this occupation has. I will go to mentorship twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1pm to 5pm, to have a longer experience in the facility.

2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
I will keep my mentorship log up to date with the amount of hours I completed each day and a summary of what I did on the day I volunteered.

3. And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
This will give me an idea on what physical therapist have to treat and how physical therapy is playing a part in the development/restrengthening of the muscles by observing more patients being treated and being there to see the progress of each patient.

Parallel Bars

The Parallel Bars are a piece of equipment that is used in physical therapy. They are utilized to assist patients with standing up on their own and walking. Most of the patients that my mentor works with are unable to stand or walk and using the parallel bars gives them support. My mentor also supports the patient as well as the parallel bars, due to the possibility of the patient's arms giving up and falling.   

Parallel Bars from a Side View

Parallel Bars

Blog 6: Second Interview Questions

Content:
1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?
     My mentor is Emily Sevilla, she works at Emeritus in San Dimas.

2.What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1. What college/colleges did you study physical therapy at?
2. Why did you chose that college/colleges?
3. What did you major as? What type of courses did you take?
4. At what point did you decide to become a physical therapist?
5. What is the most rewarding part of your career? What would you change if you could?
6. If you had to do it again, would you?

Blog 5: Project Reflection and Working EQ

The Pentagon:
(1) Positive Statement: What positive thing happened as a result of what you have completed so far?
A positive thing that has happened as a result of what I have completed so far is that I found out that I am not interested on doing cosmetology as my senior project topic. I would rather like to learn about Physical Therapy and due to the research I have done so far from the research checks, Physical Therapy could possibly be the career I would love to pursue.
 
(2) EQ Content: Pick a piece of research or your interview. How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?
A piece of research that has helped me improve my understanding of Physical Therapy was an article by Maria Baccari called "Physical Therapy as a Profession." It talks about what a Physical Therapist is required to do, the different types of physical therapy, and the education that is required. I thought that physical therapy had no subsections but there is about 13 different types a physical therapist could be a specialist in.

(3) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?
Things that have helped me so far in the senior project is to be constantly checking the senior blog to see what I need to do. Also staying on task and doing everything on time has helped me so far in the senior project.

(4) What hasn't worked so far?
Finding books on physical therapy has been very difficult. It seems that library's don't carry textbooks or books on physical therapy, which leaves me looking for articles online, when a book would be a great amount of help. I have found a couple of books in the Pomona Public Library but it would be better if there was a lot more.

(5) Finding Value:

• What is a potential question you would like to study this year? (working EQ)
• What is the best way for a Physical Therapist to come up with the right therapy plan to get the patient back on their feet? 
• What do you plan to do for mentorship? If you haven't found a mentor yet, then discuss where you are currently looking and who you are talking to to find it.
• I am currently looking to do my mentorship at Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation in Pomona. I have an orientation on the 9th of September to become a volunteer there in their Physical Therapy Department. I have talked to a Lady, friend of Mrs. Burton, that works at Casa Colina to see if she could get me in contact with some Physical Therapist that work there.

Changing my Senior Topic

Before summer began I thought that doing Cosmetology as my senior project topic would be a lot of fun, but then I realized it wasn't that exciting. I then began to think of a topic that I though was interesting and I would have fun learning about, while working on the senior project. After a while of thinking, I came up with doing Physical Therapy as my senior topic because I have attended physical therapy myself and I found it fun. It's a great way to give back to people in need and be able to interact with the patient. You are able to work one on one with the patient to help them gain their strength and help them recover by assisting them to gain their mobility back.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

Content:
1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?
I plan on interviewing Dr. Bick Harmon because he is a Physical Therapist with his own practice with a lot of experience and he was my Physical Therapist about 6 months ago.

2. You have to ask 5 questions. What additional questions do yo plan to ask?

• What made you decide to become a Physical Therapist?
• What is the best aspect of your job?
• What type of problems do you come across as a Physical Therapist?
• What types of physical injury do most patients that you treat on daily bases have?
• Where did you study to become a Physical Therapist? Why?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

1. List your Topic Here:
 Physical Therapy

2. What do you plan to do this year to show growth in each of the ESLRs? Be specific and use an example. Examples can come from senior project, model assembly, core, and/or participation in senior class ASB or other organizations on campus (clubs etc).

• IPoly Citizen: I plan on being a resourceful classmate, by helping out my peers when they are in need of help on classwork, homework, or studying for a test. I will become available to my peers whenever they are in need of help and never deny my assistance if I am able to help. I will also become part of clubs such as Drama and Hope club to contribute more to IPoly's community. I will be a resourceful stage crew member that can help on all events.
• Effective Learner: I plan on always leaving school with full understanding with what we learned that day. I also plan on getting the most amount of help I can from English since my writing skills are not where I would like them to be. I will ask questions and for help when I become confused.  
• Effective User of Technology: I plan on learning how to become more efficient with the school computers since I have trouble working with Apple computers. I will learn how to make my power-points more entertaining and professional by asking my peers who have more knowledge with PowerPoint for tips.
• Effective Communicator: I plan on speaking with Mrs. Hunzeker whenever I have a concern about choosing colleges, getting into colleges, and things I should be doing now to make sure I meet the college's requirements. I will also speak with the senior team when I am having difficulty with the senior project or have any doubts on what I was assigned to do. I also plan on being part of committees so I can be involved in school activities and have a say on things. 

Blog 2: Summer Mentorship

Literal:  

1. (Know) Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties 
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AurwSUOEvhWFdE55bjJMcC1EeWhEX2hVVm5JTnpiTkE#gid=0

2. Contact Name & Number      
Maria Elena Mariscal (714) 774-4543

3. (Need to know) What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them.     
Why is it necessary to add tissue paper at the tips of the hair when putting in curlers?
How many years of study does it take to get your cosmetology certificate?
How much does it cost to study cosmetology?
What chemical cause the hair to dye? 
What type of hair is the easiest to style?

Interpretive:

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
The most important thing i gained from this experience is that there is a certain way everything has to be done, you can't just go in and do what you think is correct. For instance, cutting someone's hair, there is a process that you have to take in order for the client's hair to come out the way they asked for it. If you don't follow the process that is required you can end up giving someone the wrong shade of color or a lopsided haircut.

Applied:

5. How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.
My mentorship helped me chooses a topic because in my family there is a couple of cosmetologist and i grew up watching them work at salons and it really caught my attention from the start.

Blog 1: 2013 2-Hour Presrentation Reflections

Content:
1.  (Know) What presentations did you see?  Name the topic and the person's first name.
Theater Acting- Dean N.
Tai-Kwon Do-Indra N.
Teaching Elem Science- Joseph Ga.
Non-profit Organization- Audrianna F.
All Star Cheerlead (Competition)- Priscilla W.
Water Treatment- Ryan S.
Structural Engineering- Andy G.
Art in Education- Catherine C.
Floral Shop Administration- Aldo R.
Preschool- Emani L.
Yoga- Jordan L.
The Art of DJing- Edwin R.
Physical Therapy- Olivia P.
Music Education- Amanda K.

Literal: 
2.  (Need to know) What questions do you have that haven't been answered about the senior project? This can be about the senior project in general, any components or about a presentation topic you saw or what they said. 
How many hours are you supposed to have done by the end of your senior project?
How do the independent projects work?
Are we given rule bricks on what the teachers expect for every component?

Interpretive:
3. What has the most important part of the senior project based on what you are seeing in the 2-hour presentations?
The most important part of the senior project based on what i saw in the 2-hour presentations are the three answers because that is the part that we are timed one. As well as the level of entertainment, so everyone is involved and interested.

Applied:
4. What topic are you considering doing and why?
I am considering on doing Physical Therapy because i myself had physical therapy this year and the presentation of Olivia P was really fun and interesting.