CPR steps

Last week I took a practical exam on CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation). This is when someone's heart stops beating and you have to provide care to increase the chances of survival. If a person collapses to the floor this is what you should do:
1. Check the scene- Make sure that the scene is safe around the person that has collapsed so you won't harm yourself.

2. If the scene is safe check for responsiveness- Tap their shoulders and ask them if they are okay or if they can hear u.

3. If they are unresponsive then call 911- If someone else is around have them go call.

4. Check for signs of life-check their carotid artery for a pulse and feel for breathing and see if the chest rises and falls for no more then 10 seconds.

5. Start Compressions and ventilations -Interlock your hands with one on top of the other and right at the nipple line in between the chest push down 2 inches then let up without taking hand off the body. Repeat this 30 times (so give 30 compressions) then after the 30 give 2 breaths with your mouth covering theirs. (30:2 ratio of compressions to ventilations) Do this at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.

6. Keep performing compressions until EMS arrives and can take over.

http://www.upncpr.org/Pages/adultcpr.aspx

What's your goals??

I have been working out a lot lately. I go to the gym daily and work full body every time. Last week when I went to class my professor started talking about working out. He said that if you are trying to gain muscle and build then you should take breaks in between your training. You should give your body 48 hours to rest. This is so because when you workout you are tearing your muscles down and your body calls in your satellite cells to come and repair the damaged muscles and build them up. So if gaining muscle is your goal then make sure to rest the body parts that you train or target for 48 hours.


Image credit: http://www.thefitindian.com/best-vegetarian-muscle-building-foods/

Prompt #5: Observing Community

One day in my healthy lifestyle class one of my classmates brought in a guest speaker for their presentation. His name was Piotr. He was the leader of the Adaptive Sports and Recreation Club. He talked about how the club was started to promote the physical and psychological health of individuals with disabilities. He was really trying to stress how getting able bodied individuals and disabled individuals together will create a positive space and be beneficial for everybody and their overall health. He showed a video clip that showed the individuals with disabilities participating in the different activities. It really made my day. They were not only interacting with one another and being active, but they were also having fun. The founder of the club was also disabled, so he was coming from a genuine place. He said that having this club can really impact these students' lives. He said not only will it help with their physical health but it will also help with their social health. He said that even the volunteers that weren't disabled had a lot of fun and it impacted them as well.

I believe that this is a great club and that it needs more recognition. I know that this club has nothing but good intentions and that everything that Piotr was saying to my class was honest. You cannot fake the smiles on those individuals faces that participated. He said that he tries to go out to any event and spread the word about his organization and he posts fliers as well to try to get more people involved.


Image credit: http://www.disabledgo.com/blog/2013/11/disabled-athletes-set-for-a-bigger-voice-within-bpa/

Prompt #4: Opposite Delivery Methods

After reading a blog post titled: "Just Orthopedics: Sports Medicine Blog", about kinesiology and a scholarly article called: "Warming up and Stretching for Improved Physical Performance and Prevention of Sports- Related Injuries", I have noticed some differences. In the blog post that I read, the author was talking about how physical therapy is so important for injuries and getting back to normal physically. The blog post was short and simple. It didn't drag on and on about some fancy words that anybody, other then a doctor, wouldn't be able to understand. It wasn't a five page article explaining the scientific and neurological benefits. It just was telling the average Joe that seeing a physical therapist would be pretty beneficial after experiencing an injury. The scholarly article I read was actually a summary about what the whole article was about. It was still longer than the blog post I read. It told about the advantages and benefits of stretching before and after competition. I noticed it was more detailed and specific. It sounded like it was a scholarly article. It used more advanced terminology and had references to other scientists and experts and it was longer.

The blog post seemed to target everyday people, and the article seemed to target either elite athletes or sports medicine professionals. This was apparent through the different diction used in both and the references made. I personally would trust the scholarly article because it is written by a scholar and is an excerpt from a book. It just seems more credible, but I think the blog post would relate better to the general population. We get a more relatable aspect from the blog and a more scholarly, or ;professional look at the topic with a scholarly article.

credit:
http://knee1.com/blogs/Just_Orthopedic_Sports_Medicine_Blog/What_Can_Physical_Therapists_Do_For_You
http://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-198502040-00004

Why Rigor Mortis Occurs

Last week in my Kinesiology 173 course I learned the reason why rigor mortis sets in when a person is dead. Rigor Mortis is when all your muscles end up contracting and the body becomes stiff as a board and they become stuck like that.

To perform a contraction the myosin in your body has to bind to actin (filaments in the muscle), but there is Tropomyosin blocking the actin filaments from being binded with myosin. Calcium comes down and binds to Troponin, which unlocks Tropomyosin (protein blocking actin) sites on actin. Muscle fibers shorten when Myosin protein filaments pull together Actin protein filaments.

 The only way to break this bond is with ATP (adenosine triphosphate, which is energy). Once the myosin head is able to form a "Cross-Bridge" with the actin, it will begin a "Power Stroke". ATP is required to release the "Cross-Bridge" and prepare the myosin head for the next "Power Stroke".

When we die there is a release of calcium in the body and it starts the process of myosin binding to actin. Since there is no more energy after we die (ATP) then there is nothing to unbind the myosin from the actin so the muscles just contract and stay that way.

Image Credit: http://imgarcade.com/1/rigor-mortis-forensics/

Prompt #3: No Communication, No Treatment

When I went to the event last week for upcoming medical students I met a physical therapist who was going back to school to pursue to be a sports medicine doctor. He told me that he worked in the same clinic as the doctor. He told me that the misconceptions were that patients thought that whatever treatment he was going to perform on them wouldn't necessarily be disclosed with them, that they wouldn't really know what was going on. He said that before he works on a patient he would explain the process or explain any treatment that he was going to do to the patient. He said that he would describe as he was doing it so they would get a better sense of what was going on with their body.

When I asked what he had to write he told me that he would have to fill out charts about what care he was performing on the patient. He would have to document any exercises he had the patient do or any therapeutic modalities he used on the patient and to what extent. For instance if he had the patient do calf raises he would have to record that and how many sets and reps he had them do. Also if he thought it was best to do an ultrasound he would have to document that and tell how long he did it for and where was the ultrasound placed and what level was the ultrasound on.

 I learned that you have to tell the patients everything that you will be performing on them or have them do. You never want a patient not understanding what is being done to them and why it is being done. I also learned that documentation is key.

Prompt #2: Ethical or Not?

I read the code of ethics for the American College of Sports Medicine. There was one statement that stuck out to me. "Section 1: Members should strive continuously to improve knowledge and skill and make available to their colleagues and the public the benefits of their professional expertise" This specific statement stuck out to me because it is basically saying that sports medicine professionals are never quite done with their training. A member in this field is always perfecting their craft and brushing up on their methods. This is important to me because if this statement wasn't in effect then health care professionals would still be giving care like they did 20 years ago. As we ALL know that would be bad. It is very salient that people in this field are adaptable and open to change as new methods and treatments come along.

The second part of this statement says that the members should make available their knowledge and skill to their colleagues and the public. So, any information that they learn that is vital for one's well-being or health, should be spread to others. This is key for helping others for the greater good. One day there might be an incident that calls for one's expertise and the knowledge or skill of that person  could save a life. A sports medicine professional should definitely be open to sharing their information to others.

This ethical statement coincides with my ethics. I think that no one should ever be complacent with where they are at. Whether it be the knowledge of a disease, or a skill for performing a treatment I think that there is always room for improvement. Also I feel that if you know something that could help someone else out, you should want to share it.

I believe that people in my field readily follow this and I think that it is a national understanding that people in the healthcare profession are very adamant about sticking to these ethics.


Credit:
http://www.acsm.org/membership/membership-resources/code-of-ethics
Image credit: http://medicalethicspp.blogspot.com/2013/02/medical-ethics-is-intended-to-help.html

A Minority Even in My Field

Yesterday I went to a national medical field convention. It was for black students at Michigan State University who were going into the medical field. At first I was hesitant on going because I didn't understand what the speakers were going to say. Would they tell me that I am a minority in the field? Would they tell me that things are going to be harder for me? Would they tell me that I would have to become a hermit studying and preparing for tests? I've already heard this countless times before, so what else could they tell me.

I arrived at the event and took my seat. The first speaker began to talk. She went on to talk about the small number of black students that actually finish college and the small number of black students who actually make it to become a doctor. She was pondering the possiblilties as to why this was so. She eventually came to the conclusion that it was a lack of support from the families and people in the field and a lack of diversity in the staff of the colleges.

Then, the next speaker came up and he talked about his difficulties coming up in the medical field, even his difficulties when he was already established in the field performing his practice. The disrespect that he had to go through and tolerate was really disheartening to me, but he also talked about how he got through it and how he learned to shake things off and persevere.

The speakers really touched me because they seemed genuine and really told their personal experiences as far as coming up in their field. Also an overlapping theme in both their speeches was that mentoring was such a fundamental part of becoming successful. They talked to me after the program and gave me their information so I could have someone to call up if I ever needed help with anything going into my field.

I was grateful that I learned an abundance from those two keynote speakers and that they took the time to reach out to me. I know that I want to become a sports medicine doctor and I am up for the challenge!

Image Credit:
http://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry/the-doctor
http://bossip.com/1231986/a-lil-positivity-hbcu-xavier-university-sends-more-black-students-to-medical-school-than-any-other-us-college/

Prompt #1: Sports Medicine decoded

Going into the sports medicine field sounds so interesting to me and everyone that I have talked to going into that field has nothing but great things to say about it. I wonder though, what are the faults or downsides of this field. What misconceptions do I have about this field?

Well, I wonder how easy is it to actually get sued in this practice. After skimming through some pages out of the introductory textbook to Athletic Training it says that a trainer/physician/medical personnel can be liable for negligence(The failure to use ordinary or reasonable care). Negligence encompasses three things: nonfeasance, malfeasance, and misfeasance. Nonfeasance is when an individual fails to perform a legal duty. Malfeasance is when an individual commits an act that is not legally his or hers to perform. Misfeasance is when an individual improperly does something he or she has the legal right to do. So being liable is a heavy concern in the sports medicine field.

I feel like a downside to this field is having to do the tedious work of paperwork and documenting. According to the textbook a health care worker would have to document any care that is performed on a patient/ athlete. Also the individual would have to keep records of any prior health problems or irregularities. Without doing so could put one at risk for a liability claim. Also, one would need to keep those records to be able to know the patient's/athlete's "normal" (as far as their vitals, body functions, body composition or range of motion). One can only imagine how repetitive this could get having to document every form of care you give to a patient/athlete.

However, I think that there are many things that are enjoyable about this profession such as providing care that helps to heal them and get them back to performance. In the textbook it says that a trainer/ physician/ healthcare professional has to know how to be understanding of the patient/athlete. For me this would not be hard because I have been playing sports my whole life and I have had many injuries, so it would be fairly easy for me to put myself in their shoes. I think that is the biggest satisfaction from this job. To see an injured athlete heal and return to competition because of your help is the biggest reward.

I had my preconceptions about the sports medicine field but after reading through some of the introductory textbook I have gotten a better understanding of what the real deal is in this profession. I've learned some pretty valuable things from the textbook and it has not swayed my passion for sports medicine. I know that I have to be very accurate and tentative with my practices in this field but it is all for the well being of the patient/athlete.

Textbook:
Principles of Athletic Training, A Competency-Based Approach