Careers in the Health Professions: Physical Therapy

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Table of Contents

Role of Physical Therapist
Patient Background
Physical therapist
References

Role of Physical Therapist

This report proposes a long-term health management plan for Sgt. Jason Pepper with whom I have been providing physical therapy since 2008. I am professionally qualified to do so since I have a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the College of Health Sciences (Department of Physical Therapy), Tennessee State University. The course is accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The organization is the sole accreditation agency in the United States with regard to education in Physical Therapy. In general physical therapy aims at positively improving “individual’s overall health, wellness, and fitness by providing services that positively impact physical fitness.” (Physical fitness for special populations: Overview, 2008). Managing and improving the overall health and fitness of a person like Sgt. Jason Pepper is very different from the usual cases that I handle. This will evident from the short background of thirty something war veteran given later in this report. But, it is in assisting cases like this that gives me the maximum of professional work satisfaction. There is something special in assisting those who were willing to defend the sovereignty of the USA as a part of our armed forces.

Common war injuries in Iraq: The most common war injury in Iraq is TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury which is usually accompanied by Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. (Brain injury and the Iraq War).

Patient Background

The earlier section mentioned probable war injuries when on active duty in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. Sgt. Pepper was injured by an improvised explosive device while on active duty in Iraq. He suffered TBI and suffers from PTSD. The explosion “blinded him, damaged his brain, wounded both arms, and destroyed his sense of smell”. (Okie, 2006). His condition is coded R1, which is near to the top in terms of seriousness. He has personal mobility, but needs a GPRS device to compensate for his lost vision. He is married with two children and is undergoing computer course in the hope of landing a job. He currently earns around 6200 USD Social Security and Veteran Association.

Suggestions to the clinical psychologist

Sgt Pepper could be still having PTSD and gets hallucinatory (in part) pain usually at bed-time. This should be confirmed and the necessary treatment be started at the earliest. He also suffers from migraine attacks many times a day for which he takes barbiturates. He is also on anti-depressant medication. He has been able to reduce the dose by half and this is a good sign. If possible such mediation can be avoided fully. He might need counseling regularly which may reduce his hallucination induced pain. New drugs being tested like D-cycloserine may “help PTSD patients open up about their traumatic experiences and become more willing to engage in therapy.” (Berton, 2008).

Suggestions to the neurologist

Sgt. Jason has prosthetic bone implanted during reconstruction of his skull. This could part of the reason for his hallucinatory pain and migraine. Sgt. Jason might require more psychiatric counseling now, but it would be worthwhile to have a neurological check-up at least once in two months (from once a month). It would help in understanding whether he is having a relapse or not.

Suggestions to the speech-language pathologist

Sgt Jason Pepper is now undergoing training in computer sciences and hopes to get a job in order to support himself. Currently he lives on what he gets from the Veterans Association and Social Security. It would be ideal if his speech problems are reduced so that he may not find difficulty in landing a job once his course is over.

Physical therapist

I am the physical therapist of Sgt Pepper. Exercises for more mobility are being regularly. Long term physical therapy can bring about a lot more mobility to him.

Suggestions to the occupational therapist

Sgt Pepper should earnestly start with occupational therapy so that he may be able to cope with his working environment as soon as he finishes his computer course. The overall aim of this long term treatment is to make this war hero stand on his own feet with minimum of medical intervention.

References

Physical fitness for special populations: Overview. (2008). APTA – American Physical Therapy Association. Web.

Brain injury and the Iraq War. PTSD. Health A to Z: A World of Health at your Fingertips. 2008. Web.

Okie, Susan M. D. (2006). Reconstructing lives — A tale of two soldiers. The New England Journal of Medicine, 355. 2609-2615. Web.

Berton, Justin. (2008). PTSD leaves physical footprints on the brain: D-cycloserine. SF Gate. Web.

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