About rehabilitation medicine
Role of rehab medicine
While the fundamentals of rehabilitation medicine remain unchanged, just as the structure of medical fees has changed, the role of rehabilitation medicine has also evolved to encompass a broader range.
For example, the "locomotor system" refers to the organs that move the body, such as bones, joints, muscles, and nerves. Today, in our aging society, attention is focused on the importance of a healthy locomotor system for extending "healthy life expectancy." In fact, the WHO (World Health Organization) designated the years 2000 to 2010 as "The Bone and Joint Decade," launching a global initiative for the prevention and treatment of bone and joint diseases.
Musculoskeletal rehabilitation is expected to play a significant role not only in the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases and disorders, but also from a preventive perspective, such as in the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases and nursing care.
Disease-specific rehab framework
Regarding rehabilitation medicine, it is stated that it "consists of treatments such as 'physical therapy' aimed at recovery of basic movement abilities, 'occupational therapy' aimed at recovery of applied movement abilities and social adaptive abilities, and 'speech-language-hearing therapy' aimed at recovery of speech, language, and hearing abilities, all of which are performed with the aim of achieving practical activities in daily life." The main target diseases and purposes of the four categories of disease-specific rehabilitation are as follows.
Cardiovascular disease rehabilitation
Target conditions
- Acute myocardial infarction
- angina pectoris
- After open-heart surgery
- After major vascular surgery
- Chronic heart failure with LVEF 40% or less
- After coronary artery bypass, etc.
Purpose
To promote the recovery of cardiac function and prevent the recurrence of the disease, exercise therapy and other measures are provided for individual cases based on appropriate exercise prescriptions derived from the evaluation of cardiopulmonary function. This is implemented in accordance with the "Guidelines for Exercise Therapy in Cardiac Diseases" widely publicized by relevant academic societies.
Cerebrovascular disease rehabilitation
Target conditions
- Cerebrovascular disease
- brain injury
- Brain tumor
- Neuromuscular disease
- Spinal cord injury
- Higher brain dysfunction, etc.
Purpose
Through the recovery of basic motor skills and other means, various exercise therapies, practical gait training, activities of daily living training, physical therapy, and the like are combined and tailored to individual cases in order to promote independence in practical daily living activities. For patients with impairments in speech and language functions, training related to speech and language functions or auditory functions is provided.
Musculoskeletal rehabilitation
Target conditions
- Combined upper/lower limb injury
- After surgery for upper/lower limb trauma or fracture
- Limb amputation / prosthesis
- Joint contracture from burn scars, etc.
Purpose
Through the recovery of basic motor skills and other means, in order to achieve independence in practical daily life activities, various exercises such as exercise therapy, practical gait training, activities of daily living training, physical therapy, occupational therapy aimed at recovering applied motor skills and social adaptive skills are combined and performed according to individual cases.
Respiratory rehabilitation
Target conditions
- Pneumonia / atelectasis
- After thoracotomy
- pulmonary infarction
- Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who are in a post-severity classification of category II or higher, etc.
Purpose
Breathing training and various exercise therapies are combined and performed according to each individual case.
About physiotherapy and devices
In rehabilitation medicine, various treatments and training methods are combined, such as physical therapy (exercise therapy, physical therapy modalities), occupational therapy, speech-language-hearing therapy, ADL (Activities of Daily Living) training, and the application of orthotics and prosthetics. Here, we introduce physical therapy products and the main products used for measurement and evaluation among them.
WCPT (World Confederation for Physical Therapy) defines physical therapy as "the science of physical treatment using exercise, instruction, and physical therapy modalities such as heat, water, light, massage, and electricity, with the therapeutic objectives of relieving pain, improving circulation, preventing and reducing impairment, and achieving the maximum recovery of muscle strength and coordination. Furthermore, exercise therapy includes not only basic joint movements, but also body repositioning and gait training, and various tests and measurements are performed by physical therapists for these treatments."
Physical therapy is a therapeutic science aimed at maintaining and recovering basic physical mobility skills using physical means (exercise therapy and physical therapy). Just as the basis for clinical decision-making in medicine has shifted from empirical rules to evidence-based medicine (EBM), similar systematization is being promoted in physical therapy as well.
Consultation about rehabilitation medicine
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