PT Project contributor Allison Lind was in the news recently as one of her patient’s long and miraculous road to recovery was retold.  She helped her fellow triathlete recover and return to the sport after a horrific accident that was supposed to leave him unable to participate in the grueling event forever.  To read the story click here.  Congrats to Allison for doing such a great job!

RyanOrser

Tags: Contributor, Injury, News, Triathlon

The Philippine’s ambassador to the US has requested that the US defer the ban on Filipino PT graduates taking the US National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE).

Last month, the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) suspended licensure test for graduates of Philippines, Egypt, India and Pakistan, stating “systematic and methodical sharing of recalled questions by significant numbers of graduates of programs in the affected countries”.

The Philippine Ambassador to the us, Willy Gaa, noted that only 1 review center is accused of wrong doing, out of many review centers and colleges, was cited of wrong doing (the St. Louis Review Center in Manila.  Gaa has requested a meeting with FSBPT officials.

There are currently over 1,300 Filipino PTs working in the us.

AdamBanks

Do you wonder who our contributors are and where they come from?
Do you have articles written and no platform to publish them?
Are you interested in becoming a contributor?

If so, the PT Project is looking for high quality content and high-quality contributors.  The pay is so close to zero, so we might as well just round it to that.  But what is lacking in pay, is made up in limitless glory. 

Our contributors have found The PT Project as a great place to build on their reputation, create link-backs, and increase their populatirty in online searches. 

We at the PT Project don’t think that the best PTs are in competition, we see that the best PTs compliment each other. 

Please email jon@theptproject.com if you want your voice heard.

AdamBanks

This past weekend, contributors Luke Bongiorno, Christopher Johnson, and Allison Lind competed in the NYC Triathlon. 

Allison Lind placed 2nd in elite womens division and 40th overall with the time of 2:12:11.

Christopher Johnson placed 19th overall finishing with a time of 2:04:54.

Luke Bongiorno finshed with a personal record of 2:36:17.

AdamBanks

Tags: Triathlon

The PT Project servers have lost data from June 24th forward.  If you have registered for a seminar, the newsletter, or otherwise tried to contact us, please do so again. 

Please resend any communications to The PT Project directly to jon@theptproject.com.

AdamBanks

Claude Hillel, PT Project contributor, was featured in NY Daily news today for his volunteer work in Haiti.

Read more

AdamBanks

It was good to be at last week’s conference in Boston.  We were pleased to sit in on Mike Reinold and Dr. Thomas Gill’s seminar on the “Overhead Athlete.”  They gave some very poignant clinical pearls and tips on how to communicate with the doctors you work with, both keep up the great work in the areas of research.  It was nice to see the thousands of physical therapists coming together yet again to expand their knowledge in areas of interest and network with others across the world.  Let’s continue to expand our presence in the medical world and be our biggest and strongest promoters.  See you all next year in Maryland.

RyanOrser

I always enjoy listening to Mike Reinold speak. His enthusiasm for his profession is matched by his in depth understanding of his subject – in this case: Evaluation and Treatment of the Shoulder in Athletes Participating in Overhead Sports. He and Dr. Thomas Gill of Mass General (also the Medical Director of the Boston Red Sox) presented this lecture at the APTA conference in Boston this year.

Some of the key points Mike stressed included the importance of the role serratus anterior plays in providing dynamic scapula stability, even when the rotator cuff is strong. Some of his preferred serratus strengthening exercises include:

Dynamic hug
Theraband diagonals to ‘eye level’
Modified wall slides, weight bearing through forearms while maintaining scapula protraction
Side lying rows
Standing w’s

Once the strength of the scapula stabilizers as well as the rotor cuff muscles has been established, Mike suggests progressing to dynamic strengthening activities incorporating plyometrics and perturbations of the upper limb.

Both speakers emphasized the importance of employing a team approach when rehabilitating a SLAP repair, especially with regards to the communication between the surgeon and the treating therapist. Factors for consideration include the type and location of the SLAP tear, the mechanism of injury, the number of suture anchors placed during the surgery and any concomitant procedures (for example rotator cuff tears)

JOSPT published an article by Mike Reinold in 2009 titled: Current Concept for Glenohumeral and Scapula Thoracic Complex (insert link) which goes into more detail on some of these topics. He also writes a great blog on mikereinold.com.

AdamBanks

 On January 12, 2010, life changed forever for a young woman named Mitha. When a 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, the most powerful earthquake to hit the small country in over a century, the 29 year old mother of four had her legs crushed by a collapsing wall. Although Mitha was one of the survivors of the devastating earthquake, in an instant everything about the life she once knew had changed. Mitha had first one, and then a second leg amputated as a result of injuries sustained by the collapsing wall.

On January 24th, Claude Hillel, a physical therapist from New York that had volunteered to help the victims of the Haitian earthquake, was helping patients onboard the USN Comfort, a naval ship used to provide medical assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake. At just about the same time as he arrived, Mitha arrived on the same ship, having just lost her second leg to amputation. Her magnetic smile and upbeat personality, despite all that she had been through during the last two weeks, immediately made an impact on Hillel and the two formed an instant connection.

Mitha remained on the ship until mid-February. Hillel headed back to New York, but soon returned to Haiti in March as part of the relief organization Project HOPE to continue to help the Haitian earthquake victims. He worked in conjunction with Hanger, Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of prosthetic devices, and the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Deschapelles, Haiti to organize the country’s first amputee program. Hillel knew where Mitha was staying, so he borrowed a car one day and made the three hour drive to pick her up and bring her back to the hospital to be fitted for prosthetics so could begin the road to her new life.

“Mitha was always so pleasant and upbeat,” explains Hillel, “and her magnetic smile rarely left her face. That is what attracted me to her in the first place and it was a testament to the amazing resiliency and robustness of the Haitian people, and especially of Mitha. These people didn’t sit around thinking ‘poor me’, they were grateful for the help that was offered and just wanted to move forward as quickly as possible so they could begin living their lives again. I figured if we could give her prosthetics for her lost legs and show her how to use them, she could get back to living her life.” The accompanying video shows a span of approximately seven weeks of Mitha’s rehabilitation after being fit for her prosthetics. The progress she made, as well as her attitude, is amazing to witness.

During Mitha’s rehab, her prosthetics began short and were built up as she progressed until she reached her regular height. Rehab didn’t only take place indoors on a nice, smooth surface. Since that wouldn’t have helped Mitha navigate the unforgiving and bumpy terrain of her homeland, Hillel and the other physical therapists at Albert Schweitzer needed to think outside the box and had to adapt the conditions of therapy to the local environment. Therefore, Mitha performed some of her rehab over rocky soil and bumpy and hilly ground, gravel, grass and sand – the types of surfaces she would have to walk over on a regular basis.

By the end of the seven week period, prior to Hillel’s return to his job as a physical therapist at New York Sports Med and Physical Therapy, he and Mitha went shopping and she was able to carry things on her own, even while walking. She could even get up from the floor on her own without assistance, a huge accomplishment for someone with prosthetics on both legs. The speed of her rehab and the progress she made in such a short time is astounding.

When Hillel was asked what he attributes her success to, his answer is simple and straightforward. “At home, we are always so concerned with liability issues and how things ‘should be done’, but when we got to Haiti, we knew we needed to address the functional and lifestyle needs of our patients, as well as their environment, and adapt what we would ‘usually do’ to what ‘they needed to do’. That adaptation, and the incredible robustness and resiliency of the Haitian people, are the reason we can teach a person who just lost both of her legs to be able to walk and carry on most daily activities in less than two months’ time.”

“This experience in Haiti has given me a new perspective as I re-adapt to my role as a physical therapist here in New York. I now realize how important it is to look at each individual’s unique functional and lifestyle needs and to adapt your mindset to their needs, rather than your own. Sometimes you need to let go a bit of how you always do things or think they should be done and focus more on what the demands of each person’s lifestyle and needs are in order to develop the most effective treatments to help them get to where they want and need to be.”

As for Mitha, she recently moved into a new home with her four children, who are headed back to school. She continues to receive therapy once a week and is steadily progressing at a rapid pace. And through it all, she continues to smile.

For more information about the amputee program offered at Albert Schweitzer Hospital and Hillel’s role in helping to organize the program, read the story, NYSM PT Bringing Hope to Amputees in Haiti.

Claude Hillel

Here is an article that was written about my experiences in Haiti:

Three weeks ago, Claude Hillel, a physical therapist at NY SportsMed & Physical Therapy, arrived in Haiti with a single goal – to help those injured in the devastating Haiti earthquake.  Since then, he has been very busy.

Claude traveled to Haiti in connection with the relief organization Project HOPE to offer his expertise to those who need it most.  The organization, in conjunction with the world’s leading manufacturer of prosthetic devices, Hanger, Inc., and the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Deschapelles, Haiti have formed the country’s first and only amputee program.

The numbers are staggering.  It is estimated that Haitians suffered between 30,000 – 50,000 orthopedic injuries as a result of the earthquake.   Upwards of 4,000 people, with projections as high as 10,000, have required amputation as a result of their injuries, or will in the near future due to expected complications with their initial injuries as the rainy season approaches and disease and infection spread.

But Claude, along with a small group of physical therapists and prosthetists, are working hard to bring hope to those who have suffered such loss.   The program that has been set up at Albert Schweitzer Hospital assists any individual that is brought in following an amputation.  Prosthetic devices, along with necessary rehabilitation, are provided free of charge to patients, due to the trio of benefactors and the generosity of those willing to volunteer their time to help.   

The group of four physical therapists and four prosthetists start their days early in Deschapelles.  They typically see approximately a dozen patients each per day.  And while that may not sound like a large volume of patients, it is.  There are a lot of barriers to overcome in the process of providing care to the victims of the Haiti earthquake.  For one, there is a language barrier.  The volunteer professionals do not understand the native language, Creole, of the patients they treat.  Claude is fluent in Creole, and in addition to his other duties, spends his day translating between patient and therapist, along with one on-site translator for the group.  Patients also come in with no medical history, and in some cases do not even know their age or birth date.  In many cases, they also do not know where they are going, since they have lost everything.

Following an initial evaluation and assessment by the therapists, a prosthetist works with each patient to measure and cast the limb in order to make the prosthetic device.  All prosthetics are made on-site at the hospital, and rather than taking the few weeks that is typical in the U.S., the timeframe for completion is as quick as 3 – 4 days in most cases.  In the meantime, patients are provided with the information they need to care for their wounds, check their skin, and to strengthen their muscles.  Then therapists and prosthetists work hand-in-hand to adjust the prosthetic and make sure it works well for each individual patient.

That’s where the fun begins.  Physical therapy proceeds in most cases at almost lightening speed.  “We put a prosthetic leg on a patient, and they immediately want to walk,” explains Hillel.  “In some cases, they are up walking the first day.  Some even want to run.  The Haitians are some of the strongest and most fit people I’ve ever met.”

One thing that the therapists in Haiti need to do is to learn to think outside the box.  According to Claude, “rehabilitation indoors on a nice smooth surface doesn’t work for our patients.  The physical terrain of Haiti is not smooth and it is not flat.  There are no paved sidewalks and no ramps – the ground is bumpy and it is rough.  Therefore that is the reality that our patients need to learn to adapt to.  So, we need to teach them how to walk over an uneven surface or a ground covered in gravel.”  In some cases, the therapists are even teaching kids how to climb trees, which is how they spend their free time without modern conveniences like televisions and computers.

In addition to his daily work as a physical therapist assisting patients, Claude is also working to coordinate a more structured program to provide continued assistance.  “This is not a short term problem.  The Haitians will need our help for years to come,” he explains.  So, he spends his time spreading the word about the unique program that is being offered at Albert Schweitzer Hospital and is also working to structure a volunteer program that would better serve the population.  In his spare time, he is even writing an orientation manual for volunteers to read prior to or upon their arrival, to help speed up the process of acclimating volunteers to the unique challenges of the environment.

Plain and simple, more physical therapists are needed to volunteer their time and to assist the Haitian population, in both the short and long term.  And although Claude will be heading back to New York in just over a month, he is doing whatever he can to see to it that they get the help they need.

Claude Hillel

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