Happy New Year 2016

Wishing you a bright, prosperous, successful and glorious 2016. Happy New Year

I Love My Physio campaign in Australia

After surviving a horror cycling accident that left her unable to walk, Kirsten Koh refused to settle for just being alive.

The one-time triathlon fanatic was determined to compete again, even though that meant completely re-learning how to run, swim and cycle.

A truck driver left Ms Koh critically injured after accidentally ploughing into her in the midst of a cycling session in her native Singapore in 2011.

“I have no memory of the accident itself,” she said.

“My friend tells me that one second I was riding alongside her and the next I had been replaced by a lorry with sparks flying from its undercarriage.”

Ms Koh was mangled from the waist down - breaks in both ankles, both femurs, her left tibia and fibula, a pelvis shattered in three places and a broken shoulder for good measure.

It was nine months before she was cleared to walk again, but her recovery did not end there.

After moving to Australia, the Ardross-based Ms Koh teamed up with Physiotherapist Neil Drouet in mid-2013 with one goal in mind: completing the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42km run of the Challenge Roth ironman in Germany.

“Physically, I had doubts whether it was possible,” Mr Drouet admitted. But you meet Kirsten and you very quickly see that mentally, no matter how many barriers get put up, she is going to keep trying to push past them.”

Ms Koh had already rehabilitated enough to resume moderate cycling and swimming but a 2cm difference between her left and right legs made running more difficult.

“Our focus was on improving Kirsten’s musculoskeletal balance so that she could move more normally,” Mr Drouet said.

Ms Koh’s assessment is more blunt.

“I was running like a poorly-stringed puppet,” she said.

With the aid of Mr Drouet – and a special anti-gravity treadmill – Ms Koh completely overhauled her running stride. “We started her off at a low weight to get her running pattern as normal as possible, increasing how much running she could manage and then slowly putting the weight back on building up towards race day,” he said.

Race day came on July 20, 2014, with Ms Koh successfully completing the gruelling event in 15 hours, 31 minutes and 40 seconds.

Ms Koh credits Mr Drouet for much of her remarkable recovery and is highlighting the physiotherapist as part of the Australian Physiotherapy Association’s I Love My Physio campaign.

“Some of my previous physios were very conservative and I felt like I was being treated like a grandma,” she said.

“Neil throws little carrots in front of you all the time and that is how I as an athlete function best. I feel one thousand times better now than in 2013.”

The I Love My Physio campaign aims to raise awareness of the role physiotherapists play in improving the lives of Australians, and find the most inspiring rehabilitation story.

News Link: http://www.communitynews.com.au/news/Learning-it-all-again/7680355

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Physical Therapists: A Systematic review:

Research Update: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Physical Therapists: A Systematic review:

Abstract: Physical therapists (PTs) perform demanding tasks that can lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD), but the rates and characteristics of WMSD among PTs are not well known. The objective of this systematic review of the literature was to integrate the information published on the prevalence, types, and risks for WMSD among PTs. Four databases were searched using combinations and synonyms for WMSD, discomfort, symptoms, and PTs. Two reviewers independently searched and screened peer-reviewed articles published in English evaluating WMSD in PTs; agreement between reviewers was evaluated. From 867 unduplicated articles, 32 were eligible and included. Up to 90% of PTs have WMSD during their careers; 50% experience WMSD within 5 years of practice. Low back was the body part most commonly affected. Female PTs and PTs working in hospitals have higher prevalence of WMSD. WMSD are associated with PTs' age, gender, specialty and job tasks. Performing manual therapy, lifting and transferring patients are tasks commonly associated with PTs' developing WMSD. The body parts affected differed by specialty and tasks. The findings presented in this review are useful to inform future research, quality improvement, and educational programs to reduce the rates of WMSD among PTs.-Complied by Physiotherapy Jobs Portal: www.physiotherapyjobs.co.in

Journal: Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, vol. Preprint, no. Preprint, pp. 1-12, Nov 2015

Authors: Vieira, Edgar R. | Schneider, Paul | Guidera, Casey | Gadotti, Inae C. | Brunt, Denis

Article Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26577282

Chhattisgarh Physiotherapy Council Update

Chhattisgarh government is all set to regularize the working of Physio and Occupational therapists in the state with the introduction of the Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Council Bill 2015, which make registrations of such therapists, besides setting parameters and quality of working standards for them.

The draft for the proposed bill was cleared at a cabinet meeting, headed by chief Minister, Dr Raman Singh, on Sunday. The Bill is likely to be introduced in the ensuing winter session of the state assembly, which will commence on Dec 16. The bill proposes that only registered physiotherapists will be allowed to practice in the state and it provides for Rs.One lakh fine for practicing without registration, besides one-year sentence for repeated offenders. The Director Medical Education (DME) will be the Ex Officio President of the Council. Congrats to all the Physiotherapists and Physiotherapy Students who had worked hard to achieve this .-Professional date by Physiotherapy Jobs Portal

News Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Chhattisgarh-to-regularize-working-of-physio-and-occupational-therapists/articleshow/50161430.cms

“iHunch” , “Text Neck”, “iPosture”

There are plenty of reasons to put our cellphones down now and then, not least the fact that incessantly checking them takes us out of the present moment and disrupts family dinners around the globe. But here’s one you might not have considered: Smartphones are ruining our posture. And bad posture doesn’t just mean a stiff neck. It can hurt us in insidious psychological ways.

If you’re in a public place, look around: How many people are hunching over a phone? Technology is transforming how we hold ourselves, contorting our bodies into what the New Zealand physiotherapist Steve August calls the “iHunch”. I’ve also heard people call it “Text neck”, and in my work I sometimes refer to it as “iPosture”.

The average head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds. When we bend our necks forward 60 degrees, as we do to use our phones, the effective stress on our neck increases to 60 pounds — the weight of about five gallons of paint. When Mr. August started treating patients more than 30 years ago, he says he saw plenty of “dowagers’ humps, where the upper back had frozen into a forward curve, in grandmothers and great-grandmothers.” Now he says he’s seeing the same stoop in teenagers.

When we’re sad, we slouch. We also slouch when we feel scared or powerless. Studies have shown that people with clinical depression adopt a posture that eerily resembles the iHunch. One, published in 2010 in the official journal of the Brazilian Psychiatric Association, found that depressed patients were more likely to stand with their necks bent forward, shoulders collapsed and arms drawn in toward the body.

Posture doesn’t just reflect our emotional states; it can also cause them. In a study published in Health Psychology earlier this year, Shwetha Nair and her colleagues assigned non-depressed participants to sit in an upright or slouched posture and then had them answer a mock job-interview question, a well-established experimental stress inducer, followed by a series of questionnaires. Compared with upright sitters, the slouchers reported significantly lower self-esteem and mood, and much greater fear. Posture affected even the contents of their interview answers: Linguistic analyses revealed that slouchers were much more negative in what they had to say. The researchers concluded, “Sitting upright may be a simple behavioral strategy to help build resilience to stress.”

Slouching can also affect our memory: In a study published last year in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy of people with clinical depression, participants were randomly assigned to sit in either a slouched or an upright position and then presented with a list of positive and negative words. When they were later asked to recall those words, the slouchers showed a negative recall bias (remembering the bad stuff more than the good stuff), while those who sat upright showed no such bias. And in a 2009 study of Japanese schoolchildren, those who were trained to sit with upright posture were more productive than their classmates in writing assignments.

How else might iHunching influence our feelings and behaviors? My colleague Maarten W. Bos and I have done preliminary research on this. We randomly assigned participants to interact for five minutes with one of four electronic devices that varied in size: a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop and a desktop computer. We then looked at how long subjects would wait to ask the experimenter whether they could leave, after the study had clearly concluded. We found that the size of the device significantly affected whether subjects felt comfortable seeking out the experimenter, suggesting that the slouchy, collapsed position we take when using our phones actually makes us less assertive — less likely to stand up for ourselves when the situation calls for it.

In fact, there appears to be a linear relationship between the size of your device and the extent to which it affects you: the smaller the device, the more you must contract your body to use it, and the more shrunken and inward your posture, the more submissive you are likely to become.

A thought: why not actually design a device around the human body and to be ergonomic in the first place, instead of changing the designs...

Ironically, while many of us spend hours every day using small mobile devices to increase our productivity and efficiency, interacting with these objects, even for short periods of time, might do just the opposite, reducing our assertiveness and undermining our productivity.

Despite all this, we rely on our mobile devices far too much to give them up, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Fortunately, there are ways to fight the iHunch.

Keep your head up and shoulders back when looking at your phone, even if that means holding it at eye level. You can also try stretching and massaging the two muscle groups that are involved in the iHunch — those between the shoulder blades and the ones along the sides of the neck. This helps reduce scarring and restores elasticity.

Finally, the next time you reach for your phone, remember that it induces slouching, and slouching changes your mood, your memory and even your behavior. Your physical posture sculpts your psychological posture, and could be the key to a happier mood and greater self-confidence.

New Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/opinion/sunday/your-iphone-is-ruining-your-posture-and-your-mood.html?_r=0

Physiotherapy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) Often As Effective as Surgery

Physical Therapy for CTS Often As Effective as Surgery:

Results of a randomized clinical trial, published in The Journal of Pain, showed that surgery and Manual physical therapies were similarly effective in improving pain and function for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

The Journal of Pain is the peer-review publication of the American Pain Society.

A multicenter team of Spanish researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial to compare the one-year effectiveness of manual physical therapies, including desensitization maneuvers of the central nervous system, and surgery in patients with CTS. CTS surgery has the highest utilization rate among upper extremity procedures performed.

CTS is a pain disorder in the upper extremity caused by compression of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel. Prevalence in the United States is estimated at 6 to 11 percent, and six-year cumulative lost income per patient ranges from $45,000 to $89,000, according to the study. Treatment can be conservative or surgical, but scientific evidence for each therapeutic option is conflicting.

For the study, 120 women with CTS were randomized in two groups: treatment with physical therapy and treatment with surgery. At 12 months, 92 percent of the study participants completed the follow-up.

The researchers found that patients who had surgery and those treated with physical therapy showed similar outcomes for pain relief and function at six months and 12 months. However, patients assigned to physical therapy experienced significantly greater relief of symptoms and improvements in hand function at one and three months.

Based in Chicago, the American Pain Society (APS) is a multidisciplinary community that brings together scientists, clinicians and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering. 

Manual Physical Therapy Versus Surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Parallel-Group Trial.

J Pain. 2015 Nov;16(11):1087-94. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2015.07.012. Epub 2015 Aug 15.

Fernández-de-Las Peñas C, Ortega-Santiago R, de la Llave-Rincón AI, Martínez-Perez A, Fahandezh-Saddi Díaz H, Martínez-Martín J, Pareja JA,Cuadrado-Pérez ML

Abstract

This randomized clinical trial investigated the effectiveness of surgery compared with physical therapy consisting of manual therapies including desensitization maneuvers in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The setting was a public hospital and 2 physical therapy practices in Madrid, Spain. One hundred twenty women with CTS were enrolled between February 2013 and January 2014, with 1-year follow-up completed in January 2015. Interventions consisted of 3 sessions of manual therapies including desensitization maneuvers of the central nervous system (physical therapy group, n = 60) or decompression/release of the carpal tunnel (surgical group, n = 60). The primary outcome was pain intensity (mean pain and the worst pain), and secondary outcomes included functional status and symptoms severity subscales of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire and the self-perceived improvement. They were assessed at baseline and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months by a blinded assessor. Analysis was by intention to treat. At 12 months, 111 (92%) women completed the follow-up (55/60 physical therapy, 56/60 surgery). Adjusted analyses showed an advantage (all, P < .01) for physical therapy at 1 and 3 months in mean pain (Δ -2.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) -2.8 to -1.2]/-1.3 [95% CI -2.1 to -.6]), the worst pain (Δ -2.9 [-4.0 to -2.0]/-2.0 [-3.0 to -.9]), and function (Δ -.8 [-1.0 to -.6]/-.3 [-.5 to -.1]), respectively. Changes in pain and function were similar between the groups at 6 and 12 months. The 2 groups had similar improvements in the symptoms severity subscale of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire at all follow-ups. In women with CTS, physical therapy may result in similar outcomes on pain and function to surgery.

Perspective:

This study found that surgery and physical manual therapies including desensitization maneuvers of the central nervous system were similarly effective at medium-term and long-term follow-ups for improving pain and function but that physical therapy led to better outcomes in the short term.

News & Article Sources:

1. http://physical-therapy.advanceweb.com/News/Daily-News-Watch/Physical-Therapy-for-CTS-Often-As-Effective-as-Surgery.aspx

2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26281946

A Physiotherapy Graduate wins the Miss India Wheelchair Beauty Pageant for Differently Abled

"You just flow with the winds," says a sprightly Priya Bhargava, a Physiotherapy Graduate who won Miss India Wheelchair beauty pageant for differently abled over the weekend in Bangalore.

In its third year, the contest which was held in Bengaluru, provides a platform for differently abled women. It is around this time that Priya, in search of new avenues and to generate hope by keeping herself busy in something new and different, chanced upon the beauty pageant contest on Facebook. With the support and encouragement of her parents and elder sister (married in USA), Priya now wants to clear the UPSC exams.

From a Bachelors of Physiotherapy then Diploma in Nutrition and Health Education twice, Priya finally pursued BCA and MCA through IGNOU in which she topped in Noida regional centre.

Diagnosed with Lupus Erythematosus at the age of 19, a condition in which the immune system attacks healthy tissues, Priya recounted how she had endured several long hospitalisations to treat a damaged spine. It disrupted her studies and future prospects. "I'd enjoyed the luxury of being able for over 19 years. Then suddenly, I was disabled. Skin infections followed. I was depressed but fought back," said Priya, adding how painting, crafts, blogging and poetry helped her overcome depression.

Miss Wheelchair India - a category a pageant is for unmarried wheelchair bound ladies. In its third year, the contest which was held in Bengaluru, provides a platform for differently abled women. "It's a huge platform for people like me to come out and tell the world that we are as normal as the abled and we have learnt how to deal with the problems that we face," Priya told TOI. 

The pageant which is supported by an NGO called S J Foundation under Dr Rajlakshmi S J, also holds contests in category B - for all kinds of differently abled people, category C for married differently abled and Mr wheelchair India (to be held in Mumbai on Dec 20). With the support and encouragement of her parents and elder sister (married in USA), Priya now wants to clear the UPSC exams. One who's coping with her condition constructively, Priya claims to have accepted her situation. 

News Sources:

1. http://www.nyoooz.com/noida/285703/priya-bhargava58-a-miss-india-wheelchair

2. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/On-wheelchair-she-aces-beauty-pageant/articleshow/50115227.cms

Physiotherapist Jobs in India and Saudi Arabia- December 2015

December 06- Physiotherapist Vacancies in Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,  Coimbatore, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
For details register in Physiotherapy Jobs Portal www.physiotherapyjobs.co.in
– Updated on December 06, 2015
Website: www.physiotherapyjobs.co.in
-A Registered Job Portal for Indian Physiotherapists for Job Search, Assistance and Career building
(Service Tax Code & Registration Number: DSFPS4451BSD001)

Physiotherapist Job in Kerala , Dec 2015

Calicut- Physiotherapist vacancies for an Established Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre at Kozhikode (Calicut), Kerala.

Qualification: BPT with 0-4 yrs experience.
Should be well versed in Malayalam Language.
Salary is negotiable as per skills and performance in interview.

Should join duty in January 2016.Physiotherapists residing in Calicut or in nearby districts of Kerala can apply.

E-Mail: physiotherapyjobs.einsy@gmail.com

(Mention the Job Code “PTJ-BPT Calicut” the subject line of the mail)

Direct Recruitment by Physiotherapy Jobs Portal
www.physiotherapyjobs.co.in

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: December 03

3rd December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities: The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.

It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. Physiotherapists are instrumental in working with people and populations to optimise functioning and minimise disability.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is celebrating the day with an event around the WHO Global Disability Action Plan 2014-2021: Better health for all people with disability, which will have a special focus on Community-based rehabilitation (CBR).  The occasion will be used to launch the CBR Indicators Manual and the CBR Online Training Tool.

WHO has also produced an infographic "Better health for people with disabilities", available for download at: www.who.int/disabilities/infographic/en/

The Government of India is launching the Accessible India campaign, the government envisions to have an inclusive society in which equal opportunities and access is provided for the growth and development of persons with disabilities to lead productive, safe and dignified lives, said secretary Lov Verma. The campaign will focus on three verticals: built environment; public transportation and information and communication technologies.-News update by Physiotherapy Jobs Portal

Chennai Floods Helpline Numbers of Army, Navy and Corporation

Pray for Chennai, Pray for Sunshine
Army helpline +91 9840295100
Navy helpline 044-25394240 / 27237107
#ChennaiRainsHelp

Advanced Robotic Device for Physiotherapy in Dubai Health Authority (DHA)

Advanced Robotic Device for Physiotherapy:  An advanced Robot introduced by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) will encourage physical and neurological therapy patients regain their independence.

Dubai: An advanced robotic device equipped with augmented reality will now teach patients with physical and neurological injuries to walk in much less time as compared to conventional physiotherapy approaches.

The device, to be made available to all patients at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA)- run Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre (DPRC), will help patients recover mobility and independence by adopting new techniques.

His Excellency, Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Dubai Health Authority, highlighted the importance of procuring the latest technology in healthcare to improve patient outcomes.

Dr Amal Al Shamlan, Director of DPRC, said: “The device is an excellent addition to our facility. It will enhance the progress of gait training for our patients of all ages with physical and neurological limitations. More than 75 patients at the centre will immediately benefit from the introduction of this device. Of these several are children.”

Al Shamlan said the robotic-assisted device allows patients to regain their ability to walk in less time when compared to conventional therapy approaches and is the only device that offers the unique feature of realistically simulating climbing stairs and can be operated by one therapist only.

The device stimulates the action of walking and climbing stairs and patients can decide the amount of assistance they need with one touch. They can increase or decrease the amount of assistance needed as per their condition and progress.

The device has an augmented reality feature so that patients can select forest or beach trails while performing their physiotherapy sessions. It also has interactive games so that children enjoy their physiotherapy.

Al Shamlan said the introduction of this device is aimed at helping patients recover mobility and their independency in daily living - News update by Physiotherapy Jobs Portal (www.physiotherapyjobs.co.in) for Information purpose.

Attached picture is for Illustration purpose only.

News Sources:

1. http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/health/advanced-robotic-device-for-physiotherapy-1.1629200

2. http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/robot-for-dubai-patient-to-regain-ability-to-walk-2015-11-30-1.612404

UAE Process for Physiotherapists can be read in the Link: 
http://physiotherapy-jobs.blogspot.in/2015/11/united-arab-emirates-uae-dha-and-haad.html

Physiotherapy Jobs Portal www.physiotherapyjobs.co.in -India's first and exclusive registered Job Portal for Physiotherapists since 2010 for Membership, Job updates and License Study Material.