Your Physical Therapy

Definition:

Lymphedema is swelling of the limbs ( common on the back of hand or foot ), less common on the face and genitalia. Lymphedema appear due to poor function of lymphatic system or obstruction of lymphatic vessels

Causes of Lymphedema 

1- Congenital ( after birth )

2- Ageing ( more that 50 years old )

3- Inflammation 

4- Trauma 

5- Obstruction of lymphatic vessels 

     A- after surgical 

     B- after irradiation therapy

Signs and symptoms 

1- heaviness of the limbs and general indolence

2- sensation impairment of the limbs

3- Skin induration

4- ulceration and bed sores easily formed

5- Easily to infection of skin

Physical Therapy Management Lymphedema 

1) Elevation 

Elevation of the limbs above the level of the heart in time of sleeping and during day 

2) Manual lymphatic massage 

Effleurage massage 

in upper limbs: from fingers (distal) to axillary (proximal)

in lower limbs : from toes (distal) to the angle of pubic hair area (proximal)

3) Pumping exercises 

pumping exercises for distal muscles

4) Compression

 using sleeve, bag, pneumatic pump and bandage for several hours daily

5) Lymphatic drainage exercise

trying a new diet, and hoping it sticks, is like trying something new at a favorite restaurant. I often return to the eateries where I know exactly what I like. Occasionally trying something new is exciting, offering all sorts of possibilities, but in the end I usually wind up going back to flavors I have loved before. It is hard to adopt new foods or practices.

There’s a certain restaurant where my regular lasagna experience was almost ruined by a one-time encounter with a weird-meat stuffed ravioli. I don’t know what I was thinking. The ravioli looked so good on the menu, but tasted so odd. How could I ever go against lasagna? Lasagna is layered, for Pete’s sake! February rolls around and spring is starting to come into focus. Hopefully any weight loss goals set in January are still on the horizon. I know I made a few resolutions that are still in my sights. I’m feeling pretty good about them.

It’s been a long time since anything has stuck for me, too. Being a parent of two girls who love to play travel sports, it’s so easy to lose site of long-range goals. Way too easy to eat bad, drink often and not exercise.

So finding something that works is an ongoing challenge. And I’ve tried a lot of different diets with funny names. I tried the avoiding-all-things-bread diet. That worked great until we went to get some lasagna. Breadsticks always taste good with lasagna. Scratch that idea.

My good friend, Justin Grinnell, suggested I try the intermittent fasting (check out his article on page 29). I said I’d give it a go. I did great on the first day until I got so hungry I had to eat. I only made it to breakfast, I’m sorry to say. I don’t have the willpower to avoid eating. Scratch that idea too.

I’ve tried other diets proposed as features for the magazine. You’d be amazed at the number of different ideas that are out there. Every one of them makes sense in some way, and every one of them has a success story attached. Credibility is key to diets and so are pictures of skinny people holding up enormous pairs of pants.

What’s worked for me is to record what I eat. I don’t always like the report, but at least I can see where the calories add up, or where the nutrients are missing. I work out as much as I can, avoid fast food, and drink water. Lots of water.

I examine all the different diet ideas I find in my inbox. I ask people who know a lot more than me about nutrition and the human body what they think. As long as they promote a healthy lifestyle, it’s usually worth a go.

I advise anyone who is looking at any diet to do the same. I have a vast network of writers, who are nutritionists, doctors and personal trainers, to advise me. And, of course, I always talk to my doctor. I urge any reader to do the same.

And when it comes to ordering off the menu, I suggest the following: Splurge once in a while, but stick with your real favorites. Like lasagna. And, of course, a lot of breadsticks.

Enjoy the issue!

The main source is Healthy & Fit Magazine October 2013

What is Reflex Heating ?

Reflex Heating is one of physical therapy technique that used to apply indirect heat for the effected part by applied direct heat for torso or opposite extremity or on the abdomen, this causes vasodilatation ( dilation in blood-vessel ) and a general increase in the blood flow, Blood flow then increases to the ischemic part 

>There is no documentation that blood flow increases in muscles

>It has been suggested that the increases in blood flow primarily affect the skin and not the muscles

Benefit of Using Reflex Heating 

1- Safer than local heating because it does not increases local tissue temperature or metabolism

2- The risk of burns with the application of local heat is greater in a part with arterial vascular diseases

3- Its the best idea for applying heat for diabetes patient because the risk of burns is greater for diabetes patient due to poor sensation in the distal parts

Temporomandibular Joint ( TMJ ) is a small joint, Connect your jaw bone to skull, Disorder in TMJ is commonly in women in age between 20 -50 years old and it can cause a sever pain and it may radiate to jaw bone, skull, teeth, ears, headache and neck, Physical therapy is very important in this case to reduce and relive pain, Here we going to show you what is the common causes and symptoms of TMJ and how to treat it

 Causes of Temporomandibular Joint ( TMJ ) Disorder

1- the TMJ disc is eroding or damage 

2- strained of the muscles around the TMJ which lead to weakness the joint

3- trauma or sever pressure over and TMJ area

Signs and symptoms 

1- Pain around the area of TMJ it may radiate to jaw bone, skull, teeth, ears and neck

2- Headache

3- decrease rang of motion in the joint

4- unable to chewing

5- sever pain while close mouth tightly

Physical therapy management and treatment

Diagnosis

physical therapy will ask you to open and close your mouth and he will listen to the joint if there is any crackling in the joint, looking carefully to your joint for any limit in rang of motion, then ask you to close your mouth tightly or he will press in your joint and ask you if there is any pain

Intervention 

1- Ultrasound to reduce  swelling, pain and improve circulation in TMJ area

2- Alternate hot and ice hot to improve circulation and ice to reduce swelling and pain

3- Massage if there is no inflammation

4- Exercises for TMJ to improve range of motion, increase muscle strengthen and improve flexibility of the joint. the exercises include :

A) Alignment Exercises 

use your palm of your hand and but it over one side to push over TMJ ( don't use your fingers ) and keep your mouth and your teeth align, so your jaw bone straight, then apply gently push inside and hold for 5 to 10 seconds without moving your jaw bone repeat that 3 time and apply the same in the opposite side

B) Gently static contraction 

open your mouth and but your fingers inside to the bottom of teeth, then apply an static muscle contraction by try to close your mouth with gentle resistant from your fingers so yo muscles around TMJ is in static contraction be sure that your jaw bone not moving and straight hold for 5 to 10 seconds then relax and repeat that 3 time

C) TMJ stretch 

slightly open your mouth, use your palm of your hand and but it over chin, apply gently backward pressure with relaxing your jaw and make sure that your teeth and jaw bone is straight and align, hold for 5 to 10 seconds then relax and repeat that 3 time

NOTE : DON'T START TMJ EXERCISES UNTIL YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPIST TELL YOU THAT ITS NO PROBLEMS IN TMJ EXERCISES 

Introduction to Physical therapy

Physical Therapy is the oldest science of medical practice, physical agents have been used for treatment of disease for thousands of years.

Examples taken from the physical therapy literature have shown the following :

The primitive man who crawled into the sunshine to receive the benefits of its warmth and vitalizing effects started the practice of sun-therapy 

Some definitions of physical therapy 

A- PT is “a dynamic profession with an established theoretical and scientific base and widespread clinical applications in the restoration, maintenance, and promotion of optimal physical function.”

B- PT is “the treatment of injuries and diseases by physical modalities/agents which include hands of physical therapist (PTst), water, mud, wax, heat, …..etc. It’s used to help the patient (Px) regain his/her normal physical abilities, and to give Px the opportunity to achieve his/her maximal potential in terms of activities at home, work, leisure ……etc.”

C- Pt is “a systemic method of assessing musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, integumentary, and neurological disorders of function including pain and those of psychosomatic origin, and of dealing with or preventing those troubles by natural modalities based essentially on movement, manual therapy, and physical agents "