Cultural PT

1. Current trends on veterans and military under physical therapy care? (Give at
least 3)
A. The need for high quality rehabilitation provided by physical therapists has never
been greater with the dual challenges of caring for the chronic diseases faced by
aging veterans and the multifaceted profile of many of todays wounded warriors.
Over the next decade, the rates of some chronic conditions among veterans who
use VA health care will increase, primarily a result of the group aging.
B. The second trend that highlights the need to recruit and retain physical therapists
in the VA is the changing profile of injuries and impairments of our returning service
personnel. Enhancements in battlefield medicine have helped a larger portion of
soldiers survive their injuries, compared to previous wars our nation has fought.
Many of our nations recent veterans are facing unique injuries that require complex
rehabilitation including spinal cord injury, amputee rehabilitation and traumatic
brain injury.
C. Cyber Physical Therapy
To connect physical therapy with wounded veterans far from treatment facilities,
researchers from the University of Texas (UT) at Dallas have developed a
rehabilitation system that uses real-time video, 3D computer-generated worlds and
force-feedback "haptic" devices to recreate a physical therapy session between a
patient and a therapist, all at long distance over high-speed networks.

2. What are the usual services that are provided by Physical Therapists in these
types of patients? (Give a small explanation per services that are given)
A. Amputation Rehabilitation
- Military veterans who have fought in wars and lost one or more limbs because of
injuries sustained on the battlefield are common. Physical therapy services help
these patients return to the highest level of activity they wish to achieve by
alleviating the pain and prosthesis/gait training.
B. TBI Rehab
- Blast-related injuries account for numerous combat injuries, and many of these
wounded warriors have symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The overall goal of
rehabilitation after a TBI is to improve the patient's ability to function at home and
in society. Therapists help the patient adapt to disabilities or suggest modifications
to make everyday activities easier.
C. Poly-trauma/Multiple trauma Rehabilitation
- Polytrauma is the complex, multiple injuries to multiple body parts and organs, one
of which is life threatening, and which occur because of a single event. This event
can be blast-related injuries, or the result of a motor vehicle accident, falls, or other

such incidents. High level of specialized training and skill will enable the patient to
achieve optimal potential following these multiple illnesses or injuries.