Physical Therapy: Stories That Must Be Told

Abstract

I love a good story. Everyone does. Not all of us like the same stories, and we all have different levels of patience for certain storytellers; however, we can agree that we all like some kind of story. We enjoy reading or hearing a story and its plot. We like vicariously experiencing how the situations are handled or the challenges faced unfold. Good stories contain complex situations and challenges. Good stories reflect life and the reality that life is not a clear-cut endeavor; it is, rather, an adventure. Imagine reading an excerpt from each of the many individual stories you could tell because of your various experiences in the profession of physical therapy. Some of our stories may draw a tear. Others can encourage a smile. Like the story that a colleague told me [Figure] about a young high school student. This young man was in an unfortunate accident where he was hit by a car and incurred a fractured femur, a dislocation of his contralateral knee, and many other assorted soft tissue injuries. This 6′8″ patient was brought into the clinic in a wheelchair, and the 5′3″ physical therapist and a physical therapist assistant transferred him to a plinth, far too short for his frame, to begin her examination. The physical therapist wanted to initiate a rapport with this young man. Now, you can imagine this: here is a young man draped off the long ends of a plinth, uncomfortable and with an almost comatose level of interest in any kind of rapport. The physical therapist asked, “Are you a basketball player?” The 6′8″ kid opened his heretofore closed eyes and without hesitation said to the 5′3″ physical therapist, “No, are you a jockey?” Our stories are as good as they get; they draw out all kinds …