rmccloskeykumc

[rmccloskeykumc]

The first 4 days in clinic were spent with 4 different PTs specializing in the Musculoskeletal system. 

Carolyn and I both worked with Dr. Peemongkon, a professor at Mahidol, who introduced us to the broad range of modalities he uses in clinic. Carolyn’s least favorite modality is Shockwave Therapy- essentially a mini jackhammer used to produce short bursts of pressure on trigger points. Carolyn went first and volunteered the Achilles insertion of her left heel to the Shockwave Gods, then went flying off of the table. She was not a fan. I had tightness in my upper trap and thought it was effective at relieving tension. We learned that Mahidol uses high powered laser for acute cases of pain and inflammation, and they are planning to collect data to evaluate the efficacy of the laser. We tried e-stim with suction cups and wet sponges. Dr. P walked us through his screening process for lumbar spine, and we performed manual therapy and releases of the sacral-tuberous ligament. Carolyn and I performed manual traction on a patient with herniated disks, and demonstrated yoga moves to a high level marathon runner suffering from low back pain and hamstring tightness. It was a fun and productive day. 

The following day I worked with Mr. Dechawin, and we treated a yoga guru with hypermobile wrist joints who suffers from wrist pain. I also treated an 80 year old thai boxer with knee pain and plantar pain. One thing I’ve noticed is that most males and females wear sandals, or some sort of flat shoe lacking arch support. Lots of patients I’ve seen wearing these shoes have heel pain, and plantar pain. I encourage these folks to wear a good walking shoe in effort to provide stability in the foot, to relieve some of the issues up the chain. 

I worked with Ms. Sutida the following morning, and we treated boat loads of knee pain. Ultrasound and High Powered Laser were key modalities, along with mobilizations and distractions to facilitate flexion, extension, and general mobility. I had the opportunity to come up with the home exercise programs, and demonstrated them to all patients. 

[rmccloskeykumc]

Day 1 Orientation

Go Time

Woke up ready to dive in to the international experience. Grabbed a quick bite from the 24 hour restaurant at the apartment complex. Stir fried veggies and rice, a solid choice. Quick walk towards the Chao Phraya River and we were greeted by Ms. Juthamard, a cardiopulmonary PT, in the lobby of the 9 story building devoted entirely to the full scope of physical therapy practice.

We hopped in her car and headed west through morning Bangkok traffic towards Mahidol University. Here we received the warmest of all possible receptions. We were introduced to the rest of the team we’d communicated with via email over the previous 6 months; Ms. Rungtip and Dr. Pakaratee. We were also introduced to the Dean of Physical Therapy, a PT who served directly under the Royal Family of King Rama IX, and his wife Queen Sirikit. The Thai people are fiercely loyal to the Royal Family and are very proud of their culture and rich history. We learned that Mahidol University is the named after Prince Mahidol Adulyadej, the founder of modern medicine and public health in Thailand.

We took a brief walk through the beautiful campus, into a jungle, across a bridge above a fast moving river, and towards the sound of piano and guitar somewhere up ahead through the trees. We entered through a gigantic sliding door, and into a restaurant encased in glass, wonderfully decorated, with two young men playing music for the guests. They were students of Mahidol University, studying music. Dr. Pakaratee and Ms. Juthamard ordered 6 or 7 of their favorite dishes for us to sample. The lunch conversation was terrific, and the food, just as good!

We made plans for the following morning, then said goodbye and jumped back into Ms. Juthamard’s car and headed back to Bangkok to explore the 9 story PT building. Each floor was dedicated to a different type of patient; musculoskeletal, neuro, pediatric, etc. We met our clinical instructors, thanked Ms. Juthamard for her excellent help, and then parted ways.

Carolyn and I smiled and high fived as we walked back to our apartments at 3J Court. We knew we were in for an excellent clinical experience with Mahidol University.

[rmccloskeykumc]

A quick recap of our trip so far 12/26/2016 - 01/03/2017)

KC-->DC-->Tokyo-->Bangkok

A quick nap and quicker decision to head back to the airport and head south to the beaches

Bangkok-->Krabi

Tons of beach, fresh food, turquoise water, island hopping, long tail boats, NYE party, sun, diving, Chang beer, miles and miles of walking, millions of laughs and smiles. 

Krabi-->Bangkok

14 mile walk around town. Temples, great food. river walk, festival honoring King Rama IX, rooftop bar, great night of sleep. zzzzzzzzzzz!