Sacred Valley - Day 17, Physical Therapy Update

As the teachers in the village we were supposed to be traveling to were on strike today, some last minute maneuvering landed us at a school in Pachar , ~1 hour away from Urabamba, near Ollantaytambo.  It was quite a successful venture - 103 patients were seen, mostly children aged 3-12 (with a few adult teachers/parents thrown in the mix).   Everyone worked together, each team moving from classroom to classroom, to be as efficient as possible.   Songs were sung “Cepilla sus Dientes,” games were played – futbol, “pero, pero, gato”, ears and throats were checked; fun was had by all!

PHOP group at the school in Pacher, among the mountains, where we set up clinic today.

 

PHOP group members playing soccer with the students of the Pachar school.  

I have been a part of the Education/Physical Therapy group each day and it has been a great learning experience for me.  As a physical therapist, this is experience has challenged me to be creative and efficient while addressing musculoskeletal issues. Today, with the children, we focused on oral hygiene, conflict resolution and prevention of parasite infection.  We performed skits in each classroom with a focus on sharing, washing hands, drinking clean water and brushing teeth 3 times per day.  The skits were well-received with the children answering our questions correctly after each skit (they understood our Spanish!).   Yesterday, I spent the majority of my day with adult clients focusing on back pain prevention – lifting with legs versus back, avoiding twisting, pushing rather than pulling when possible and changing position every hour.  We practiced lifting from the ground and shoveling and after a few tries – they got it!   As we travel throughout the area, I see many of the Peruvians hunched over weaves or shoveling in the fields with poor techniques, placing huge strains on their backs day after day.  Many of the adults that come into the clinics in the mountain villages have complaints of chronic back pain.  The exercises I compiled prior to arriving in Peru were based on more acute back pain, so we have changed tact.  After prevention education, we performed core stability and trunk flexibility exercises and issued these for ‘homework’. 

Physical therapy and education team at work at the previous day clinic  and the local community members.

My hope is that as we educate the patients that come into the clinic, be it for basic hygiene, dental care and/or proper body mechanics, they will spread the word and our work here will reach more and more Peruvians creating a healthier and happier community.

Elizabeth Stryker, DPT Physical Therapist