What Is Rehabilitation ?
Definition
Rehabilitation
is a treatment or treatments designed to facilitate the process of
recovery from injury, illness, or disease to as normal a condition as
possible.
Purpose
The purpose of
rehabilitation is to restore some or all of the patient's physical,
sensory, and mental capabilities that were lost due to injury, illness,
or disease. Rehabilitation includes assisting the patient to compensate
for deficits that cannot be reversed medically. It is prescribed after
many types of injury, illness, or disease, including amputations,
arthritis, cancer, cardiac disease, neurological problems, orthopedic injuries, spinal cord injuries, stroke,
and traumatic brain injuries. The Institute of Medicine has estimated
that as many as 14% of all Americans may be disabled at any given time.
Precautions
Rehabilitation
should be carried out only by qualified therapists. Exercises and other
physical interventions must take into account the patient's deficit. An
example of a deficit is the loss of a limb.
Description
A
proper and adequate rehabilitation program can reverse many disabling
conditions or can help patients cope with deficits that cannot be
reversed by medical care. Rehabilitation addresses the patient's
physical, psychological, and environmental needs. It is achieved by
restoring the patient's physical functions and/or modifying the
patient's physical and social environment. The main types of
rehabilitation are physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
Each
rehabilitation program is tailored to the individual patient's needs
and can include one or more types of therapy. The patient's physician
usually coordinates the efforts of the rehabilitation team, which can
include physical, occupational, speech, or other therapists; nurses;
engineers; physiatrists (physical medicine); psychologists; orthotists
(makes devices such as braces to straighten out curved or poorly shaped
bones); prosthetists (a therapist who makes artificial limbs or
protheses); and vocational counselors. Family members are often actively
involved in the patient's rehabilitation program.
Physical therapy
Physical
therapy helps the patient restore the use of muscles, bones, and the
nervous system through the use of heat, cold, massage, whirlpool baths,
ultrasound, exercise, and other techniques. It seeks to relieve pain,
improve strength and mobility, and train the patient to perform
important everyday tasks. Physical therapy may be prescribed to
rehabilitate a patient after amputations, arthritis, burns,
cancer, cardiac disease, cervical and lumbar dysfunction, neurological
problems, orthopedic injuries, pulmonary disease, spinal cord injuries,
stroke, traumatic brain injuries, and other injuries/illnesses. The
duration of the physical therapy program varies depending on the
injury/illness being treated and the patient's response to therapy.
Exercise
is the most widely used and best known type of physical therapy.
Depending on the patient's condition, exercises may be performed by the
patient alone or with the therapist's help, or with the therapist moving
the patient's limbs. Exercise equipment for physical therapy could
include an exercise table or mat, a stationary bicycle, walking aids, a
wheelchair, practice stairs, parallel bars, and pulleys and weights.
Heat
treatment, applied with hot-water compresses, infrared lamps,
short-wave radiation, high frequency electrical current, ultrasound,
paraffin wax, or warm baths, is used to stimulate the patient's
circulation, relax muscles, and relieve pain. Cold treatment is applied
with ice packs or cold-water soaking. Soaking in a whirlpool can ease
muscle spasm pain and help strengthen movements. Massage aids
circulation, helps the patient relax, relieves pain and muscle spasms,
and reduces swelling. Very low strength electrical currents applied
through the skin stimulate muscles and make them contract, helping
paralyzed or weakened muscles respond again.
Occupational therapy
Occupational
therapy helps the patient regain the ability to do normal everyday
tasks. This may be achieved by restoring old skills or teaching the
patient new skills to adjust to disabilities through adaptive equipment,
orthotics, and modification of the patient's home environment.
Occupational therapy may be prescribed to rehabilitate a patient after amputation,
arthritis, cancer, cardiac disease, head injuries, neurological
injuries, orthopedic injuries, pulmonary disease, spinal cord disease,
stroke, and other injuries/illnesses. The duration of the occupational
therapy program varies depending on the injury/illness being treated and
the patient's response to therapy.
Occupational
therapy includes learning how to use devices to assist in walking
(artificial limbs, canes, crutches, walkers), getting around without
walking (wheelchairs or motorized scooters), or moving from one spot to
another (boards, lifts, and bars). The therapist will visit the
patient's home and analyze what the patient can and cannot do.
Suggestions on modifications to the home, such as rearranging furniture
or adding a wheelchair ramp, will be made. Health aids to bathing and
grooming could also be recommended.
Speech therapy
Speech therapy helps the patient correct speech disorders
or restore speech. Speech therapy may be prescribed to rehabilitate a
patient after a brain injury, cancer, neuromuscular diseases, stroke,
and other injuries/illnesses. The duration of the speech therapy program
varies depending on the injury/illness being treated and the patient's
response to therapy.
Performed by a speech
pathologist, speech therapy involves regular meetings with the therapist
in an individual or group setting and home exercises. To strengthen
muscles, the patient might be asked to say words, smile, close his
mouth, or stick out his tongue. Picture cards may be used to help the
patient remember everyday objects and increase his vocabulary. The
patient might use picture boards of everyday activities or objects to
communicate with others. Workbooks might be used to help the patient
recall the names of objects and practice reading, writing, and
listening. Computer programs are available to help sharpen speech,
reading, recall, and listening skills.
Other types of therapists
Inhalation
therapists, audiologists, and registered dietitians are other types of
therapists. Inhalation therapists help the patient learn to use
respirators and other breathing aids to restore or support breathing.
Audiologists help diagnose the patient's hearing loss
and recommend solutions. Dietitians provide dietary advice to help the
patient recover from or avoid specific problems or diseases.
Rehabiltation centers
Rehabilitation services are provided in a variety of settings including clinical and
office practices, hospitals, skilled-care nursing homes, sports medicine
clinics, and some health maintenance organizations. Some therapists
make home visits. Advice on choosing the appropriate type of therapy and
therapist is provided by the patient's medical team.
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