Bahiana integrates painting in Physiotherapy classes

1. Conception, proposition and/or realization of something new – opposite of maintenance 2. New thing; news. The Houaiss definition of Innovation forgot only to say that, in order to innovate, it is not necessary to complicate matters. Imbued with that "innovative" spirit that permeates a common feeling in the Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, the professor of the Physiotherapy course, Ana Lúcia Góes, has been transforming the Study of Movement II classes into a mix of art gallery and human anatomy laboratory.

During the class, students are divided into groups and choose from among them one that will serve as a living model. In this way, areas of the musculoskeletal system are painted with water-soluble paint on your body. From there, when moving the body, students have a more accurate notion of how that set of muscles works.

The new technique was devised by Professor Ana Lúcia Góes, who wanted to promote a three-dimensional visualization of musculoskeletal movements that occur inside the body. "I researched some similar initiatives that are being done at other universities with paintings, with plastic artists, and I thought about adapting this vision of painting the body in a more accessible way. The students agreed with the idea and so we used the gouache paint that is something that cleans and comes out easy. It has been an interesting experience", points out the creator. 

According to her, after a few classes, it was already possible to see an improvement in the understanding of the content. "As I saw that they were understanding more about the location of the muscles and how they functioned, I started to present real movements, where they could better elaborate the content and knowledge. They are much more participative and are able to discuss and also explain more clearly how the movement works. It's another perception and so I was really excited to continue."

Student Ana Tereza Linhares highlights that the new method adds value, from the moment it complements the book. "I thought it was quite interesting because we are not just stuck in the book and we feel in our own body where the muscles are and we can discuss it with colleagues", points out Ana Tereza.

Our colleague Alana Santana Menezes Barbosa points out the visualization of movement as a great gain from the new teaching method. "We can see exactly where the muscles are and imagine their movement and contractions through the fibers we drew, we have a sense of space and where each one is".

Check out the photos.