The ReEvolve Blog

While experimenting with my students recently in clinic, a patient reported with complaints of T-Spine pain rated 3/10 at rest with no significant aggravating factors, limited multisegmental trunk rotation bilaterally with right greater than left, and a very strange presentation of bilateral weight bearing shoulder stability and motor control dysfunction (SMCD).

The DAT cohort of 2019 appears to be a rather unique one. Unlike past cohorts, many of us have found ourselves in Moscow Idaho on a temporary basis as we pursue the opportunity to become members of an elite group of experts in our profession

This time of year is an interesting one in my clinical practice. We have 86 students from grade 9-12 and a track and field team with 35 student athletes. Baseball and softball have 13 each. Junior high basketball season also runs through late March.

As many of us function as educators directly or indirectly working with clinical students, interns, graduate assistants, etc. it seems relevant to share some of our more interesting interactions in this realm.

As I approach the end of the DAT my thoughts have turned to the job market. I alternate between knowing annoyance and surprise as I wonder how our profession arrived at its current state with regard to at the salaries on offer and job descriptions.

During my travels over the course of the last weekend I had the opportunity to visit a dear friend's new yoga and personal training studio. As we discussed the development and growth of her business and trends in her clientele, the topics of pain, movement, trauma, and the relationship between experience and sensory information as input and pain as output evolved into a question of biceps tendon pain in her own right shoulder.

Near dusk late in the third quarter of a junior high football game, a member of the opposing team remained on his back on the field after being tackled. I saw the hit and it appeared to be a coup-contrecoup mechanism of injury.

Playing 8s football on an 11s field creates a fast-paced, hard-hitting, high scoring game. As might be expected, at schools small enough to play 8 sided football games, rosters can sometimes stretch quite thin. As of Friday, September 21st we have 13 on our roster. For last nights game we were missing one and had one sidelined.

As I return to my clinical practice after a summer filled with adventure and academic endeavor the familiarity of the clinic and weight room welcome me. The routine of my practice as an AT and S&C Coach fall into rhythm as if I was not absent for nearly three months, while new patients, colleagues, and students promise stimulating challenges in the year to come.

With this post I do rather hope to inject a bit of humor into our learning environment and potentially spark some discussion regarding patient populations, socioeconomic factors that may affect our practices, and whatever else we find relevant, interesting, or chuckle worthy.

In my experience in academia there is always a feeling that time is of the essence. This feeling can become pervasive as deadlines loom and time marches inevitably on. For some this produces a sense of urgency and the ability to respond to such pressure with action.

A Reminder of The Patient and Case: The patient is an active 15-year-old female participating in volleyball, basketball, equestrian, and track and field. The patient was diagnosed with a subluxed coccyx after an ice skating accident approximately one and a half years prior to beginning treatment with me as her athletic trainer.

Background: October 2017: A 17yo female volleyball middle blocker reported to the athletic training facility with complaints of thoracic and lumbar pain after suffering a contact injury the day before impacting her back and vertebrae directly against the floor.