My time as an intern at Fyzical has been very enlightening. From shadowing appointments and talking to Tiana and Brandon, I’ve learned a lot about some physical therapy specialties that Fyzical practices. I’ve observed a lot of vestibular physical therapy, which deals with dizziness and balance. The vestibular system is what helps a person tell where they are in space, and if something is wrong with it, it can make it very difficult for a person to balance and often leads to dizziness and frequent falls. At Fyzical, they work with people using exercise, manual therapy, and other treatment tools to treat this. Some common exercises include tandem walking, balancing on a foam pad, walking over small hurdles, and more. Another specialty that Fyzical has is pelvic floor physical therapy. Pelvic floor physical therapy mostly pertains to issues like incontinence and weakness/pain in the pelvic area. These are both specialties that I did not know much, if anything, about before observing here this summer. It has been very interesting to learn about different types of physical therapy that I had never heard about before, and to get to see them in a real physical therapy setting has been even more exciting.
Fyzical also works with a company called Sole Supports that can help people get fitted for custom orthotics. Patients can get a foot casting in the clinic, and then Fyzical ships it off to Sole Supports, where they make the orthotics for them. These can be very impactful for certain patients, and it has been interesting to see the process of how they are made.
Sole Supports Foot Casting Kit and Completed Foot Castings
For my final project at the clinic, I’ve been helping input new rehab exercises into the new computer system, Prompt. Tiana and Brandon have had some difficulties with giving patients exercises since the system switch due to some common rehab exercises that are missing from the system, so I’ve been working on inputting some of those so they can be used to help patients. It has also been very helpful for me, as I’ve gotten to learn some different exercises that I’ve never seen before and practice explaining them.
Fyzical Final Project Exercises
I’ve also been very lucky to get to work with patients almost daily. After their appointment with the PT or PTA, sometimes patients will have rehab exercises that either me or the rehab tech will walk them through. This has allowed me to do a lot of hands-on learning here at the clinic, and also made me even more excited about choosing a career path as a PT. Getting to actually work and talk with patients has been one of my favorite parts of this internship. It has been especially rewarding to see the patients that have made a lot of progress as well. There is one patient, who happened to have their first day of physical therapy on the same day that I started this internship, who has made a lot of progress recovering from a shoulder injury. It is wonderful to hear them talk about their progress and how much they’ve been able to start doing again in such a short amount of time.
I’ve also been able to have a few more adventures around Colorado. A few weeks ago, my mom and sister visited, and we went to Rocky Mountain National Park for some hiking. We hiked around and found a few mountain lakes and saw some beautiful views. I was even able to swim in one of the lakes.
Swimming in Emerald Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park!
A week later, the Mile High Mile race took place in Niwot. The Mile High Mile is an annual community and pro race held around the Boulder/Denver area every year. Me, Ava, our friend Katie (a Cornell alum!) visiting from Iowa, and our new friend Sophie went to watch, and it was super fun. We got to meet Colleen Quigley, who is a pro runner and was a 2016 Olympian. The running community in/around Boulder is so big and supportive, and it was very cool to see that firsthand at this race.
Meeting Pro Runner Colleen Quigley!
I also got to hike a 14er for the first time! I went with Sophie, Zoe, and Milar, who are all my teammates at Cornell. They were able to show me the ropes, and it was very fun. We showed up to Mt. Bierstadt at around 5:30 am to start our hike, and we were down the mountain by about 11 am. It was absolutely beautiful, and we got to see a lot of wildlife. We saw moose, long-horned sheep, mountain goats, pikas, and marmots. The views were also unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I was exhausted afterwards, but it was very worth it.
Me, Sophie, Zoe, and Milar on Mt. Bierstadt!
Overall, I’ve gotten to learn and see so much this past summer, both from my internship and from living in a new place. I am incredibly grateful for Fyzical for giving me space to learn and observe in their clinic, and for the support from Cornell for helping me have this experience. I am happy that I’ll get to start my senior year at Cornell with new knowledge and excitement for my future career!