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Commentary: Physical, occupational therapy clinic returns warriors to fight
Posted 10/21/2009 Updated 10/21/2009
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Commentary by Lt. Col. Frank Glenn
332nd Expeditionary Medical Group
10/21/2009 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- October is National Physical Therapy Month, which gives us a chance to highlight one of our medical missions here at JBB.
"Bustin' Ours to Rehab Yours" is the motto of the Air Force Theater Hospital's physical and occupational therapy clinic. But that only tells part of the story.
The mission of PT-OT is simple: Foster optimal function in all patients and return troops to the fight. The team has accounted for a 99.1% return to duty rate, saving potential aeromedical evacuation for 650 service members and an estimated $32 million.
The core purpose of physical therapy is to enhance health and quality of life through human movement, improve mobility, relieve pain and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities. This year's national campaign slogan -- "Get Moving" -- very plainly states a primary physical therapy tenet that fits well within our fast-paced, steady-state of readiness.
The PT-OT clinic, staffed by three commissioned officers and three enlisted Airmen, is the busiest clinic within the theater hospital. With about 1,400 visits per month, PT-OT accounts for 90% of all specialty care provided within the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group.
A group of enlisted physical medicine technicians -- Senior Master Sgt. Michele Borel, Staff Sgt. Sharon Wellman and Senior Airman Jessica Evans -- provide 65% of the patient care in PT-OT. The PMT team is the bedrock of the clinic's success.
The clinic sees a variety of musculoskeletal injuries, most commonly ankle and foot sprains, hand fractures and tendon ruptures, repetitive and overuse strains, low back pain, and knee ligament tears.
Movement is essential to our everyday lives. Dysfunctional mobility or immobility impacts physical and mental health, as well as the quality of our relationships. Military physical therapists and technicians deploy around the world for regional contingencies, peacekeeping and humanitarian missions to provide specialized treatments, wound management, gait and balance training, as well as manual therapy for our servicemembers and others in need.
Our mission is simple: Get our forces moving, restore normal pain-free function, increase human performance, and return our warriors to full duty so they may contribute to achieving our nation's objectives. |
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