Tag: Stretching Exercises

What Physiotherapy Has to Do with Cardiac Surgery

One may feel fatigued and sore after cardiac surgery; it is only natural. On the other hand, it seems altogether strange to think of embarking on a course of physiotherapy afterwards instead of just resting. Yet, that is just what is recommended.

Types of cardiac surgery include bypass surgeries, angioplasty, stents, heart valve replacements, and even heart transplants. Patients having all of these surgeries can benefit from physiotherapy. Patients who have other cardiac problems can use the help too; they include victims of heart attacks, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, chest pain, and cardiomyopathy.

Physiotherapy will usually begin within a couple of weeks of cardiac surgery, if not sooner. The first step is for nurses or doctors to administer a stress test to determine how much exercise one can handle. This involves walking on a treadmill or riding on a stationary bike while having one’s vital signs monitored.

When the data is gathered and analyzed, a program of physical therapy will be put into place. For safety’s sake, it is often the routine to bring cardiac surgery patients into the hospital or an outpatient clinic for their exercise at first.

Under the watchful eyes of nurses and physiotherapy personnel, cardiac surgery patients will be looked after as they perform their exercises. This way the professionals will be alerted if the cardiac surgery patient is having troublesome symptoms. The exercises done are cardiovascular exercises like walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike.

After the initial period of the monitored physiotherapy has passed, cardiac surgery patients will be sent to do their exercising at home. Before they go, though, they will have been taught warm-up and stretching exercises, and when to stop. Generally, they should exercise three to five times a week unless they are having problems.

Swimming is another form of exercise that is especially good for cardiac surgery patients. It is a cardiovascular exercise that is not hard on the joints, so it will often be kept up longer. The only thing to remember is that all wounds must be completely healed first.

Physiotherapy for cardiac surgery patients is often not carried out by physiotherapy staff. Nurses in hospitals and clinics who are trained to deal with these areas of rehabilitation for cardiac surgery will do the work. However, physiotherapists sometimes help, and the principles are the same.

The physiotherapist will instruct the patient about what activities are acceptable in the weeks and months after surgery. During the first six weeks, there will only be a few activities allowed, such as light housekeeping or going to movies, for example. From then until the third month, more activities will be added. You may be able to return to work, at least part-time, you may be able to drive. After this time, your physiotherapist will work with you to ease you back into all your old activities.

If a patient has cardiac surgery and then does nothing to regain strength, that patient will soon weaken. Physiotherapy offers a means to stay in shape, or get into shape. It lends more purpose to the cardiac surgery by making the patient much healthier than before the surgery ever took place.

How Physiotherapy Fits in with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis is not only a painful and debilitating disease. It is also a risk factor for other diseases such as heart disease and osteoporosis. Research shows that these diseases can be held off by exercise and other lifestyle changes.

For the sufferer of rheumatoid arthritis, life is a constant learning experience. Each time a new movement is done, one finds out if it makes the condition feel worse or better. Rheumatoid arthritis patients may feel fatigue. They will likely have a great amount of pain and stiffness in their joints.

Physiotherapy is one way to combat the effects of rheumatoid arthritis. This will be an ongoing therapy that will require dedication over the rest of the patient’s life. However, it is common that the exercises and other therapies help the rheumatoid arthritis so much that the patient will have incentive to keep doing them.

A physiotherapist understands how all the parts of one’s body work together to create movement. Bones, muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons: the physiotherapist knows how they all fit to make one walk or stand. With this knowledge, the physiotherapist can devise methods to help one keep moving. This is the most important part of rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

Early in one’s treatment, the plan will take shape. It will include ways to prevent rheumatoid arthritis from disabling one. As time goes by, the focus will shift to a more here and now sort of treatment. Exercises will be geared more towards current problems.

Water exercises can be used for people with rheumatoid arthritis. These exercises allow the person to get much needed strengthening and stretching exercises done. At the same time, there is little or no pressure on the joints or spine. Physiotherapists use water exercises as an important part of the treatment plan.

Strengthening exercises help the muscles provide more support to the joints of people with rheumatoid arthritis. If there is not enough muscle tone, the patient will have more trouble walking or doing other normal movements. The rheumatoid arthritis will dominate the movements instead of the muscles dominating them.

Heat therapy can be used in conjunction with ice therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. A physiotherapist can tell the patient when and how long to leave on heat packs or ice packs. Other heat therapy is done by ultrasound.

People with rheumatoid arthritis can benefit from manual procedures, such as massage. A person with the stiffness that accompanies rheumatoid arthritis can be very limited in how far he can move his joints. Massage improves movement and increases this range dramatically.

One of the most important functions a physiotherapist serves for patients with rheumatoid arthritis is as a motivational coach. The physiotherapist should be trained in the psychology of chronic disorders and pain management. She will be there to encourage you to keep trying, keeping moving, and never giving up.

Physiotherapy is only a part of the treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Diet and medications are also used, for example. Yet, without physiotherapy, many people who suffer from this disease would be in much worse pain.

Back Pain Exercises for People Who Cant Stretch Themselves Enough

Back Pain Exercises for People Who Cant Stretch Themselves Enough

To rehabilitate the spine, necessary and proper back pain exercises are needed. Exercises don’t only promote wellness of the bones and muscles but may also act as preventive measures for recurring attacks and may also lessen the severity of pain of possible future episodes of back pain.

Active back pain exercise that is controlled and systematically done are natural pain healers. Active movements help distribute the essential nutrients throughout the ligaments, discs and muscles that raise health of each component for optimum performance. And so is the opposite truth, the absence of exercises and productive activities help lessen the vigor of each component which makes them prone to injuries, impairments and degeneration.

Universally, the back pain exercises must be a well-balanced combination of the following:

Stretching exercises like hamstring stretching
Strengthening exercises like the dynamic lumbar stabilization exercise
Mckenzie exercise
Low impact aerobics like walking, water therapy bicycling and swimming
and other back exercise programs

It must be noted though that the intensity and rigidity of exercises and activities must be primarily based on the specific diagnosis. As with any other treatments, the effects will always be determined by several factors that are uncontrollable such as the threshold of the patient over pain, the level of pain that the patient experiences during attacks and the severity of the condition. It is wise to see a physical therapist with specialization on spine wellness. He can best device a back pain exercise plan that is customized for the specific conditions of the patient.

Stretching exercises work by stretching the soft tissues that are found at the ligaments, muscle, tendons located around the spine and at the back bone. The spinal column and all that encompasses it are specifically designed for mobility and stretching. However, due to some factors like injuries and degeneration of the discs, these body parts cannot be moved. Patients experiencing extreme pain may find it hard to mobilize these areas and may require them to perform exercises that may last for some weeks. Yet after faithful application of exercise routines, everything may go back to normal and little or less exercise may then be performed after the healing.

Hamstring stretching exercise on the other hand focuses on the hamstring muscles that are directly linked to the low back pain symptoms. Tightness of the hamstring muscles is known to be a proponent to pelvis stress and the muscles and bones located at the lower back bone. Working on these parts may lessen the degree of pain and the frequency of attacks.

These are only two of the most commonly used back pain exercises. Other exercises and routines are listed in the above section of this article.

Benefits Of Stretching Exercises For Lower Back Pain

Unfortunately, stretching exercises for lower back pain is something that everyone should educate themselves on at some point in their life because odds are, everyone will experience lower back pain at some point in their life. While it’s infinitely better to try to attempt to avoid injuring your back rather than treating an injury later, it’s not always possible to prevent a back injury. Car accidents and the like are often out of our control, after all.

One of the main ways people prefer to treat back injuries is through medication. Medication can be helpful in some ways, yet detrimental in others. If you are experiencing a lot of pain, too much pain to be able to function, pain medication is definitely the way you need to go. If you’re having muscle spasms in your back that is causing the pain, muscle relaxers can be beneficial. The problem with any medication is that they rarely treat the root cause of the problem. They just mask it enough to let us get through each day. Obviously, without fixing the problem itself, a person will continue to have to live with lower back pain.

Fortunately, there are other methods of treating lower back pain. These methods can be far more effective than medication, provided you are dedicated to using them and give them enough of a chance to start working. What are these seemingly miracle cures? Stretching exercises for lower back pain.

There are many benefits to stretching exercises for lower back pain. First, it’s an all natural way to treat the problem. You arent taking any medications or relying out outside interventions to help you with your problem. It’s just you and your body working together to treat your lower back pain. Because it’s all natural, you won’t have any adverse side effects that could prove harmful or even fatal later, like can often be the case with some medications.

Another clear benefit of stretching exercises for lower back pain is it can help prevent future injuries. How many medications can boast that claim? By strengthening your core muscles, you are giving your body the tools it needs to handle the activities and stresses you put upon it on a daily basis. You’re also keeping your muscles limber and flexible which allows them to extend and flex whenever and however you need them to.

Stretching exercises for lower back pain not only helps your lower back but the rest of your body, too. By being active and exercising, you help your entire cardiovascular system. You become more fit and healthy. Being more fit and healthy keeps your immune system going strong which ultimately results in you not getting sick as often or for as long.

It is in everyone’s best interest to stay active and stay healthy through stretching exercises. Not only can stretching exercises for lower back pain help your back, they can help keep you and your entire body healthy, as well.