Neurological physiotherapy involves the treatment of people with movement and function disorders that have originated from problems within the body’s nervous and neuromuscular system.
These conditions often manifest themselves as muscle weakness, poor balance and coordination, uncontrolled muscle spasm and tremors, loss of function and decreased sensation.
Common neurological conditions include:
Neurological physiotherapists are experienced and trained to treat neurological conditions with the aim to provide interventions which assist an individual to regain or maintain their maximum movement and functional independence. This is achieved by aiding in the development of new pathways through repetition and exercise.
Neurological conditions can have a devastating impact on the lives of the sufferers, along with family and friends. Disturbances in the travelling of messages between the brain and the body can result in the loss of movement, sensation, coordination, and balance. Other aspects of bodily function, such as perception, speech, memory, cognition, and behaviour may also be affected. Therefore, it is important that neurological physiotherapists work in close partnership with other members of the multidisciplinary team including speech and language therapists, occupational therapist, dieticians, nurses, and doctors. Effective communication between patient, family members, and the multidisciplinary team is critical to positive healthcare outcomes following a neurological disorder.
Elderly Physiotherapy
A specialized branch of physiotherapy which covers a wide area of issues concerning people as they go through normal adult aging but is usually focused on the older adult. There are many conditions that affect people as they grow older and include but are not limited to the following:
Physiotherapy for the elderly is useful for many additional reasons, such as improving balance, strength, mobility, and overall fitness. All of these are factors which older adults may benefit from, contributing to their physical abilities and helping to maintain their independence for longer periods of time. Physiotherapy can also help older adults to avoid falls, something that is crucial to this population.
