Elderly Fitness

 Hello Everyone, I hope all are doing well.Today's blog is regarding Elderly Fitness. 

The definition of fitness for different age group varies.So when we talk about 'Elderly Fitness' we are looking at ''A person's ability to move around and to do routine activities like lifting,bending,walking, playing with grandchildren, etc with ease, thereby living a quality life independently as much as possible"

As we age there are certain things which comes as part & parcel of getting old like decline in our physical ability,cognitive ability,weight gain,etc.However, we can age gracefully by just being physically ,mentally & socially active,as major changes associated with aging may be simply due to lack of physical activity. 

In spite of our body showing the signs of aging and knowing that we need to be active, we don't do much about it. So, what are the barriers? Some of the common misconceptions or myths that prompt older people to abandon physical activity include:

Myth 1:There's no point in exercising. I am going to get old anyway or I have worked hard throughout my life and now it's time to sit back and relax.

Fact: Exercise has countless benefits for all the ages including a healthier heart, stronger bones and improved flexibility. But for seniors, there are additional benefits of reduced risk related to chronic diseases like heart diseases, diabetes,Alzheimer, dementia, certain type of cancer, high blood pressure, obesity etc.

Myth 2: Exercise puts me at risk of falling down

Fact: Regular exercise by building muscle strength and stamina, prevents loss of bone mass and improves balance which reduces risk of falling down.

Myth 3: I am too old to start exercising

Fact: No one is ever too old to get moving and improve own's health. If you have never exercised before or it's been a while still I would say just begin with gentle activities and build up from there.

Myth 4: I am too weak or have too many aches and pains

Fact: Movements help us to improve flexibility, strength and self-confidence thereby reducing or even managing regular aches and pains with less efforts. The key is to start off gently.

Any elderly individual should opt for the exercise routine which focuses on:Strength, Flexibility, Balance & Cardiac Endurance at least 2 times/week under expert guidance.

So,let's age gracefully by being little more active,by learning or acquiring a new skill & by being little more attentive or aware of our own self

Dr Pratiksha Kapadia

Neurophysiotherapist

Phone: +91 97691 15267

email: pratiksha.kapadia.86@gmail.com

Parkinson's Disease

Hello Everyone,Have you ever thought or heard about the brain getting degenerated like our muscles & joints?

The answer is YES,our brain does undergo degenerative changes with aging which is quite obvious ,but there are few conditions or disease which make this degenerative process appear either earlier or faster.And one of such neurodegenerative condition is "Parkinson's Disease"(PD)

Few Myths & facts about Parkinson's Disease (PD)

Myth : Parkinson's only affects elderly people in their 60's-70's

Facts: Parkinson's can occur even at early age of  <50 also, which is called an early onset Parkinson's & it's not very common.

Myth : Tremor is only sign of Parkinson's

Facts: Tremor is one of the many signs of PD & sometimes Tremor is not there at all,but a person might have other signs & symptoms related to movements like slowness / clumsiness of movements,stiffness in back & other joints,reduced facial expressions while talking,changes in walking patterns like lesser arm movements,smaller steps,difficulty in turning,change in speech or as simple as change in a handwriting e.g. small handwriting,signature change,cramping in hand while writing,etc.

Myth: Taking disease specific medicines will solve my movement problems
Fact : Medicines are important to take but it's not the only solution to PD.With PD, medicines & exercises go hand in hand,I mean medicines are just supplementing the substance responsible for movement which is reducing in brain,but whatever stiffness,slowness,changes in walking a person has developed over a period of time that can only get better with consistent exercise routine.

Now the question comes ,Will consistent exercise routine help to stop brain degeneration?
Exercises can not stop the degenerative process but it can surely delay the degeneration & therefore providing better quality of life  plus consistent exercise routine maximizes the effects of medicines.

At last let's see what an early onset Parkinson's patient has to say:

I,in my 40's have been diagnosed with Parkinson disease a year ago. Post that I am on medication and was advised physio therapy by the doctor. I have problems with my right hand & leg to the extent that I almost stopped using my right hand plus I started limping while walking. Earlier I took conventional physiotherapy which didn't give much improvement. Recently I came across Pratiksha Kapadia who is a neuro physio expert & she could do home visits. Being a working professional this was best suited option for me. On the first visit itself her analysis was very different than the regular Physio sessions. She has helped me with small & easy tips to do the exercises. Every session is something new and different so this makes the session interesting & don't get monotonous. Looking forward to continuing with her and getting back to normal.

Tip of the day,
1 )With Parkinson's Disease, aim & go for bigger movements as Parkinson's can really make movements slower & smaller.
2)Get yourself involved in recreational activities of singing & dancing as these two are proven effective as a therapy as well.

Neurophysiotherapist Dr Pratiksha Kapadia- 09769115267

pratiksha.kapadia.86@gmail.com

Positioning or Body Posture

Hello everyone, this post is a continuation of my previous post regarding Stroke-A Brain Attack. This time, let's see how and why the position of the affected arm, leg and body posture is important in order to help your recovery.

Position is resting or working (functional) attitude of arm/leg/neck/trunk (torso) and body as a whole. The way we keep our body posture has a direct effect on the length of soft tissues especially muscles and also amount of strain on the joints.

So we can say if we have a better posture/body position then we will have less post-stroke muscle stiffness, joint strain and pain, muscle imbalance and other obstacles in the path of recovery. Also, good posture promotes better control over balance, better Motor-Control of movements, better body awareness which in turn enhances post stroke recovery.

So how the position should be?
An individual having stroke has to be positioned in a way which gives minimal possible unnecessary strain on the joints plus encouraging the use/involvement of affected side more often throughout the day.,because majority of stroke survivors either ignores the use of affected arm & leg or they just neglect the entire affected side.

Few Examples of correct positioning of arm:

I am posting few tips which can encourage better body awareness /stimulation of stroke-affected side, making it work harder.To do this:

• Arrange the furniture in the room so you have to turn your head toward your injured side for eye contact
• Set up your bed in such a way that you get in and out of it with your affected arm and leg.
• Place your table on your affected side for meals so you have to look past your area of vision problem.
• Place your TV so you have to turn your affected side when watching
• Tell visitors and medical caregivers to approach you from your affected side

This will help an individual to actively invole affected/weaker side in day to day activities.

·        

Queries/Doubts/Suggestions are most welcome

Neurophysiotherapist Dr Pratiksha Kapadia- 09769115267

pratiksha.kapadia.86@gmail.com

Stroke - Brain Attack

Hi everyone,hope everyone is doing great...and thank you very much for reading the blog...

Today let me share with you few common questions which I have been asked about "Stroke-A brain Attack" ,by the stroke survivor/a friend or a relative of a stroke survivor.

What is stroke?Is it curable?

Stroke in simple terms,It's the "Brain Attack or A Paralytic Attack"- Which occurs when the blood flow to the area of brain is compromised leading to the damage of brain tissues or brain cells due to lack of oxygen & glucose which is essential for any cell of the body to survive.

Stroke is the medical emergency so it needs to be diagnosed & treated as quickly as possible to minimize brain damage.

Early recognition & prompt access to the proper medical treatment & rehabilitation not only saves the life but also substantially improves the overall outcome of any stroke giving an individual a better quality of life.

Can Physiotherapy reverse cell damage?

My answer is no ,no one can reverse the cell damage but we can definitely aid overall functioning by means of targeted,task specific & goal-oriented rehabilitation by reinforcing more & more Neuroplasticity. [A small video on What is Neuroplasticity?-https://youtu.be/ELpfYCZa87g]

Reading this or hearing this next question which comes is ,

Then how physiotherapy will help me in my recovery?

Don't be disheartened, physiotherapy while working with neurological patients works on principle of neuroplasticity, that is we as a Neuro-physiotherapist helps the brain to rewire newer pathways and channels for different activities, movements, movement sequences- and all these by means of exercises, advice on body posture/positions in lying, sitting & standing,lifestyle modifications, environmental modifications.

Neuroplasticity & Recovering Brain

Why is it important to receive a good rehabilitation post stroke?

It's very very important to receive good rehabilitation ,as recovery after the stroke not only depends on site & size of the brain damage but also on how the brain has been fed by variety of stimuli in recovery phase in terms of not only the exercises but also on how your body posture is throughout  in lying, sitting and standing positions.

So see you in two weeks with few tips on how to position paralyzed/affected arm & leg plus how the body posture should be in order to help your own self in your very own recovery.

Tip of the day:
Have a positive attitude towards the stroke recovery,Reinforce every sign of recovery no matter how small it is to encourage

Neurophysiotherapist Dr Pratiksha Kapadia- 09769115267
pratiksha.kapadia.86@gmail.com

What is Neuro-physiotherapy?, How it works?,

Hello everyone,I'm Dr Pratiksha kapadia from Thane working as a Neuro-physiotherapist since last 8 years & many of the times people questions how a Neuro-physiotherapist is different & what do they do?

So, Neuro-physiotherapist deals with various neurological illnesses with the goal to achieve maximum possible functional Independence for an individual., Using the basic principles of -

1)Repetition, repetition & more repetition

2)Performing combination of various attentive & intentional movement patterns in different environment

3)Train an individual to achieve the goal ,by corrective or adaptive or maintainance treatment & movement streatagies.

So now let's talk about how each of the above mentioned principles work?

1)Repetition, repetition & more repetition

Repetition is the mother of all learning

When the neuronal pathways in brain are compromised due to any external injury(RTA-Road Traffic Accident,fall,head trauma,etc),or neurological illnesses (Stroke, Tumor, degenerative brain diseases, Parkinson's,etc) the way we behave to anything right from holding a cup of tea in hand to walk ,alters to different extent depending on where,when & how much damage has occurred to the brain cells.
So after such an event to the brain cells all or some of the activities of daily life we might have to re-learn,modify, & do simple to complex things putting conscious effort to it. And as we all know even for a person with healthy brain a lot of practice can only make him do any function at automatic level,so here we are dealing with damaged neuronal pathways.

So repetition or more & more practice of a new learned movement is must & very very important for the faster recovery

2)Performing combination of various attentive & intentional movement patterns in different environment.

Often my patients asks me how come they perform better during the physiotherapy sessions but not at home or office.

And my answers to them comes with a simple question how much attention they could pay to themselves?

So we , Neuro-physiotherapist work in different environment (at home,at office,on the street,at crowded place)with the patients just to make them more attentive about themselves & perform the intentional movement., which in turn boost the patients moral & confidence.

3)Train an individual to achieve the goal ,by corrective or adaptive or maintainance treatment & movement streatagies.

Depending upon the area of injury few of the neurological defecits are correctible or sometimes if the defecits are not fully correctible then as a rehabilitation professional we teach our patients the modified ways by adaptive & maintenance treatment strategies , which varies greatly person to person.
So in summary Neuro-physiotherapist designs the individualized & personalized treatment protocol for each patients.

So,for anyone who is in need of neurophysiotherapy or any queries/ suggestions regarding the same feel free to contact - pratiksha.kapadia.86@gmail.com

Keep reading my upcoming blogs about Hemiplegia (paralysis),facial paralysis & many more...