Multiple Sclerosis is an ailment of CNS(Central Nervous System), where the protective membrane covering nerve fibers in brain and spinal cord gets damaged, which in turn blocks the electrical signals from brain reaching eyes, muscles and other body parts.
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| Rehabilitation after Multiple Sclerosis |
Patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis have to face various physical as well as cognitive challenges. After a person is diagnosed for Multiple Sclerosis, rehab specialists design a customized and comprehensive treatment plan to help the patient to regain functioning and mobility while reducing all the disabilities. A comprehensive rehab plan consists of:
- Physical Therapy : A Physical Therapist diagnoses the body's ability to function and move and designs the treatment plan accordingly to make the patient retain his strength and balance while reducing pain and fatigue. A physical therapist may suggest :
- Range of Motion Exercises
- Stretching and Strengthening Exercises
- Gait Training
- Gentle Aerobics
- Aquatic exercises
The physical therapy treatment helps the patients to achieve optimal functioning while eliminating his muscle weakness.
- Occupational Therapy : Occupational Therapy helps the patients to perform their routine activities; mainly those making use of hands and arms, more easily and independently while ensuring their safety. The sole purpose of occupational therapists is to train the individuals in energy conservation techniques and also to make them learn the techniques to use adaptive devices at home and work places. Occupational Therapists may :
- Train the patients to perform their routine activities like cooking, grooming and eating easily.
- Administer exercises to mobilize their stiffened joints and also to make them flexible.
- Evaluate and access patient's daily requirements along with his surroundings and recommend changes if required, i.e. whether he needs any adaptive device to function in such an environment.
- Guide and educate the family members about taking care of the patient.
- Speech Therapy : This therapy helps to improvise the communication skills of the patient. An SLP ( Speech Language Pathologist) diagnosis the individual's problem with speech and swallowing after determining the muscles that are used for these activities. Lack of control over these muscles results in communication problems. With the help of this therapy speech becomes clear and further more it promotes safe swallowing.
- Cognitive Rehab : Multiple Sclerosis also attacks a person's ability to think, reason and remember. Neuropsychologists and at times, occupational therapists and SLP's diagnose and treat these changes. Their treatment may differ, but their purpose is common ,i.e. to help the patient in achieving optimum functioning.
Contact Accessible Physical Therapy Services to get professional and quality care. Our trained staff develops and designs a customizes rehab program while taking into consideration your medical, social and personal needs.
