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How Does Physical Therapy Benefit Children with Autism?

How Does Physical Therapy Benefit Children with Autism?

What Is Autism?

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) describes a range of developmental conditions that affect how a person communicates, interacts, and behaves. ASD is called a spectrum disorder because the symptoms and severity can vary widely from one person to another.

  • Typical signs and symptoms of autism include:
  • Having difficulty with communication and social interaction
  • Restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior such as repeating words or phrases, lining up objects, or having intense and narrow interests
  • Sensory issues, such as being over- or under-sensitive to sounds, lights, or textures

How Can PT Help?

Children with autism also often have difficulties with motor skills, which affect their daily functioning and quality of life. For example, they may have trouble with balance, coordination, motor planning, and body control. They may also have low muscle tone, which can make them appear floppy or weak. These challenges make it hard for them to participate in physical activities like playing games or on playgrounds with peers, which are important for both their physical and mental health.

Physical therapy can help children with autism overcome these difficulties and improve their motor skills. Using individualized and structured interventions, pediatric physical therapists help children with autism learn new skills and practice them in a fun and motivating way. Physical therapy can also help children with autism develop a positive attitude toward physical activity and enjoy the benefits of exercise, such as improved mood, energy, and sleep.

Improved gross motor skills and increased physical activity can also support the development of other areas that are affected by autism, like social and emotional skills. Physical activities can provide opportunities for children with autism to interact with their peers and family, express their feelings, and follow rules and directions. Physical therapy can also help children with autism cope with sensory issues, such as hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to touch, sound, or movement, by exposing them to different stimuli and helping them regulate their responses.

How Do I Find A Qualified PT For My child?

If you think your child with autism may benefit from physical therapy, you should consult with your child’s pediatrician, who can refer you to a physical therapist who specializes in working with children with autism. You can also search for a physical therapist near you using the American Physical Therapy Association website.

References

Research (peer-reviewed) o Physical Activities for Children with Autism – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32192008/ o Exercise for children with autism – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31615098/ o Physical activity effects on sleep and executive function – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30663324/ • Articles and Content o Recognizing Autism in Healthcare – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34983217/ o Autism – diagnosis and management – https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg142 Supporting people with autism 19 or under – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34283415/

How Physical Therapy Helps People with Parkinson’s Disease

How Physical Therapy Helps People with Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, balance, posture, and coordination. It can also cause non-motor symptoms such as pain, fatigue, mood changes and cognitive impairment. While there is no cure for PD, there are treatments that can help manage the symptoms and improve the quality of life of people living with PD.

Physical therapy is one of these treatments. PT can help restore or maintain physical function, mobility, and independence. Physical therapists are trained professionals who can assess, diagnose, and treat movement problems related to PD. They can also provide education, advice, and support to people with PD and their caregivers.

Benefits of Physical Therapy for People with PD

Physical therapy can help people with PD in many ways, such as:

  • Improving muscle strength and endurance. Both age and PD can weaken and decondition muscles. A physical therapist will prescribe exercises using light weights or resistance bands to improve strength. More strength helps with balance and mobility.
  • Enhancing amplitude of movement. PD can cause people to reduce the size and speed of movements. This can affect walking, speech, facial expressions, and gestures. Physical therapy can help increase the amplitude of movement by teaching overexaggerated physical movements, such as high steps and arm swings. This is a way to retrain the muscles and brain to compensate for the reduced movement that Parkinson’s can cause. The LSVT BIG program is a specific set of exercises and activities that has been shown to improve mobility and quality of life. Reinforcing reciprocal patterns. Reciprocal movements are side-to-side and left-to-right patterns, such as swinging your arms while taking steps as you walk. PD can affect these patterns, which makes walking slow and unstable. Physical therapy can help to reinforce reciprocal patterns by using machines like a recumbent bicycle or elliptical machine. Practicing walking with arm swings is another activity that can help restore reciprocal movements. This can improve coordination, rhythm, and fluidity of movement for people with Parkinson’s. Dance and tai chi are other activities that involve reciprocal patterns.
  • Improving balance and posture. PD commonly impairs balance. Your brain uses a complex mix of what you see, your inner ear and sensations from your feet and joints to maintain balance. Physical therapy can help to improve balance using exercises that challenge stability, such as standing on one leg or walking on uneven surfaces. PT will also focus on specific components of the balance system by doing things like having a person close their eyes to focus on the sensations from the feet and joints. Physical therapy can also improve posture by correcting any muscle tightness or weakness that may cause stooping or learning sideways.
  • Increasing flexibility and range of motion. PD also often causes muscle stiffness and rigidity. Physical therapy can help increase flexibility and range of motion with stretching exercises that target specific muscles. Common areas of issue are the hip flexors, hamstrings, and calves. Stretching regularly can also help to reduce pain and spasm.
  • Providing education and self-management advice. Physical therapy can help people learn more about PD and how it affects their movement. A physical therapist can provide tips on how to maintain safety when exercising, how to cope with fatigue or pain, how to use assistive devices if needed, and how to prevent or manage complications such as falls or freezing.

Sounds Great. Is There Proof?

Yes. Research backs up all these claims. One meta-study (a study that combines the results of many other studies) that covered 1827 participants found that when compared to no intervention, PT significantly improved:

  • gait speed
  • two- and six-minute walk test scores
  • Freezing of Gait questionnaire
  • the Timed Up & Go test
  • Functional Reach Test
  • and the Berg Balance Scale

These results indicate improvements in mobility, endurance, strength, and balance. Gait speed is an especially important measurement. Physical therapists often consider gait speed a “vital sign.” This is because low gait speed has been linked to:

  • declines in functional mobility
  • higher rates of hospitalization
  • higher fall rates • cognitive decline
  • increased disability
  • and higher risk of death

A larger meta study that included 191 studies with 7998 participants found that PT significantly improved motor symptoms, gait, and quality of life. Specifically:

  • Resistance and treadmill training improved gait.
  • Strategy training improved balance and gait.
  • Dance, Nordic walking, balance and gait training, and martial arts improved motor symptoms, balance, and gait.

Conclusion

Physical therapy is a valuable treatment option for people with PD, as it can help to improve or maintain their physical function, mobility, and independence. Physical therapy can also enhance their quality of life, confidence, and well-being. If you have PD or know someone who does, consult with a physical therapist who specializes in PD to see how they can help you.

References

(1) Physical Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease – Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/physical-therapy-forparkinsons-disease. (2) Physical Therapy and PD | Parkinson’s Foundation. https://www.parkinson.org/library/factsheets/physical-therapy. (3) Physical and Occupational Therapy for Parkinson’s: What to Expect. https://bing.com/search?q=physical+therapy+for+parkinson%27s+disease. (4) Parkinson’s Disease Treatment Physical Therapy. https://www.parkinsonsdaily.com/parkinsons-disease-treatment-physical-therapy/. (5) Physical, Occupational & Speech Therapies | Parkinson’s Foundation. https://www.parkinson.org/living-with-parkinsons/treatment/physical-occupational-speechtherapies. (6) Physiotherapy in Parkinson’s Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Present Treatment Modalities – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32917125/ (7) Physiotherapy versus placebo or no intervention in Parkinson’s disease – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24018704/

The Benefits of Physical Therapy After Stroke

The Benefits of Physical Therapy After Stroke

Stroke is a serious medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted, causing brain cells to die. Stroke can cause a variety of symptoms like weakness, paralysis, speech difficulties, memory loss, cognitive problems and emotional changes.

Physical therapy is an important part of recovery from a stroke that aims to help stroke survivors regain their functional mobility and independence. PT helps stroke survivors stimulate damaged nerves and muscles, promote circulation to affected areas of the brain to promote healing, learn to move and use their affected body parts as much as possible, regain mobility and strength, as well as to prevent or reduce complications such as muscle stiffness, spasticity, pain and falls.

PHYSICAL THERAPY AFTER STROKE 

Physical therapy usually begins as soon as possible after the stroke, ideally within two days. The duration and intensity of PT depend on the severity and type of stroke, the medical status of the patient, as well as the individual’s goals and needs.

Stroke recovery doesn’t just involve a physical therapist, though. It takes a team of professionals, including a physiatrist (a doctor who specializes in rehabilitation), a neurologist (a doctor who specializes in brain and nervous system disorders), nurses, an occupational therapist, a speech-language pathologist, a dietician, a social worker, a neuropsychologist and a case manager.

The physical therapist will assess strength, balance, coordination, range of motion, sensation, pain and functional abilities. Based on the assessment and the individual’s goals, the physical therapist will design a personalized treatment plan that may include interventions like:

  • Exercises to improve muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility
  • Activities to improve balance, posture, gait and mobility
  • Training to use assistive devices such as walkers, canes or wheelchairs
  • Education on how to prevent falls and injuries
  • Manual therapy to relieve pain and spasm
  • Electrical stimulation to activate muscles and nerves
  • Biofeedback to enhance awareness and control of muscle activity
  • Hydrotherapy to use water resistance and buoyancy for exercise
  • Constraint-induced movement therapy to encourage use of the affected limb by restricting the unaffected one
  • Mirror therapy to use visual feedback to stimulate movement of the affected limb

Physical therapy after stroke can take place in different settings. It usually starts in a hospital. The survivor may then move thought a subacute care unit and/or an inpatient rehabilitation unit before being discharged home. The person will then usually receive home health therapy or continue treatment in an outpatient clinic depending on their level of function and needs. The physical therapist will work closely with the stroke survivor and their family to determine the best path for their rehabilitation, and to ensure continuity of care.

THE BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY AFTER STROKE

Physical therapy has lots of benefits for stroke survivors, such as:

  • Improving functional mobility and independence
  • Enhancing quality of life and well-being
  • Reducing disability and dependence on others
  • Increasing self-confidence and motivation
  • Preventing or minimizing complications such as contractures, pressure sores or infections
  • Reducing the risk of recurrent stroke or other cardiovascular events

Physical therapy after stroke can also have positive effects on the brain itself. Research has shown that physical activity can stimulate the growth of new brain cells, formation of new connections between brain cells and growth of new blood vessels in the brain. These processes can help with healing and recovery after stroke.

Physical therapy after stroke is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It requires individualized assessment, planning and evaluation. It also requires active participation and collaboration from the stroke survivor, their family and their caregivers. Stroke recover is a long-term process that requires patience, perseverance and dedication.

However, physical therapy can be rewarding and empowering for stroke survivors. It can help them regain their functional mobility and independence, improve their quality of life and well-being, prevent or reduce complications and make the most of their recovery.

REFERENCES

(1) Rehab Therapy After a Stroke | American Stroke Association. https://www.stroke.org/en/life-after-stroke/stroke-rehab/rehab-therapy-after-a-stroke.

(2) Physiotherapy after stroke | Stroke Association. https://www.stroke.org.uk/what-is-stroke/physiotherapy-after-stroke.

(3) Stroke rehabilitation: What to expect as you recover. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/in-depth/stroke-rehabilitation/art-20045172.

(4) A Simplified Guide To Physical Therapy For Stroke Patients – Saebo. https://www.saebo.com/blog/a-simplified-guide-to-physical-therapy-for-strokes/.

(5) Home-Care Physical Therapy for Stroke – Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/home-physical-therapy-after-stroke-4587362.

(6) PT working gait after stroke | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19588381/

(7) PT working gait with cognitive impairment | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33204533/

(8) Physical Fitness for Stroke Patients | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32196635/

(9) Physical rehab for stroke patients in low income countries | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30508495/

(10) Evidence in PT poststroke | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3913786/

(11) Encompass Health Stroke Rehab | https://encompasshealth.com/locations/harmarvillerehab/our-programs/stroke?gclid=CjwKCAjwuqiiBhBtEiwATgvixC72lg7PEmPp6djOG1qWQfUt_vU4kRkmqK8EBO6T1gWU78QjkHze0BoCYvoQAvD_BwE

(12) Physiopedia – Stroke Rehab | https://www.physio-pedia.com/Stroke:_Physiotherapy_Treatment_Approaches

(13) APTA – PT Guide for Strokes | https://www.choosept.com/guide/physical-therapy-guide-stroke