Physical Therapist

Photo By Sgt. Cassandra Groce | Capt. Joseph Miller, the sole physical therapist for the "Rakkasan" 3rd Brigade Combat Team in the 626 Brigade Support Battalion, checks a Soldier's lower back for pain.  

TIKRIT, IRAQ

12.30.2005

Courtesy Story

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

PFC Cassandra Groce 133rd MPAD

TIKRIT, Iraq (December 27, 2005) -- More than 50 percent of all Soldiers coming to sick call have muscular-skeletal injuries, making a physical therapist an invaluable asset in the combat zone.

Capt. Joseph Miller, the Rakkasan's physical therapist in the Tikrit area, has made it a point to train additional medical personnel in physical therapy techniques, offsetting the limited number of physical therapists in the 101st Airborne Division's area of operations.

Miller's training initiative began in Kuwait, as the BCT prepared to deploy forward into Iraq. He's continued the training in Iraq, traveling to outlying unit locations to increase the battalion medical personnel's" capabilities.

The inclusion of physical therapists in the combat zone is a new concept for the 101st Division in Iraq, resulting from the Army's overall transformation to the Brigade Combat Team design. Each Brigade Combat Team has their own physical therapist assigned to them instead of back in a hospital, Miller said.

"I think we are more effective on the front line with the Soldiers than back in the hospital," said Miller.

With around 35 percent of injured Soldiers sent back to the states for treatment during the initial phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the arrival of physical therapists has decreased that number by approximately 5 percent, Miller said.

Miller has seen around 700 different patients since he arrived at FOB Speicher in September. He and his physical therapy technician see approximately 80 - 100 Soldiers during a 5-day workweek. They also advise commanders on training and work loads to try to minimize the stress on Soldiers" bodies.

In addition to five years in the Army and six years as a Marine, Miller has a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology, the study of movement, making him highly qualified for his demanding patient load.

He attended the Army-Baylor physical therapy program at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, and graduated with a master's degree in physical therapy. He is now three courses from a doctorate in physical therapy and will have completed the program by the end of his deployment.

Miller is also very passionate about helping his Soldiers.

"My ultimate goal is for them to not come back," said Miller. "We do a lot of conditioning and rehab so a Soldier can take care of himself. It's not just helping them, but teaching as well."

Miller, remembering a picture of a Soldier about to raid a house that he saw recently on the Army Knowledge Online webpage, thinks of that as a symbol of who he is here to help.

"Those guys are the reason we [physical therapists] are here," said Miller. "We want to make sure they aren't distracted because of pain."

• Date Taken: 12.30.2005
• Date Posted: 12.30.2005 14:20
• Story ID: 4239
• Location: TIKRIT, IQ