Physiotherapy is often used to help recover motor function and movement of joints, muscles and tendons in individuals who are affected by disability, illness or injury. By keeping the muscles active and the joints flexible, it prevents wasting and deterioration of function, as well as promoting rehabilitation.Neurophysiotherapy is a specialist branch of physiotherapy dedicated to improving the function of patients who have suffered physical impairment caused by neurological conditions.Any neurological condition that affects movement and physical ability can be treated using neurophysiotherapy. Some common conditions in which this is useful include:

Stroke Traumatic brain Injury/head Injury Spinal cord injury Multiple sclerosis (MS) Parkinson’s disease Bell’s palsy

Depending on the medical condition, the effects may range from motor deficits, paralysis, tremor and spasm to ataxia or lack of sensation. This is because damage to the central nervous system can lead to the breakdown of afferent and efferent pathways carrying nerve signals to and from muscles and organs, causing the symptoms of neurological conditions.

The aim of neurophysiotherapy is to help rehabilitate physical impairments caused by neurological conditions as already mentioned. It is tailored to the specific needs of each individual with a personalized goal-oriented target. For example, does the patient need big improvements such as learning to walk again, or is it small fine movements that need correction? This will be determined by trained neurological physiotherapists on an initial visit

The brain is able to both lose and form new connections, a phenomenon called neuroplasticity. Neurophysiotherapy is different from traditional physiotherapy in that it takes advantage of this phenomenon, helping the brain to form new synaptic connections. In effect, it rewires the brain to learn or re-learn tasks and abilities.

Last Updated on: Jul 03, 2024