Blood Supply, arteries in Physical therapy

[2017DPT]

Hi guys,
I am about 2 months into PT school and I am taking gross anatomy. I am constantly wondering how applicable some of the material we are learning are to PT.

I was wondering what is everyone's thoughts about understanding arteries and blood supply as a physical therapist?

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[noyceguy]

Hi guys,
I am about 2 months into PT school and I am taking gross anatomy. I am constantly wondering how applicable some of the material we are learning are to PT.

I was wondering what is everyone's thoughts about understanding arteries and blood supply as a physical therapist?

You will be reading medial charts and speaking to doctors and nurses. They will expect you to have an understanding of basic gross anatomy. So, highly applicable.

 

[MikeWade]

I was a gross anatomy TA for 3 years. Why in the world do you need to know the recurrent laryngeal nerve or the various branches xyz blood vessel. Well after all is said and done, the 3d image of the human body that you will have developed in your head, will be invaluable to understanding the patient laying on the table. Learning arteries and small bony landmarks that you will never palpate or remember help to build that image and understanding.

Fact: the recurrent laryngeal nerve in a gyraf takes a 15 ft detour.

gross anatomy should expand your mind

 

[NewTestament]

You're a physical therapist and yes you should know human anatomy. You will see these terms in medical literature too.

 

[Bijal Shah]

Hi guys,
I am about 2 months into PT school and I am taking gross anatomy. I am constantly wondering how applicable some of the material we are learning are to PT.

I was wondering what is everyone's thoughts about understanding arteries and blood supply as a physical therapist?

Hi, blood supply, nerve innervation etc is very important. You will need to know blood supply and possibility of collateral to expect the symptoms and effects and so to develop your plan of care for patients in a way that they can achieve the maximum gains. like femoral head fracture with no blood supply. or Head injury with MCA involvement or CABG of Left coronary artery. It may be little different depending on setting you work but it will be necessary for ortho, neuro or cardio etc. sorry for the long post but please get your bases strong. that will really really help you. I hope it helps.

 

[DocTAP87]

It's absolutely applicable and you'll see how it applies as the education goes further. If you end up specializing in something, say cardiopulm, then those arteries and veins become pretty important. Even if you don't specialize, you may see patients who have cardiopulmonary issues and in general, the circulation system is an important part of movement. Like others have said, you'll also be in communication with physicians and nurses, reading medical charts, studies, etc. and you'll want to understand this information. Finally, I think an important point to remember is that it's a doctorate level education and we're supposed to be experts on the human body. Get to know it, get to love it. It gets better after your first year and especially after that first semester and you'll start to see how the dots get connected.

The only thing in PT school so far that I really thought was a waste of time was how much time we spent on diathermy.

 

[mrleroyfashion123]

I had a wound care clinical this past summer. It's important to know when looking for pulses, when performing debridement, and in general when working with wounds. Hopefully that helps a little more with application rather than the general "it's important" answer. Is it more important for surgeons to know every single artery, vein, and nerve? Yes. But on the other hand, who is rehabbing people after surgeries, injuries, etc? Us.