Explainer: All About Rehabilitation Exercises

Let’s get you back in shape! Here are some of the most recommended therapies and exercises for a variety of ailments and disorders that might be crippling you or your beloved ones. Kindly consult your therapist before you begin with any of these exercises and rehabilitation.

Types Of Pulmonary/Lung Rehabilitation

If you have a pulmonary/Lung disease then Pulmonary exercises will enable you to leverage your lungs to their max capacity. Pulmonary rehabilitation generally involves Inspiratory Muscle Training, Exercise Training, Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation, and Nutritional Counselling.

The entire course of rehabilitation could be anywhere near 12 weeks to the extent of how the patient copes with the therapy. Besides the conventional program, additional aid like Oxygen therapy and Chest therapy is also provided, subject to the patient’s need.

Vestibular Rehabilitation Exercise

Vestibular Rehabilitation in common parlance is known as ‘Balance Rehabilitation’. Generally, this therapy is applied to patients with a varying degree of motion sickness, dizziness, post-traumatic vertigo, etc. However, this therapy is not recommended for patients with low BP, vertigo, medicinal reactions, etc. Following treatments may involve vestibular therapy.

BPPV treatment
Balance Exercises
Gaze Exercises
Visual Dependence Exercises
Physical Conditioning Exercises
New Exercises like Ocular Tracking, Otolith Recalibration, Axial Weight Loading, etc.

Stroke Rehabilitation Exercises

NCBI states Strokes as one of the leading causes of death and disability in India. The country accounts for over 60% of the patients globally. Over the years survival rates in stroke cases have significantly increased with better medications and therapies. However, it’s worth noting that only about 10% of stroke victims make a full recovery.

In most cases, physical therapies can do wonders for the patients as research indicates, physical exercises improve the quality of life of the affected.

Some of the more common Stroke Rehabilitation Exercises involve

Arm Exercises
Balance Exercises
Core Exercises
Hand Exercises
Leg Exercises

Shoulder Exercises

Respiratory Rehabilitation Exercise

Pulmonary rehabilitation exercises are required by patients with weaker lungs in general owing to multiple factors including sedentary lifestyle and chain-smoking. Respiratory rehabilitation enhances lung capacity and thereby regulates normal breathing amongst the patients. Here are some of the more common respiratory rehabilitation exercises.

Qingong Belly Breathing or Diaphragmatic Breathing
Pursed Lips Breathing
Humming
Interval Training

Knee Injury Rehabilitation Exercises

Knee pain and injury is a very common orthopedic problem. In severe cases, it might even call for a surgery. However, in both surgical and non-surgical cases, rehabilitation exercise will restore strength and flexibility of the knees.

Knee sprain rehabilitation exercises typically involve,

Stretching Out - these are simple stretching exercises that incorporate leg stretches (as guided by the physio).
Exercises for Muscles around Knees - some of the exercises to strengthen muscles surrounding the knee are Quadricep strengthening, Calf strengthening, hamstring strengthening, etc.
Hip Stabilisers - this one’s rather uncommon but usually is applied for strengthening the hip muscles.
Muscle Endurance - some exercises like cycling, swimming etc would help strengthen muscles around the knees. However, avoid downhill running and probably staircase workouts.

Rehabilitation Exercises For The Elderly

Seniors require a substantial amount of medical assistance and therapeutic care. Especially with arthritic conditions and other chronic diseases. Even a healthy 60 something should incorporate exercises that will strengthen muscles and help with flexibility and balance. Some of the more common rehabilitation exercises for the elderly are

Balance Rehabilitation Exercises
Lower Body Balance Exercises - Heel raises, Ankle movements, etc.
Upper Body Balance and Flexibility Exercises - Shoulder rolls, Sidearm lifts, Front arm lifts etc.
Coordination and Balance Improving Exercises - Heel-toe walking, Heel lifts with alternating arm lifts.

These exercises will help with posture correction and in general, improve the quality of life for the sick (and healthy) elderlies.

Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Exercises

Spinal cord injuries snaps the connection between the body and the brain. This instigates muscle weakness or failure in severe cases. Intensive therapies are suggested to inhibit recovery of mobility and flexibility in the injured patients. Some Spinal Cord rehabilitation exercises are as follows,

Motion Exercises - the purpose of motion exercises is to prevent stiffness of muscles and promote blood circulation in the paralyzed area.
Leg Exercises - leg exercises will help reduce muscle atrophy.
Hand Exercises - hand exercises will enable the patient to gain fine motor skills and control.
Core Exercises -core exercises help patients gain better balance and posture.