5 Reasons Why Rehabilitation Therapy Is Beneficial

In the topic of rehabilitation therapy, the first thing that comes to people’s minds are those who have had a stroke or got into an accident. While that is all true, rehabilitation therapy has a broader scope than what many people realize. It can help people with mobility issues, breathing difficulties, speech impediment, and many more.

A well-designed physical therapy program can help individuals get back to their normal daily functioning, encourage lifestyle changes to improve health, and prevent further injury. Physicians refer patients to therapists the moment they see signs of a problem and before invasive medical procedures are necessary.

REHABILITATION THERAPY

If you’ve ever undergone surgery, have been seriously injured, or experienced a stroke, you might need to undergo rehabilitation in order to help you recover and resume normalcy. Rehabilitation therapy is designed to address a variety of issues and it offers an environment that allows the body to heal, regain strength, or relearn skills that have been lost.

There are three main types of rehabilitation therapy:

• Occupational Therapy – This therapy’s main focus is on helping restore an individual’s ability to do normal day-to-day tasks. It might mean working to restore balance, improve their motor skills, or help patients increase their ability to function with the use of adaptive equipment.

• Speech Therapy – This type of therapy mainly addresses issues regarding speech difficulties, communication, and swallowing.

• Physical Therapy – This form of therapy is aimed at improving one’s ability to move. Both therapists and patients work together to restore movement, stability, strength, and functional ability. Physical therapy can also be aimed at reducing pain through exercise and other treatment methods.

Other forms of rehabilitation therapy include respiratory therapy which is used in aiding patients with breathing disorders; cognitive rehabilitation where patients work to improve thinking, memory, and reasoning skills; and vocational rehabilitation which is geared towards prepping a patient for their return to work after an illness or injury. Visit rehab centers in Florida

BENEFITS OF REHABILITATION THERAPY

1. RECOVERY FROM STROKE

After experiencing a stroke, there is some chance that you might lose some degree of functionality and movement. Your doctor might recommend that you undergo therapy to restore some of your abilities and function. Rehabilitation therapy can help improve your gait and balance while at the same time strengthening the parts of your body that have been weakened. Therapy also helps you achieve some independence as a recovering stroke patient, allowing you to move around the house doing normal things like bathing, dressing, going to the toilet, and other daily activities. Through rehabilitation therapy, the patient can retrain their brain cells to control the parts of their body that have been affected by the stroke event.

2. IMPROVING MOBILITY

Functional mobility is very important when it comes to assisting patients who have issues with movement and balance. Despite commonly held notions about therapy, fall prevention and awareness are two of the most pressing issues that therapy addresses. No matter your age, rehabilitation therapy can help if you have trouble walking, standing, or moving. It can improve your ability to move around through strength training and stretching exercises. Through rehabilitation, no longer will you have to search for the right place to buy clinical supplies in Canada. You can be properly fitted for a crutch or a cane and taught how to use other orthotic prescription devices. To achieve optimum safety and performance, you and your therapist will work together in creating effective activity strategies and care plans.

3. FALL PREVENTION AND IMPROVING BALANCE

One in every four older adults falls each year. Falling is not part of normal aging. Certain measures can be put in place to safeguard those who are most at risk against falling. Rehabilitation therapy is one way to decrease the chances of falling. Therapists usually conduct a screening for your fall risk. The screening includes reviewing past medical history, medications taken, vision test, as well as thinking abilities. They will then proceed to prescribe exercise programs that include activities aimed at improving walking and/or moving. Therapy might also entail balance training which is an important part of fall prevention. The therapist will craft exercises aimed at challenging your ability to keep your balance and how to recover when you lose your balance.

4. SPORTS INJURY PREVENTION

Sports participation is a highly recommended physical activity by all healthcare professionals since it offers a lot of benefits to the overall health of a person. But there is an associated risk of injury when doing sports. It is therefore vital that measures and best practices are put in place to prevent such injuries. Therapists, particularly physical therapists are experts when it comes to knowing the parts of the body that are most prone to injuries in any given sport and thus can recommend ways to strengthen that body part or protect it from injury during participation of the sport. It’s important that before doing a sport, you consult with a therapist who will recommend injury prevention strategies which might include impact prevention as well as monitoring strategies.

5. DIABETES MANAGEMENT

Part of an effective diabetes management strategy revolves around a healthy diet and regular exercise. At rehabilitation centers, diabetic patients are given medically approved and supervised care plans that include following a healthy diet and regular physical exercise. Exercise can help control diabetes by allowing glucose to enter the cells naturally. Exercise can also help lower blood sugar levels as well as blood pressure. Diabetic patients are also advised to lose or maintain weight to improve energy levels. Therapy for diabetes management will usually consist of resistance training and aerobic exercises to improve blood sugar levels. Therapists can help create an individualized exercise plan that’s most beneficial to the patient. They can also monitor the exercise program in order to make sure it’s done safely and effectively.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Rehabilitation therapy has helped so many people improve their lives, from those who have had major surgery, serious injury, and experienced a stroke. It is very beneficial in allowing the body to properly heal, regain its strength, and in relearning new skills or improving old skills used in normal daily activities.

AUTHOR BIO:

Sarah Brooks is an informative content writer who loves to write about health, fitness, and diet. She is currently working with Remington Medical, the best place to buy clinical supplies in Canada.