Lots of disorders affect the brain and the body, and they include stroke, injury, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, concussions, and Parkinson’s disease. Some develop these unfortunate conditions later in life, but some children are struggling right from birth with these neurological adversities. See more about neurological disorders on this website here.
Those with speaking problems where they have high or narrow palates may have trouble controlling their jaw, tongue, and lips. Outpatient rehabilitation can help where each individual achieves recovery with the best therapists out there. Some clinics offer occupational, physical, and speech therapy services, and below are some of the things that you need to know about them.
What Does a Neurological Physiotherapist Do?
Assessment and treatment of individuals who have neurological conditions are often present in this type of program. Those who have balance issues, stiffness, muscle weakness, and changes in their senses that can affect their daily activities are often seeking this therapy.
A huge range of disorders are covered, including head and spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, motor neuron diseases, and Guillain barre syndrome are just some of the patient diseases that are being treated. Several teams will carry out an assessment and get detailed information about a patient’s history and needs.
They are going to work together and utilize different techniques to achieve various levels of function, and they will try to solve any issues that will appear during the therapy. Splints or walking aids are provided afterward and some are going to use braces, collars, corsets, or wheelchairs to help people move and go about their daily activities. Follow-ups and discharge are determined by the specialists depending on the readiness of the patient and progress.
Who Often Needs Occupational Therapy?
Teens or kids who have birth injuries, autism, learning problems, behavioral issues, post-surgical conditions, burns, developmental delays, spina bifida, cancer, or cerebral palsy may benefit from this program. Know that physical therapy is often aimed at helping improve an individual’s endurance, range of motion, pain tolerance, strength, and gross motor skills. On the other hand, an OT helps with thinking or cognitive skills, problem-solving, visual-perceptual, and fine motor skills such as grasping.
A therapist and his assistant should have a bachelor’s degree related to a field such as health science, psychology, or biology and a master’s degree in the treatment of patients. There are clinics like the Abilities Neurological Rehabilitation that are research-driven and client-directed. They often listen to the challenges of their clients and tailor a specific plan for faster rehabilitation and healing.
OTs are a way for people to regain their independence and their health. They can get help with bathing, cooking, dressing, and toileting with assistive technology and devices so they can be more optimistic and have more drive to recover.
Speech-Language Pathology: What Is It?
Pathologists often have patients who want to improve the way they communicate. These people often have problems with stuttering, language fluency, speech production, voice, hearing, resonance, cognition, and more.
They often work for those who have traumatic brain injuries involving the vocal fold nodules and they encompass a variety of diagnoses. They may be habilitative where the therapist helps people to improve their swallowing ability or improve their communication or rehabilitative where the individual tries to regain what they lost due to an illness or accident. Read more about speech pathologists at this link: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/speech-language-pathology.
A holistic approach is often used where the goals of the patients are considered. They may need to be able to swallow their meals daily safely and make their needs known to their caregivers, which are all crucial factors for their survival. Also, connecting with their loved ones and being able to know that someone cares for them can significantly improve their overall quality of life.
All three involve neuroscience, human anatomy, and physiology, where some disciplines may focus more on pediatrics or geriatrics. OT is more focused on cognitive functions; activity analyses, and research of its niche, and PT is more focused on therapeutic exercises.
Most practitioners may want to step outside hospitals and other traditional patient care channels and leverage their degrees. They may set up an alternative practice, especially if they experience glass ceilings or burnout in their careers. Fortunately, you can get all three services in a single clinic, and there’s no need to have referrals to see them. Insurance coverage may also cover some of the appointments, but this is often discussed at the beginning of the treatment plan.
Costs can vary, and there are charges per 50-minute session. It’s also common to have telehealth services these days, where this is more convenient for the specialist and the patient. Those clinics that aim to meet their staffing needs may also hire travelers with experience, and these are the people who have worked with a lot of patient populations in different settings, so they can be more helpful to their patients.
