Bataan’s Physical Therapy Helps Keep Pain Away

U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

05.28.2017

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Magen F Reed 

USS Bataan (LHD 5)

By Petty Officer 2nd Class Magen F. Reed, USS Bataan (LHD 5) Public Affairs

5TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS -Ship, shipmate, self… words that outside the U.S. Navy may not mean much but are everything to those who live them. When it comes to an individual’s health, it can be easy to end up making sacrifices for the big picture.

Navy medicine strives to provide comprehensive care to Sailors and Marines all over the world. For a long time physical therapy has been a part of that at hospitals on shore and aboard aircraft carriers at sea. According to Lt. Joseph Neil, a physical therapist attached to Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 6, it is now made available for the first time to a greater portion of the Navy with the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5).

“We’ve been demonstrating since the early 2000’s that physical therapy was a valued asset aboard aircraft carriers,” said Neil. “Recently it was proposed that we could be helpful on the smaller amphibious assault ships. This study right now is to try and demonstrate the value of it by helping reduce the days that are lost to injury and trying to improve the overall health of the crew.”

A deployed naval vessel has a lot of moving parts. Those aboard are working almost nonstop every day they are underway. Bataan is 844 feet long from bow to stern and inside is a honeycomb of passages that each crew member must traverse to complete their daily tasks.

“Life on a ship can be very stressful on your body,” said Hospitalman Drew Aligsao, who is training with Neil as a physical therapy technician. “Just walking around the ship with the high impact surfaces and steep ladderwells can cause problems for your body.”

With that in mind, Neil wasn’t surprised at the demand for services when he started working aboard Bataan.

“The first few weeks we were here we were inundated with patients,” he said. “Sometimes all they will need is a manipulation of their back or maybe a few exercises they can perform on their own. Then there are other cases where we’ll try to have the patient come in a few times a week to get more skilled, hands-on guidance from us.”

According to Neil, physical therapists in the Navy are autonomous, independent care providers. What that means for the average crewmember is they don’t have to go through a referral process to be seen. A quick trip to see the physical therapist to set up an evaluation is all that’s needed.

After the initial introduction comes an evaluation of the problem. Lack of mobility, loss of muscle strength, and any number of other conditions are brought into consideration. Then the physical therapist creates a plan of care that is carried out by himself with the assistance of the physical therapy technician.

Three months into Bataan’s deployment the physical therapy area in the medical ward continues to see dozens of patients a week. Their patient count indicates the value of their presence aboard the ship.

“Navy medicine’s priority is ensuring the health of Sailors and Marines,” said Neil. “We do that by operating our forces where our Sailors and Marines operate themselves. We’re at shore in large hospitals or smaller clinics, we’re on ships and downrange with them. There are very few places where physical therapy does not reach out to.”

Bataan and its ready group are deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations designed to reassure allies and partners, and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region.

• Date Taken: 05.28.2017
• Date Posted: 05.28.2017 09:51
• Story ID: 235591
• Location: U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY