Spinal Cord Injury Physiotherapy Adelaide

1. Gait Training

If you can walk, your physiotherapist may create a program to improve the quality or pace of your walking, or to help you cover longer distances. This plan could involve using splints or assistive devices like crutches if necessary, along with targeted exercises to strengthen specific muscle groups and enhance balance, promoting improved mobility.

2. Wheelchair Training

If you use a wheelchair, physiotherapy may focus on improving your seating position and posture to enhance comfort and efficiency. You may also practice navigating your wheelchair in various environments, including slopes, gutters, and uneven surfaces. Additionally, your physiotherapist might work on building your endurance, teaching falls prevention and recovery techniques, and helping you engage in wheelchair sports or other recreational activities.

3. Transfer and Bed Mobility Training

A spinal cord injury (SCI) can impact your ability to move in bed and perform safe and effective transfers. Your physiotherapist can provide training to help you roll over, sit up in bed, and transfer in and out of bed, chairs, carsvand the toilet with greater ease and safety.

4. Balance and Standing Practice

Balance can be affected by muscle weakness and sensory changes, so physiotherapy often includes exercises to improve or maintain balance in both sitting and standing positions. Regular standing practice can provide additional benefits, such as reducing spasticity, improving blood pressure regulation, enhancing bone density, and supporting bladder and bowel function. If standing independently isn’t possible, assistive devices like splints, frames, or a standing wheelchair may be used to achieve these benefits.

5. Strengthening and Fitness Programs

Regular exercise is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle, helping to lower the risk of developing various health conditions, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This is especially crucial for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI), as research indicates they are at a higher risk of these conditions. However, studies also show that people with SCI tend to engage in less physical activity compared to the general population.

Physiotherapy can support you in maintaining your health and fitness by helping you establish a consistent exercise routine, which may involve the use of adaptive equipment. Additionally, an accredited exercise physiologist can provide further guidance to optimize your exercise plan.

6. Pain Management

Pain is a common issue for individuals living with a spinal cord injury, with up to 70% experiencing persistent pain lasting more than six months. This includes musculoskeletal pain resulting from muscle spasms or altered use of the arms and shoulders, as well as neuropathic pain, which occurs due to changes in nervous system function.

Physiotherapy can help manage pain and improve function through techniques such as pain education, targeted exercises, and manual therapies designed to address specific sources of discomfort.

7. Respiratory Training

A spinal cord injury in the neck can impact the muscles used for breathing, which may increase the risk of chest infections. Physiotherapy can assist by providing training in breathing techniques and techniques for assisted coughing to help clear the airways effectively and reduce the risk of infection.

8. Contracture Prevention

Paralysis and spasticity can cause muscle shortening and joint stiffness, which may impact overall function. Physiotherapy interventions, such as proper positioning and targeted stretching, can help prevent contractures or manage existing ones effectively.