Innovators, Creators… What is Physio anyway?

When most people think of physiotherapy they think about practitioners trained to help people get moving. This is only part of their incredibly diverse and important role in the care of an individual.

 

Physiotherapists have unique skills and expertise that allows them to analyze movement and see where an individual may be having difficulties. They make suggestions for exercises (and devices!!) that allow patients to conserve their energy for important activities of daily living. A large part of a physiotherapist's job is building rapport and trust with patients. A physiotherapist must understand the unique needs (and social situations) of each individual that they work with so that they may provide the most effective care. A physiotherapist's ultimate goal is to protect the independence of the individual they are working with. Through challenging patients with different exercises and modifications, they provide tools that allow these individuals to participate in their communities, gain autonomy, and feel valued and worthy.

 

So what does our team do for CAMTA patients?

 

As I mentioned yesterday in Miguel's story, the physio team starts the rehabilitation process as soon as patients regain sensation and movement. They begin with deep breathing and bed exercises. Patients are instructed to take deep breaths and try coughing before moving on to ankle pumping and static quad/glute exercises. Ankle pumping helps prevent blood clots while the static exercises help the patient regain proprioception. Proprioception, or the ability to recognize the position and movement of one's body/limbs can be disrupted during surgery, hence these exercises are quite important.

 

Ankle Pumps (left) and static quad/glute exercise (right)

 

The day after surgery, the physiotherapists begin more complex bed exercises including Heel Slides, Hip Abduction, and Quad over Roll. These exercises are strength building and are done 3x/day. PTs will teach families how to help patients with these exercises so that when they are discharged rehabilitation can continue. Usually, when patients are discharged from hospitals they are instructed to continue these exercises first sitting and then standing.These exercises are VITAL to stabilize the new hip and prevent complications such as dislocation. 

 

 

From left to right: ankle slide, hip abduction and quad over roll.

 

What happens after patients have been sent home?

Another large part of a PTs job is suggesting support equipment/devices that will help patients regain their independence. The issue with these devices is that they can be quite expensive and inaccessible to many individuals. Rachel Oates, one of CAMTA's PTs is a born innovator and like many PTs she is constantly rigging up support equipment from materials patients already own. For example, she has made a leg-lifter from a pair of pajama pants or repurposed crutches to fulfill a similar purpose.

 

Our pediatric patients typically do not receive physiotherapy and if they do there is less structure compared to adults. Each patient is treated on a case-by-case basis. A big part of pediatric rehabilitation is the education of parents so that they can adequately support their child's recovery.