Movement that changes lives – Intensive Functional Therapy in practice

Intensive functional physiotherapy for adults with brain damage is a topic that raises many questions – both among patients and their loved ones. Neurological rehabilitation can be a long and demanding path, but properly conducted can significantly improve the quality of life. What exactly does such therapy involve? What are its effects and what can be expected from it? These questions are answered by a specialist in physiotherapy, a physiotherapist from the Rehabilitation Center at ul. Jasińskiego 2a in Przemyśl, Dariusz Antoń.

What is Intensive Functional Physiotherapy and who is it for?

– This is a method of working with a neurological patient – ​​primarily after a stroke. The main essence of this method is to learn techniques of intensive and accelerated therapeutic action so that in the same unit of time greater progress can be achieved with the patient and improvement can also be achieved with patients in the chronic period. The method of dealing with the patient in the treatment process is based strictly on neurobiological knowledge and scientific evidence.

What does a typical physical therapy session look like and what are the goals set during it?

– A physiotherapist using the described method works with the patient in various positions, at the same time instructing and encouraging them to perform movement tasks that imitate functional activities of everyday life. A great advantage of this method is the fact that each exercise aims to engage the entire body, and not – as in the classic approach to post-stroke therapy – the upper and lower limbs separately. This promotes the use of the full potential of a given person and means that, in addition to the limbs, the therapy also involves the torso, which is so important in working with a neurological patient. What is more, this form of exercise promotes greater physical and cognitive engagement of the patient, he is more focused and sees the purposefulness of the movements performed, which translates into greater intensity and effectiveness of the classes.

How long does the entire rehabilitation process take?

– It is impossible to clearly determine the duration of the entire rehabilitation process, as it depends on many factors: the extent of the damaged brain area, the type of stroke, the plasticity of the patient's brain, their health before the event, but also the help of the patient's loved ones. Everything that the patient does on his own outside the program that is performed during the physiotherapist's visit contributes to his fitness and recovery.

What methods are most often used in the treatment of patients with brain injuries?

– The most common methods of rehabilitation for patients with this condition are PNF and Bobath methods for adults. These are neurological methods based strictly on what the patient has a problem with, i.e. on working with the nervous system.

What role does neuroplasticity play in physical therapy after brain injury? Can the brain be “re-taught” functions that have been lost?

– Brain plasticity or neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to regenerate and restructure itself. This adaptive potential of the nervous system allows the brain to recover from disorders or injuries and reduce the effects of altered structures due to pathologies such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, dyslexia, ADHD or insomnia, etc.

What are the most common difficulties patients face?

– It is difficult to give a clear answer to this question due to the variety and degree of damage/disorders that patients struggle with. Some will have trouble understanding a simple command, others with balance. Still others will have sensory disorders in a given limb, which will make it difficult for them to perform an exercise or movement. The range of difficulties is wide. I do not want to determine what is most common, because overcoming each difficulty is a great effort for the patient. We invite you to a consultation at the Rehabilitation Center in Przemyśl. We will do everything to make it easier for each of our patients to get fit.