By Medha Godbole

Without our bone joints, we would not have been able to move our limbs freely. Joints are what help us move and if it was not for our complicated structure of joints, probably we would not have qualified strongly as a superior species. Nevertheless, the point I want to emphasize is that healthy joints are extremely important for our well being. Any problem with our joints has the capacity to make our lives miserable. Bursitis is one of such problems which affects our joints. Bursitis is the inflammation of a small sack in our joints which contains the fluid which lubricates the joints. It also acts as a cushion between bone or muscle, tendons and skin. As it affects the joints, it immediately needs tending. One aspect of the treatment for bursitis is physical therapy. Thus, here is more on bursitis physical therapy.

Hip Bursitis Physical Therapy

To start off, hip bursitis or bursitis of the hip has a common type, called trochanteric bursitis and so, we can call these exercises a part of trochanteric bursitis physical therapy. For this, once the doctor gives you the permission to engage in exercising, you can go for cycling or walking. Trochanteric bursitis exercises should be done on flat surfaces and not for long stretches. Also warming up and cooling down sessions are essential. Other bursitis exercises you can do is the piriformis muscle stretch. Piriformis helps in controlling the movement of the hip muscle, therefore it is necessary to keep that muscle pain free as much as possible. For this exercise - here is what you would need to do-

• First lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
• Raising the leg on the side of the affected hip, cross that leg over the other.
• Stretch the crossed leg over the uncrossed just below the knee.
• Then pull it towards your chest slowly.
• Stretch the muscle as much as you can without straining it.
• Hold it for 15 seconds and then relax.
• 3 repetitions of this would be good enough.

Amongst others, what can be done is simple leg raises by lying on your back and raising your leg 6 - 8 inches above the ground and holding it there for a few seconds. It would be great if you can do 3 sets of 10 such raises, for good results.

Shoulder Bursitis Physical Therapy

Now, shoulder bursitis is a different ball game altogether compared to bursitis of the hip, even if it is affecting the joints. Let's take a look at the shoulder bursitis exercises, included in bursitis physical therapy.

Exercise #1

• Bend at the waist and let the affected arm hang down at your side.
• Move your body back and forth and create small circles of the affected shoulder using the weight of your arm and the gravitational force.
• Use this method to move your arm in clockwise and counter clockwise circular motions.

Exercise

• Start off with standing against a wall sideways, with your elbow at a 90 degree angle.
• Place the outer part of your forearm against the wall.
• Contracting your muscles, press the arms into the wall, but keep your shoulders fixed.
• Hold for 5 seconds and do 5 repetitions of this.
• After this, position the inside of your forearm against the wall and repeat what was done earlier.

Exercise #3

• This will strengthen the rotator cuff. Lie on your stomach on your bed.
• With one arm out at shoulder level, bend your elbow at 90 degrees and keep your hand down.
• With your elbow bent gradually, raise your hand.
• Stop when your hand reaches your shoulder level.
• Bring the hand down gradually and repeat with the other hand.

In addition to these exercises, bursitis remedies includes massages and hot and cold compress. What kind of physical therapy is decided upon, also depends on how the individual takes it. Some might find cold or hot compress in tandem with exercises more effective, while some maybe just fine with a simple massage or acupressure accompanied by light exercises.

There you are, the 'joint story' was just that on bursitis physical therapy. I hope this information proves useful for you. Take care!

By Ningthoujam Sandhyarani

Chest physiotherapy is removal of excess sputum secretions from the respiratory system. Let’s look into the techniques and importance of undergoing chest physiotherapy.

Chest physiotherapy (CPT) is a physical technique of removing excess mucus (sputum) from the respiratory passages particularly from inside the lungs of a patient so as to improve the breathing process. The main objective of this technique is to mobilize secretions, clear airway obstructions, strengthen the respiratory muscles and enhance the exchange of gas so as to receive more oxygen by the body. Chest physiotherapy can be followed under a physician’s supervision in hospitals and clinics or under the guidance of a trained person at home.

The mucus secretion is normal to some extent in order to moisten the lungs. However, in case of chest infections, there is abnormal secretion of the mucus that becomes thick in course of time. Due to lung diseases and other abnormalities, the body can’t expel the secretions through cough. For such conditions, CPT is prescribed, which is effective for all age groups - newborn babies, children, adults and old people.

CPT is most commonly used for patients suffering from cystic fibrosis to clean the sputum from the airways. The lungs of such patients secrete excessive mucus that often leads to infection and damage of the lung tissues. CPT is also followed by people with respiratory diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A postoperative patient who has difficulty in expelling sputum naturally can also receive CPT. It has been an important care program followed for patients undergoing artificial ventilation for respiratory failure.

Chest physiotherapy includes turning (side to side), postural drainage, percussion or vibration of chest, coughing and controlled coughing and deep breathing exercises, which are done in combination with other treatment methods like nebulization therapy, suctioning and other expectorant medications. Let’s see the common techniques followed in CPT.

Postural Drainage: Postural drainage is one of the important methods of CPT in which the body is positioned in such a way that due to gravity, mucus in lungs is drained to the throat where it can be easily removed.

Chest Percussion: It refers to creation of vibrations by clapping or hitting over the chest area. This helps in loosening and breaking down the thick mucus secretions of the airways. The loosened mucus is expelled by the action of tiny hair-like structures called as cilia present in the epithelial tissues of the lungs.

Controlled Coughing: Controlled or assisted coughing is an effective way of CPT. It breaks down the thick mucus secretions and increases the cough pressure to expel the mucus. It is advised to do assisted coughing after postural drainage, for expelling the secretions.

Deep Breathing: Deep breathing is another important method of chest physiotherapy, the advantage of which is expansion of the lung tissues and proper distribution of air in all sections of the respiratory system.

People with acute asthma, tuberculosis, recent heart attack, fractured ribs, head and neck injury and those who have undergone recent surgery should not go for chest physiotherapy. It is to be noted that suitability of CPT technique depends on the patient’s overall health condition. Hence, it is advisable to consult a qualified physician before actually undergoing a CPT procedure. The doctor will examine the patient’s health and recommend an effective CPT technique based on the physical condition of the patient.

By Ningthoujam Sandhyarani

Does tennis elbow affect only the tennis players? What are the physiotherapy treatments to be followed? Read to know how physical therapy helps in treating this condition.

Tennis elbow also referred to, as lateral epicondylitis is inflammation at the lateral portion of the elbow. The affected part becomes tender and sore. Symptoms include stiffness of the arm, forearm, wrist and may also affect other body parts such as neck and shoulder bone.

Tennis elbow is caused by overuse of the arm, which results in small tears of the tendon. Blood supply to the affected part is decreased. Tennis elbow affects not only the tennis players but also the people where their profession requires repetitive use of the arm and forearm.

Rest from activity and ice packs can treat the mild cases but it is always better to consult a physician if pain remains for a longer duration. Doctors diagnose tennis elbow with a brief history and physical examination. Mostly preferred line of treatment is the use of anti-inflammatory medications and physiotherapy.

Physical Therapy for Tennis Elbow

Physical therapy mainly involves stretching and arm movements that help in overall strengthening of the muscle group. Physiotherapy is the most commonly followed treatment for tennis elbow. Here are some important physiotherapy treatments implemented for tennis elbow.

Massage Therapy - Gentle massaging over the affected area can help in increasing the blood circulation and quickens the natural healing capacity of the muscles and tendons. Massaging techniques may be of different types such as gentle strokes, application of light or heavy pressure and holding a part of a muscle.

Manual Therapy - Manual therapy includes putting pressure on muscles, careful pulling, pushing of bones and joints for proper alignment. These are performed to mobilize the affected area and also increase their flexibility.

Ultrasound - Ultrasound treatment is application of heat on the affected area. The temperature of the applied heat differs with condition and age of the person. The heat applied will help in proper blood circulation and helps in strengthening the affected muscles and tendons.

Electrical Stimulation - Electrical stimulation including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) involves use of electric current to transfer energy to an affected area. Electric current is passed using two wet electrode pads, which are placed at the affected area. The electric current masks the pain signal sent by the brain and provides pain relief.

In addition to the above physiotherapy treatments, therapists can advice tennis elbow exercises and to change equipments and techniques, which cause tennis elbow. The recovery time may vary from several weeks to several years depending upon the severity. If pain increases consult your physiotherapist or other health practitioner to guide you to the right treatment.