I admire how patients overcome pain. Notes of a physical therapist on the rehabilitation of soldiers
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Tonight I walk my dog a little longer than usual. It was an emotionally difficult day at work. Stalker – that’s my dog’s name – always senses when I’m overwhelmed and need to vent. He runs next to me and rubs against my legs. I often tell him about the strength of spirit and character that I observe in my patients.
As a physical therapist of Doctors Without Borders, I work with a team that conducts complex rehabilitation in one of the Kyiv hospitals. This project combines both physical and psychological components aimed at supporting people who are struggling with severe injuries received during the war.
At first, it was difficult to come to terms with what I saw – patients with injuries reminiscent of World War II wounds. Such patients arrive at hospitals by the dozens. I well remember one night at the beginning of the full-scale escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war, when a whole trainload of people with severe lacerations, bullet wounds and amputations arrived in Kyiv from the front. Some of them got to the hospital, where we implement a rehabilitation project.
Sometimes patients who are admitted to the hospital are depressed – they do not want to see anyone and are not in the mood for rehabilitation, they just lie in a hospital bed. It often takes a lot of patience to convince them that there is always hope. I explain to them the importance of early rehabilitation and we start physical therapy so they can learn to adjust to a normal life in their new body.
Over the past six months, I have worked with more than 50 patients, each of whom had a unique story and their own path to recovery. Today I met with Andrii, a 27-year-old man who is preparing for prosthetics after being injured during the battles at the front in April this year. Unfortunately, he lost his right arm, leg and almost all of his sight.
Andriy and I are going through a difficult path together. Before the war, he worked as an IT specialist. After the injury, he did not dare to get out of bed and had a hard time imagining the future. With the support of a psychologist and the active participation of his mother, we started rehabilitation.
I encouraged Andrii to stand on the surviving leg and take small steps with the help of a walker while doing breathing exercises. Gradually, we move to the physical therapy room. We start working with him in a wheelchair. The main focus is on stretching the muscles of the abdomen, trunk and limbs, as well as specialized exercises to prevent the limitation of joint mobility, which can interfere with the use of prostheses.
Preparation of the stump (part of the limb remaining after amputation) for prosthetics can be accompanied by acute pain. Despite the still fresh stitches after surgery or amputation, if you do not work with the joints in time, they will narrow, pull up even higher than before the amputation, and it will be impossible to put on the prosthesis – it will not hold. I see how Andriy and other patients overcome this pain, and I admire it.
At moments when he feels emotional burnout, I suggest simple tasks like “swallow” – balancing on one leg and imagining that he is flying. I use humor and words of support to lift Andrii’s mood.
To distract ourselves, we often delve into discussions about football and the achievements of the Ukrainian national team. I used to play football professionally myself, so I share stories about the injuries I suffered during my career and how I overcame them. I tell Andrei and other patients that personal belief in victory – over pain, difficulties and difficult conditions – is crucial.
Sometimes emotions overwhelm me, and when I come home, I can cry alone with the dog. I reassure him, I say: “Don’t worry, Stalker, I’m fine. I just really want my patients not to lose faith in themselves and find happiness in a new life. In our world, it takes so little: to learn to walk again, driving a car, playing football, holding a child, running with a dog in the park…”
After our session, Andriy went to the prosthetics center. He sent me a video of his new leg and arm being measured, saying, “Well, there’s no stopping me now.” We were both happy at that moment.
After a day’s work, I often feel what I call “pleasant fatigue”. This is when there is a need for emotional recharging, but my heart is happy for the success of the patients. I recharge quickly, especially when my dog Stalker is around. Strolling down another alley, I breathe in the fresh air, and then head home, ready for a good night. Tomorrow I start a new day with my patients.
Inna Didich, physical therapist of “Doctors Without Borders”, specially for UP. Life
Publications in the “View” section are not editorial articles and reflect exclusively the author’s point of view.
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