“This issue is an attempt to applaud the grit and resolve of those special children of god, whose zest for life is far bigger than the disability imposed upon them.”
It gives me great pleasure to share with you that with this issue of july-2012, PHYSIOTIMES enters fourth year of service in its relentless effort to provide the most contemporary and latest information in the field of physiotherapy to its readers. We have only you all to thank for your incessant patronage and continual support to this initiative. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” says the universal Declaration of Human Rights. As a physiotherapist, we ought to understand this fact better than anyone else and perhaps it is this deep sense of respect for this sentiment that makes us go the extra mile in making a difference in the lives of those children with special needs.
This issue is dedicated to the efforts of hundreds of therapists working persistently in helping the children with disabilities lead as normal a life as possible. The issue is also aimed at appreciating the vital role played by the parents and cares of such children of god, whose zest for life is far bigger than the disability imposed upon them. Physiotherapy is an integral part of cerebral palsy patients’ daily lives. It has the capability to develop self-sufficiency in cerebral palsy patient where it was previously absent. Physiotherapy approaches in rehabilitation applications aim to normalize sensorial and motor functions, provide normal posture and independent functional, activity, regulate muscle tone, improve visual and auditory reactions, support normal motor development and motor control, improve ambulation and endurance, increase the quality of the existing movements, prevent soft tissue, joint and postural disorders, support orthopedic and surgical procedures, and finally to prepare the child for adolescent and adult periods. Setting realistic goals, determination of priorities, informing the family and enhancing family participation in physiotherapy programs will increase the success of physiotherapy.
Physical Rehabilitation: PTs would look after basic voluntary control over movements, postures, balance training, mobilization of joints locked by spasticity both actively and passively, respiration and related functions like coughing, ADL, mode of ambulation as permitted by maturation of development and its improvement by assistive devices, and gait training. Prescription, check-out and functional training with spinal and lower limb orthoses was a special area, managed by PTs. General ... Read More
Inspiration and courage have a way of bringing out the best in each one of us. A renewed sense of belief in the inner strength of some individuals, their courage, often inspire them to overcome obstacles. How true it is for hundreds of children who brave a condition we all know as cerebral palsy.
We present to you the story of one such girl, Madhur, who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy specifically as having spastic diplegia
Read MoreI, Asha Chitnis as a young therapist with stars in my eyes left Baroda after finishing my basic graduation course in physical therapy to pursue higher studies. During this phase of my life I was posed with a question whether to pursue higher studies in the USA or India; finally I decided to pursue my masters in AIIPMR Hajiali; which opened my eyes to the field of Neuro-rehabilitation and pediatrics.
The field of Pediatrics started stimulating my appetite to learn more and I co... Read More
As a therapist, it is imperative to understand the perspective of caregivers and parents of children with disability. We present here an interview of shri Samir shah and Mrs. Seema Shah Parents of harsh shah, a 10yrs old child with celebral palsy.
Read MorePrior to her recent retirement, Dr.SuneetiChatterjee has worked in the field of pediatric physiotherapy for the last 40 years treating several children with disability and teaching countless physiotherapists the intricacies of pediatric rehabilitation as a teacher and a mentor. We present here the excerpts from an interview with her on her meritorious journey full of challenges, triumph & gratification
Read MorePhysiotherapist is an important team member in the management of a high risk neonate especially those with severe respiratory and neurological complications. Our experience with babies receiving Chest physiotherapy in the NICU has shown to be beneficial in terms of early weaning from ventilator, improved oxygenation and decrease length of stay in hospital. This in turn has been beneficial for parents in terms of cost and early recovery which decreases the stress level of parents. We have obse... Read More
Physiotherapist is a key team member in the management of high risk infants in the neonatal intensive care unit and more so after discharge. Therapist’s roles include chest physiotherapy, sensory motor stimulation and early neuro developmental therapy. Role of a pediatric physiotherapist post discharge is significant in terms of regular neurodevelopment screening and comprehensive assessment at least upto three years of age using an appropriate tool to prevent long term disability. Earl... Read More
The term Cerebral Palsy was often used inter-changeably with the eponym “Little’s disease,” {after the British orthopedic surgeon who described spastic diplegia, which he considered to be due to birth complications (Little, 1862)}. It was however, Sigmund Freud {a promising neuropathologist from Vienna who became a prominent psychiatrist and remembered more for his psychiatric contribution to science} who first wrote about (infantile) cerebral palsy as a nosographic category... Read More
Why Surgery in Cerebral Palsy?-Cerebral Palsy is largely a motor disorder. Spasticity, weakness, lack of voluntary control and problems with motor recruitment are dominant features. Muscle imbalance and hence deformities are not uncommon. These interfere in different ways with development of milestones. Persistence of muscle imbalance and altered biomechanics gives rise to bony deformity and torsion.
Whilst there is a gamut of non-operative methods available for us to use, it is ver... Read More
When we come across a child with Cerebral Palsy, we are aware that it is a permanent impairment and our entire focus and planning is directed towards reducing the effects of the disability and minimizing the handicap. The Audiologist and Speech Language Pathologist (ASLP) is responsible for the effective assessment, diagnosis and management of the disorders related to swallowing and feeding, hearing and communication, affecting children with CP and their role needs to be understood by parapro... Read More
Occupational therapy is a profession which restores or maintains a patient’s ability to perform tasks of daily living by developing ways to modify and adapt activities. Occupational therapy uses task analysis and purposeful activity to prevent and minimize the impact of disability on functional independence. The focus of OT is not only on the neurologic disease itself but also on the impact the disorder has or will potentially have on a child’s ability to function in life roles. T... Read More
The needs of children and adults with Cerebral Palsy can be either of mobility ,or along with mobility can be of sight, hearing, communication, perception, behavior or epilepsy. Be it locomotor disability of sitting, standing or walking, or use of hands, or seeing, hearing, communication, reading, writing, learning, each child and adult with Cerebral Palsy has a right to be treated with dignity, respected , and the basic needs of Education, Food, Shelter, Medical care, Social acceptance and L... Read More
Laughter of a baby is one of the sweetest sounds to hear for us & especially for parents. It can make them forget all the pain they would have incurred during the process. Baby grows very quickly in the parent’s eyes, their innocence, their cry; their beauty keeps us captivated. Looking at those wondering eyes, takes us back in time to recollect some of our old memories as children. Some beautiful memories are made with Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, grandparents… But, else... Read More