Rehabilitation

What is Rehabilitation?

Rehabilitation is the process of helping an individual achieve the highest level of body function, independence, strength training and quality of life possible. Rehabilitation does not reverse or undo the damage caused by disease or trauma, but rather helps restore the individual to optimal health, function, and well-being.

What is Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation?

After a spinal cord injury, you’ll need spinal cord injury rehabilitation to optimize recovery and perhaps adapt to a new way of life.

Spinal cord injury Rehabilitation is the preferred therapy option for people who have experienced pain and trauma to the spinal cord as the result of injury or disease. The objective is to improve the range of motion of the joints, increase endurance and maximize functions.

The Rehabilitation Program

Rehabilitation medicine is designed to meet each person’s specific needs; therefore, each program is different. Some general treatment components for Rehabilitation programs include the following:-

• Treating the disability and improving the functions.
• Treating the patient and family, and helping them adapt to lifestyle changes.
• Providing adaptive tools and altering the environment.

The success of Rehabilitation depends on many variables, including the following:-

• The overall health of the patient.
• The nature and severity of disease, disorder, brain injury, or spinal cord injury.
• The type and degree of any resulting impairments and disabilities.
• Family Support.

The areas covered in Rehabilitation programs may include the following:-

Patient Needs:-

Self-care skills, including activities of daily living:-

Example – Feeding, grooming, bathing, dressing, bowel, bladder and sexual function.

Physical care:-

• Example:- Nutritional needs, yoga, medication, exercise, skincare
• Mobility skills:- Walking, transferring, and self-propelling a wheelchair
• Respiratory care:- Ventilator care, if needed, breathing treatments and exercises to promote lung function

Family Support:-

• Example:- Assistance with adapting to lifestyle changes, financial concerns, and discharge planning
• Psychological counselling:- Identifying problems  and solutions  with thinking, behavioural and emotional issues
• Pain management: – Medications and alternative methods of managing pain
• Vocational training:- Work-related skills
• Socialization skills:- Interacting with others at home and within the community
• Cognitive skills:- Memory, concentration, judgment, problem-solving, and organizational skills
• Education:- Patient and family education and training about the condition, medical care, and adaptive techniques

How do you Rehabilitation a spinal cord injury?

Rehabilitation following a spinal cord injury may include a physical conditioning program that includes exercise to strengthen muscles.

A physical therapy ( Physiotherapy ) program after spinal cord injury likely includes the following:-

• Strength training
• Stretching
• Mobility training
• Respiratory conditioning
• Cardiovascular exercise
• How long is Rehabilitation for spinal cord injury?
• SCI patient rehabilitation stages through time

It can be a period of 1 month to 3 months or more and care will often continue for many years. People with spinal cord injury injuries and their caregivers will also need to monitor for complications during this stage. In some cases, a person may recover some bodily function up to         18 months after the injury.