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Archive for the ‘Physiotherapy’ Category

Physiotherapy Asthma management is a concern for about 15 million people in America.  There are many different medications and other treatments used successfully for asthma management.  However, some methods used are not quite proven to work.

Some physiotherapy clinics claim that massage can be used for asthma management.  They state that it works to relieve the symptoms of wheezing and breathlessness.  They use massage on patients young and old.  However, there is no substantial proof that massage does any more good for asthma management than to relieve stress.

One alternative physiotherapy method that has been used for asthma management is acupuncture.  There is some indication that this technique can actually have some benefit in relieving symptoms of asthma.

Acupuncture does seem to help the immune system fight off illnesses.  This is important in helping asthma management.  Illnesses such as colds or flu will exacerbate the asthma condition.  If acupuncture can reduce this, it is a great help.  Yet, acupuncture is still only recommended to be used along with other treatments.  It is not to be used alone.

Some acupuncturists use other methods for asthma management.  They might burn herbs over acupuncture points.  They might give patients a certain kind of massage, or teach them breathing exercises.  There is no known validity in these treatments.

Chiropractors rely on spinal manipulation for asthma management.  The reviews of this theory are mixed.  One study compared a sham, or fake, type of spinal manipulation that was done on one group of asthma patients. The other group got the real manipulations.  There was little, if any, difference between the two groups.  This would suggest that chiropractic adjustments are not effective for asthma management.

However, another study was done.  Eighty-one children were followed through asthma management at a chiropractic clinic over a period of time.  Overall, there were 45% fewer asthma attacks among these children after treatment.  30% were able to significantly reduce their asthma medications.  Thus, the jury is still out on the effect of chiropractic medicine on asthma management.

There is a physiotherapy specialty certification for those who wish to work with asthma management.  Physiotherapists may take a test to become certified as Certified Asthma Educators, and they help people to deal with their condition.  What is more, Medicare and Medicaid pay for their services.

There is also some evidence that asthma management for those who have to be admitted to the hospital should involve physiotherapy.  There was a study of respiratory patients who were given range of motion exercises while in the hospital.  The average stay was three days less than those without the exercises.

One challenge of traditional physiotherapy for asthma management is that dehydration happens easily.  Asthmatics get dehydrated more easily, and it affects them in a worse way.  It can even bring on an asthma attack.  Any exercise plan must take this into account.

There are ways for physiotherapy to be used for asthma management.  Certainly, there are other methods, and research may prove these methods have value.  In the meantime, some methods are better saved for alternative methods to be used in addition to medications and proven physiotherapy treatments.

Losing a limb is a devastating blow for anyone.  It requires a team of professionals to make the adjustment to life without the limb.  A physician, a prosthetist, nurses, and a psychologist are all needed.  Add to that list a physiotherapy service, which will help with amputee rehabilitation.

The benefits of physiotherapy for amputee rehabilitation are numerous.  For one, amputees will need help in overcoming phantom pains.  These are pains where the limb used to be.  The sensation really is in the nerve that would lead to that limb if it were still there.  Physiotherapy can use its own techniques to treat this pain.

Most amputees will be getting a prosthetic limb.  Some feel that it should be enough to learn how to put it on.  It is not an automatic thing to get used to a prosthetic limb.  Many patients have them for years without ever having normal functioning with them.  This is one reason amputee rehabilitation is so important.

Physiotherapy can benefit amputee rehabilitation by gradually getting the patient accustomed to using a prosthetic limb.  The physiotherapy plan for this will be based upon the needs and abilities of the patient.

The patient will probably need help during amputee rehabilitation to learn balance all over again.  This is especially true is the affected limb is a foot or leg.  However, having an arm that is of a different weight than the other may be unbalancing as well.  Physiotherapy can help with these problems too.

One thing people going through amputee rehabilitation need to realize is that gait is a good deal of the battle.  If one walks correctly, people will not even be able to detect one’s limp, even with a prosthetic leg.  This skill can be learned from physiotherapists.

If a patient has waited a long while before seeking physiotherapy after surgery, a problem may arise.  Certain muscles may become overdeveloped and others weakened.  This happens because, without proper amputee rehabilitation, the patient relies on one set of muscles to the exclusion of others.  A proper plan of physiotherapy can address this issue.

People who have lost a limb will need an individualized exercise program.  Physiotherapy can provide such a program during amputee rehabilitation.  This will take into account the different movements needed by amputees to perform normal exercises.

Manual therapies, such as massage, are a part of amputee rehabilitation with physiotherapy.  This can relieve much pain and tension in the muscles that are overworked in getting used to their new situation.  Other treatments can be used.  Some of them are heat, acupuncture, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation.

There is a need for physiotherapy in amputee rehabilitation that no other discipline can fill.  It is a basic kind of help that anyone who has lost a limb can use.  Some amputees decline treatment because they do not think it is necessary.  Others feel overwhelmed by their loss.  If there is a way to convince amputees to get physiotherapy to help them with their rehabilitation, they will find recovery a much smoother path.