Rehabilitation Medicine
Doctor Guru's Featured Rehabilitation Specialists in Singapore
Rehab Medicine Involves a Broad Scope of Services
Rehab medicine, or rehabilitation medicine and services, are an important aspect of ongoing and aftercare services for individuals experiencing a variety of physical ailments. Rehab medicine involves numerous forms of rehabilitation including but not limited to:
- Physical rehab
- Occupational rehab
- Speech and language rehab
Such forms of rehabilitation involve processes through which individuals recover from illness or injury. The goal of rehabilitation is to regain mobility, range of motion, and function in damaged, diseased, or otherwise injured areas of the body.
Types of Rehabilitation Medicine
The most common forms of rehabilitative medicine and services include those involved in physical, occupational, and speech and language therapies. Physical rehabilitation focuses on increasing mobility, function, range of motion and quality of life from those who have been injured or are dealing with the aftermath of spinal cord damage, a heart attack, stroke, or an amputation.
Cardiac rehab specialists focus on working with individuals who have experienced a stroke or heart attack. The focus of their care, treatments and therapies is to regain function and motion in extremities that have been damaged by lack of oxygen. Cardiac rehab services are medically supervised and also include education, exercise training and guidance in proper diet and nutrition.
Occupational rehab services focus on helping individuals recover from a chronic illness, a heart attack, or a stroke. Such therapy focuses on maintaining or even improving the skills necessary for daily living, including bathing, dressing, cooking, feeding, grooming, and so forth. An occupational specialist also helps individuals deal with cognitive and physical changes in their daily environment, skill levels, and attitudes.
Speech and language therapy is commonly recommended for individuals diagnosed with neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease, or those who have suffered a stroke that causes partial paralysis in the face or throat. Swallowing disorders are also under the purview of the speech and language therapist. A speech and language therapist also works to improve communication with those diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as hearing loss, speech impediments, and forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s.
Rehabilitation medicine is all about increasing independence, maintaining quality of life, and improving mobility, range of motion, and function in individuals, whether they live at home, are recuperating from an accident or surgery, or receiving ongoing therapy or treatments following an accident, sports injury, or even a fall.
Who Performs Rehab Medicine Services?
A number of trained, certified and licensed medical personnel may be involved in rehab medicine. Some of the most common include:
- Social workers (for emotional and drug rehab services)
- Speech and language pathologists
- Physical therapists (also known as physiotherapists)
- Occupational therapists
- Rehabilitation nurses and other support staff
A rehabilitative nurse is a licensed and certified nurse that helps maintain or improve range of motion, mobility, balance and coordination in individuals affected with a physical disability or diagnosed with a chronic illness. This care focuses on helping individuals adapt to their current disability or limitations as well as increase function in physical and mental capabilities.
Rehab medicine involves a broad range of healthcare professionals, all of whom must undergo basic medical training as well as specific training in various areas of rehab medicine, depending on preference, scope, skills, and needs. Certification and licensing is a must, whether a rehab specialist works in home health, a long-term care facility, or a hospital.
Therapists must study a variety of curriculum including but not limited to basic medical sciences, pathology, biomechanics, and neuroanatomy. They must also complete national testing standards in written as well as clinical examinations to receive certification or licensure from accredited and professional therapy organizations.