The rehabilitation of Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases or injuries, requires immediate treatment and specialized knowledge. The contribution of physiotherapy to the rehabilitation of such cases is crucial, as there are methods (neurological physiotherapy) that aim to restore movement and improve the functionality of patients with diseases or injuries of the CNS.
Some of the most common neurological conditions that require physical therapy are the following:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Strokes
- Myopathies
- Polyneuropathies
- Spinal cord injuries
- Craniocerebral injuries.
Personalized physiotherapy rehabilitation program
In patients with any of the above problems, other musculoskeletal dysfunctions, sensory impairments , movement disorders ( spasticity, dystonia , ataxia), changes in posture, disorders in balance, concentration or memory, etc. All of these things that can occur in a neurological patient make his daily activities difficult , such as walking, getting up from a chair, eating, daily hygiene, writing, driving, etc. The performance of activities does not depend only on muscle strength , but mainly on muscle synergy and the degree to which this can be achieved by the brain, i.e. the CNS, of the patient.
Therefore, it is very important to perform a proper neurological assessment and physiotherapy evaluation, in order to set the goals of the physiotherapy rehabilitation program (short-term and long-term) and to design it individually for each patient.
The goals of physical therapy in the rehabilitation of neurological diseases are:
- Maintaining /restoring proper posture and movement
- Gait retraining
- Increased muscle strength system
- Correction of pathological reflexes
- Improving balance
- Maintaining /improving range of motion of joints
- Good respiratory function
- Restoration of functional movements of daily life
- Social/occupational reintegration.
Physiotherapy methods for the rehabilitation of diseases or injuries of the CNS.
There are various functional rehabilitation techniques, which aim both to improve neuromuscular control and retrain muscle function , as well as to develop normal movement and gait patterns. These are:
- Bobath method
- Brunnstrom method
- Vojta Method
- Sensory integration
- Proprioceptive neuromuscular
facilitation (PNF Method) - Strategies for improving motor learning ( Motor Relearning)
- Techniques for balancing biomechanical dysfunctions ( Maitland , Myofascial Trigger Points )
- Electromyographic feedback (EMG Biofeedback )
- Nervous tissue mobilization techniques ( Neurodynamics )
Every physiotherapy rehabilitation program must be dynamic , that is, with continuous reassessment of the patient, it must be adjusted according to his progress.
