Sports Physical Therapy Clinic

Sports Physical Therapy Clinic

by: Angeles, Florendo, Lumanlan, Tepace, Yang

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the Big Dome

Araneta Coliseum, Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines

The floor is shaking and the lights overhead—stunning. Amidst the cheers and the jeers and the drums’ thumping and beating, tension can be felt by everyone in the arena—not just the audience, not just the players, but more importantly, the coaching team. “Less than fifteen seconds remaining on the clock and the team trails by one. Number 5 gets the rebound, passes it to number 12… OH, WHAT A WONDERFUL STEAL BY NUMBER 9! Passes it to 11, aims for fast break, AND HE SHOOTS! What a victory...”

           Ring a bell? For any sports enthusiast or even somebody who knows basketball, such scenes may seem very familiar or cliched. Sports, defined as competitive individual or group activities governed by rules, are only among the things enjoyed by many people from any gender, age group, or nationality. But not so many people are aware that a physical therapist is part of all those hard court action.

         
            For our clinical exposure 1, we observed Mr. Czar Anthony Caguioa, a sports PT and coach of the UP Fighting Maroons basketball team. We were supposed to observe him at the Sports Physical Therapy Center located in UPD College of Human Kinetics, but since the team has a game against UE Red Warriors that day, we were able to watch them play at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

          
           At the team’s dugout, we noticed a first aid kit, hot and cold compresses, bandages, oxygen mask, cooler, water jug, and cups placed at one corner. At the moment, Sir Czar’s patients are the players, all college students, and he’s on watch for possible injuries such as sprains and fractures,. But if he’s working at the clinic in UPD, he handles varsity players of various sports, and the cases are almost similar.

“Kapag sinabi kong tumuwad sila, tutuwad agad yan” as Mr. Czar jokingly pointed. “Hindi siya kagaya ng pedia.”

           This is the main difference in the patient he handles. He handles not only the basketball team, but the whole UP Fighting Maroons. He said that there is an importance in having the power over them. Although he is usually alone, he sometimes have another PT with him. Mr. Czar handles the injuries while the other PT handles strength and condition, and if ever, adding another member of the group for utility.

           When asked for the modalities used, the usual hot moist pack, ultrasound, ice pack, and infra-red was his reply. The injuries range from the usual sprain to reconstruction surgery on the spot. He is the on site paramedic and the ambulatory unit. There is no more medical group around except for his.

"You need to know the sport" -Mr. Czar Caguioa

             He said that different sports have different demands. And for this one, he has to be able to train them alongside the basketball team's coaches, and he has to be the medical team and live for the moment at their games.

Mr. Czar Caguioa, Sports Physical Therapist

       The responsibilities of a sports-based Physical Therapist come in two folds. There is the role before and after the game and the physical therapist’s role during the game. The physical therapist’s role before and after the game involves conditioning and strengthening of the athlete. It is in this process that the physical therapist oversees the training of the athlete, and helps in the athlete’s strength and muscle conditioning. Also, the physical therapist monitors the athlete’s health condition and decides if the athlete is fit enough to play his or her sport. The physical therapist makes this decision by evaluating the health status of the athlete, so it falls upon the physical therapist’s shoulders to correctly evaluate, and make the right decisions based on this evaluation. Furthermore, if an athlete is sick, or needs some sort of medication, it is also the role physical therapist to take him to the professional appropriate to his affliction, and to help the athlete get the medicines needed. The physical therapist also plays a role during the game. This involves also monitoring the health condition of the athletes and deciding if they are still fit to continue playing. If some sort of accident occurs, the physical therapist would act and administer immediate first-aid. But if the accident is not too serious, the physical therapist must still evaluate the athlete’s condition, but not by immediately dashing to the scene if it appears that the player is still capable of moving on his own. This is to prevent any misunderstandings that may occur because rushing in of the physical therapist would immediately signal the coach and the other first-aiders that something is very wrong, and the player needs to be taken away to be treated. Before rushing in, the physical therapist first checks with the athlete and finds out the extent of the injury, then decides of the player is still fit enough to re-enter the game.

A player of the UP Fighting Maroon treated by Mr. Czar Caguioa

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Reflections

“Professionalism is knowing how to do it, when to do it, and doing it.” --Frank Tyger

       September 3 marks the day of our observation with a physical therapist ( PT ) practicing in the sports setting. Truly, professionalism is seen in what Mr. Czar Anthony Caguioa ( the PT we've observed ) does in his workplace/s. But a sports clinic in the UP-Diliman College of Human Kinetics gymnasium is not what we saw. A mighty crowd, banging drums, sweaty athletes and a BIG DOME is what we came to observe!

       In the Araneta Coliseum all is prearranged by Mr. Czar before the game. He checks the condition of every player before the game that is he recommends if the player is allowed to play or not. He treats the athletes with massage if needed. The tapes that cover the body of the players, which Mr. Czar pointed out is quite useless except that it boosts the player's morale, and the equipments that are used by the players like oxygen bottles and protective masks are all managed by Mr. Czar before hand. As we have observed, equipment and modalities utilized by Mr. Czar are hot moist pack, ultrasound, ICC, ice bags,ambulatory units and infra-reds. These are small obviously because they cannot bring a hydrotherapy apparatus that is humongous in the bench side in a basketball game because that would be absurd! As expected in a game, their patients are athletes that are playing for the team.

       As the game starts, the managing role of Mr. Czar , if not stops, lessens and his on-sight paramedic and condition specialist role begins. In the game he looks for the athlete's welfare. He monitor's their playing time, their muscle condition and strength. If ever a player experiences an injury, as Mr. Czar said, he is the first to go and help him although he momentarily pauses to check if the athlete can go on or not before rushing in. Mr. Czar clearly pointed out that he does not massage in the game. He lets another person do it which he has instructed. That kind of authority is cool! He manages the welfare of the player, has authority who plays or not and he has continuous practice of his skills, which in my opinion, further honing it and develops him to be a better professional.

       In the game, Mr. Czar is very professional. As we all know a game can be intense at parts and when you're in the BIG DOME you just can't help but scream your lungs out but he is different. He acts professionally, that is, he shouts discreetly, sits patiently, and keeps his cool in these intense times. I really don't think I am ready yet to act professionally like him because I freak out so easily. Yet I hope I'd develop the necessary skills needed to act professionally as I progress.

       Overall, I think it would be rather awesome to be a sports PT. I really do love watching sports and it would be such an honor to be a PT for a team or some athlete. I think that this side of the PT practice develops one's skill and fulfills one's expectations of the practice. After the observation, all I can say is that being professional is hard but someday I hope I would know how to do it, when to do it, and continue to do it!

by Jorell Victor Angeles

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       Behind every successful player in the University of the Philippines varsity teams is a very triumphant, supportive and fully functioning physical therapist--- Mr. Czar Anthony Caguioa.

       Last September 3, 2009 our group was able to observe Mr. Caguioa, the official sports physical therapist of the UP varsity teams, in action during the UAAP ball game between UP and UE. Sir Czar, as how we call him, is a very accommodating person not because he gave us free patron tickets for the game but because of how he worked with the whole UP Basketball team. The first comment about Sir Czar that was written in my notebook was “very fatherly and flexible”. I have no exact adjectives to describe how he handled and took care of each player who needed assistance during that game. It was superb and amazing how he managed player after each player without any sign of panic or distress. Maybe, he was already used to it for he was with the team for several years. Sir Czar, during that game, was also very professional. You can see him focused and not forgetting his purpose for the team and for the players while enjoying the game. Also, I was able to notice that he is very tactful with the rest of the members in the UP bench in terms of how he approached the coach and other people engaged with the group.

       “Masaya naman at fulfilling kasi I love sports”, this is how Sir Czar marked the exposure for me. I have seen how enjoying it is to be a sports physical therapist. Actually, I was inspired to be one also because I see it as an exciting and as a fulfilling career because, like Sir Czar, I also love sports. But still, I do not close the possibilities that I may take other PT career, when inspired, in the future.

by Ronniel Florendo

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      The blazing lights of the court, the overwhelming cheers of the crowd, and the adrenaline of the players are things that one would not usually think of when it comes to a setting wherein one practices a certain kind of medicine. The stereotype is a quiet clinic, a white-walled hospital room, or even a chaotic emergency room. But the practice of medicine is not limited to these settings. It could be practiced almost anywhere, as long as there is a need for it. The practice of physical therapy can take on many forms, whether it is helping a hopeful patient walk again, conditioning and preparing an athlete for an upcoming game, or even just educating and giving hope to those who seem to have lost it. The practice of physical therapy is not limited to the clinic nor is it limited to the way it is practiced today. It will continue to grow, flourish, and take on new forms.

by Christian Alexander Lumanlan

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      One apparent attribute of a sports PT is the authority he exercises over the players of the team. He may not be the “main” coach of the Fighting Maroons, but he has the power to advise whether a player should carry on with the game or not. Apart from that, a sports PT is also an on-site paramedic. He takes on the roles of a doctor, a nurse, and a physical therapist. With this, it can be observed that PTs can be leaders in various fields encompassed by the profession.

       During the game, we observed that Mr. Caguioa was sitting most of the time, on guard and waiting for injuries or accidents that may happen. It seems as if the job is too light, but a sports PT actually holds in his hands the life and safety of the players. He bears the responsibility of keeping the players fit, helping them avoid fatigue, and administering treatment to the injured.

       Sir Czar said that the edge of being a sports PT is the action and excitement that he feels every time the team plays. There is so much fun and surprise in every game because one cannot predict the results. Moreover, being a sports PT is not as toxic as the PTs from other fields. But this does not mean that the job is less fulfilling.

       Actually, the clinical exposure motivated me to push further and do my best as a PT student. I realized that there are lots of sides to being a physical therapist, and that each side is a whole new world of experiences that provides myriads of opportunities to grow. These opportunities may seem to be overwhelming, but I hope that by the time they come, I’ve already grown into a mature and proficient physiotherapist who’s got the passion and drive to serve people in the best way I could.

by Mary Grace Tepace

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      Mr. Czar Anthony Caguioa, did not realize that he would become a sports physical therapist until after graduation. “Akala ko pedia ako” he said, and this made me realized that I can not really determine what PT sub specialty I am going to be at this early stage. Back then, I see myself as a Pediatrics PT too, but now that my mind is more open to new ideas, I would like to try other specializations too, even sports PT.

       Mr. Caguioa said that to be a good sports PT, one must learn the sport really well, because he said that certain sports must meet certain needs. A sports PT is the one that tells the condition of a player, whether he or she is fit or not fit enough to play, and in this case, whether he had overcome his time in court. He would also train with them and help them when they have medical problems. This is a big responsibility because the conditions of the players are in his hand. He is the immediate paramedic in the court. The good thing about interacting with clients is that they cooperate well. The coach and the players heed to the physical therapist’s instructions, and would not need to be persuaded unlike in Pediatrics. Also, I think that a sports PT should know the player’s capability in his or her sport. An example of this is when a player is down in the court, and the PT would make signals if the player could go on with playing or would need to be removed from the game. This is because if a PT would go inside the court, the player is taken out by default and could no longer play. The responsibility is great. I love it!

by Sabrina Yang

Special thanks to Mr. Czar Caguioa and the University of the Philippines Basketball Team

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