We’re into the second month of 2021 which marks a great time to check in with news regarding the world of physiotherapy. After all, many of you made physio a part of your new year goals, and hearing about the discipline’s effectiveness from the mainstream media certainly helps validate the necessity of it. So what’s been happening around the globe? Let’s find out.
Recent Media Reports Regarding Physiotherapy You Need to Know About
Spotlight Continues to Shine on Physio for COVID-19 Rehabilitation
We have already discussed the direct applications of physiotherapy for COVID-19 patient rehabilitation. However, as the months from 2020 pass into 2021 scientists and the medical profession have learned even more, and as a result the spotlight on physiotherapy’s role is shining even brighter. Last week, the BBC released yet another article heralding the benefits of physio for COVID-19 patients who had been admitted to and discharged from an ICU. Again, while we have detailed those benefits here, allow us to share some important quotes from the news release:
“Other tasks, according to David McWilliams, a consultant physiotherapist at Coventry’s University Hospital, include clearing secretions from the lungs of patients on ventilators, and helping re-expand collapsed areas. That made, he said, ‘physiotherapy vital in these early stages’ of treatment'”
“The sickest patients could lose up to 20% of their total muscle in seven days on a ventilator so ‘can’t sit or move’ when they come off the apparatus, adding to their fear and confusion”
“I think the pandemic has highlighted the vital role of physiotherapists within ICU, both within the NHS and the wider population'”
With vaccines making their rounds across Canada we’re nearing the finish line of a return to normal. But for many stricken by the virus physiotherapy will play an integral role in recovery for many more months to come.
Physio Gives Canada Another Shot at the NBA Playoffs
Moving on to a lighter topic, we switch focus to the world of professional sports, namely the NBA, which is the perfect segue given that the league was the one to thrive during a summer of athletic lockdowns – thanks in part to physiotherapy.
After nearly making the finals again in 2020, Canada’s team (Toronto Raptors) fell short in the Eastern Conference playoffs. But after a VERY short off-season we were glad to have them back in action again, with eyes on the prize for the 2021 title. But then in late December the Raptors lost star Pascal Siakam to an injury. All of sudden Canada’s hopes of having an NBA playoff contender were dashed. Fast forward to today and we find that the power forward is not only back in action, but dominating on the floor and in the air. He is now averaging nearly 20-points while setting new career-highs in rebounds (7.9) and assists (4.6) per game. So what’s different?
Like with people from all walks of life, his injury led to a renewed focus on physiotherapy:
“It was vital to make sure the strength and condition work was complementing specific attributes Siakam was trying to develop on the court – balance and power off one leg at the rim, for example – annd that the physiotherapy program was properly identifying and correcting deficiencies that enhanced his strength work, and that all of it was being done in a progressive way so he wasn’t fatigued and at risk of injury.” (via SportsNet)
While the Canada’s NBA team has a bit of a hole to climb out of (sitting 10th in the Eastern conference), having a rehabilitated and revamped all-star on deck has made playoff prospects bright. Go team!
Make physiotherapy a part of your own news story. Contact our Burnaby clinic today to schedule a consultation.