angiepants [one pocket at a time]

I’m going to be one of the therapists that needs to try everything on myself before feeling comfortable enough with it to invest time and possibly implement it on patients.

For example, for 2 weeks I haven’t felt comfortable as we practiced electric stim in our physical agents lab with partners.  Today, I spent 3 hours alone just ‘stimming’ myself in every way possible. 

Noxious level stim was more manageable because I put the parameters on and I knew when I was starting it.  NMES was still painful, but fun because I got to lift weights while my arm contracted through the machine or I walked around with a trigger switch on my heel that contracts muscles to lift your foot so you don’t trip over it while walking.  AWESOME.

I’m still worried about the language of Hertz, Interferential current, pulse duration, and all that other hogwash for our Practical Exam.  But playing with itand applying it?  I’ve hit over some kind of milestone today! 

My professors are people I respect and constantly talk to for questions and advice.  That’s where a lot of my tuition goes, why not take advantage of that connection? 

I just find it funny when they always sit next to me on the shutte bus commute.  It’s somewhat annoying because I won’t get the chance to study, but funny how they don’t sit next to any other students that ride it too (probably because they know those students are scared to talk to them like a person)

A + Jerk Test

No, not like the jerk you shouldn’t date because they don’t hold doors open for you or don’t offer their jacket when you’re cold.

I have a + in an Orthopedics test (and a handful of others) that confirms I posterior instability in my shoulder (I know I have loose tissue but this was new news to me).  It pops/clunks/moves backwards multiple times each day now.  We practiced on each other a lot in our Orthopedics Lab so that’s how it got found and why its worse and sore more than ever.

My professor confirmed by doing some crazy amount of tests all in a row then told me not to let people practice on it anymore because I basically sublux my shoulder out the back.  He also gave me ‘homework’ to work on my Rotator Cuff strength.

At first it was fun.  Now the non-stop clunking I know is destructive and unsafe has been making me sore and driving me nuts!

This is honestly the first time in over a month that my brain has felt heavy from something other than knowledge

Thank you alcohol.

On Breaking (bone) Borders

One of my professors is a honestly the most active and adorable older man I’ve met (If I could adopt him as my grandfather, I would).  I’m the only student in my DPT class he knows by name (“Angie”) so far because I had him in undergrad.  The man is one of the most intelligent minds I know.  He lectured on Metabolic Bone Diseases today so I took a step to ask about a subject closer to the core, Osteopenia.  Mostly, I want to know if I should personally get a DEXA to rule in or rule out any concern.

Decisions to come.

FOUND: That the ‘hip snapping’ I have is from my Iliopsoas tendon bumping over my Lesser Trochanter.

GET ON MY LEVEL.