Piece of the Fight: Working out the kinks Published Sept. 2, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Bonnie Brewer 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The Air Force is full of jobs that require heavy lifting, standing for long periods of time, pulling and pushing. Even jobs that require Airmen to sit at a desk can be strenuous on their backs, and don't forget that outside of the workplace, every Airman is required to maintain a standard of physical training which requires running consistently. With all of the physical demands that come with being an Airman, it's easy for someone to make a mistake and get hurt. The Air Force is aware of this, and that's why it employs physical therapists and physical therapist technicians to help Airmen recover from injuries and learn ways to prevent injuries from happening again. "If people are injured, they're not fit to deploy," said Senior Airman James Miles, a physical therapist technician with the 319th Medical Operations Squadron. "Our main goal is to keep Airmen ready to deploy." Physical therapists work with Airmen to help them overcome common muscular injuries, said Miles. They teach Airmen exercises that strengthen the injured muscles as well as surrounding muscles. "When an Airman is injured or wounded, a physical therapist technician helps them get back on their feet," said Maj. Justin Theiss, the physical therapist with the 319th MDOS. "Physical therapist technicians work hand-in-hand with a physical therapist to help people learn and perform exercises that help them recover from muscle and bone problems." The physical therapy staff is trained to work with an assortment of ailments, including knee pain, shoulder pain, back pain and even shin splints, said Miles. The goal of physical therapy is to understand what is causing the pain and then work with the patient to eliminate it. Miles said once the pain is healed, the patient will learn preventative exercises and stretches to prevent a future recurring injury. Learning the proper form to do squats, for instance, can help relieve pain in the knee joints, and strengthening the calf muscles can reduce the chance of getting shin splints while running, he said. Having a physical therapy clinic on base is important because it gives Airmen easy access, and it's more cost effective for the Air Force when compared to sending people to an off-base clinic, said Theiss. Also, having a military physical therapy staff helps because they know the physical requirements of the military and the military fitness program. "Since we have a pretty good idea of what their jobs entail, and what their mandatory physical training programs and tests are, we can tailor their recovery and prevention to the specific needs of the Air Force," said Theiss. Physical therapy is important to ensure a speedy recovery, Miles said. The physical therapy staff is there for Airmen to use in order to heal and get back to their jobs quicker than they would on their own. "Seeing a surgery patient go from not being able to move his arm at all to being able to pick up his kids again or play his favorite sport again is a rewarding feeling," said Miles. "We work to get Airmen healed up sooner than they would without our help so they remain healthy and fit to fight and deploy."