Getphysical's Weblog

Cystic Fibrosis

getphysical — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:25:35 +0000

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease. The only way to cure it is to start gene therapy at a young age. At this time in our lives, gene therapy or any other treatment for CF is non-existent. The best that doctors can do as of now is to ease some of the symptoms or slow the progress of the disease.

Cystic Fibrosis affects the lungs causing several chest infections. It also infects the digestive system with a sticky mucus, making normal digestive functions difficult. The life expectancy for someone born with CF is somewhere around 31 years. If you have CF, the pancreas does not produce certain enzymes that your body needs. Without these enzymes the fat in food does not properly digest, and it is very hard to gain weight.

About one in five people with cystic fibrosis are diagnosed at birth, when their bowel is blocked by a thick substance. This may require surgery. Some symptoms for CF include: polyps in the nose, diabetes (because it affects the pancreas), infertility in men, fertility problems in women.

Treatment:

If you are diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, you will need to go to daily physiotherapy. This involves vigorous massage in order to break up the sticky mucus in the chest and digestive systyem. This is usually done by a licensed physical therapist, but to save yourself finances if your child is diagnosed, then parents are taught how to do the massage so the child does not need to see a doctor every day. Other therapy for this disease are: asthma therapy, insulin, lung or heart transplants, and/or antibiotics to lessen the symptoms.

The most affective treatment is physiotherapy because the patients symptoms are relieved daily, and their problems lessen. It also helps them enjoy the quality of life better and also forget about their disease for a while. Although Cystic Fibrosis does not have a cure, doctors are working daily to work hard for a permanent treatment.

www.cystic-fibrosis-symptom.com

http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk

physical therapy exercises

getphysical — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:44:40 +0000

There are several different ways for building up muscle tissues, and healing a sprain or broken bone after an injury. In this blog, I’ll be describing some different ways of how to heal an injury to make the rehabilitation process go by quickly and prevent further injury.

This elbow strengthening exercise is provided by:

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/strengtheningexercises/a/Elbowex.htm

General Strengthening
Sit in a straight-backed chair with armrests
Put your feet flat on the floor
Place your hands on the armrests and push up with your arms lifting your bottom slightly off the chair
Hold for a count of six
Slowly lower yourself into the chair and relax
Repeat this strengthening exercise 10 times

Isometric Elbow Flexion
Sit straight up with your hands under a table
Try to lift your hands straight upward
Hold this position for six seconds
Repeat this exercise 10 times

Supination and Pronation
Stand up straight and hold a washcloth in your hands
Pretend to wring it dry for six seconds
Pause and repeat this 10 times
Switch the direction in which your hands are wringing
Repeat this 10 times

This excersise is helpful for athletes before a big game. It helps in the prevention of a pulled hamstring or other leg/foot muscles. It was provided by:

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/strengtheningexercises/p/LegEx.htm

Heel Slide: While lying on your back, bend your knee as you slowly slide the heel of your operated leg up toward your buttock. Slide as far as you can and hold for five seconds. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat again.

Quad Press: While lying on your back, try pressing the back of your knee flat against the floor. Hold for 10 seconds and release. Repeat.

Straight Leg Raise: While lying on your back, lift your leg straight up about 12 inches off the floor. Hold for 10 seconds and slowly lower. Repeat.

Hamstring Strengthening: While lying on your stomach, raise your leg backward about 12 inches. Hold for 10 seconds and slowly lower. Repeat.

Another crucial muscle to injure is your back, whether it’s during sports, housework, or any kind of physical activity.

These exercises were provided by:

http://www.nismat.org/orthocor/programs/lowback/backex.html#Ex19

Exercise 13: Extension

Starting Position: Lie on your stomach on a mat. Place your arms at your sides so . that your hands are by your hips.
Action: Raise your head and shoulders off the mat as high as comfortably possible. Hold for ____ seconds. Lower the head and shoulders. Do not tense your shoulder muscles.Do Not Cause Pain.

Exercise 19: Full Back Release

Starting Position: Sit in a chair with your feet flat. Relax your shoulders and keep your head level. Your weight should be evenly distributed between your buttocks and your feet.
Action: Relax your neck. Curl your neck, upper back and low back slowly forward. Allow your hands to reach the floor so your palms are touching the floor. Hold for ____ seconds. Straighten up slowly so that you bring your head up last. Return to the starting position.Do Not Cause Pain.

For other exercise routines, visit websites such as www.physicaltherapy.about.com

Essence

getphysical — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:48:16 +0000

Physical Therapy is more than a profession. It is a role that one can play whether it’s in the workplace or at home. The main idea of physical therapy is the act of helping people overcome certain physical obstacles. In a sense, anyone can partake in physical therapy, because the whole point of it is to provide help to people. There are several ways in which this could be done, whether it is creating a workout program for someone, or taping an ankle to prevent further injury.

The real meaning of this blog is to make known the work and selflessness that each therapist puts into his/her job. Caring for others is not an easy job, but they take the time to make sure that a patient is getting the best possible workout and treatment necessary for recovery. They stay positive when things may look hopeless, they take time and effort to put together a workout plan, and above all they truly care about their patients recovery and injuries.

Physical therapy obviously requires care and encouragement. Sometimes it’s not easy to stay positive in this field, because there may be times when things aren’t looking up. No matter the situation, therapists need to make it a priority to stay positive, even in the most challenging times. The job is demanding, but if you think you are capable of helping other people’s needs, and putting your own aside, then you have what it takes.

Physical therapy is pretty self explanatory, the actions alone speak for themselves. The purpose is to help people and that’s basically the definition of physical therapy. I know this blog is a lot like the “Help” blog, but they are both similar and involve the same aspects of physical therapy.

Hopefully in the future I will be able to write about more than how the blog helps…because it’s becoming repetative.

Physical Therapy Image

getphysical — Thu, 29 May 2008 05:10:56 +0000

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/

This picture contains multiple ways that physical therapy can be beneficial. By showing different exercises one gets a feel of how different routines can strengthen different parts of the body. You also may notice that the patients are being treated with a personal therapist who sticks with the patient the whole way through.

The patients’ faces seem to be calm and relaxed like they feel comfortable being there. They are also not wincing in pain, and no therapists forcing them to do the excersises. Of course the therapy isn’t easy. Therapists want you to push yourself in order to learn where your limits are. With them having an understanding of your healing process, they can evaluate the patient’s treatment and excersise plans.

Another thing that you may notice is the therapists providing a stable support system for the patient. The trainer is holding one man’s waist and he has trust in her that she will not let him fall. It is obviously a trusting relationship that the therapist must have with the patient in order to help them recover. The smile on the trainer’s face (bottom right) show her encouragement and understanding for the patient doing the excercise. This shows that the patient not only trusts her with balance, but also with comfort in knowing her understanding of his situation. The relationship seems like it is between friends rather than a therapist and a patient.

The therapist in the top right seems focused on his patients movement while he supports his back. His eyes are focused on his legs rather than looking at his face because he is making sure that the patient recieves the treatment he needs to ensure the healing of his injury. His eyebrows are down a little, making him appear concerned with the movement of his legs. His focus allows people to see how much he cares for the injury to heal.

A Helping Hand

getphysical — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:51:21 +0000

There are people all over the world who could use a helping hand. Of course, there are several varieties of ways that one could help, whether it be helping someone with a science problem or financial difficuties. The small gesture of being concerned for another and wanting to help them in any way possible is the most sincere form of flattery for another person. Physical therapists provide help in a variety of ways.

Basically every askpect of physical therapy deals with helping another. Trainers either help regain strength in a broken leg or loosening muscles in a sore arm. Trainers go above and beyond for every patient to be sure that they are getting the most beneficial means of rehabilitation.

When it comes to sports, trainers make sure that an injured athlete heals as quickly as possible so he/she can get back in the game. Of course the therapist must be cautious for the risk of hurting the injury even more. With a series of exercise, and some more extensive training, therapists review the athletes injury and make absolutely sure of the fact that they can play.

The Omaha Sports Physical Therapy Institution is based solely on sports injuries. During the therapy, patients are greeted in a friendly manner and personally cared for by a licensed physical therapist, each who have a backround in sports therapy. They state that their goal is to get you back to your activity as quickly as possible. They also emphasize that they focus on complete one-on-one care, maximizing your function and preventing re-injury, and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. The website alone emphasizes the care they have for your injuries and also their understanding of how quickly you desire to get back into the sporting life.

An example of how physical therapy has helped professional athletes get back into the game is Daven Holly of the Cleveland Browns. He recently got a knee injury and is currently being placed on injury reserve. He had ligament and cartilage damage to his left knee. His therapists are currently working with him on regaining strength in his knee and the help will allow him to play in a few weeks.Without a physical therapist helping him through his injury, he would not have been able to get back into the game so quickly.

The time and energy that therapists spend on helping the patient reach their full potential is astounding. Each one cares for a patient as they would a family member.

Introduction to Physical Therapy

getphysical — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:17:21 +0000

Several people have known the frustrations of not being able to do certain things or go certain places because they are held back by a disiblility or an injury. Physical therapy is an answer to the problems of going through life with something like that holding you back.

The main idea about this blog is to address all the aspects of physical therapy. The information in the blog will include different ways of how physical therapy can be beneficial for people going through certain disabilities, whether they are short or long-term. Another purpose of the blog is to be an information source for athletes.

As an athlete I understand the injuries that occur in sports. Sprained ankles, pulled groin muscles, and even broken bones can be prevented by stretches, taping, and other precautions. My blog will explain how and when to use these methods to prevent and injury, or further injuries. I have an understanding of this because I have had several sports injuries and have had to go through some excercise routines to get my arm back to normal. My sister has also undergone a series of physical therapy appointments after an intense car accident. I accompanied her on a few of the appointments so that I could get a feel of the kind of things that physical therapists do to help. It was beneficial for me because I hope to become a physical therapist in the future.

The blog is unique because it will allow people to gain information from home, rather than going to see a physical therapist. It will be beneficial to them because they can help themselves without making appointments or waiting for a long time to see a doctor.