I need HELP with Musculoskeletal system

thatoneguy · Oct 5, 2005

humm, well try using them. go to one of the hospitals you went to during school or want to work at and ask them if they could teach you how to use them. tell them your getting ready to take the boards. go to the ortho unit. ask what they are observing for and why and most important what to do when they see this or that happens/develop. after talking to the RN ask the ortho tech and or one of the PTs or assit PT the same thing. i would ask them all myself. just make sure you pick a time when they are not so crazy busy. you know dont go during 10 oclock meds or change of shift things like that. well hope that helps. and good luck to ya.

Bambury · Oct 5, 2005

I think I might be able to help you with the crutch gaits:

There are three types, but only the 3 point gait is the non-weight bearing, while the others - the two point and four point - are partial weight bearing.

Three point gait

This is the R2-D2 Robot of Star Wars walk. You advance with the crutches, then the good leg follows.

So it's: crutch, good leg, crutch, good leg, crutch, good leg.

This is, all the while, your bad leg is off the ground.

Both the four point and the two points are similar. So that makes it easy.

Two point:

Pretty easy. Just walk as you would, with your extremeties in opposition. So everytime you advance with your right leg, your left arm advances in parallel. Then, as you advance with your left leg, your right arm swings in parallel. That's easy. Now, imagine you have crutches on each arm, as extra appendages, and basically you follow the same pattern of oppotional movement between the extremeties.

So it goes parallel like this:

Right leg with Left Arm AND Left Crutch then,

Left leg with Right Arm AND Right Crutch.

Try walking, and then imagine having crutches under the arms, and walking normally with them. That's it.

Four point is just like 2 point except, instead of thinking of as "one-two, one-two, one-two), you have 1-4 steps to think about. Again, it's oppositional extremeties, they just don't advance together though.

Here goes:

Right crutch (split pause)

Left foot (split pause)

Left crutch (split pause)

Right leg.

It's oppositional movement, but just not at simulteneous.

By the way, when you have to manage the stairs, it's always "up with the good (foot) and down with the bad (foot). That's the order.

Cane:

Cane on the good/strong side. When you advance, cane and the weak leg move parallel and simulteneously together, followed by the good leg.

Hope it helps!