Reflection: 9/9/20. Hours: 6 hours
What happened:
Today I saw three patients, one who was suffering from lower back pain, one with an adductor strain and a third with neck stiffness and reduced ROM.
The individual with neck pain was a police officer and explained how wearing the heavy uniform (stab vest) daily, was a big contributing factor to his neck pain and how it improved on days off.
What I was thinking and feeling and what was good or bad:
I found this appointment really interesting as often we associate desk jobs with poor posture and work-related pain, however I had never considered the contribution which someone’s uniform could have on posture and joints. This highlights the importance of a good subjective assessment and discussing social and lifestyle factors with a patient to identify the cause and solution.
What else I could have done/areas for improvement:
What I have learnt in this session, I will carry forward into future appointments and be sure to consider this when identifying the cause of someone’s pain and what treatment I offer.
I think this is important as if I had not known this information and had only treated the patient using exercises or treatment modalities, I would have been wondering why my treatment was potentially ineffective which would have been due to their lifestyle and work-life constantly aggravating the condition.
Action plan:
- Carry this information forward into future appointments.
- Research or think about what other occupation related pathologies may exist.
Follow-up:
I have since seen lots of patients with a range of occupations and have began to notice trends in injury location relating to their career. A common theme is shoulder and neck pain and stiffness with individuals working from home and sat at a desk.