Fantastic & Unforgettable Journey: MAHSA Physiotherapy students on their mobility programme at Chiang Mai University
Firstly, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Faculty of Health Sciences, MAHSA University especially our Dean Assoc Prof Dr. Veronica Chua and Mr. Suvinlal for giving us the opportunity to participate in this student mobility programme at Chiang Mai University, Thailand. It was indeed one of the most fantastic, incredible, challenging and unforgettable journeys in our lives. It was even more special since the programme also included students from Brighton University, UK and UKM, Malaysia. We experienced the educational, social and cultural aspects of a student’s life in Chiang Mai University and that of a typical Thai citizen. This has given us a better appreciation of the differences between different people and the need to adapt according to the environment we find ourselves in.
This 2-week programme provided a platform for us to explore and learn techniques that are usually practiced by Thai Physiotherapists. It enabled us to learn from their lecturers who have conducted research in the fields which they are specialized in. We were able to gain a better understanding of the stories behind their innovations and recognized the impact that they made towards the people and their communities with the resources available
We went through many teaching sessions including an opportunity to learn Thai massage - a massage therapy which is very well known worldwide and which Malaysian students are usually not exposed to in the local physical therapy setting/education. It differs from the traditional massage in many ways. Thai massage focuses on the principle of balancing one’s energy flow to promote health. It is based on “Sen”, the energy lines that run throughout the body. They believe that when the Sen is blocked, the body will lose its balance and thus inflict pain and diseases. Therefore, stretching techniques, Tok Sen, herbal compressions, acupressure and hot stone massage are used to open up the energy channels so that the body can rebalance itself to heal. Applying pressure along the energy line accompanied with elongation of the muscles is believed to induce relaxation to the muscles and open up the joints to let energy flow freely
Aside from that, we
also had the privilege to participate in many other learning activities such as
core stability class, exercise prescription class for specific populations,
postural abnormalities class, hydrotherapy class, physical modalities class,
sports injuries class, physical activity measurements class and ACL
Rehabilitation class and multi-sensory approach techniques class. We found that
their educational system is quite different from ours the duration of each class
is at least 3 hours. Each student will be given a chance to choose a sports
activity that they are interested in - water polo, basketball, etc; and they
will assess players of the selected activity monthly besides involving
themselves in the plan of training routine with the coaches.
Students are encouraged to improve their critical thinking and problem solving with guidance from their lecturer during these clinical training sessions.
Aside from that, we were also invited to attend the lunch seminar conducted by their PHD students. We gained an insight of the effect of job rotation on developing UL-WMSDs in Poultry slaughterhouse workers. We also joined an exercise programme that was organized for the special needs students in Chiang Mai University. We communicated with the students and assisted them while they did their exercise by using body gestures to overcome the language barrier.
We were also brought to various institutions for clinical visits. We were taken to the Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development, which focuses on the development of children with special needs; the Saraphibowonpattana hospital, which is a community rehabilitation hospital with physiotherapy services and acupuncture services; and the Chiang Mai Neurological Hospital where we got to learn gait and balance assessments using the machines as well as try out the Walkbot rehabilitation system.
After the lessons and events, the CMU students also brought us around the city to explore Thai culture and food. We went to a few temples. The most memorable one is the mountaintop temple- Wat Doi Suthep. We drove up the mountain and parked at the base of the staircase to the temple. It was a long and tiring walk up the stairs but it was worth the effort. The decorations of the temple, attractive dragon statues as well as the elephant carvings were amazing and the view of Chiang Mai was breathtaking.
Thereafter, we also went to the Sunday Walking Street- Thapae Night Market. It was located at the Rachadamnoen Road, which is just behind the Thapae Gate. The vendors in the market sell a variety of stuff such as handmade souvenirs, jewelry, night lamps, clothes and even mouthwatering Thai street food. We also managed to find time to visit the food street at Suthep Road. That road is a famous dinner spot for the Chiang Mai University students as there are many selections of cheap and affordable meals.
We also had our dinner by the Ping river at the Ton Goom River Front. The white tom yam soup and the fried mushrooms were delectable. We also got the opportunity to try some sweet treats at the local Thai dessert shop and Swensens. The tub tim krob and durian ice cream were so appetizing. In addition, we also get to try out their mookata - which they always had during the festive seasons.
Last but not least, the students, lecturers as well as medical staff that we met throughout the whole journey were so friendly and welcoming towards us. We really appreciate their warmth and generosity in sharing their knowledge with us as MAHSA University students. We hope the friendships made will last forever.
In summary, we had an extremely educational and entertaining experience We strongly recommend all fellow students to participate in such programmes if they have the chance. Once again thank you to MAHSA University for providing this additional learning experience and hope there will be more such programmes in the future
Words by: Simon Tan Xi Liang & Koh Hui Min
