As the year finally reaches the time for spring break, I have been asked to take a step back and reflect over the progress I have made in terms of my final product. This has certainly been one of the most fun and engaging learning experiences I have ever taken part in, and I have very high hope for what my end product will be.
I would probably consider my biggest achievement so far to be coming up with the idea to implement a better injury prevention warm up for the Frisco High School girls soccer team. I believe this to be a feasible project because I will be conducting very thorough research in order to get it just right, and well, it is something I care about a lot. As a captain, I want to make sure my team is as well warmed up and prepared for a game as they could possibly be in order to maximize their safety and performance levels. I still plan to maintain my original intentions of making a visual to depict this proposal, however, and it will center on movements to prevent big and bad injuries like my favorite, the ACL tear. My first motion to getting this started was recording what our normal dynamic warm up before a game or practice is and sending it to Rachel. The two of us analyzed it together and made some conclusions about how it lacked directional movements like cutting sharply, planting, and twisting that need to be included. She also led me through my research on what exactly a good warm up for a soccer player entails, something I will dive deeper into in the weeks after spring break. I had this idea for a tangible demonstration of my research and intentions just over a week ago and I did not get the change to discuss it with Rachel until earlier this week, so I have little more to discuss about it other than the idea and the baby steps I have taken towards accomplishing it but I plan to tackle that on full steam ahead when I return. It feels really good to finally have a concrete idea of what direction I want to take my ideas in. Rachel is very supportive of it - just like I knew she’d be, she was not a fan of the lack of actual injury prevention in the current warm up!
I have also conducted a lot of research over various topics Rachel has asked me to because they are deemed to be important in the world of physical therapy. The way my research homework gets assigned to me is usually based on the type of injury the patient has that Rachel is working with when I go in for a mentor visit. I have researched everything from ACL reconstruction tendons to the OATS (osteochondral autograft transfer system) procedure to the differences between strength and power. I am definitely picking up on the recurring theme that there’s always going to be some kind of injury, procedure, treatment, or concept to learn about when becoming a physical therapist. Along with my updated and slightly altered calendar and product proposal, I have attached pictures of some of the notes I have taken in my research journeys. Everything I have researched and learned about so far has been both interesting and useful, and I plan to incorporate lots of my newfound knowledge while I develop my final product. I am super motivated to continue on with my final project when I get back from the break (because I am definitely not going to say no to a little time off from all the craziness that is ISM) and create something that I’m really proud of and care a lot about. I have a great mentor and a great idea, and with these things I am confident in my abilities to accomplish my goals.