Friday, June 20, 2014

Role of Physical Therapists in Prevention and Treatment of NCDs

With an alarmingly increasing trend of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and the two important risk factors, obesity and inactivity, being responsible for them, elimination of these risk factors is an important strategy in the fight against NCDs.

Here comes the role of physical therapists in prevention and control of NCDs. As trained and licenced practitioners they plan, guide and help the patients practice proper exercises to reduce and alleviate their sufferings. 

It is now being recognized that physical therapists including chiropractors have an important role to play in dealing with NCDs.

Research findings have shown that exercise and physical activity including physical therapy are useful in prevention and treatment of blood pressure, stroke and heart attack. 

In case of diabetes, exercise is a key intervention that can help people control or reduce weight and thereby reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

By the use of proper exercises, physical therapists can control obesity which is a major risk factor for NCDs. 

Chiropractice in Pain Management: 

Chiropractice is a physical means of treatment of musculoskeletal system, joints and spine. The treatment emphasis is on the alignment of body's skeletal structure. Any abnormality detected is corrected by noninvasive means by hands or with the help of instruments.  

Back pain is a common health problem of people of all ages, in particular those of middle and the old age groups. As compared to men, the women are more vulnerable to back pain, in particular to pain of the lower back region.

If you or your friend is afflicted by back pain the first thing to do is to know the exact cause (s) of back pain for its proper treatment, cure or management. 

Among the most common causes of back pain are defects in the spine, long hours of sitting, bad posture, dietary deficiencies, injury, inflammation, neurological defects and osteoporosis

Back Pain may  also be a manifestation of a hidden undiagnosed cancer!

Chiropractic practitioners use manual techniques for spine manipulation, with particular focus on subluxations, to treat back pains.

The first move in this direction is consulting a conventional physician or a complementary or alternative medicine expert such as an Ayurvedic physician or a chiropractor depending upon an individual’s own choice of the therapy. 

Several patients are not comfortable with conventional therapies like chemotherapy and surgery which often have serious side effects. For such persons natural approaches (acupuncture, yoga and hypnosis) and chiropractic are more suitable. 

After consulting a physician or a complementary or alternative medicine expert, and seeking their advice the patient can then follow the suggested course of action.

In order to find the possible causes of back pain and begin treatment for them, the best approach is to first explore the common causes and then move on from simpler to the most complex problems, in that order. 

My experience shows that in most cases where the patient is otherwise healthy and in good form, the problem lies in the domains of nutritional deficiencies and bad posture which are often expressed as idiopathic cases. 

In case of post-menopausal women a bone density test can possibly underpin osteoporosis as the culprit. There can be a history of injury in the recent times or a distant past. 

If malnutrition is at the foot of the problem, the problem is best attended to by simple natural course of action: a healthy fibrous diet rich in calcium and iron such as green vegetables, fruits, vitamin supplements, exercise and yoga. 

Besides being curative, these measures are preventive and help stop aggravation of the problem. When the cause of pain lies in bad posture correcting it can get rid of back pain.

Chiropractic practitioners begin with a careful examination of the patient and may conduct some general and specialized diagnostic tests. The range of tests carried out may include observational and tactile tests, skeletal imaging, blood tests and orthopedic and neurological evaluations.

After finding subluxations (lesions or sites of dysfunction in spine), a practitioner performs various spinal manipulation procedures (mobilization, adjustment, manipulation, massage and stimulation) in order to influence the spine segment and thus remove the cause of pain. 

Chiropractic course of treatment may follow rehabilitative exercises, supporting and adjunct measures. Through education and counseling, practitioners inform patient about correct sitting or lying down postures in bed.

Chiropractice in Cancer Pain Management:

Occurrence of pain in cancer patients is a major problem and therefore suitable means of alleviation of cancer pain is a priority in many patients. Cancer by itself and cancer treatment cause stress of musculoskeletal system. Pain of neck, back, headache are common.

Chiropractice is used in cancer pain management successfully in several patients. However it may not be effective in all patients and is not recommended in cases where there is low platelet count and metastasis in bone. Chiropractice clinics are available in several large cities  in India.

There are variations in approaches dealing with chiropractic treatment in different countries. Therefore, in order to ensure the quality of treatment and patient safety, the WHO has prescribed guidelines for chiropractic practitioners' education and expertise. Consultation of these guidelines is useful for selecting suitable chiropractors for back pain treatment.



No comments:

Post a Comment