Neurological therapy goes a long way in helping people regain bodily functions that are lost due to strokes, spinal cord or brain injuries or diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease. Neuro rehab as it is also referred to, employs a multi-disciplinary method to bring back a patient’s cognitive, motor and communication skills.
There are two key areas that this field of medicine is centred on and they are occupational therapy (OT) and speech therapy. These two areas are instrumental to the success of individuals relearning important life skills which enable them to live a regular life with as much independence and comfort as possible. You may want to check out this paper on Neuro-rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis
In this article however, we will explore how neuro rehab works with occupational and speech therapy to enhance the quality of life of affected persons by improving their functional outcomes.
Understanding Neurological Therapy
The focus of neurological therapy is on the assessment and treatment of patients with nervous system disorders. The goal of this discipline is to both restore and improve the functional capabilities of the brain and nervous system and also facilitate recovery and helping the patient mitigate the functional alterations caused by the disease or injury.
The nervous system reacts quickly to changes and alters processes in the body in order to adapt to these changes. This means that this system has the inbuilt ability to recalibrate itself in response to therapy and training. Neuro –rehab therefore leverages on this ability which is referred to as neuroplasticity to provide therapeutic activities and exercises that are targeted at the affected parts of the nervous system.
Therapy in this case most often involves occupational, physical and speech therapies in combination with psychological support. It is specifically designed to cater to the specific needs of each patient and targets the areas that are most affected by their injury or disease. Some of these areas that are most affected include cognitive functions, mobility and communication.
Occupational Therapy and Neurological Rehabilitation
Occupational therapy (OT) is a very important aspect of neuro-rehab. Its major focus is helping patients get back their ability to carry our regular day-to-day activities which includes, bathing, dressing, cooking and eating. These activities are classified as ‘occupations because they are fundamental to daily living.
In the aftermath of events such as stroke or injury to the spinal cord, people most often, lose the ability to carry out these activities on their own. That is where OT comes in to help them regain their independence as per these ‘occupations’ or find other ways of achieving the same results.
How Occupational Therapy Supports Neurological Recovery
Occupational therapy deals with both cognitive and physical challenges in the following ways:-
Physical Rehabilitation
A lot of neurological issues lead to physical disability such as weakness of the muscles, poor coordination or paralysis. Occupation therapy helps patients to enhance their upper limb functions, fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination and these are very important for carrying out daily tasks. For example, stroke patients often have to relearn using their hands or how to adjust to losing functionality on one part of their body. OT experts use adaptive equipment, exercises and targeted task training to enhance these abilities.
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Cognitive Rehabilitation
Other issues that OT addresses include cognitive impairment such as memory loss (or related issues), problem solving and attention/focus. Cognitive retraining comes in handy for rehabilitating individuals who suffered traumatic brain injury or diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Occupational therapists employ a variety of activities ranging from simple memory exercises to very difficult task simulations to improve the cognitive functions of their patients.
Other areas where OT helps are:-
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Sensory Integration
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Adaptation and Compensation
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Emotional and Psychological support
Speech Therapy and Neurological Rehabilitation
Speech Therapy is also referred to as Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) and it is another central component of neuro rehab. Neurological injuries or diseases often disrupt the communication abilities of the affected person. This includes the ability to speak, understand language and swallow. SLP therefore focuses on rehabilitating the patient in these areas and help them communicate well and swallow liquids and food safely.
How Speech Therapy Supports Neurological Recovery
SLP supports neuro- rehab in the following ways:-
Speech and Articulation
Conditions such as brain injury or stroke can cause dysarthria which is a motor speech disorder that makes the muscles used for speech to be uncoordinated or weak. This in turn impairs speech clarity. Speech therapists work with affected persons to help them overcome the weakness of their speech muscles and restore coordination so that they can articulate words clearly.
Language Comprehension and Expression
Aphasia is a common aftermath of brain injury or stroke and it impairs the ability to understand and express language. This condition differs in levels of severity but it affects the ability to find words, form sentence and understand written and spoken language. SLP help patients to regain their language comprehension and expression skills by taking them through vocabulary improving exercises.
Other areas in which SLP supports neuro-rehab include:-
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Cognitive Communication
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Swallowing and Feeding
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Voice Therapy
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Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC
OT and SLP are very broad disciplines that cover a lot of areas in neurological rehabilitation and we cannot cover them all in this article. Professionals in these fields are trained to provide neurological therapy for kids and adults in the different areas we have discussed. Although any Occupational Therapist or Speech Therapist has the qualification to attend to both adults and kids, it is usually best to find professionals that specialize in specific age groups. This specialization means that the professional has in-depth experience working with that particular age group and is more likely to get the desired result faster than a general practitioner in the field.
Conclusion
Neuro- rehab is a very important facet of the recovery process for sufferers of neurological injuries or disorders. With OT, patients can regain their ability to carry out their day-to-day activities while SLP can help them communicate effectively and learn to safely swallow their food and liquids. These two disciplines are quite pivotal in helping patients gain more independence and a better quality of life in the aftermath of a neurological accident or incidence.
We have briefly discussed some of the basics of neuro-rehab in this article and we believe that you now have a better appreciation of its importance.
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