PHYSIOTHERAPY OR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY FOR CEREBRAL PALSY AND STROKE?

Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion and does not reflect those of the companies or organisations associated with my name.

Is my previous article, is physiotherapy massage? I explained in detail what physiotherapist do and areas of specialization.

What’s the difference between physios and occupational therapists? Whom should you visit if you had a child with cerebral palsy or a family member with a stroke?

In Kenya, we are used to the idea that physiotherapists attend to adults while the occupational therapist attends to children, but that shouldn’t be the case.

PTs (physiotherapists/physical therapists) are more focused on body movement, they’re referred to as movement experts, while the occupational therapist is more focused on activities of daily living.

Cerebral palsy

Who?

Children with CP (cerebral palsy) need therapy to help them in their daily lives and in performing tasks. The most common practice has been taking the children for occupational therapy where they are trained on both muscle strength, balance and doing daily activities and rarely will you find them taken to a PT here in Kenya.

Since the role of OT(occupational therapist) is understood, let’s look at the benefits of the physiotherapist. Physiotherapists are known as movement experts. Any movement needs balance, strength and coordination. Your physiotherapist will help in those, including training flexibility, posture correction, minimize pain and discomfort, increase general fitness among others. Depending on the type of cerebral palsy, the benefits of physiotherapy are numerous.

Stroke

Most stroke patients will attend physiotherapy for muscle strengthening, balance and coordination, gait training, endurance among others. Since most attend PT, let’s look at the benefits of OT.

OT can help the patient to learn or relearn activities of daily living like writing, dressing, gardening and such. They also modify the patient’s environment to fit the patient.

My opinion.

For any activity to occur, movement ought to have occurred. For us to walk, we need to be able to flex both hips and knees while contracting our gluteus muscles. For us to write, we need grip and wrist movements.

All children with musculoskeletal and neural conditions need to attend to both PT and OT.

All adults with a stroke will benefit from OTs too.

Ask your primary physician about what benefits you the most. In most instances, the right referral will save you money, time and increase outcomes.