Date:30/10/19
Number of hours:6
Location:Essential Chiropractic Torquay
Summary & Reflection:
The first client I saw had fibromyalgia and she explained a lot about her condition to me. It helped me to understand that those who suffer with fibromyalgia may not have constant symptoms but are more likely to have periods of time where they have a lot of pain and suffering and then other days where they are settled and able to easily take part in day to day activities. These periods of pain can be referred to asfatigue attacks.
This client comes to the clinic fortnightly for a STM with neuromuscular technique (NMT) to manage pain, increase ROM and reduce TrP’s. She said that the pain during a STM is a nice sensation as it helps to mask and temporarily relieve the pain that she feels day to day. She said that even when she in a lot of pain, the STM is no more painful than usual.
She mentioned that she went to a variety of hospital led programmes for her condition but none were specific to fibromyalgia and therefore she found it demotivating and not beneficial. She finds STM and …. A lot more useful for managing her symptoms.
Reflection:
The second client I saw has been suffering from quadricep pain for 18 months following a class at the gym. Her diagnosis is still not known despite already undergoing an MRI scan and having been seen twice by a specialist. She regularly has STM and has been prescribed exercises to strengthen her quadricep muscles (especially her adductor muscles) to allow her to progress towards her aim of wearing high heels for her daughter’s wedding next August. The treatment involved STM and MET of the adductor muscles to reduce pain and muscle spam.
Reflection:
The third client suffers from a trapped nerve in his neck which results in him suffering from pins and needles in his fingers on his left hand. Having seen the specialist and deciding not to go ahead with surgery to correct it, he now regularly has STM on his neck, shoulder and chest to reduce muscle tightness and spasms to alleviate and minimise the pressure placed on the trapped nerve. He reported that this really helps to reduce his symptoms and allows him to still his life normally which was his long-term goal after receiving his diagnosis. Treatment: STM of Levator scapulae, Sternocleidomastoid, Posterior deltoids, UFT, Rhomboids and Pectoralis major. Neuromuscular technique of UFTs, Rhomboids and Levator scapulae.
For the rest of the day at placement we recapped MET and I practiced PIR and RI both upper and lower limb on my placement supervisor (who is a qualified sports therapist) and she gave me feedback on my technique and tips on how to improve my treatment. She then showed me how MET exercise which she prescribes to her patient and talked me through how to educate the patient to explain to them how to do the exercise safely and effectively. I then practiced this on her for a variety of MET’s.