For Neurological Conditions I, our class got to go to an off-site lab to help reinforce material we have been learning about spinal cord injury patients. We were split into smaller groups and given a level of spinal cord injury and a list of tasks that we had to complete, like rolling over in bed, getting into bed from the wheelchair, or sitting up in bed. It was interesting trying to not only think through how a patient with that level of injury might do those maneuvers, but it was also very challenging trying not to cheat and stay true to the spinal cord level by not using any muscles below that level. After running through a few of those scenarios, we got the opportunity to practice wheelchair skills. This includes popping and maintaining wheelies, going up and down curbs, and getting back into the chair after falling backwards in it. We had lots of fun and laughs as we tried and failed to do most of these tasks on the first few tries, but by the end of the lab some people had already become fairly skilled with a wheelchair. This experience helped us see how challenging it is to learn and do these tasks without certain muscles and gave us all a greater appreciation for the struggles of patients with spinal cord injuries.
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