Physical rehabilitation: how to accelerate healing times?

January 20, 2020

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Some complementary therapies enhance the effects of traditional treatments and allow recovery of motor functions, coordination, and movement of the affected parts in a shorter period of time. For this reason, the patient returns more quickly to his daily activities.

Physical rehabilitation is a set of therapies that aim to recover the capacities that have been lost due to an injury or trauma. Its greatest interest is to ensure that the patient can return to his daily activities in an optimal way.

Most people go through physical rehabilitation at some time in charge of a multidisciplinary team of professionals who analyze the case and determine the best options. The team may include physiatrists, kinesiologists, traumatologists, sports medicine specialists, among others.

At present, and worldwide, some of the most frequent injuries that require rehabilitation are those that occur in the spine, knee, elbow, and hand. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), rehabilitation may include:

  • Exercises to recover the ability to swallow, regain coordination, dexterity, and movement of those parts of the body that have been affected in an accident.
  • Surgical interventions in cases of fracture.
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy and interventions to encourage the patient to maintain a higher level of physical activity.
  • Therapies to facilitate daily activities such as moving independently or cleaning.

Rehabilitation is not exclusive for people with permanent disorders but is part of the treatment of any patient who has suffered an injury or trauma that affects their daily lives.

Why is physical rehabilitation important?

Rehabilitation can reduce the effects of acute or chronic diseases, disorders, injuries or trauma. That is why it acts as a complement to medical or surgical interventions to accelerate recovery and obtain better results.

In addition, you can avoid complications in spinal injuries, strokes or fractures. It is essential to understand that it is beneficial for both the patient and their families since it can avoid or reduce hospitalizations and accelerate the return to daily and work activities.

Often times are usually long and require a commitment from the patient and the medical team to achieve the objectives. Sometimes the patient does not have enough time to attend sessions for extended periods and seeks a faster solution. That is why adjuvant therapies have emerged that enhance the effect of traditional rehabilitation and accelerate recovery. One of these treatments is Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy.

Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy, a valuable tool for rehabilitation

In this non-invasive treatment the patient enters the hyperbaric chamber and through a mask breathes high concentrations of oxygen at a pressure higher than normal atmospheric. By having greater availability of oxygen, beneficial effects for the body are achieved and the recovery of pathologies that exhibit inflammation and pain is accelerated.

Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy is a complementary and adjuvant treatment that accompanies but does not supplant, the entire physical rehabilitation process. It enhances the effects of conventional treatments and helps recover motor functions, coordination and movement of the affected parts. For this reason, it facilitates the patient to return to their daily activities.

It is widely used in trauma that affects different organs and tissues such as acute traumatic ischemia, crush injuries and injuries that compromise nerve, muscle and bone tissue. Dr. Mariana Cannellotto (MN 108482) – Medical Director of BioBarica – affirms: “The use of the hyperbaric chamber favors the recovery of sequelae resulting from surgery, traumatic, muscular, ligament and even cerebrovascular accidents (CVA). This is the reason why it has become popular in sports medicine”.

Recovery from an injury follows a fairly constant pattern, regardless of the cause. In this process, the inflammatory phase, the proliferative phase, and the remodeling phase are identified. Oxygen has an important role in each of these phases.

In the inflammatory phase, hyperbaric oxygen reduces edema, inflammation and, consequently, pain. In the proliferative phase, it favors the synthesis of collagen and therefore the process of tissue recovery, bone regeneration, and muscle repair. Finally, in the regenerative stage accelerates healing.

In summary, Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy should be indicated by a doctor. Among its main effects: it helps relieve pain, reduce inflammation and edema, the risk of complications, reconstitute perfusion, reduce tremor and stiffness, improve neuronal recovery and quality of life. It is proven that the results in patients with trauma, brain and spinal injury and sequelae of different processes, are very promising.

Advised: Dr. Mariana Cannellotto- Medical Director of BioBarica. (MN 108482).

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