Therapy

When a music therapist first came to Karima Collins’ stroke ward, her NHS- issue sceptic alert fired up. “We’re trained to be quite critical and to focus on the evidence,” she says. “When someone makes grand claims about what the therapy can do, like improving attention, communication and reducing neglect, I was sceptical. How on earth could it do all these things?” Then she saw the video evidence – and heard more about how neurologic music therapy (NMT) can transform outcomes in stroke patients.

  New York-based Spine Care Technologies, launched in March 2018, believes it has the answer in the Extentrac Elite; which enables non-surgical, drug free, disc and spine care treatment. The device is a multidirectional decompression device used to aid the treatment of spinal injuries, mostly from the thoracic (mid) to the lumbar (lower) spine. It is used in in the treatment of minor degenerative disc disease, through to drop-foot and serious neurological impingement.

We all know that taking exercise has both physical and mental health benefits. Staying active is easy for some, and not so easy for others. The current campaign run by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is “Love activity, Hate exercise”. Taking this principle we try to prompt and increase where possible, general activity for all our patients at our St Neots neurological service. For some this may be encouraging them to be more involved on the ward generally, in group activities or on outings. For the more physically able patients, we were looking for a fun way to engage and push them outside their comfort zone to see if this could potentially improve their function or mobility.rehab opportunities when they had a gold standard idea...

In this age of strained healthcare resources, all therapists must be able to quickly and succinctly evidence their value. In the neurologic strand of music therapy, this is aided by an approach in which assessments feature prominently. In the psychodynamic branch of music therapy with children and families, however, measuring and reporting progress has long been a significant challenge. Why is it important to assess families and more specifically, the interactions between parent and child? The most crucial reason would be to protect the children from negative parenting behaviours such as neglect or abuse.

Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) provides specific, individualised and standardised interventions for people with brain injury or neurological conditions. It is distinct from traditional music therapy approaches as it is not based on a social-science model. Rather, it is underpinned by neuroscience and recognises music as a hard-wired brain language. The discipline of NMT improves cognitive, sensory and motor dysfunction caused by neurologic disease of the human nervous system; and is becoming increasingly relied upon to deliver better neuro-rehab outcomes.

Transitioning from military to civilian life can take its toll not only on ex-military personnel but their families too. Physical and/or mental trauma can negatively impact relationships between loved ones as those directly affected struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of war. Veterans’ difficulty transitioning to civilian life can fuel anger and frustration within a household, and leave loved ones feeling increased levels of anxiety and isolation.

Private clinic the London Orthotic Consultancy (LOC), founded in 2004, provides bespoke orthotic treatments for a wide range of adult and paediatric conditions. It operates privately across the whole of the UK and abroad and also has a growing number of international clients. Director Sam Walmsley explains: “We deal with complex physical problems and generally manufacture bespoke orthotics to address them. We have a unique setup for the UK in that we have 2D video vector gait labs and we do all our manufacturing on site.’’

“How many kids in a wheelchair get to see the world from the top of a mountain, and then slide down it?” says Chris Loyn, who first saw his son Jack’s face light up as he hurtled down a ski slope four years ago. “To be out of his wheelchair and suddenly flying freely down a mountain, the fresh air blasting in his face, it was just awesome.” Jack, now 30, suffered a brain hemorrhage at just two weeks old and was left wheelchair bound as a result of spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. In 2015 Chris heard of an organised ski trip taking people with severe brain injuries and complex disabilities to France for an adventure he hadn’t thought possible.

Having built a career as an occupational therapist in London and then Chicago, Janet R. Douglas’s life was turned upside down after suffering a massive stroke. It resulted in her spending the next decade overcoming physical and mental challenges to become a new version of herself.

From her experiences the book, A Wonderful Stroke of Luck: From Occupational Therapist to Patient and Beyond, was born, detailing the huge impact of a stroke from Janet’s unique dual perspective as both therapist and patient. In her memoirs, she examines the effects of brain damage on personal identity and relationships, and how the noticeable disabilities a stroke causes are only part of the struggle.

"Do I have to be a tree?” It’s a question Kathy Akers has come to expect when the subject of dramatherapy is raised - but she’s quick to clarify that the answer is ‘no’; well, not necessarily, anyway. “Dramatherapy can take many forms. We use all kinds of means of communication and creative processes to engage and allow people with a brain injury to express themselves. And if people want to be a tree, then that’s fine, but there is a very wide variety of other ways in which we work,” she explains.