How to manage Pain in Winters with Physiotherapy?

As temperatures drop in the winter, weather-related health problems start to rise. Especially for patients with bone & joint-related issues. Pain, swelling, stiffness, fatigue, and other common symptoms are harder to control during the winter. Physiotherapy can help patients suffering from arthritis, spondylosis, asthma etc in managing pain in winters and living through winter pain-free.

 

Common conditions that get worsened in winters & How Physiotherapy helps:

 1. Joint pains and stiffened muscles are the most common health problem plaguing the lives of older people in low temperatures. There is a 50 percent spike in the number of senior citizens seeking treatment for bone and joint problems during winter.

 Various modalities like hot & cold therapy, TENS therapy, and therapeutic massages can help in managing joint pain & loosen muscles during winters. Also, your physiotherapist can suggest certain exercises/stretches to keep the pain at bay.

 2. Rheumatoid arthritis is another chronic ailment that concerns people during winters. Its symptoms including pain, swelling, stiffness, fatigue, and other common rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are harder to control during the winter

 Physical therapy is an effective and safe treatment for managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Under proper counseling individuals with rheumatoid arthritis can safely exercise, improving overall physical fitness, improved sense of wellbeing, and greater ease for activities of daily living

 3. Cervical Spondylosis, a condition affecting bones, discs, and joints of the neck of people have a tough time as temperatures dip in winter.

 

Physiotherapy plays a significant role in the management of cervical Spondylosis. In the active part of physical therapy, a physical therapist teaches various exercises to improve flexibility, strength, core stability, and range of motion.

 4. Asthma attacks are also triggered by cold weather, as winters come with a lot of allergens in the air, being the main causative factor for asthma. People with asthma have sensitive airways, which gets aggravated by cold or damp weather conditions.

 Diaphragmatic breathing exercises and pursing lip breathing techniques are widely used in asthma to prevent breathing abnormalities. Pursed lip breathing prevents the trapping of air into the lungs.

https://cbphysiotherapy.in/blog/world-osteoporosis-day-managing-bone-health-with-physiotherapy

World Osteoporosis Day: Managing Bone Health with Physiotherapy

World Osteoporosis Day is observed on the 20th of October every year. This day is dedicated to raising awareness for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of Osteoporosis. World Osteoporosis Day WOD aims to make osteoporosis and fracture prevention a global health priority by reaching out to health-care professionals, patients, and the public at large. Osteoporosis is a skeletal condition, which leads to the thinning of bones, mainly due to a deficiency of minerals such as calcium. Mineral deficiency leads to reduced bone density, which is characterized by brittle bones that are prone to fractures. Individuals with osteoporosis often experience multiple fractures in the long bones of arms and legs, and in the spine. Osteoporosis hinders movement and thus causes Joint Pain and Pain in the bones. Regular exercise and good nutrition, including getting the recommended daily amounts of calcium and vitamin D, are essential for building and maintaining bone strength throughout the lifespan. Various osteoporosis treatments have been proven to reduce fractures by 30 to 50 percent.

 

Factors Responsible for Osteoporosis 

 

Genetic factors play a critical role as a risk determining factor for Osteoporosis, but dietary and lifestyle modifications can help to prevent it. Identifying early signs and symptoms can help people take tangible steps to monitor Osteoporosis. Family history, low bone density, poor levels of vitamins and minerals and some health conditions and medications contribute to osteoporosis risk. Sedentary lifestyles alcoholic consumption, dietary gaps are also associated with the risk factors of osteoporosis. Reduction in bone mineral density is a natural process after the mid-20s, but incorporating an adequate amount of calcium, proteins, and vitamin D in our everyday diet can help to reduce our risk of Osteoporosis. Older adults lose bone mass with natural aging. With age, the ability to create new bone decreases while disuse continues to occur. In women, there is a sharp decline in bone mineral density after menopause, thereby increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Thus, postmenopausal women need necessary measures to prevent osteoporosis during later years in life.

 

 

Role of Physiotherapy in treating Osteoporosis

 

Strategies to improve bone density and reduce the likelihood of falls are important in the prevention of osteoporosis. Physiotherapists have a role to play in this condition through exercise prescription, therapeutic modalities, specific techniques and education. Appropriate treatment goals can be established following a thorough assessment of signs and symptoms, risk factors for osteoporosis and functional status. Since the aim is to maximize peak bone mass in children and adolescents, participation in a variety of high-impact activities should be encouraged.

 

Physiotherapy includes certain bone-strengthening exercises, such as weight-bearing activities (including walking or jogging) or resistance training (such as weight lifting or yoga).To also help prevent further fractures, a physical therapist helps patients suffering from osteoporosis to improve balance and posture. Better control over balance will help people to prevent falls while proper posture takes unnecessary stress off the spine, which will reduce the risk of spinal fractures. A physical therapist may even help people to make changes in-home and/or office to promote a healthy recovery. Often physiotherapy teaches people safe ways to do everyday activities—from how to correctly lie down to how to sneeze properly—that will help people to avoid fractures. Physical therapy is an effective non-surgical treatment for osteoporosis that may help restore healthy movement, function, and bone strength. Physiotherapy will teach patients suffering from weak bones to exercise for bone health and ways to manage daily activities to lessen the chances of having an osteoporosis-related fracture.

https://cbphysiotherapy.in/blog/world-spine-day-managing-spine-health-with-physiotherapy

World Spine Day: Managing Spine Health with Physiotherapy

WORLD SPINE DAY

 

World Spine Day celebrates spine health annually on October 16th. The day aims to increase awareness for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of back pain and other spine issues. With an estimated one billion people worldwide suffering from spinal problems, it affects all age groups, from children to the elderly. It is the biggest single cause of disability on the planet. World Spine Day brings together people from all walks of life – patients, health providers, healthcare organizations, associations, and governments – to help ease the global burden of spinal disorders. World Spine day also provides a forum for on-going discussion about the burden of spinal disorders and sharing best practices. Spinal problems can be managed by the promotion of regular physical activity, encouraging good posture throughout all stages of life and teaching responsible lifting and developing healthy working conditions.

 

The Theme for World Spine Day 2020: Back on track

 

The 2020 theme for World Spine Day is ‘Back on Track’. The timely theme was inspired by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have inevitably led to a decrease in physical activity, potentially leaving people susceptible to spinal pain. COVID-19 affecting the various people across the world followed by imposing restrictions on people’s movement has been linked to a range of health conditions. Back on Track highlights the importance of exercise, posture, movement, and good self-care to ensure a healthy spine. The activities can be as simple as ensuring to exercise daily, maintain a balanced diet, and get enough sleep. Practicing Straighten Up stretching program is also a great way to help you regain control over your health. The theme celebrates for the cause of people being able to reactivate and revitalize their bodies by getting out and focusing on effective spine care. The theme also highlights the importance of exercise, posture, movement, and good self-care to make the spine healthy.

 

 

 

 

PHYSIOTHERAPY IN MANAGING SPINAL HEALTH

 

Physiotherapists are trained in many different aspects of the spine, which are proved to be effective in managing spinal related health concerns, from rehabilitating patients with spinal cord injuries or systemic spinal conditions (such as Ankylosing Spondylitis) to treat conditions such as lower back and neck pain. Physiotherapy has a special interest in neuro-musculoskeletal conditions and treats patients with nerve irritations referred from the spine, muscle injuries and pain, and pain in all joints including the spine. Physiotherapy aims at helping regain normal movement patterns of the spine to aid in and prevent pain. This is usually carried out through joint mobilizations, soft tissue techniques, as well as teaching, improved movement through mobility, flexibility, and strengthening exercises.

 

The goal of physical therapy is to decrease back pain, increase function, and teach the patient a maintenance program to prevent future spinal problems. The patient may only need the treatment and education that patient receives during the initial assessment or the patient may need months of rehabilitation. Common forms of physical therapy include Passive physical therapy (modalities), which includes things done to the patient, such as heat application, ice packs, and electrical stimulation. While as the Active physical therapy focuses on specific exercises and stretching. For most spinal problems related to back pain treatments, active exercise is the focus of the physical therapy program. 

https://cbphysiotherapy.in/blog/world-arthritis-day-managing-arthritis-causes-prevention-treatment 

World Arthritis Day: Managing Arthritis – Causes, Prevention & Treatment.

Arthritis, the second most common rheumatologic problem is also the most frequent joint ailment affecting the quality of life with a prevalence of around 40% among the population. It is a serious disease with significant financial and socioeconomic implications. World Arthritis Day is celebrated every year on October 12th to raise awareness about one of the prevalent health conditions, as among the commonly found health conditions that come with age is perhaps arthritis (or joint pain). Arthritis describes the conditions of joint pain, where there is an inflammation in the joints that affects one or multiple joints. Most common in adults above the age of 60-65 years, joint pain cases are attributed to weak bones, excessive weight, lack of nutrients, an injury or wrong posture.

 Factors responsible for causing Arthritis 

Attributing to innumerable reasons including lifestyle changes, obesity and increasingly ageing population the prevalence and complications related to arthritis are rising. Joint pains are often neglected until it causes distress or impaired quality of life, but still a greater number of young patients are presenting with this problem. Obesity is a key modifiable factor which should not be overlooked as the joints are burdened with at least three to six times the load bearing capacity. Arthritis is progressive disorder which starts gradually and worsens with time. Though joint related problems have always been an issue related to aging, but for a variety of reasons including poor eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, consumption of body building supplements and steroids in excessive quantities, a number of younger patients have been diagnosed with joint related ailments.

How to Prevent Arthritis?

Despite the high level of public interest in knowing how to prevent arthritis, there is no single strategy for avoiding this disease. In case of autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis it is impossible to know how to prevent arthritis because the reason for the inappropriate activity of the immune system is not yet known. However the kind of diet that contributes to a healthy weight may also provide nutritional support for healthy joints.

Naturally occurring substances in garlic, cruciferous vegetables and omega 3 fats present in fishes can reduce the inflammation of joints that is characteristic of osteoarthritis. Supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin are commonly used to support joint health, but they seem to be most effective in the early stages of osteoarthritis. Excess body weight is one of the major risk factors for arthritis. High-impact exercises may predispose you to osteoarthritis and arthritis pain. Avoiding injuries reduce the risk of developing arthritis later in life. It has been found that regular exercises have been very effective ways to prevent arthritis. Regular exercise strengthens your whole body and helps keep your joints flexible.

How Physiotherapy can help against Arthritis?

Physiotherapy is an ideal treatment for people suffering from arthritis to help relieve pain and regain mobility. Physiotherapists are experts when it comes to assessing movement and can help show how to take proper care of your joints. Physiotherapists examine the joints that are giving trouble to the patient and the assessment helps to design the affective treatment that suits the particular need of a patient.

Treatment usually consists of an exercise program as well as advice on how to gradually increase your mobility and activity as well as how to avoid any injuries related to exercise. The various physiotherapy treatment modalities for a sufferer of arthritis depending on condition include ice and/or heat packs, TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) machines, hydrotherapy pools, manipulation, taping, massage, medications and acupuncture. Some patients are also prescribed splints or walking aids to help keep you independent and mobile.

 https://cbphysiotherapy.in/blog/physiotherapic-rehabilitation-in-times-of-covid-19

PHYSIOTHERAPIC -REHABILITATION IN TIMES OF COVID 19

 As the era of COVID-19 began with the global contagion engulfing the whole world, the healthcare systems across the world faced a daunting range of challenges. Scientific understanding of COVID-19 was considerably evolving since the World Health Organization declared it a “public health emergency of international concern” in late January 2020.  The combination of unpredictable patterns and incomplete knowledge meant that planning for and implementing both an immediate and sustainable long-term pandemic response was difficult—yet absolutely critical for the care of patients, employees, and organizational survival.

 

PANDEMIC CHALLENGING HEALTHWORKERS AND ROLE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY

The covid-19 pandemic landed all healthcare professionals across the world in an unprecedented situation, facing tremendous challenges to make impossible decisions and work under extreme pressures. These challenges ranged as how to allocate scant resources to equally needy patients and how to provide care for all severely unwell patients with constrained or inadequate resources.

Physiotherapists working in primary healthcare facilities played a significant role and faced huge challenges and being an established profession throughout the world had major contributions in assessing and treating the Covid-19 patients with comorbidities. Physiotherapy proved promising and beneficial in the respiratory treatment and physical rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19. Physiotherapists who practise in the ICU environment also provided airway clearance techniques for ventilated patients who show signs of inadequate airway clearance and they can assist in positioning patients with severe respiratory failure associated with COVID-19, including the use of prone position to optimize oxygenation.

 

 ADAPTING TELE-REHABILITATION AT CB PHYSIOTHERAPY IN TIMES OF COVID

Tele-Rehab has emerged as a great tool to help deliver physiotherapy services remotely to patients. Tele- Rehabilitation has significantly contributed toward the sustainable care of patients who were looking for quality care at home in the global contagion. By embracing technology, physios are now able to offer recovery & pain management sessions remotely through online channels (aka Telehealth, Virtual Physiotherapy, online Consultations, and e-Health.

At CB Physiotherapy early adoption of tele-health was of immense help in adapting to the new normal. With our Exercise Prescription software TelePT, Our Physiotherapists were quick to adapt to the new normal and help patients in their recovery while staying at home. Physiotherapists at CB Physiotherapy & across the world were able to continue delivering physio care to patients even during lockdowns & stay at home guidelines. As the experts in the respective fields, physiotherapists at CB Physiotherapy guided patients in how exercise and various home-based treatment modalities can help recovery at home. Exercise Prescription software like TelePT by CB Physiotherapy should be leveraged to provide video instructions & make understanding exercises easy for the patients. At CB Physiotherapy, we also have conducted tele physiotherapy sessions to NRIs stuck in other parts of the world.

 

TAIL PIECE

Therefore, it is very important for us to identify, recognize and appreciate the efforts and importance of physiotherapy practitioners in their contribution to delivery of healthcare. Not only that but for the general health of population, awareness needs to be created to highlight the benefits of physiotherapy and how it can help people in management of pain, maintaining mobility & improving the overall quality of life.

 

 

 

Physiotherapy at home / Home care physiotherapy

Physiotherapy at home service may be an option even though people don’t know about it. Home physiotherapy occurs when a physiotherapist come to your home to render the rehabilitation services. This may include manual therapy or use of equipments like IFT, Ultrasound may be used as well. The portable equipment is carried by physiotherapist to provide treatment as per the patient’s requirement. Most of the people think that Home physiotherapy is only for those individuals who cannot get out of bed. The actual reality is that home physiotherapy can help people in different situations such as those who are:

• Having acute or severe condition and leaving home could cause their health to worsen.
  
  
• The functional mobility of the patient is limited and cannot travel to see a physiotherapist.
  
  
• Lack of transportation or access to transportation.
  
  
• Suffering from Vertigo.
  
  
• Aged Patient.
  
  

Though, a person who simply desires a private physiotherapy session can also avail the facility of home physiotherapy.

Generally Home care physiotherapy treatment is required /preferred for the following conditions:

• Post Stroke Treatment (paralysis)
  
  
• Post-Surgery Rehab (Knee Replacement, Hip Replacement etc.)
  
  
• Severe Joint Pain
  
  
• Knee Arthritis
  
  
• Spinal injuries
  
  
• Post spine surgery
  
  
• Neurological disorders (Parkinson’s, Cerebral palsy)
  
  
• Balancing related issue
  
  

Benefits of availing physiotherapy at home:

• A physiotherapist will visit your home for the treatment thus you don’t have to leave your comfort zone.
• Home physiotherapy helps you to recover in Comfortable and Familiar Surroundings. For regular physiotherapy requirements it is advisable to choose a physiotherapist near your location (Search physiotherapist near me in google to get the list)
  
  
  If you are advised by your Doctor to avoid travel then home physiotherapy is the best option for you.A physiotherapist can teach some normal exercises to one of your family members so that they can also help you to do certain exercises.
  
  
  Time management- A lot of time can be saved by opting for physiotherapy at home. Also, time plays an important role in treating conditions like acute pain and stress. Thus, treatment at home helps a lot.Supervision- Availing for physiotherapy treatment at home helps the patient and his/her family to keep track of the treatment process and to ensure that the patient is getting proper physiotherapy care or not.
  
  
  At CB Physiotherapy we make sure that the patients get high quality physiotherapy sessions at home for their quick recovery. For Physiotherapy Treatment, Consult Our Experts or book Appointment @ CB Physiotherapy: www.cbphysiotherapy.in