Our primary health care team got the opportunity to serve at the Emeti Health Station for 2 days on Outreach 5. The first day a lot of people were being referred to me for their chronic knee and back pain. Knee and back pain are not only common problems in the US. They are also very common here as the villagers' lives depend on manual labor - building their houses, collecting firewood, making sago (still trying to get more info to explain this lengthy process). From day one here in PNG, even in Port Moresby, chronic back and knee pain has been the primary complaint I have treated. Due to the particularly large number of patients in this village, I started small group classes reviewing back and knee health. This set-up worked really well as working in the small groups helped with communication. The one in the group who knew English the best would naturally translate to the group. Also, seeing other villagers participate encouraged participation within the entire group. We taught 4 small group class and one large group class. Overall, these classes created a lot of laughter and each villager walked away having learned something new. They also got a handy sheet filled with pictures of some the exercises we went over. Towards the end of the second day in Emeti, I had already taught 3 classes and was really tired as I was battling my second bout of stomach issues. An older man was sent to me for his back pain. After I examined him, I began to teach him the exercises. However, he quickly stopped me and eagerly explained that another villager taught him the exercises. He had already practiced his exercises last night and this morning. This news encouraged my heart because just for a moment I caught a glimpse of renewal coming to PNG. In order for there to be long term transformation, locals will need to take part in the process of teaching other locals. This moment was so sweet. It totally made the weeks of teaching lifting ergonomics, stretches and abdominal exercises totally worth the it.
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