Photo By Staff Sgt. Mikayla Fritz | U.S. Army Reserve Spc. Neil Blue (left) and Lt. Col. Tola Akomolafe, of the 311th...... read more read more
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FORT MCCOY, Wisconsin – Staying in top physical condition and being able to perform a variety of duties when called is key to a Soldiers individual readiness, health and well-being. If a Soldier sustains an injury, it can negatively impact them, their unit and their assigned mission.
In order to minimize that negative impact, a specialized team of medical personnel here are tasked with making sure that Soldiers who have sustained an injury are able to return to their duties as quickly and as safely as possible.
That team is comprised of U.S. Army Reserve physical therapy Soldiers from the 311th Medical Surgical Detachment, who recently treated troops with acute and chronic pain here during Exercise Global Medic, 2023. Global medic is a multi-component collective training exercise where forces from all components along with joint and international partners perform a collective medical training event to test their medical equipment, systems and procedures to help prepare for future conflicts.
"A majority of the problems that Soldiers face when they get deployed are musculoskeletal," said Lt. Col. Tola Akomolafe, a physical therapist assigned to the 311th MSD. "We act as musculoskeletal medicine experts to help screen for functional impairment, things that potentially lead to disability, things that will stop the Soldier from performing."
Akomolafe and his team treat patients' needs and focus on prevention and long-term recovery. The group teaches patients different stretches independently and in austere environments.
"Showing them how to do treatments, and then convincing them as to why it's important to do those things, will enhance their performance on the battlefield,” said Akomolafe. “That goes a long way toward their recovery, because physical therapy is crucial to helping Soldiers.”
"The physical therapist here is phenomenal," said U.S. Army Reserve 1st Lt. Briana Rodriguez, who received physical therapy treatment for her hip during the training exercise. "Lt. Col. Akomolafe has been practicing physical therapy for 35 years and genuinely wants to help Soldiers feel better."
The physical therapy team here is comprised of several experienced Soldiers, but one member of the team is here learning valuable new skills before attending physical therapy school in the near future.
"This is the best hands-on training I could have asked for," said Sgt. Jacquelyn Tserpelis, who has an Emergency Medical Technician background and an associate degree in kinesiology. "Everybody here knows Akomolafe from over the years and loves him.”
When he is not performing his military duties for the Army Reserve, Akomolafe runs a civilian physical therapy practice in Georgia and brings his extensive experience and expertise to his military assignment, assisting Soldiers with various musculoskeletal injuries and utilizing acupuncture techniques for pain management.
Noone ever expects to sustain an injury, but when it happens Soldiers here can rest assured that they will be in good hands with the highly-skilled and caring physical therapy team.
"We can prevent bigger injuries by preventing unnecessary surgeries," said Tserpielis. "We like to keep people healthy and fighting in top form."
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2023 09:32 |
| Story ID: | 452041 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Hometown: | MCDONOUGH, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 92 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Army physical therapy eases pain, aids Soldiers during Exercise Global Medic 2023, by SSG Mikayla Fritz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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