Rehabilitation is a form of care that helps individuals regain, maintain, or improve the skills they need for daily living. This can be due to illness, injury, or side effects of medical treatment. There are three main types of rehabilitation therapy: occupational, physical, and speech therapy. All of these forms of rehabilitation have the same ultimate goal: to help the patient return to a healthy and active lifestyle. Rehabilitation is the restoration of optimal form (anatomy) and function (physiology).
The rehabilitation team or therapist sets short- and long-term goals for each problem. For example, a person with a hand injury may have a restricted range of motion and weakness. Short-term goals may be to increase the range of motion by a certain amount and increase the grip strength by as many kilos. The long-term goal may be to play the piano again. Short-term goals are set to provide an immediate and achievable goal.
Long-term goals are set to help people understand what to expect from rehabilitation and where they can expect to be in several months. People are encouraged to achieve each goal in the short term, and the team closely monitors progress. Goals can be changed if people don't want or can't continue (financially or otherwise) or if they progress more slowly or quickly than expected. The first stage of recovery is to minimize further damage and let the body begin the healing process. The body's first reaction to injury is inflammation and pain.
The better you can regulate inflammation, control pain, and protect the injured body part to prevent further damage, we have begun the recovery process. Occupational Therapy (OT) is a component of rehabilitation that aims to improve a person's ability to perform basic self-care activities, useful work and leisure activities. The rehabilitation process itself can be divided into four basic stages:
Stage 1: Minimizing Further Damage
The first stage of recovery is to minimize further damage and let the body begin the healing process. This includes controlling inflammation, managing pain, and protecting the injured body part from further damage.Stage 2: Restoring Function
The second stage focuses on restoring function by improving range of motion, strength, coordination, balance, endurance, and other skills needed for daily living.Stage 3: Relearning Skills
The third stage focuses on relearning skills that may have been lost due to injury or illness. This includes activities such as walking, dressing, eating, bathing, driving, using assistive devices such as wheelchairs or walkers, and using adaptive equipment.Stage 4: Reintegration
The fourth stage focuses on reintegrating into society by returning to work or school or participating in leisure activities.This stage also includes learning how to cope with any residual physical or emotional issues that may remain after rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is an important part of recovery from illness or injury. It helps individuals regain their independence and return to their normal lives as quickly as possible.
