Photo By Jean Graves | Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital highlighted the important role physical therapy...... read more read more
FORT JOHNSON, La. — Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital highlighted the important role physical therapy plays in the prevention and recovery of injuries with a Physical Therapy Month team challenge, Oct. 23 in the rehabilitation gym at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson, Louisiana military medical treatment facility.
October is physical therapy month, and according to health.mil, physical therapists can help restore, maintain, and promote optimum physical function, as well as improve wellness and quality of life as it relates to each patient’s needs.
Whitney Carver, medical support assistant, came up with the idea for the Physical Therapy Month team challenge at the encouragement of her mentor, who told her to be on the lookout for process improvements or initiatives to highlight the department.
“I wanted to raise awareness about the benefits of physical therapy for our community,” she said. “I thought bringing Soldiers and staff from the hospital to our PT gym would educate them on the role of physical therapy in injury prevention, rehabilitation, and overall wellness. The idea was to foster teamwork among the participants, emphasize the importance of physical therapy and motivate my colleagues at BJACH to prioritize their wellbeing.”
Carver said the team challenge encouraged teams of five to earn points for each repetition of pushups, pull-ups, 25-pound kettle bell swings, 120-pound deadlifts, 90-pound sled drags and for every minute they could hold a plank.
Carvers said two teams of ten employees from BJACH participated in the inaugural event and she hopes to make it bigger and better next year.
Capt. Steven Candeto, chief of rehabilitative services, encouraged Carver to coordinate the event.
Having become a physical therapist after a shoulder injury playing baseball in high school, Captain Candeto said, “17-year-old me only wanted to keep playing baseball, and I thought my injury would take that away. I was routed to physical therapy, but I had no idea what PT was at the time.”
“After a few months, I was back to throwing a baseball and developed a great appreciation for the benefits of physical therapy,” he said “Having gone through rehab, I know how frustrating it can be as a patient but also how rewarding the hard work can be for them in the end. It became obvious to me while in college that I wanted to be a part of that journey for patients.”
Candeto said physical therapy is important in many ways.
“Everyone has goals they want to achieve in life, and most involve some type of movement,” he said. “Physical therapy is focused on helping you move and function at the best possible level. An injury or surgery might temporarily limit your movement, which can have a significant impact on your life. By helping you recover from that injury or surgery, we can try to restore you to your highest level in pursuit of your life goals.”
Brittany Merchant, a physical therapist at BJACH, said raising awareness about her profession and physical therapy is important.
“The profession of physical therapy was developed during the first World War to assist with rehabilitating soldiers,” she said. “Physical therapists earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy and have a vast knowledge base about the body, particularly the musculoskeletal system. Physical therapists can greatly help society in general by ultimately improving quality of life and overall function. We do this by educating and advocating for wellness, reducing the risk of injury, and assisting with rehabilitation when injury does occur.”
Merchant said her department enhances the overall healthcare provided at BJACH.
“We serve the military community and their families every day,” she said. “We play a role in ensuring our soldiers are prepared for duty, in addition to being able to participate in their hobbies and daily activities.”
Merchant said physical therapy is key to readiness.
“Physical therapy can be very beneficial for Soldiers preparing for the Army Combat Fitness Test,” she said. “We work with Soldiers to ensure they are utilizing proper biomechanics to prevent injury while performing the various ACFT events. I have treated so many patients with back injuries after dead lifting for the ACFT. Physical therapy should be utilized to work with Soldiers for injury prevention instead of just thinking of physical therapy as rehab after injury. I try to incorporate ACFT exercises into rehab with my patients. For example, I may have a patient recovering from a shoulder injury perform kettle bell swings to prepare for the ACFT power ball throw.”
Candeto echoed Merchant’s sentiment on the value physical therapy can bring to patients for injury prevention, recovery, and lifelong mobility.
“We can be a great source of education to keep you moving through life and your job,” he said. “There are many instances where an injury or pain does not require you to put your life on hold. Depending on the injury, you might experience recurrent flare-ups later in life. We can help fix you now. But we can also provide education on self-management in the future.”
Merchant said pain and injuries do not mean patients need to give up physical activity.
“Activity modification is key,” she said. “Many times, people assume that when an injury occurs, they need to stop all activity; but in reality, a physical therapist can be very valuable in helping a person maintain an active lifestyle and assist them with developing modifications as needed throughout the recovery process.”
BJACH beneficiaries can learn more about physical therapy services by visiting www.tricare.mil/PhysicalTherapy.
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.29.2023 10:47 |
| Story ID: | 456696 |
| Location: | FORT JOHNSON, LA, US |
| Web Views: | 292 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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