Patients with high paraplegia require rehabilitation therapy.
Disease description:
I became a quadriplegic due to an accident and have lost sensation and mobility below the chest. Now I lie in bed all day, unable to care for myself, and I am filled with inner pain. I understand that rehabilitation treatment is important, but I don't know exactly how to proceed. How can rehabilitation therapy be conducted for quadriplegia?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Chen Jian
High paraplegia generally refers to the loss of sensory and motor function below the chest or neck due to spinal cord injury. It is an extremely severe neurological disorder.
For patients with high paraplegia, rehabilitation therapy is of great significance. It can effectively prevent muscle atrophy and joint stiffness, and reduce the likelihood of complications such as pressure ulcers and deep vein thrombosis.
The treatment of high paraplegia encompasses a wide range of approaches.
For example, patients should be turned regularly and have their positions changed, receive muscle massage and electrical stimulation as part of physical therapy, and perform flexion and extension exercises for key joints such as the hips, knees, ankles, and elbows.
The focus of physical therapy is to maintain and improve muscle strength, joint mobility, and cardiopulmonary function. It involves methods such as functional electrical stimulation, hydrotherapy, and thermotherapy to prevent complications like pressure ulcers and deep vein thrombosis, and to promote nerve regeneration and functional recovery.
In addition, medication and surgical treatments are also important components in managing high paraplegia.
However, the specific treatment approach chosen, or how these approaches are combined, must be carefully tailored to the individual patient's specific circumstances when formulating a treatment plan.
