Neurological rehabilitation is a dynamically developing field of medical rehabilitation. It includes complex activities taken in the case of severe traumas and central nervous system diseases, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease. For neurological rehabilitation to be effective, it should be performed from day one after the injury. This way, patients can fully or partially regain their motor and intellectual fitness, thus improving their quality of life in the society.
In the human body, the central nervous system is responsible for a range of activities that enable it to function independently, e.g. for speech, sensation, information association, balance or unconditional reflexes, including breathing, heartbeat and swallowing. Therefore, in the case of diseases and injuries of this system, neurological rehabilitation is essential for patients to be able to return to their daily activities. The best results are achieved by combining neurological rehabilitation with pharmacotherapy, i.e. administration of medicines. Adult patients after such injuries can use specialist neurological rehabilitation in Warsaw or Łódź at ENEL-SPORT departments. Our offer is also addressed to the youngest patients who can make use of neurological rehabilitation for children.
Neurological rehabilitation
When to visit a doctor?
Medical rehabilitation helps restore full fitness after past injuries and diseases. Neurological rehabilitation is recommended for paralysis of the central nervous system. Patients who suffer or have suffered from the following, among others, should visit a doctor:
- stroke or other brain damage,
- spinal cord injury,
- neurosurgery,
- multiple sclerosis (MS),
- Parkinson’s disease,
- peripheral nerve diseases,
- muscular dystrophies,
- paralysis of the facial nerve,
- dysphagia.
If the patient suffers from mobility problems that result from diseases, injuries or surgeries of the locomotor system, they should use orthopaedic rehabilitation for adults or special spine rehabilitation (if the problem with the day-to-day functioning concerns this particular organ). The youngest patients with such ailments can use orthopaedic rehabilitation for children and young people.
What does the visit look like?
In order to make use of neurological rehabilitation in Warsaw or Łódź at ENEL-SPORT facilities, you do not need a referral to a specialist (although such a referral is given in the case of severe diseases and injuries). The first visit with a therapist starts from the collection of detailed medical history and preliminary examinations that enable the appropriate diagnosis. If health problems prevent the patient from communicating with their therapist, they can come to the appointment with their carer.
Please remember to take the following items with you for your first visit with the therapist:
- identification document,
- a referral from a doctor (if available),
- a hospital discharge summary (if the stay in the hospital preceded the neurological rehabilitation),
- available medical records.
Numerous visits are necessary in order to restore full fitness; their course and frequency is determined by a qualified therapist. At each visit, the specialist also checks the patient’s progress in fighting the disease. Thanks to timely assistance and regular neurological rehabilitation, the patient has a chance to gain such benefits as:
- improve motor and intellectual performance,
- return to physical activity (e.g. sports),
- learn how to be independent or how to operate devices, e.g. wheelchairs (getting on it, going off it, moving, also even in difficult conditions),
- prevent complications due to neurological dysfunctions, including motor organ disorders,
- slow down disease processes (e.g. MS),
- alleviate pain,
- reduce the extent of disability.
Therefore, the patient making use of neurological rehabilitation can benefit from a significant improvement in the quality and comfort of their life, which directly translates into their well-being and relations with other people.
Treatment methods
Neurological rehabilitation at ENEL-SPORT facilities uses modern techniques and equipment. Available methods of treatment of diseases and injuries of the central nervous system include, among others:
- the Bobath concept – one of the leading therapeutic methods that consists of improvement and normalisation of muscle tone, and development of the proper reflexes in the patient (by inhibiting wrong movements and releasing the right ones);
- the PNF technique – an extensive kinesitherapy method that uses complex motor patterns shaped throughout the entire human life. It helps stimulate the patient’s motor activity in a physiological manner;
- Vojta Method – a rehabilitation method based on the model of human motor development. Its purpose is to “unlock” movement patterns encoded in the DNA to improve patient autonomy.
Other methods of neurological and neurological/orthopaedic rehabilitation are also available to patients. It is up to the specialist which one will be used.
