Insider Scoop: Treating Pain in a Prison, Part Two sapionatural, January 25, 2024January 26, 2024 For a few years, I worked clinically in a Maximum Security Prison in Africa… I mostly had to deal with Inmates who lives with painful conditions; much of their pain was due to common ailments, like old fractures and others a bit weirder, unexplained phenomena. I can only share a very limited amount of information due to patient-privacy obligations and safety concerns (literally fearing for mine own life and those I love). My story working inside a prison, actually starts before I started working there. I was the only one willing to see them in the city outside the prison yard. I worked at a Government hospital back then, straight from university. My boss came to me one day asking if I’d mind seeing inmates. Luckily, I have a very open mind and thought this might be a cool experience in the sense of learning about human behaviour. So, I opted in. Let’s cut to my first Inmate… My boss back then have also only treated Inmates on rare occasions. He prepped me a bit beforehand and explained more or less how it would work. The Inmate will be accompanied by guards, of course. He would not be allowed to sit in the waiting room as this will surely upset other patients. I was to see the Inmate as soon as he arrives with his entourage. He would be escorted directly to the consultation room and I am to follow the guard’s instructions explicitly. A minibus arrives eventually (late; we work on Africa-time, everything’s always late). A guard hops out and comes to greet me. He didn’t really prepare me for what is to come; perhaps he knew it’s better to just learn-as-you-do. Shortly after, two other guards follow, one with a pump-action shotgun and another one with a 9mm pistol. Behind them followed the Inmate, literally bound to yet another guard. The Inmate himself was bound like something Houdini could only imagine. His hands were chained together and connected to another chain that goes around his waist. Connected to this was another chain that was connected to the shackles around his feet. So he was literally bound hands and feet, only able to give small steps at a time. Almost no arm movement was allowed. Don’t forget that he was also physically chained to one of the guards! I also noticed a thick, wide black belt around his waist with a black box connected to it. The visuals, were, well, abrupt. One does not expect to see this, no matter how many movies you’ve seen. I guess the guard who greeted me was right! It was only later a guard told me that the black belt and box had an immobilizer inside, meaning that a strong electric current would pulse through the Inmate if a button was pressed by one of the guards. With minute steps, he waggled his way to my treatment room. There was no talking prior to reaching the room. Once inside the room, away from the wide-eyed (normal) patients sitting in the waiting room, I wanted to close the door behind us. The guards abruptly refused, went inside, closed the windows, checked through the room for anything that was loose-standing and could possibly be used as a weapon. They unchained the guard connected to the Inmate. The guard with the pistol stood in the doorway while the one with the shotgun stood inside the room with a rather calm demeanour. The Inmate was made to sit on the edge of the plinth (treatment bed) while the guards looked at me expectantly. I guessed that this was the opportune time to start taking a medical history. The Inmate looked completely unfazed by anything. He seemed weirdly honest, to be honest. During history taking, it came out the Inmate had shoulder pain after being shot a few years before. I casually asked the guard to remove the cuffs and chains. All I received was a blank look. I asked again. The guard told me he couldn’t guarantee anything, as he’d need to phone the prison first to ask for permission. Five minutes later, he returned and removed only the one cuff of the affected arm. He received strict instruction that he may only do so one limb at a time, and only if there’s a good medical reason therefore. I was both shocked and amused by this, to be honest. The most difficult and most paranoid part for me came right then… As the guard was removing the cuff, the guard with the shotgun steadily trained his shotgun on the Inmate, as if he was ready to shoot at the slightest hint of action from the Inmate. The not-so-amusing part was that my hands were on the Inmate’s shoulder, between the shotgun and the Inmate! With a few trembling moves, I concluded that this particular treatment session would rather be hands-off… I connected TENS-machine to the shoulder with an Interferential current to ease his pain. I gave him some exercises to do when he’s back at prison. Again, the Inmate seemed unfazed by what just happened; evidently it was not the first time someone trained a gun on him, as evidenced by the bullet-wound in his shoulder. After the treatment, the Inmate was chained up again and the entourage left. I noticed that the Inmate had a particular air around him, as if he was a king being escorted by his guards and not an Inmate on his way back to a life sentence in a Max Prison. If you found this Blogpost entertaining, please read the first one about my experiences treating pain in a prison here. Otherwise, read the next one here! Experiences Dealing with Pain in a Prison
Experiences Dealing with Pain in a Prison Insider Scoop: Treating Pain in a Prison, Part Three March 20, 2024March 20, 2024 For a few years, I worked clinically in a Maximum Security Prison in Africa… I mostly had to deal with Inmates who lives with painful conditions; much of their pain was due to common ailments, like old fractures and others a bit weirder, unexplained phenomena. I can only share… Read More
Experiences Dealing with Pain in a Prison Insider Scoop: Treating Pain in a Prison, Part One January 21, 2024March 10, 2024 For a few years, I worked clinically in a Maximum Security Prison in Africa… I mostly had to deal with Inmates who lives with painful conditions; much of their pain was due to common ailments, like old fractures and others a bit weirder, unexplained phenomena. I can only share… Read More
Experiences Dealing with Pain in a Prison Insider Scoop: Treating Pain in a Prison, part Five April 30, 2024 For a few years, I worked clinically in a Maximum Security Prison in Africa… I mostly had to deal with Inmates who lives with painful conditions; much of their pain was due to common ailments, like old fractures and others a bit weirder, unexplained phenomena. I can only share… Read More