Week 1: First Day at the Clinic
Hey everyone, my name is Carlos Orozco, and I’m a senior at BASIS San Antonio. I’ve always been drawn to health sciences and kinesiology, and this semester, I have the opportunity to intern at San Antonio Muscle and Spine Therapy with Dr. Samuel Peña. Through this blog, I’ll be sharing what I learn and experience throughout my time here.
My interest in this field started years ago when I watched the World Cup as a kid. While most people were focused on the game, I always paid attention to what happened when a player went down with an injury or when they were stretchered off the field. The way the medical staff rushed in, assessed the situation, and made split-second decisions fascinated me. It made me realize how important recovery is, not just in sports but in everyday life. That curiosity eventually led me to kinesiology and physical therapy, and now I’m excited to see what it looks like in practice.
Before I could start, I had to complete HIPAA training, which covered the importance of patient confidentiality and ethical responsibility in healthcare. It talked about how even casual conversations about patients need to be handled carefully to protect their privacy. It was a reminder that while I’m here to learn, I also have a responsibility to be professional and respectful in this space.
Walking into the clinic for the first time, I immediately noticed how different it felt from a typical doctor’s office. It was quiet, but not in a sterile, waiting-room kind of way—more like a focused, controlled environment. In the center of the main area, there was a large treatment table, where patients would go through assessments and therapy. Off to the side there were tools used to help patients rebuild strength and mobility, such as rehab equipment, cable machines, resistance bands, and yoga balls. In another room, I saw a station for electrical stimulation therapy, where small pads are placed on a patient’s back or muscles to help with pain relief.
The first patient I observed came in with hip pain that had been bothering them for a while. They explained that it sat right above the glutes, but felt deeper than just muscle soreness, making simple movements like sitting down or standing up uncomfortable. They had started being extra careful with how they moved, almost as if they were anticipating the pain before it even happened.
Dr. Peña began with some basic movement tests to see how the patient’s body responded to different positions. He had them sit down and stand up a few times, watching how they shifted their weight and whether they hesitated before moving. Sure enough, they moved slowly and carefully, avoiding putting too much pressure on the affected side. To check for imbalances, he had them stand on one leg and do a simple hip rotation, looking for any restrictions or discomfort.
After that, he moved on to manual therapy, applying firm pressure around the lower back and glutes to check for tightness. When he pressed into a certain spot near the hip, the patient mentioned a deep, aching discomfort—a sign that their pain might not just be muscular but possibly related to nerve irritation or joint stiffness.
To help relieve some of the tension, Dr. Peña used electrical stimulation therapy on their lower back and glutes. He placed small electrode pads on the affected area and adjusted the settings to send low-frequency currents through the muscles. He explained that this would help increase blood flow, reduce muscle tension, and activate muscles that might not be firing properly.
By the end of the session, the patient moved a little more freely, and Dr. Peña gave them a few mobility exercises to work on at home to keep improving between visits. It was interesting to see how small adjustments in treatment can make a big difference, and I’m looking forward to learning more about how different techniques work together in recovery. What stood out to me the most was how small details in movement can reveal so much about a person’s pain and recovery process. I’ve always thought of physical therapy as mostly exercise-based rehab, but seeing how manual therapy and technology like e-stim all work together made me realize there’s way more to it than just strengthening muscles.
Even though I’ve only just started, I’m already seeing how much small movement patterns can tell you about someone’s pain and recovery process. It’s one thing to read about therapy techniques, but seeing them real time gives me a whole new perspective. Looking forward to seeing more in the next few weeks.
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