Ian Waterman Assignment PDF

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1. Describe the biological events that resulted in Mr. Waterman losing sensation of his body. Ian Waterman was a healthy 19-year-old male working in a butcher shop. Doctors have speculated what caused the sensation loss of the nerves, but there are no clear answers. It is believed that a cut he received while working resulted in a virus to enter the body and attack the nerves. Ian received this cut and was confused because it did not heal as quickly as previous cuts he received before. After he received the cut, he became ill with a severe case of gastric flu. During his sickness, the antibodies that were to aid the healing process instead attacked his nerves. Ian Waterman was still able to feel pain and temperature, but he was unable to feel is motor nerves below the neck. He could no longer coordinate his body to perform basic movements. 2. Do you think that Ian Waterman could learn to hit a tennis ball in a normal recreational tennis setting? Why? No; Since Ian must predict every movement precisely, it would be difficult for him to have muscle memory or basic programs that can be altered during the game. Most tennis players rely on feedback. This allows them to alter their stance or change their positioning to strike the ball, but Ian is not receiving feedback from his muscles. He is unaware of his muscle surroundings which is why he relies on his visual system. There is so much planning that goes into every movement, and Ian would be unable to move his muscles in a quick manor. His reaction time would be much slower causing him to be at a disadvantage. 3. Why do you think that Ian Waterman is so special? How did he overcome his adversity? Ian Waterman experienced this issue at a young age, and it wasn’t as widely accepted to be in a wheel chair when Ian was young. It is believed that because Ian was still young, his body was able to reprogram itself to bypass the damaged nerves. His outlook on the situation also helped with his determination to move. Day by day he slowly pushed himself to relearn movements that once were easy. He maintained the mentality that he was going to walk, and I think that is what helped him achieve movement again. He did not give up, and he found a way to visualize movements and not feel them....