WASHINGTON, PA (July 26, 2016) – Ashton Grimm ’18 knew that completing her 麦哲伦项目 would be an uphill hike – literally. The neuroscience major from Connellsville, Pa. used her 2016 Magellan award to hike part of the 太平洋屋脊小径 and study muscle fatigue and soreness.
“I am big into sports and want to do physical therapy when I graduate, so this helped give me an introduction to that field,格林说。.
格林，W队中场&J's women’s soccer team, left Pennsylvania on May 24. Accompanied by her former teammate and close friend Alexa Harris ’16, she spent the next seven days hiking 100 miles of the 太平洋屋脊小径, studying the effects of up and downhill hiking on muscle strain along the way. 在每一天的徒步旅行之后, Grimm evaluated her own pain points and muscle soreness compared to the type of hiking she had done that day. She found that muscle soreness was worse after hiking downhill, while muscle fatigue was worse after hiking uphill.
Navigation was difficult at times and the women had to cut the hiking experience short due to cold weather and forest fires in the area, but Grimm said the challenges were valuable.
“I learned that I can make decisions in crunch time,”她说。. “I can be independent, and I don’t have to rely on others to make decisions for me.”
博士Internships. Julie Guthrie of Synergie Physical Therapy in Westchester, Calif. 她的经历, and she spent June 7-14 shadowing Guthrie and other physical therapists in the practice.
She shadowed physical therapists as they created treatment plans to rehabilitate patients with neck, 背部和关节疼痛, 术后情况, 慢性疼痛. She learned to use a gait analysis system to examine patient’s pain points and determine which muscle was causing the pain. The therapists also begin to teach her about the three planes of motion and various ways to correctly stretch different muscles.
She also learned more about her evaluation of her own muscles while hiking. The physical therapists confirmed that her experience was normal, and explained why. 下山时, eccentric muscle contraction occurs, 肌肉在主动延长, and more muscles are used to stabilize your joints. 肌肉疲劳, caused in part by lactic acid buildup in muscles during a workout, is worse when hiking uphill because this is a more strenuous activity.
After working with professional athletes, Grimm said she is now considering a career in both concussion treatment and physical therapy.
“I’d rather be at the part of someone’s life where you’re helping them get better rather than having to tell them bad news,”她说。.
Grimm said her Magellan expereince influenced her beyond the classroom.
“I never thought that I would get this project and be awarded the money,格林说。. “I was so not confident in myself. That has definitely changed after this experience. I learned a lot about the world and about people. Now that I did this Magellan I feel like I can do anything.”
To learn more about Grimm's 麦哲伦项目, see her blog: 社会中的肌肉疲劳.
关于麦哲伦计划
2008年在华盛顿成立 & 澳门葡京博彩软件’s unique 麦哲伦项目 extends liberal arts learning outside the classroom by providing scholarship funding for students to spend the summer pursuing independent projects and Internshipss in the United States and abroad. Learn more about the 麦哲伦项目 on the W&我的网站.
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华盛顿 & 澳门葡京博彩软件, located in 华盛顿, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work.
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