“We’re working with people at their lowest. It’s the scariest, most painful point in their lives.” Meet Luke Wilkinson, Trauma and orthopaedics physiotherapist
With a new series of Channel 4's Emergency airing this week and delving into the work of our major trauma centre, we’re highlighting the work of some of the key staff working in this area.
Trauma and orthopaedics physiotherapist, Luke Wilkinson, 31, tells us about the unique set of skills his job demands, and why he’s so proud to see his colleagues given such richly deserved recognition.
What role do physiotherapists play in the major trauma network?
Physiotherapy plays a really important role in major trauma, both in terms of preventing secondary consequences from a patients’ main injury and supporting their longer-term recovery. When patients are initially admitted to an intensive care unit, we help prevent secondary consequences like chest infections through respiratory physiotherapy, for instance by employing chest clearing techniques and exercises. Or we’ll help prevent a loss of range of motion in muscles while their movement is limited. When you have a lot of sedated and intubated patients sometimes those secondary things can end up being worse than the primary injury, so this work is vital. I also work on our wards where there’s more of a focus on early rehab, restoration of strength and movement strategies.
A lot of people don’t realise that physiotherapy has a role with respiratory conditions, particularly for patients who are intubated, and can involve for instance helping to clear mucus from a patient’s lungs. Respiratory is usually one of the first bodily systems to struggle in those situations and we need to address this before their rehab can start. If you can barely catch your breath lying down how are you going to be fit enough to start trying to sit up or build up to walking? As physiotherapists, we are essentially highly specialised personal trainers, adapting our approach to each patient.
Luke Wilkinson
"We're working with people at their lowest. It's the scariest, most painful point in their lives."
What skills do you need to be a physio that other colleagues might not have?
We need exceptional communication skills and a bucket full of empathy. We’re working with people at their lowest. It’s the scariest, most painful point in their lives.
Obviously we’re not monsters who deliberately inflict pain on patients, but you can imagine almost every treatment we do unfortunately causes some degree of pain which can be hard. If a patient has a broken bone, we’ll support them to try and walk because it’s part of their recovery, but this will obviously take a lot out of them and cause a lot of discomfort. Being able to build trust and rapport so that patients are willing to put themselves through this is absolutely crucial.
Because we spend so much time with our patients, it’s not uncommon for us to get to know them. This can make it even more difficult to see them going through such difficult times. It does feel a bit like emotional therapy sometimes, as we know them so well. But it’s also really good here at Imperial knowing that we have fantastic trauma psychology services for our patients, and for us too if we need it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
One of the most rewarding parts of the role is seeing patients really rise to the challenge and get themselves back on their feet, despite such life altering and sudden injuries. It could be traumatic amputees taking on their rehab with a smile as they can’t wait to get back to football or one of our really significant polytrauma patients just being enthused to get out of bed – they’re determined to crack on. There are so many inspiring stories.
Luke Wilkinson
"I'm really proud to be a physio and I think it's fantastic to see the profession represented on TV."
What would you say to someone who is thinking of becoming a physio?
Go for it – although it might not be the job you think it is. But it’s a really rewarding role, there’s lots of avenues you can take and as time goes on we’re being recognised more and more for our value throughout healthcare.
How does it feel to see your colleagues highlighted on a TV series like Emergency?
I’m really proud to be a physio and I think it’s fantastic to see the profession represented. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of the work we do can be witnessed on TV. For instance, the vital planning we do to get patients safely out of hospital wouldn’t be interesting to watch. But I’m just proud that we’re actually being recognised.
Find out how to join Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Stream all episodes of Emergency series 3 on All4.
