Rehabilition Today

Shoulder injuries are common to athletes. Though they’re doing the best they can to have an injury-free career life, it seems like injuries are part of their life. With this, shoulder rehabilitation is what they’ll mostly need. And it’s not only limited to athletes, ordinary people may suffer from shoulder injury at some point in their life.  

Shoulder rehabilitation, as with other types of rehabilitation, focuses on the restoration of the functions that were normal before the impairment. An exercise program, or therapy, prescribed to the patient signals the start of the rehabilitation stage. However, medical experts say that rehabilitation actually begins from the time the patient has been seen by a health care practitioner, and ends right after the patient’s release. 

Two common shoulder injuries that need shoulder rehabilitation are Subacromial Syndromes and Shoulder Instability. The first type means a rotator cuff tear, which is characterized by frequent shoulder pains. The aim of shoulder rehabilitation for this particular injury is to bring back the muscular balance between the elevators and depressors. A person suffering from instability of the shoulder would need shoulder rehabilitation, as it will restore the muscular balance between internal and external rotators of the shoulder. 

Reducing activity, compressing the injured shoulder, elevating the injured shoulder above heart level, and taking medication like anti-inflammatory drugs, are some of the things that comprise dislocated shoulder rehabilitation. Its objectives include strengthening the muscles, increasing flexibility, and establishing painless movement. Extreme injury cases however, would mean avoidance of activities that would cause shoulder pain. 

There are shoulder rehabilitation exercises that have to be done on both sides of the body to maintain balance. Doing these exercises can increase the strength of both shoulders, and may prevent the occurrence of injury to either of the shoulders. Some of the shoulder rehabilitation exercises that you may be required to practice by your doctor are: shrugs, bicep curls, triceps curls, chest raises, saws, pendulum swings, shoulder rotation, shoulder flexion, towel stretch, and flexed elbow pull. 

Aside from these, your doctor may prescribe other exercises instead of, or on top of the ones mentioned earlier, depending on the nature and intensity of the injury. There are also exercises that don’t necessarily require movement from the injured area, some of which are: stationary bicycle, walking, jogging, and swimming. These exercises can be done if the pain is tolerable. 

Always remember to consult your doctor before doing any exercises or treatment for your shoulder injury. This is to ensure that shoulder rehabilitation will be properly addressed. Your doctor is the one who knows best what kind of shoulder rehabilitation you need to undertake, depending on the degree of severity of your shoulder injury. 

Physiatry is derived from two Greek words namely: physikos which means physical, and iatreia which means the art of healing.  Rehabilitate, on the other hand, is taken from the Latin word “habilitas”, meaning “to make able. With this concept, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is put up to facilitate healing of those people faced with traumas in life. 

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), or Physiatry, is a medical specialty that focuses on the restoration of a person’s normal functioning, which has been affected by a disease, disorder, or injury. These people need help in order for them to do the things they usually did before the disability. 

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation does not merely focus on helping a person reduce his disability, but it aims for the recovery of the whole person. This means that his emotional, medical, and social need are given due emphasis as well. 

It is necessary to know that Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation does not undo the impairment of a person, nor does it guarantee to fully restore one’s normal functions. It is, however, working towards helping a person reach the highest level of function by lessening his disability, preventing any complications, and teaching him self-reliance and independence. 

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is strongly suggested in certain circumstances, like impairment and activity limitation. Impairment is basically losing the normal functions of a part, or some part, of the body due to injury or disease, such as paralysis to one side of the body due to a stroke. Activity limitation is the result of an impairment. A person not being able to walk properly as a result of paralysis is an example of an activity limitation. In both cases, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation would enable the person to live his life as close as possible to how it was lived before the impairment. 

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation prepares tailored treatment schemes for each individual, focusing on the degree of disability, the patient’s overall health status, and their possible response to the treatments. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation does not leave a person to do the treatment plan himself. It closely monitors his progress and ensures that a quality life is within reach. 

In fact, there are many success stories of individuals who were helped by Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Some of these persons with disabilities have continued to live productive lives despite the disability they went through. Some have gone to school, some found jobs, and others maintain the same social duties in the society. These are not results of medical surgery, but of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.