Arthritis affects 40 million people (almost 1 out of 6 adults). Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading reason for joint replacement surgery in people over age 60. More than a million people every year are getting a total joint replacement; most typically they are an artificial hip or knee. The goals of therapy after a replacement (knee or hip) are pain relief, decrease edema, strengthening; stretching/flexibility, improving range of motion (ROM), progression of ambulation (decreased deviations and increased distance), independence with activities of daily living (ADL), proprioceptive training to improve body awareness and balance, and lastly to return to functional activities. Aquatic therapy has numerous benefits that assist with these goals, and patients don’t even have to know how to swim.

Continue Reading »

The POETs that occur in physical therapy have nothing to do with literature or rhyming. POET stands for post offer of employment testing or post offer employee testing. These tests are one of the most valuable injury prevention resources for both employees and their potential employers. This examination is given to a prospective employee to compare their physical capabilities to the physical demands required to perform the essential functions of the offered position. It ensures that an applicant is physically matched to the job they will perform, and is important for job success, injury prevention, and minimizing the associated costs with any chance of injury. The nice thing about a POET is that it truly benefits both the employee and employer.

More and more companies are using POETs. Companies don’t have to perform these tests for all of their jobs, but if they require a POET for a specific job then they need to test all applicants that apply for the specific job position. POETs are usually performed for jobs that require high physical demands or may be considered high risk occupations for injury. They can also be completed to get baseline data on an employee. Again they are used to safely match an applicant with the job being offered.

POETs occur after a conditional job offer has been made. They are usually performed at occupational health clinics, physical therapy clinics, or at the place of employment. Employers may have additional tests the employee must complete prior to employment (back ground check, drug test, and/or physical). Each POET is specific to the job and the employer. A formal job analysis will be performed; looking at heights of instruments and equipment, positions required for tasks, and the forces needed to grip, pinch, maneuver, push, pull, lift and/or carry to perform the job being analyzed. The heart rate is watched throughout the test for safety reasons; some companies may monitor an applicant’s blood pressure as well. An activity is usually performed at least 3 times so that companies can look at consistency and validity. It’s important that the applicant performs each test to their safe maximal effort. Realize that the employee normally will not be told if they pass or fail the test when the POET is completed. The clinician collects the data, and the employer or third party administrator analyze the data and compare it to the required physical demands. If the performed abilities don’t match the essential functions and physical demands, the job offer can be receded.

A POET shouldn’t scare any employee if they truly feel that they can perform the job they applied for, especially if they have already performed that type of work before. They should be relaxed, go in and perform the activities/tests to their best ability. Remember it’s just trying to ensure that an applicant is physically matched to the job they will perform, and is important to job success and injury prevention (keeping the employee safe).

One of our employees came to me with a look of astonishment on her face. She says to me, “Jack, we are in the business of making people feel better. We have patients come to us every day who are in severe pain. In fact, at times the pain is so bad, they want to “give up”. Well Jack, I watched two videos that have and will forever inspire me.” This employee caught my attention, so I put my work aside and without hesitance said, “I want to watch these videos now!”

The following two videos are about dogs, and that is all I am going to tell you.

Continue Reading »

We really take our comment card results seriously. Not only do we look at each and every comment card, we tally up the results, too. We give all our patients the opportunity to mail in their cards to a P.O. Box, allowing them to give their honest opinions. Here are the first quarter 2014 results:

Total number of cards returned: 74

Continue Reading »