Physiotherapy

The main objective of physiotherapy department is to provide comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation services to the patient with various Disabilities and developing manpower in the field of Physiotherapy. The department is equipped with highly sophisticated therapeutic modalities for the management of patients with various functional limitations, impairments and disabilities resulted from injury, disorders and diseases. An average of 110 patients with musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiovascular and sports injuries of all ages groups attend the department daily from 9:00AM to 530: PM for maximizing, improving, restoring their motor functional limitations and motor movements.

The physiotherapists including teaching faculty are posted in the physiotherapy OPD on the rotation basis. The physical therapists operate as an independent practitioner, as well as member of health service provider teams, and are able to act as first hand contact practitioners.

The department runs 4 1/2 years duration Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) in affiliation with the Faculty of Science, University of Delhi. The annual intake capacity is 68. The department does have state of the art Physiotherapy outpatient department with various sub units, clinical labs and lecture theatres to

Physiotherapy is a client oriented health care profession where the patients of various musculoskeletal, neurological and cardiopulmonary disorders are provided treatment with the application of physical agents like heat, cold, electric currents, light, electromagnetic radiations and therapeutic exercises. It aims to achieve the following goals:

• Improvement and maintenance of functional independence and physical performance.
• Prevention and management of pain, physical impairments, disabilities and limitations to participation and
• Promotion of fitness, health and wellness.

Physiotherapists provide relief in a wide range of problems related to muscles, bones, joints, circulatory, respiratory and nervous system. They play an important role in managing the effects of congenital diseases, illness, chronic diseases, neurological conditions, trauma and the pressure and strains of everyday life. They are also skilled in providing care and physiotherapy related advice to the people with long term or terminal illnesses.
The main objectives of the department include to provide the poor and the needy, the state of the art international standard physiotherapy services, to develop skilled professionals in the field of physiotherapy and to carry out evidence based practice, research and development in the field of physiotherapy and rehabilitation

• Education & Training

The Department of Physiotherapy offers Bachelor of Physiotherapy course in affiliation with University of Delhi. The course is four years and six month’s duration which includes six months compulsory internship. The intake capacity of students every year is 68. The distribution of seats to different category of candidates is as follows:

EWS – Economically Weaker Section
STNA – Candidates from the states where similar teaching facility are not available.
CWAPP – Children / widows of armed personnel including paramilitary personnel killed of disabled during Hostilities.
PWD – Persons with Disabilities
FN – Foreign Nationals

Listed below is the student’s strength enrolled in the Bachelor of Physiotherapy course for the past three academics session.

The Physiotherapy Outpatient Department functions from 9.00 AM to 5.30 PM. five days a week from Monday to Friday. Outpatient department is the major part of the physiotherapy after academic services.  The physiotherapists including teaching faculty are posted in the physiotherapy OPD on the rotation basis. They assess the patients with various impairments and disabilities. Physiotherapy assessment in the department is a systematic approach of collecting clinical data from the patient and interpreting them to establish functional diagnosis, and to design an appropriate scheme of physiotherapeutic management for each patient. The patient is advised therapeutic exercises and physical modalities according to the impairment, ailments, disorder, syndrome, disease or conditions. Presently the therapists are more inclined towards evidence -based practice.

Physiotherapy clinical assessment has vertical and lateral thinking approaches. Vertical approach involves the assessment of the concerned area whereas lateral thinking involves the assessment of problematic area as well as proximal and distal parts of it. The physical therapist assessment is more inclined towards the lateral thinking. The patient management model has six elements.

• Examination:

The physical therapist collects the clinical data from the patients by examining them. There is subjective assessment in which physical therapist asks the chief complaint of the patient and takes present and past medical history of the patient. In addition to that the physical therapists perform system review, accessory movements and administer physical tests to provoke the symptoms.

• Evaluation:

It is the dynamic process in which the physical therapists posted in the department interpret the clinical data collected during the examination to understand the source or cause of the patient’s impairments, disorders, functional limitations and disabilities. The therapists analyse the clinical data to determine the progression and severity of the disease or condition.

• Functional Diagnosis:

Diagnosis encompasses a cluster of sign and symptoms commonly associated with disorder, syndrome, or category of impairment, functional limitation or disabilities. The therapists analyse the clinical data gathered during the examination and evaluation and organise them into clusters, syndrome, or categories to help in determining the appropriate intervention and strategy for each patient.

• Prognosis:

Physical therapist posted in the department determines minimal improvement to maximal improvement expected at various intervals during the course of physiotherapy intervention after making a functional diagnosis.

• Physiotherapy Intervention:

It is the purposeful and skilled physiotherapeutic approach of various methods, techniques, and modalities administered towards the patients in order to improve pain, functional limitations and impairments.

• Outcome:

It is the improvement in the sign and symptoms following application of an appropriate scheme of physiotherapy intervention. The patients are discharged if they show significant improvements after administering an appropriate scheme of management. The patients are reassessed periodically for the improvement. Patients those do not respond to the physical intervention are reassessed and discussed with the senior faculty for an appropriate scheme of management.

The Department consists of the following sections:

• Exercise Therapy
• Electro Therapy

• Therapeutic Gymnasium

Therapeutic Gymnasium is a well equipped section established in the basement of the institute with barrier free environment for the persons with physical disabilities.  The section has various equipments for manual therapy. Following physiotherapeutic interventions are administered to the patients with various impairment, functional limitations and disabilities.

• Manual Therapy Section:

Manual therapy is a major part of physiotherapy. It involves mobilization and manipulation of the soft tissues and joint particular surfaces. Manual therapy is aimed at unifying the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the human being. It is a preventive and curative, intended to improve strength of the muscles,  extensibility of the scar tissues, flexibility of the soft tissues, relaxation of the muscles, modulation of pain, and reduction of swelling. The department of physiotherapy has well equipped manual therapy unit where approximately 70 patients receive soft tissue manipulation and joint mobilization

• Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation:

There are the proprioceptors situated in the muscles, ligament, tendons, and cartilage which provide information to the brain about the movements of the joint and position of the limbs. Patients with neuromuscular disorders find difficulty in walking, performing coordinated movements and activities of daily living. Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques and patterns improve the movement coordination, balance and functional limitations of the patients. There are more than 30 patients with neuromuscular disorders attend the department of physiotherapy for improving their neuromuscular coordination, balance, gait and functional limitations.

• Stretching and Strengthening:

Injury, trauma, and abnormal postures produce pain and stiffness during the activities such as combing hair, fastening bras, and reaching to the back pockets. There are musculoskeletal and neuromuscular diseases and disorders which limit the functional activities. Some of patients are confined to their homes, whereas, some attend the office and work stations. Limitation of particular activities causes adverse effects on the flexibility of the contractile and non contractile structures such as muscles, ligaments, and joint capsule. There is a well equipped therapeutic gymnasium in the basement of the institute where more than 80 patients attend the patients for strengthening of the muscles and stretching of the muscles, ligaments, and joint capsule.

• Gait Training:

Therapeutic gymnasium in basement of the institute has height adjustable parallel bar (suitable for both children and adults) and stair case for improving the gait of the patients with musculoskeletal and neuromuscular disorders. There are more than 20 patients are given gait training daily.

• Joint Mobilization:

Joint mobilization is a purposeful, skilled therapeutic technique applied by the coordinated movement of the hands of the therapist within the anatomical range of the joint but beyond the limitation of the range. Joint mobilization is intended to stretch the ligament and joint capsule to improve joint movements and functional limitations of the patients. Every therapist in the physiotherapy department administers mobilization techniques to make the patient with musculoskeletal and neurological disorders independent.

Electrotherapy has an establishment role in the management of a wide range of musculoskeletal and neurological disorders. The recommendation of therapeutic modalities has been remarkable extended to the cardiovascular, obstetrician, and gynaecological ailments. The department of physiotherapy has a well equipped electrotherapy unit with all the latest physical modalities.  The physical therapists are deployed on the rotation basis. The selection of the physical agents is based on the functional diagnosis. The following equipments are established in the electrotherapy unit.

• Short Wave Diathermy:

Short wave diathermy produces electromagnetic energy at 27.12MHz with wave length of 11 meters. Electromagnetic radiation at this frequency is not capable of depolarizing motor nerve or eliciting a contractile response from innervated or enervated skeletal muscles. The most efficient mechanism involved in the conversion of the high frequency current to the heat is the mechanism of increased ironic motion. Short wave diathermy is most widely used for its uniform marked elevation of temperature in the deep situated tissues.

• Therapeutic Ultrasound:

Ultrasound, a form of acoustic energy is most widely used in the physiotherapy practice for its precise deep heating effects. To produce these heating effects in the tissues 1MHz ultrasound is used. Ultrasound induced heating is the result of the absorption of ultrasound energy in the biological tissues.

• Therapeutic Currents: 

Therapeutic currents can broadly be defined as electrical currents, produced by electrotherapeutic devices, induced to the body tissues to elicit certain physiological and clinical effects. The lower frequency and medium frequency currents are commonly used to strengthen the muscles and modulate pain respectively. These currents have different wave forms and also used for reduction of swelling.

• Mechanical Modalities:

There are two mechanical modalities namely, pneumatic compression unit, and intermittent traction unit installed in the electrotherapy section. Intermittent compression units are the mechanical pressures to encourage venous and lymphatic return from the extremities. The application of pressure intermittently through mechanical devices into the tissues to improve edema and swelling has become usual practice in the rehabilitation field and post operative interventions. Mechanical traction is an application of force by the mechanical device to separate the intervertebral and other joint articular surfaces within the anatomical range to improve joint space, range of motion and functional limitations.

• Superficial Heating Modalities:

The physical agents such as paraffin wax bath, moist hot packs, contrast bath, and infra red rays produce heating effects on the skin and subcutaneous tissues. There is increased local tissue temperature and acceleration of the healing process of the soft tissues by dilating the blood vessels, and by shifting the oxy-haemoglobin dissociation curve to increase oxygen and nutrient supply to the tissues