Brain Spinal & Neuromuscular rehabilitation

There are various injuries and conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord. Whic in turn affects how the muscles and nerves work together to function. Our treatment focusses on long-term management of your condition. The medium we use is clinical exercise therapy. What does this include?

We evaluate and monitor aspects of your condition to ensure that you are improving your health. This includes your medical history, current physical health, symptoms you might be experiencing and goals you have. We gather this information for two primary reasons: Firstly we need this to ensure we start your physical rehabilitation at the stage it should be started at and secondly, so that we can monitor your progress in the future. The main aim of your physical rehabilitation is to improve your quality of life with clinical exercise so that you can be as independant as you can be! Get stronger and make sure you live your best life. Implemeting physical exercise therapy into your daily routine will enable you to manage your condition in the long-term.

The nervous system is vulnerable and can be damaged by the following:

• Trauma
• Infections such as meningitis, encephalitis, polio, and epidural abscess
• Degenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis, parkinson disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), alzheimer disease and other autoimmune disorders
• Structural conditions such as brain or spinal cord injury, brain or spinal cord tumors, peripheral neuropathy, and Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Chronic headache, epilepsy, dizziness, and neuralgia
• Blood flow disruption or vascular disorders such as stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA) and various hemorrhage

Type of neuromuscular conditions we assist patients with

1. Parkinson’s Disease
2. Post Stroke
3. Cerebral Palsy
4. Down syndrome
5. Spinal stenosis
6. Herniated disc
7. Chronic headache
8. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
9. Multiple sclerosis
10. Muscular dystrophy
11. Myopathy
12. Peripheral neuropathy

Signs and symptoms

Some common and general signs and symptoms of a nervous system disorder may include the following. Although each person may experience symptoms differently:

• Weakness and loss of muscle strength due to muscle wasting (Atrophy),
• Muscle weakness that can lead to twitching, cramps, aches and pains
• Movement issues
• Balance problems
• Loss of feeling or tingling
• Muscle rigidity or stiffness
• Tremors and seizures
• Back pain which radiates to the feet, toes, or other parts of the body
• Numbness, tingling or painful sensations
• Chronic headache problems
• Loss of sight or double vision
• Memory loss, lack of coordination / balance problems
• Impaired mental ability, slurred speech
• Many other symptoms unique to condition and person

The symptoms of a nervous system disorder may look like other medical conditions or problems. So always see your doctor or specialist for a diagnosis.

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How can we help you

As a biokineticist, we use exercise and movement to rehabilitate, improve and manage many injuries and conditions. We help you get stronger to walk well again. Or maybe you want stronger arms to wheel yourself in your wheelchair, maybe even do your own transfers! In exercise therapy, we also help you work on painful and or stiff muscles and joints. We teach you how to do this on your own if possible, so that you can manage your physical therapy at home too. If you have a caretaker, they are welcome to learn how to assist you with the exercises and we can work towards a better and stronger you! Exercise is not only good for muscles, bones and ligaments but also for the brain and nerves. Additionally, exercise when implemented as a therapy can be very helpful to improve the overall physiological functioning of your body and mind. So, let us help you l

earn to handle your day-to-day activities. Together we find ways to adjust to any changes in your physical abilities.

Testing muscles in neuromuscular diseases or conditions

At our practice we implement Electromyography (EMG) to record the electrical activity of muscles. By using EMG, we can get a better idea of how well your muscles are working and monitor how well your exercise therapy is going. Our EMG is a surface based test, which means it is non-invasive. We prepare your skin in the specific area of testing and place electrodes on your skin. We explain, demonstrate and complete the test per muscle and for different muscle actions. The EMG report gives us a good indication of your muscle activation and ‘health’. We will explain these tests to you, your guardian or care-taker. Future testing can be compared to initial EMG’s and will this give us an indication of the exercise therapy effectiveness.

Providing physical exercise therapy for muscles in neuromuscular diseases or conditions

By implementing EMG triggered stimulation, we are able to not only test muscle activation but provide exercise therapy to increase muscle activation. Although we may implement a variety of exercise therapy techniques, EMG triggered stimulation is one of the most effective methods available for neuromuscular rehabilitation. Additionally, the EMG device has an EMG biofeedback function, which allows the patient to experience interactive exercise therapy. The screen of the EMG device will provide feedback based on what the patient is doing during the exercises and as such give the patient direct feedback which they cannot get in any other manner.