Work Injury Prevention and Management: The Role of the Physical Therapist in Injury Reduction/Prevention and Workforce Wellness

ObjectivesTo clarify the process of how caregivers in a nursing home integrate the perspectives of rehabilitation into their responsibilities through working with a physical therapist.DesignThis study was conducted under an action research approach.SettingThe target facility was a nursing home located in Japan. The researcher, a physical therapist, worked at the nursing home once a week from April 2016 to March 2017. During the study period, he created field notes focused on the dialogue and action of caregivers regarding care, responses of caregivers to the physical therapist and reflections as a physical therapist. Caregivers were also given a short informal interview about their relationship with the nursing home residents. For data analysis, two researchers discussed the content based on the field notes, consolidating the findings.ParticipantsThe participants were caregivers who worked at the target facility. Thirty-eight caregivers agreed to participate. Average age was 39.6±11.1 years, 14 (37%) were male and average caregiver experience was 9.8 years.ResultsTwo cycles of action research were conducted during the study period. There were four stages in the process of how caregivers in the nursing home integrated the perspectives of rehabilitation through their work with the physical therapist. First, caregivers resisted having the rehabilitation programme carried out in the unit because they perceived that rehabilitation performed by a physical therapist was a special process and not under their responsibility. However, the caregivers were given a shared perspective on rehabilitation by the physical therapist, which helped them to understand the meaning of care to adapt the residents’ abilities to their daily life. They practised resident-centred care on a trial basis, although with a sense of conflict between their new and previous role, which emphasised the safety of residents’ lives and personhood. The caregivers increased their self-efficacy as their knowledge and skills were supplemented by the physical therapist and his approval of their attempted care. They were then able to commit to their newly conceived specialty of care as a means of supporting the lives of residents.ConclusionsThe process of working with a physical therapist led to a change in caregivers’ perception and behaviours, which occurred in four stages: resistance to incorporation, recapture of other perspectives, conflicts and trials in the role of caregiver and transformation to a resident-centred perspective.

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The Role of the Occupational and Physical Therapist in the Rehabilitation of the Older Adult with Mental Retardation

Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation ◽

10.1097/00013614-199806000-00004 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 12-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

E. Adel Herge ◽

Joseph E. Campbell

Keyword(s):

Mental Retardation ◽

Older Adult ◽

Physical Therapist

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Preventing the Leading Killer of Children: The Role of the School Psychologist in Injury Prevention

School Psychology Review ◽

10.1080/02796015.1988.12085377 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 593-600

Author(s):

Lizette Peterson

Keyword(s):

Injury Prevention ◽

School Psychologist

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EFFECTS OF A FAMILY-ORIENTED TRAINING EXPERIENCE ON THE ROLE OF THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST

Journal of Marital and Family Therapy ◽

10.1111/j.1752-0606.1982.tb01423.x ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 73-79

Author(s):

Johanna Shapiro ◽

Janet Green

Keyword(s):

Physical Therapist ◽

Training Experience

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Bilateral asymmetries in professional cyclists during a Grand Tour

Isokinetics and Exercise Science ◽

10.3233/ies-202234 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Alejandro Javaloyes ◽

Manuel Mateo-March ◽

Felipe P. Carpes ◽

Manuel Moya-Ramon ◽

Raúl Lopez-Grueso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Injury Prevention ◽

Intensity Distribution ◽

Power Output ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Overuse Injury ◽

Power Balance ◽

Grand Tour ◽

Race Time ◽

Potential Link

BACKGROUND: Pedalling asymmetries are a topic of interest to cycling coaches and athletes due to a potential link with performance and injury prevention. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to describe the bilateral asymmetry of professional cyclists during two editions of a Grand Tour. METHODS: Here we set out to determine the power balance (power produced by each lower limb) between stronger and weaker leg (dominant vs. non-dominant) of 12 UCI professional cyclists competing at two Giro d’Italia editions. Power data were recorded during competition stages. Further analysis considered power data clustered into individual intensity zones (from Z1 to Z7). RESULTS: Higher intensity elicited better power balance (lower asymmetry) regardless of the stage profile. Intensity distribution analysed according to the role of the cyclist was lower for climbers in Z2 (p= 0.006) and Z7 (p= 0.002) and higher in Z5 (p= 0.023) compared to team helpers. Power balance ranged from 0 to 9 % across the different athletes. CONCLUSIONS: Increase in power output improves power balance, especially in team helpers, and the lower power balance at lower exercise intensities, which are most of the race time, may elicit significant cumulative loading on a given leg of the cyclists, which requires further attention regarding risks of overuse injury.

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