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Posts Tagged ‘Rehab therapy’

Rehab Therapists: Ear Buds can Cause Ear Damage

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Once again, a popular type of technology is increasing the already high demand for rehab therapists.  Speech therapists, travel speech language pathologists and other speech therapy professionals are starting to observe a high danger of hearing loss in people who enjoy cranking the volume up on their Ipod and other MP3 players.

Media images of ultra-cool celebrities, athletes, musicians or other high profile figures, with Ipod ear buds permanently affixed to their ears have become familiar to the public.  Kids in particular, who tend to look up to some of these figures as role models, may be the most prone to pop in the ear buds (to the point where some parents may feel the need to surgically extract them). Combine the celebrity effect with a young person’s developing sense of hearing and the possibility of future hearing loss is accelerated.  Young people are also more likely to hang out with their MP3 players in noisy environments where they are likely to turn up the volume even more. And since standard ear buds are not very effective in blocking out background noise, the danger of hearing damage increases.

Research has shown that when sensitive eardrums are exposed to sounds greater than 90 decibels for a prolonged period of time, there is a significant risk of gradual hearing loss. The volume on MP3 players ranges between 60 and 120 decibels. The risk of hearing loss in young MP3 users is an excellent opportunity for speech therapists and travel speech therapists working in schools, to provide education and screening for hearing loss. The message that the ear bud generation needs to know: If other people can hear your tunes – they’re too loud!

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

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Posted in Allied Travel Jobs, Speech/Language Pathology | No Comments »

Rehab Therapy Critical for Burn Victims

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Burns are one of the most traumatic injuries the human body can endure.  Multiple body systems are simultaneously involved and, depending on the severity, burns can appear deceivingly non-threatening while doing most of their dirty work beneath the damaged skin. Damaged blood vessels dilate causing inflammation and edema are typically listed among many other life threatening problems.  Once the patient is stabilized and undergoes graft surgery, the rehabilitation work begins.

Following surgery, the possibility of webbing between fingers and toes along with the presence of scar tissue and its potential to prevent debilitating contractures, especially in joints, requires the skilled touch of a physical therapist. Patients with the most severe (third and fourth degree) burns are the ones who most often require intensive physical therapy (often called “physiotherapy” for those traveling physical therapist considering assignments in English speaking countries overseas). If not prevented through rehabilitation, skin, joint, muscle, tendon and ligament contractures can have a devastating effect on a burn patient’s life.  Rigid, contracted limbs can easily become the end of mobility and independence for patients.

Speech therapists and speech language pathologists are also an integral part of the burn patient’s treatment team in the case of smoke inhalation injuries.  Occupational therapists have a vital role in helping burn patients relearn activities of daily living.

Traveling physical therapists, travel occupational therapists and travel speech therapists all have the opportunity to have a positive and permanent effect on the lives of burn patients around the world. With the average rehabilitation time for serious burns being 18 months to two years, there are undoubtedly many opportunities for assignments in this area of patient care.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

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Posted in Allied Travel Jobs, OT Travel, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech/Language Pathology | No Comments »

Role of Rehab Therapy in Preventative Medicine

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

If an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure than physical therapists, occupational therapists and traveling rehab therapists in these fields have many reasons to be optimistic. It is important for rehab therapists including traveling physical therapists and travel occupational therapists to remind the public that it’s not necessary to wait until something is broken, pulled, strained, dislocated or twisted before seeking the services of a therapist.  Here are some specific patient demographics for traveling therapists with a passion for patient preventative education to target for assessments and consultations.

Elderly Patients: Fall prevention, balance and core stability are key preventative measures for this age group. Traveling occupational therapists can also focus on risks that elderly patients encounter in their activities of daily living.

Weekend Warriors: Teach these ambitious folks to seek out therapy before they find themselves sprawled on the basketball floor or at the bottom of a ski slope. They can benefit from ROM assessments, teaching about proper warm up and stretching techniques and an assessment to determine their health level for desired sports and activities along with recommendations for maximum exertion levels.

Office Workers: Therapists are a valuable source of info for employees at risk for carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive use injury and other ergonomic issues.

Child Athletes: Physical therapists are an excellent resource for young athletes and their parents to learn about how to prevent injuries and assessments for any movement, alignment or balance issues that place the child at a higher risk for problems.

All of the Above: All individuals suffering the regular aches and pains of life can benefit from a therapy assessment to learn how a more conservative therapy approach may benefit them more than their medications or other forms of current relief.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

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Posted in Allied Travel Jobs, OT Travel, Occupational Therapy, PT Blogs, Physical Therapy | No Comments »

Rehab Therapists Can Debunk Dangerous Remedies

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

They used to be called “old wive’s tales” and were passed from generation to generation of mothers and grandmothers. Most home remedies have historically been fairly harmless, usually involving an assortment of items from the pantry and quite often the liquor cabinet. They have been passed from mom to mom because anyone with kids knows that a mother would do anything to stop her child’s suffering. However, when the home-based remedy is no remedy at all and even can cause potential harm, it is the role of the healthcare provider to step in as patient advocate.

A recent article in Slate magazine described how some parents of children with autism are traveling well beyond the borders of traditional medicine, desperately seeking a better prognosis for their child. The article author reports how parents of children with autism will often try up to 7 different treatment interventions at the same time, in hopes that one will be the magic cure (or at least a method of slowing down the debilitating disease). The types of interventions include various medicines, vitamins, home brands of physical therapy and even “special eyeglasses.” How many of those interventions do you think are performed under the supervision of their regular healthcare professional?

Traveling physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists are extremely familiar with the rehabilitation therapy required by children with autism and its associated spectrum of disorders. Rehab therapists work directly with the autistic child and consult with the parents more than most other members of the healthcare team. This level of trust and rapport provides the therapist with an excellent opportunity to find out what other interventions the family is currently using, ask their opinion on alternative therapies and educate the child’s parents as needed about any potential dangers of remedies being tried. This is just as true for the travel therapist working just as closely with patients and families during travel therapy assignments.

As medical conditions and their mainstream treatments become increasingly complex with a wide variety of side effects and possible interactions, it is only natural for patients and their families to research more comfortable alternatives. It is the role of the rehab therapist (and the rest of the healthcare team) to ensure that patients and their families are well-informed of the risks and benefits of all interventions being tried.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

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