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Dana Goldman Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 April 4, 2012 Physical Therapy & Web 2.0 Intertwined What is web 2.0? Web 2.0 is the second generation of the World Wide Web in which user content is user- generated and dynamic, and software is offered that mimics desktop programs (Dictionary.com.) Web 2.0 is changing how careers work across the world; it is about revolutionary new ways of creating, collaborating, editing and sharing user-generated content online (web 2.0). It has greatly changed the career which I want to pursue; physical therapy. Physical Therapy is a branch of rehabilitation that uses specially designed exercises and equipment to help patients regain or improve their physical abilities. Physical Therapy ranges from infants who are born with musculoskeletal birth defects; having to do with the muscle or skeleton, to adults suffering from after affects of injury or surgery (MediceneNet). If it werent for the new inventions, physical therapy would not be where it is at today. Because of Web 2.0 therapists are now able to help patients better recover from any physical injuries by using new technologies like cameras watching their body move, web cameras to help patients and therapists communicate no matter they may be. There are also groups on social networking sites which let people connect with different companies, therapist and other people interested in the field who may be all over the world.

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One of these inventions which I found on YouTube (Youtube.com) is a PrimeSense camera. The camera is like a webcam which is a digital camera capable of downloading images to a computer for transmission over the internet or other network (webcam). This video demonstrates a user being tracked with the Primesense camera to articulate movement of an articulated stick figure, while Dr. Carolee Winstein, Director of the University of South California Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (NIDRR-funded RERC) fields questions about the impact of this sensor system on the future of virtual rehabilitation(International Physical Therapy Expert.) While tracking the body movements, a therapist is able to watch the joints of a person especially well. They will be able to see exactly where the joint is bending the arm, leg, wrist, etc. and whether or not it is moving as it is supposed to. The movement of all the other extremities is also seen but the joints are the most prevalent.

(This picture is from Zombiegamer.com, the camera works in the same way as it would for a physical therapist). This camera can help a patient feel more secure while receiving therapy. Instead of a patient sitting on a machine while a therapist stares at them to make sure they are doing the exact

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movement they are supposed to, the therapist will be able to watch the image which is projected on a screen through the PrimeSense camera. This could be very helpful for a patient that may be insecure or who may distrust doctors, the camera will reassure them that there is a second pair of eyes so to say meaning that not only the doctor is watching them the camera will also show them what is going wrong or right. Web cameras have also helped to improve communication between therapist and patients. Now that web cameras are also in smart phones, people are able to talk to someone almost anywhere and at anytime. It is as simple as logging onto a website or looking through your contacts and you will able to have a face to face conversation. This is very useful for traveling therapists, if he or she must go out of town for business, but they have a patient who has just recently been sent to physical therapy the patient will be able to communicate with one another and show each other problems and solutions that may be occurring with the injury. This will also improve physical therapy from a business stand point. For instance, if someone is the owner of a therapy office and they have to go out of town for any reason they will still be able to talk to their employees to guide them in what to do while being away. Without Web 2.0 this means of communication would not be possible. Along with these inventions social networking sites, has allowed for communication between therapist and any person aspiring to become a physical therapist, through groups on these sites. One of these groups is Physical Therapy Nation, which is a group on Facebook, this site says it has made a revolutionary new concept in the sharing of evidence based information and knowledge worldwide among both physical therapy students and active clinicians(PhysicalTherapyNation) people who are students at a university or college can subscribe to this site and will have the opportunity to be able to watch videos of therapist

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working with patients in a play by play form. Because the site is for both students and physical therapist members can discuss questions and answers or maybe even an interesting fact that someone found out. There are also study guides available on this site for students if they may be confused or have an upcoming test in class and do not know some of the information needed, this can be used as a last minute help line. Along with Physical Therapy Nation other social networking sites have allowed different physical therapists offices to keep in contact and trade information with one another even if both offices are across the world from one another. These sites also promote different physical therapist offices by showing their business online, which could help an office to grow. As stated earlier in the paper smart phone applications are improving the careers of physical therapist everywhere. There is a huge range of applications that are offered through smart phones 10,000 apps in the medical, health care, and fitness categories (putmebacktogetherteam). These applications range from statistics on which therapist is the best, to an application which provides you with the rheumatic measuring scale that is used by therapist on a daily basis. These applications have become helpful for times when a physical therapist student might forget certain parts of important information because most of the time there will be an application through the smart phone which will be able to help with the confusion.

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(Applications like this from techweb.com are available for smart phones and allow for someone to see every part of the body, the muscular system and the bones.) As I stated earlier Web 2.0 allows for people to interact no matter where they are or what they may be doing (isnare.) This software would not be possible without Web 2.0.The software lets people pay their payments online, change an appointment they made previously, etc. This also helps therapist to control all of their work especially if they own their own business, this software allows therapist to organize all of the information for different patients, business work, employees, etc. Surprisingly video games are now being used as a way of therapy too, for both children and adults. The Wii is the most popular game by choice of doctors and physical therapist

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(healthyliving). Although the Wii resembles that of what the PrimeSense camera does, the Wii is not used in the same way that the camera is. The PrimeSense camera is used for therapist to watch the movements of a patient, and the Wii console helps with problems like arthritis. By using the Wii it helps the movement of joints which promotes strength by stretching tendons and muscles (healthyliving). As stated by healthy living, The Wii uses a motor sensor control which means the gamer has to move around in order to play the game(healthyliving). This will help the different parts of patients injuries in a fun and intriguing way, instead of sitting on a machine doing the same repetitive movements a patient will get to enjoy their time in physical therapy playing games. As stated in the article by healthy living North Carolina says the Wii improved endurance, strength, and coordination in physical therapy patients (healthyliving.) As shown in the picure below, even older patients are able to use the Wii as a means of help for problems such as arthritis.

(healthyliving). Because of the technology which is now avaliable, physical therapist are to do a lot of reasearch which was not possible in the past. The University of Toronto Press found a story about two therapist who discovered that motor-skils; the ability to preform complex muscle-andnerve acts that produce movement, fine motor skills; small movements like writing and tying

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shoes and gross motor skills; large movements like walking and kicking (dictionary.com). Unlike most of the inventions I have mentioned earlier, this is a research project that mostly benefits people with long term physical problems such as someone who has Cerebral Palsy; a disorder of the movement muscle tone or posture that is caused by injury or abnormal development in the immature brain, most likey before birth or Muscular Dystrophy; a group of genetic diseases in which muscle fibers are unusually susceptible to damage, this causes muscles to become weaker, patients who suffer from these disorders eventually need a wheel chair (mayoclinic.) But this study would allow for therapists to to coordinate certain body parts with the motor-skills that a person would also need help with; this is especially useful with growing children. The article says that the researchers and therapists base their studies off of three main elements of motor control which are the task;what goal someone is trying to reach, the enviornment; what area the patient is trying to reach their goal in, and the acual individual or patient (LisaKenyon,Mary T Blackington). The authors of the article, who are also therapists, explained how they came to the conclusion that physical therapy coordinates motor skills. It started at a play ground as the therapists watched a child perform a task as simple as climbing the ladder of a slide. As the child climbed the two therapists would watch very closely to which parts of the body the child would use the most to help them get to the top of the latter, focusing on whether he or she would use the upper part or lower part of their body the most. After watching the child climb up the latter by themself the two therapists would then step into the picture and as the child is trying to climb up the latter, both therapists would have the child also focus on the other children around them not only on the latter. This showed how the child was having to also use their motor-skills to help them get to the top of the latter, while being distracted (UniversityofToronto).

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After defining the word Web 2.0, it is clearly shown how this new way of internet has helped physical therapy to grow and benefit more and more from the inventions which are now possible. Physical Therapy patients would still be struggling along with people born with physical illnesses. These inventions and research projects have allowed for an easier way of receiving help for most patients in need of different types of physical and occupational therapy.

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Works Cited Arthritis. Thefreedictionary.com. Farlax INC, 2012. Web. 1, April 2012 Definition of Physical Therapy. Medterms.com. MediceneNet1996-2012. Web. 1, April 2012. Allison Friday, Eric Peterson, Matt Rome. PhysicalTherapyNation. facebook.com/pages/physical-therapy-nation. July 14,2009. Web. 28, March 2012. Gupta, Rupal.Play Nintendo to Stay Fit. Knowabouthealth.com. Healthyliving 2011. Web. 1, April 2012. International Physical Therapy Expert Discuss PrimeSense Camera for Rehablitation. Youtube.com. USTI, Decemeber 17, 2012. Web. 4, April 2012. Kenyon, Lisa and Mary T. Blackington.Apply Motor-Control Theory to Physical Therapy Practice: A case report.librarylink.uncc. University of Toronto Press, 1, July 2011. Web. 28, February 2012. MayoClinicStaff.Cerebral Palsy.mayoclinic.com. Mayo Foundation 2012. Web. 01, April 2012. (Motor-Skills.) Dictionary.coms21centurylexicon. Dictionary.com, LLC, 05 April, 2011. Web. 1, April 2012. Social Networking. Thefreedictionary.com. Farlax INC, 2012. Web. 1, April 2012

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Tanner, Lindsey.Doctors use Wii games for rehab therapy.USAtoday.com. USAtoday 2011. Web. 30, March 2012. Web 2.0. Dictionary.coms21stcenturyLexicom. Dictionary.com LLC. Web. 4, April 2012. Web 2.0 Tools. Web2012DiscoveryEducation.com. Discovery Communications, LLC 2012. Web. 28, March 2012 Webcam.Answers.com. Answers Coporation 2012. Web. 28, March 2012. Winburn, Jay. Web based Physical Therapy software for Physical Therapy Audits has many

benefits. Isnare.com. Isnare Free Articles LLC, 2004-2012. Web. 30, March 2012. Worrell, Jeff. Therapy Apps Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter. Putmebacktogether.com. Nurse Together LLC, 2012-2011. Web. 30, March 2012. Zombie, Rogue.PrimeSense releases open-sorce drivers for kinnect.Zombiegamer.com. ZOMBIEGAMER 13, Decemeber 2010. Web. 30, March 2012.

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