This week David Bentley spoke to our class about his job as an athletic trainer and sport
rehabilitation therapist. He helped us better understand what he does on a daily basis by
relaying stories of actual cases he has been involved with over the years. The first case he
shared was about a student athlete whose kneecap subluxed while playing volleyball. A
subluxation is a partial dislocation when a joint pops out and then back in. The second patient
he talked to us about was a football player who had dislocated his hip during a practice. Both of
these cases were very interesting and I learned some new terminology as well as learning about
what caused each of these injuries and the treatment process and therapy they each
underwent.
However, my favorite part of the presentation was on electrostimulation. Mr. Bentley talked
about different electrical currents. He taught us about interferential current stimulation (IFS) and
transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). We learned that IFS is used to ease muscle
spasms, reduce swelling and help with pain. The TENS unit is often applied to help a patient
regain strength post surgery. Each student in the class had an opportunity to have a TENS unit
connected to our elbow and observe how our hand curled when the stimulation was applied.
This was a very fun day in Biomed!
