Working in Sports Medicine Clinics As a Physical Therapy Assistant
Posted by in Sports Medicine on December 7, 2011
Choosing a career as a physical therapy assistant (PTA) can be a great choice for a number of reasons. It may be the wages, the in demand skill set, or a genuine interest in helping sick and injured individuals. PTAs enjoy a career that has excellent diversity. They are able to work with those who suffer from arthritis to dementia, to young children who suffer from spina bifida. They have the potential to gain experience in many workplace settings that interest them personally. In a society where fitness and rehabilitation are large parts, the role of a physical therapy assistant in sports medicine clinics is a common one. This may a perfect fit for an individual with a background in athletics, or a keen passion for fitness to upgrade their knowledge and skills by completing an in demand associates degree.
Sports physical therapy generally focuses on healing strains, sprains and sports related injuries. Whether these injuries are suffered by the weekend warrior, varsity athletes, or other individuals a PTA working in a sports medicine clinic setting will have excellent direction from the senior sports physical therapists. Working in a sports medicine setting also allows a PTA to pick excellent exercise rehabilitation skills. a PTA often assist the patients with the exercise program that is prescribed by the physical therapist. Ensuring the patients are following the exercises properly will help a PTA become very familiar with rehabilitative exercises. Read the rest of this entry »
Sports Medicine That’s Long on Promise and Short on Medicine
Posted by in Sports Medicine on December 7, 2011
Sports Medicine Scams
Many people are familiar with and use alternative medical therapies. Most of these therapies have little research to support their use, yet remain popular with the general public. At COAST Rehab Services, we consider it a priority and part of our mission to provide our patients and the public with accurate and up to date information, especially as it pertains to health and sports medicine. We understand that conventional medicine doesn’t appeal to everyone and that alternative therapies can be very beneficial. The more accurate the information made available, the better able people are to make decisions regarding their physical therapy.
A recent article in The Sporting News discussed the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber therapy. Some professional teams and training centers use these devices in the belief that healing time (of an injury) can be significantly shortened. Several professional hockey teams used hyperbaric oxygen therapy (pregame doses) a decade ago, with near disastrous results, because they believed it would enhance performance. Hyperbaric oxygen is a mode of therapy in which the patient breathes 100% oxygen at pressures greater than normal atmospheric (sea level) pressure. During treatment a patient sits in a closed chamber that is filled with pure oxygen at high pressure, usually for several hours. The healing power of pressurized oxygen has long been acknowledged for deep sea divers suffering from “the bends” and for other emergency infections and injuries treated in a hospital. But, the FDA has not approved the use of hyperbaric oxygen for the treatment of sports injuries, neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, MS, migraine and strokes, or other illnesses such as cancer and AIDS – the targeted patient population of these sports medicine scam artists. In fact, there are no sound, valid scientific studies that support that use. Beyond the questionable therapeutic value, there are potentially deadly dangers in hyperbaric therapy (seizure, fire). Read the rest of this entry »