During my paediatrics placement I was confronted with the issue of creativity or my lack thereof. I quickly learnt that the exercises that we have spent 3 years learning eg. Strengthening gluteus medius through clam shells was not going to work for young children. I thought it would be the same as getting an adult to do the exercise but maybe just getting the child to play or read a book etc while doing the exercise, but it was not that simple. I was at a loss, I knew what needed to be strengthened and or stretched within the child to improve their function but I was unable to implement such exercises because they would run off or wriggle away and find something fun to do. I realised that children are unaware of the fact that by stretching this muscle or walking a certain way will help them in the long term.
I quickly learnt that I had to switch off my physio brain with the standard exercises and somehow make them into a fun enjoyable game. My exercises started off relatively unimaginative consisting of making a bridge for toy trucks to drive under for strengthening gluteals but then progressed and became more creative with lying in prone on a large quads wedge and flying with toy aeroplanes and helicopters to stretch hip flexors and strengthen back extensors.
I also learnt that once an exercise is created it can only be performed a few times before it becomes boring for the child and you have to think of new and alternate ways of doing the same exercise eg. Marching was one of the exercises I had chosen for a particular child, but this soon became boring and we started to pretend we were soldiers and were marching around the fort.
Reflecting back on this situation realising that I have now developed some sort of imagination and creativity will not only be impeccable on another paediatrics placement but will be helpful in work in any area of physiotherapy in the future. I have come to the realisation that if you make the exercises fun and enjoyable but still challenging people are more likely to adhere to and perform them and ultimately that an essential aspect of our role in rehabilitation as physios.
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2 comments:
That's a really good point, and it's something that we all have to keep in mind-even with our adult patients (HEP) because if a patient finds their exercises boring they are unlikely to do them at home (or in the case of a child-do them at all). Being able to use our imagination/creativity for exercises is an essential skill for all pracs/settings-it's certainly something to think about for when i do my paeds prac!
Yes, I agree with you. Creativity is an important element for patients to gain their motivation. Not only does kid need it, adult also requires some creative element in their exercise regiem. For example Neuro patient takes maybe months time to improve so that therapist got to be creative otherwise patients may find exercises boring and end up demotivated.
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