Final entry (fourth year neuro)

Prior to this placement I was extremely anxious because of the difficulty I had with neurological physiotherapy, both theoretically and practically. Upon completion of the placement I now continue to find neurological physiotherapy challenging however I now feel much more confident in my ability to handle a neurological patient. This is because from my time at Shenton Park I have learnt that the underlying principles of neurological physiotherapy are the same as musculoskeletal and cardio respiratory physiotherapy. That is, conducting a thorough subjective and objective assessment, analysing the results and then assembling a clear problem allows you to at least have a clear direction for your treatment. In my first week or two I was inconsistent with my assessment and wasted time as I had no clear structure but once I began making a rough plan my assessment became more succinct and accurate. I am now confident conducting a neurological assessment and forming a problem list from this. I have learnt that forming a problem/impairment list is critical as it directs your treatment. Another concern prior to beginning this placement was my lack of knowledge on treatment ideas although I now have a base set of treatment ideas which I could modify for each individual. However, this placement also taught me that all physiotherapists working with neurological patients are continually picking up treatment ideas from their peers and that treatment ideas are only limited by the therapist’s imagination because as long as you know what impairment you are attempting to address then there is no limit to treatment options aimed at addressing it.
The take home message from this placement is that, like all sub-disciplines in physiotherapy, conducting a thorough assessment and compiling an accurate impairment list is the foundation of treating any neurological patient. If you are successful at this then you can at least target your treatment and seek advice form peers about treatment ideas that can also target the impairments.