Didactic Education

Arthritis Presentation

In Spring 2019, another classmate and I gave a presentation on arthritis as part of Keep Stepping. This condition mostly affects older adults but can affect younger adults too. In it, we included some facts and information about symptoms and management strategies. The primary symptoms of arthritis include pain, inflammation and swelling. For people that have this condition, low intensity aerobic exercise like walking or biking are some of the best ways to promote joint health. The full presentation can be found below.

Course: PTA Therapeutic Exercise #21111

Cardio Check Off

For the last practical check off, I chose to treat a 42-year-old female that was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and PVD. She had a stage III pressure ulcer on her right lower leg. Her main issues were that she had a very inactive lifestyle and was overweight. As a result, she had hypertension and overall decreased strength, especially of her core. PT staff had been changing her wound dressings and worked on transfers, ambulation, and bedside exercises 2 times in the last week. She complained of increased pain with ambulation and exercises after her dressing change. For this treatment session, I chose to do the exercises after the wound dressings were changed to see if that decreased her pain. My main intervention was to have her ambulate 25 feet with a step-to gait pattern using a 2- wheeled walker. I made sure to check the height of the walker first. As she did this, I cued her for upright posture. For her exercise, I had her do bedside marches with core activation to improve her strength. I told her to do them for 3 sets, 8 repetitions a day. Finally, I educated her on the importance of getting out of bed and walking. This would help improve circulation and increase her wound healing.

Course: PTA Cardiopulmonary and Integumentary Management #81177