Small gains

I would like to reflect back to my first placement in neuro and one of the patients that I was treating. He had suffered a (L) TACS stroke 2 years previously, and receiving the treatment information from my supervisor indicated that treatment was mostly maintenance. The patient was able to ambulate short distances with a quad-stick, but for greater distances he used an electric WC. He had no use of his right arm, and had significantly increased tone in his right leg. He also had expressive aphasia, and often got very frustrated when trying to talk.

I continued to practice gait with the patient during the placement. At the end of the 4 weeks, my supervisor suggested that we discharge the patient and refer him to community services. The patient’s wife came in and I showed her through exercises that would help her husband. They were both very grateful.

During the placement, despite the “maintenance” of the patient’s condition, I noticed improvement in his gait, which was very rewarding. To see how grateful the patient was when he was discharged was really inspiring. The other physios in the department also mentioned how much he had improved since he was admitted to the outpatient program, and were equally happy to see him discharged.

It just goes to show that despite a patient’s condition, some small improvements may occur that will help the patient in everyday function.