Mexico’s Private Medicine Part II: Ortho Care in Oaxaca

March 5, 2009
Friendly dog greets us on our daily walk to PT.

Bruce continues to improve slowly with physical therapy, electrotherapy, ultrasound, hot compresses and at-home exercise. We are grateful private medicine is available. I say this only because with my experience at the social medicine clinic I do not believe Bruce would have received the attention and care to best improve his condition. At Casa de Salud, Mexico’s social medicine clinic, I saw several patients with knee and low back pain. The doctors told them to come in once a week for an intramuscular (in the hip) “anti-inflammatory injection” for 3 months. If the pain or discomfort continued beyond three months another round of “anti-inflammatory” injections is recommended. No patient education, no physical therapy, no at-home instructions. For those unable to afford private medicine this was their only option.

Bruce BEFORE

We saw the ortho again on Saturday (it’s not unusual for physicians in Mexico to work 6 days a week) and started physical therapy that day which Bruce continued throughout the week. We were given instructions for exercises to do on our own three times a day. Since starting we’ve seen some improvement with Bruce being able to sustain his left arm out to the side a little longer, improvement with range of motion in the neck and significant improvement with pain relief.

Bruce AFTER

Patience, exercise, physical therapy, positive attitude and cardiovascular fitness will speed up the improvement, tambien. Bruce’s appointment for physical therapy is usually in the evening and the therapist spends 40-50 minutes with him. The cost is 150 pesos per appointment (the peso is now 15:1USD). For me, this conservative, active, holistic approach is healthier for the patient and makes the patient more responsible for their well-being. The prognosis is that Bruce will be able to raise his left arm in 15-20 days, but it may take up to 6 months to regain his full muscle strength. As for the neck problem, the same frequency of exercise on a daily basis.

The lesson here is maintain your body. After age 50, your muscles atrophy and you're prone to injury, even if you "feel good”. Just as one maintains their car, one must maintain their body…...as parts don’t come cheap.

Meanwhile, staying in Oaxaca has been incredibly delightful. These photos tell the story.
These pecan pralines rival the ones in New Orleans.



When you ask for fresh squeezed orange juice, you get fresh squeezed orange juice!