#338 - Jill and Gabe

I listed these two by their first names for two reasons.  First of all because I have no idea what their lasts name are, and secondly because they go together for the purpose of this post.

They are two physical therapists that I trained under while I was in school.  They were as different as night and day, but they both taught me a lot, and I feel helped to shape who I am as a professional.

Jill was named appropriately because when I think about her...I think about Jillian Michaels, the trainer on the Biggest Loser.  Both Jills felt like they got the best results by yelling at their victims patients.  I mean, this girl was tough.  The facility that I was training at was located near a large college and we treated a lot of collegiate level athletes.  I saw with my own eyes, this girls make 300 lb. football players cry.  They would come in one day post op from knee surgery.  She would tell them to take off their brace and bend their knee.  They would look at her like she was crazy because to that point, they were scared to even look at the bandage beneath the brace much less take it off.  If they would hesitate, she would immediately say, "HELLO!  Did they give you too much anesthesia?????  Can you hear me????  I said to take off your brace and bend your knee.  A few of them would walk (really, crutch) out at that point, only to be sent back by their coach/surgeon the next day.  Eventually they would get it...they had to do what this little girl said.  The brace would come off and they would bend their knee...about five degrees.  Let me skip all the whining and blood sweat and tears and just say that before they could leave for the day, they would be bending to ninety degrees and lifting their leg thirty times on their own without the brace.  Oh, and they hated their therapist.

That was week one at this facility.  I shadowed her and when I say shadowed, I mean very quietly, trying to stay out of her way lest she turn her meanness on me.

Week two, I was told to follow Gabe.  I would like to say that he was like Bob on the Biggest Loser, but that would be a lie.  Instead, think Rubeun Studdard from American Idol.  A big old teddy bear.  Overweight and jolly.  Always smiling and joking around.  Lots of friends and always remembered everyone's name.  His patients would walk in and we would spend about 30 minutes talking football while Gabe slowly would unwrap the knee and remove the brace.  He would usually say something like, "Wow, nice cut.  Incision looks great.  Healing going good."  Then he would continue to talk and BS the patient/athlete with a good bit of sucking up and idolizing while he bent the knee and then asked the patient to start lifting with him.  Gabe would gradually decrease his hold until the patient was lifting on his own.  Guess what...at the end of the first session, they would be bending to ninety degrees and lifting their leg thirty times on their own without the brace. Oh, and they loved their therapist.


Hmmmm, different approach...same result.  What did I learn from these two?  At first thought, I'm sure you thought that I took after Gabe more.  I am not really a mean person by nature and I don't really yell at too many people.  But, in my profession I have found that there are some people who just need to be yelled at.  Some respond to the soft touch and will do what you say if you ask nicely.  But some really don't hear you unless you yell.  If you don't want to spend six weeks of rehab holding their hand, you better get tough and get mean.  So my point is balance.  Development of my assessment skills.  Part of establishing a treatment plan. 

It takes all different types to make the world go round.  I learned to treat each patient differently and not take the cookie cutter approach to my job.  I think it works for me.  To honor these two mentors, the following are the 10 Never's in Physical Therapy.

1.  Never say you can't because you will do it anyway.


2.  Never say "It's easy" because we'll make it hard.

3.  Never say "I want to go home" because you'll just stay longer.

4.  Never lose count because you will start at 1 again.

5.  Never complain because we'll never listen.

6.  Never argue because you will never win.

7.  Never scream or cry because it only encourages us.

8.  Never look like you're enjoying it because we'll put a stop to it.

9.  Never hold your breath because if you pass out and die, we'll have to do paperwork.

10. Never lie or cheat because we know the truth and you'll live to regret it.

All of you who have had PT know what I'm talking about...don't cha!