This is a picture of a gymnasium located at our University. The physiotherapy students hold exercise-based group training here once a week from september to march. We have a book of different exercises that we use as a base for these classes. The exercises we use varies from strength, balance, flexibility, breathing exercises, awareness etc., and the combinations are based on the participants wishes and functional level. The participants in these groups can be regular people with no specific injuries, or patients who are in a rehabilitation process and have been referred here from their previous treatment facility (e.g. the student driven clinic at the University). Some of the groups can consist of patients with the same physical challenges and can therefore be a good place for participants to share experiences and learn together.
My group consists of elderly people with challenges such as low balance, structural changes in joints and reduced strength, a common development for elderly people as a result of biological changes and overall less activity. During the first session we ask the participants what they wish to improve or work on in these classes, to ensure that the the participants wishes and views are heard. Then we incorporate these wishes into the planning, and plan different sessions each week accordingly. Every week we meet and do exercises that we relate to their every-day activities. The participants learn about how being physically active can maintain and even better their overall function and keep them as independent and self sufficient as possible.
A study has been done where a group of elderly people exercised with a supervisor and the control group exercised on their own. The group who recieved supervised training showed higher levels of compliance and better scores in strength and balance tests at the end of the trial. Some patients reported that beeing guided by a supervisor had a positive impact on their motivation (Lacroix et al., 2017).
Another study shows that physical inactivity is a major cause of chronic diseases (Booth et al., 2012). The article states that the body rapidly adapts to lack of physical activity over time, which can result in a decreace in both years of life as well as quality of life. “Taken together, conclusive evidence exists that physical inactivity is one important cause of most chronic diseases” (Booth et al., 2012).
These studies are used to underline the importance of using supervised exercise training in rehabilitation. Patients in the rehabilitation system can always benefit from support and guidance from health care professionals over a longer period of time, even if they are relatively self sufficient. These groups give physiotherapists the chance to follow up on their patients, and the patients the chance to get much needed guidance from a physiotherapist on a regular basis. It can also give the participants in such groups a sense of affiliation, simultaneously as they learn about how to manage their challenges in the best way possible. Another positive side affect is that such group also gives us as health care professionals the opportinity to treat/guide a lot of patients at a time at the same time as is requires little resources compared to one-on-one sessions.
References
- Booth, F., Roberts, C., Laye, M. (2012). Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic
diseases. Compr Psysiol 1143-1211.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4241367/ - Lacroix A., Hortobàgyi T., Beurskens R., Granacher U.
(2017). Effects of Supervised vs.
Unsupervised Training Programs on Balance and Muscle Strength in Older Adults:
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports med 2341-2361.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28573401
4 thoughts on “Skjelbred, Marit. “Exercise based group training as a long term solution””
Hi MARIT I really found your essay very informative and pleasant to read and upon reading it I found just a few minor things I thought that you could consider to improve or consider rephrasing to just enhance your essay.
The first is in the first paragraph where I don’t now if you have considered saying instead ( The participants in these groups are people with no specific injuries or patients who are currently undergoing rehabilitation and have been referred from their previous treatment facility).
Secondly in the first sentence in the second paragraph have you considered removing the comma and instead writing ( My group consists of elderly people with challenges such as low balance, structural changes in joints and reduced strength which is a common development for elderly people …..)
Lastly I really wanted to state that I enjoyed how one idea was carried in the essay and how you linked it up to medical proof and resources to back your idea.
Marit,
I really enjoyed reading your post. It was well written and it was easy to follow. I find it interesting that as students, you are allowed to lead exercise classes for your community. I think it is a great way to ensure that the community receives regular exercise and that physiotherapy students are involved in clinical practice.
Your overall knowledge relating to clinical practice is good, as is your incorporation of journal articles, as a result your point are valid and strong. I would suggest adding a section of what a patient may experience in one of your exercise classes. The benefits of group exercises, such as connecting with others in similar situations to form a support group is a nice point to add, as the patient doesn’t feel so isolated.
Your use of journal articles is good and so is your referencing. May I suggest that you incorporate in-text referencing instead of putting a (1) in your paragraph?
Your photograph and your text work together well to illustrate the point of view of a patient. Your assignment has opened my eyes as to what it must be like to be a patient in the Norwegian Health Care System. Overall you have done a wonderful assignment. I hope my comments have helped you.
Good luck with the rest of your studies and your future career as a physiotherapist!
Hi Marit,
I found your reflective piece very interesting and informative. The part I find most interesting about your piece is that you give exercises classes to patients in your second year of studying physiotherapy.
Your photo and your text support each other well and they are clearly related. You did add how the patient experience the exercise and how they benefit from it. You can maybe just add a piece of how you think it feels like to be a patient during this classes, for example, do you think they feel controlled, or do you think that they enjoy that someone tell them what to do, etc.
You have strong references present. Just look again at your format of the references. I am not sure if you should use APA referencing style as well. If you do, you can maybe just change the (1) for example to (Booth et al., 2012). Your claims are well supported by your references.
I really enjoy reading your piece. Well done! Overall it is a good assignment.
Good luck with your studies!
Hi Marit, I have found your work quite interesting and immensely informative, although there are minor things that you need to take a look at:
– 2nd paragraph (line 1): try changing ”low balance” to reduced/ impaired balance
-” ” (line 2): ”overall less activity” to reduced participation in physical activity
– check the repetition in the 3rd line
– Last line of 2nd paragraph: try to remove redundancy , as ”independent” and ”self-sufficient” are the same thing
-3rd paragraph (line 1): check adjective- ”control” = controlled
-Check the spelling errors in line 2&3
– ” ” ” in last paragraph (line 7)
Note that your work is well written and it incorporates various ideas that adds to the reader’s understanding.