Neurological Rehabilitation Explained
Following a brain injury or any condition affecting the nervous system, the aim is to make your life easier and give you more independence so you can do the activities you enjoy and that are important to you at this time in your life.
The therapeutic aim is to reconnect old pathways or create new pathways in the brain to re-establish the muscle activity to help regain movement and promote functional independence.
We provide a fun and dynamic way of achieving this by getting to know you and using your hobbies, passions and desires to help you achieve your goals.
Our Aims for your Recovery
To achieve your physical goals we need to treat you as a whole, which includes addressing thinking processes (cognition), senses, emotions, breathing, nutrition, energy levels (fatigue) and sleep. These all have an impact on your physical recovery, particularly when you are struggling to progress further.
We listen to your goals and desires so we can put together a plan to achieve these in a realistic way.
We have successfully progressed clients who had previously thought that they had reached their full rehab potential and have inspired them to progress beyond their own expectations.
What we Treat in Neurological Rehabilitation
We treat and successfully manage a large array of Neurological Conditions
including but not limited to;
- Stroke (Cerebrovascular Accident- CVA)
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Ataxia, dystonias, dyskinesias and movement disorders
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
- Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
- Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS)
- Muscular Dystrophies
- Motor Neurone Disease (MND)
- Parkinsons (PD), Parkinsonism and Supranuclear Palsy
- Cerebral Palsy (CP)
- Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)
Acquired brain injury includes; Brain Tumours, Meningitis, Encephalitis, Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM), other Genetic conditions etc.
We also assess rarer conditions to help the individual with management and/or progression.
Assessment / What to Expect
The first step in your rehabilitation journey is a therapist assessment. This will involve a chat about your experience so far, a physical examination and gaining an understanding of your goals and aspirations.
The assessment will take at least 60 minutes but often longer. Following an assessment, we will have an idea of where you are currently, where you want to be and how we can support you to get you there. We will always be realistic and honest in the steps you need to take to achieve these goals. We are flexible and adaptable in our approach and we establish what works for you both personally and therapeutically.
During Treatment
The treatment sessions are then planned specifically for your needs and are a stepping-stone to your goals. They can vary from person to person depending on the abilities of the individual. We will always give you exercises (this can be from breathing and postural work to a functional task or a complete exercise programme) to continue with when we are not there for you to speed up your recovery.
Treatments are often hands on, allowing you to feel changes in your body, which we then teach you to achieve independently as part of your home exercise programme. We aim to give you useful advice that you can incorporate in your daily life. There are things that you can work on throughout the day, so you don’t always have to put time aside for an exercise programme but can still make progress in your rehab journey. Treatment tends to be for one hour however, longer can be booked if required for your needs.
Common Treatment Techniques Used
- Bobath Approach
- Functional Approach
- Myofascial Release
- Muscle Strengthening
- Hands on Mobilisation and self mobilisation exercises
- Stretching Programmes
- Balance Re-education
- Postural Re-education
- Gait Re-education
- Spasticity Management
- Functional Electrical Stimulation and Mollii suits
- Home Exercise Programmes
- Breathing Exercises and Relaxation Techniques
- Yoga and Tai Chi Exercises
- Vestibular Rehabilitation
- Orthotics, equipment and aids
- Sleep hygiene and management
- Feedback into Sensory and Proprioception systems (through hands on therapy, eye exercises and use of therapy)
- Co-ordination Programmes
- Adapted Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT)
- …and many more