How physiotherapy can help you after a Traumatic Brain Injury

What is a Traumatic Brain Injury?

A head injury causes damage to the brain by limiting blood flow and the supply of oxygen or by applying pressure on the brain. This leads to death of brain cells.

A head injury or a traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when an outside force damages the brain, such as a blow to the head which may lead to physical and cognitive impairments.

TBI is commonly referred to as a head injury which involves damages to the brain causing difficulties with communication, cognitive ability, and movement such as poor coordination and balance.

Common causes of head injuries are:

• Road traffic accidents
• Sports-related injuries
• Accidents or falls in the home or workplace
• Violent assaults

The long-term consequences of a head injury or a traumatic brain injury (TBI), can affect all aspects of everyday life, including movement, perception, cognition, communication, and personality.

Non-physical effects include:

• Cognition (thinking, memory, and reasoning)
• Sensory processing (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell)
• Communication (expression and understanding)
• Behaviour (depression, anxiety, personality changes, aggression, and social inappropriateness)

Physical effects include:

• Reduced mobility
• Changes to muscle tone
• Abnormal movement patterns
• Reduced muscle strength
• Reduced coordination in the body, arms, and legs
• Loss of balance

Benefits of physiotherapy after a head injury

Head injury rehabilitation physiotherapy will focus on improving physical symptoms. Treatment will aim to improve your mobility and muscle control and to make everyday tasks a great deal easier. The goal will be to increase your quality of life by promoting functional independence and reducing the impact on your life.

Starting your physiotherapy as soon as possible after discharge from hospital will greatly benefit your recovery, as the brain is adaptable and significant improvements can be made. Long-term improvements can be felt over several years as it may take time to reach your full potential. Receiving physiotherapy after discharge from hospital enables you to make significant improvements in the comfort of your home.

Physiotherapy treatments can help in many ways:

• Promote normal movement in the arms, legs and torso
• Improve balance and posture
• Increase muscle length and relieve muscle and joint stiffness
• Increase muscle strength
• Increase range of movement
• Improvement in functional abilities
• Increase ability to roll/move in bed/sit/stand
• Increase exercise tolerance
• Prevent risk of falling
• Advise you on the use of walking aids, splints, supports and home equipment to make your life easier
• Promoting independence, a sense of wellbeing, and increasing confidence
• Improving overall quality of life

Physiotherapy treatment aims to restore you to your fullest physical capability. We will work with and advise you, your family, or home carers, to provide a holistic functional rehabilitation programme. The utilisation of other allied health care practitioners may be necessary in the rehabilitation process, such as occupational therapists, speech therapists, or home care specialists.

To arrange an assessment with one of our registered physiotherapists please contact our head office on 087 236 6518 or email us on info@physiotherapyathome.co.za, you can also book your next appointment with us on https://physiotherapyathome.co.za/booking/