Do you know that physiotherapy has important positive effects on both physical and mental problems that may result from critical illness and hospitalisation? Many patients and their families think that exercises and movement therapies in intensive care will harm them. However, there are many academic articles and studies on it (Sommers et al., 2015, Gosselink et al., 2008). Rehabilitation in the intensive care unit is strongly recommended by them. Let's look at what positive effects it has!
Physiotherapy in the intensive care unit aims:
To reduce the length of ventilation and hospital stay
To reduce ICU-associated negative effects (complications)
To improve joint range of movement
To improve muscle strength
To improve balance
To improve circulation and cardiovascular status (healthier heart)
To reduce cholesterol
To boost the immune system
To help to remove excess sputum from the lungs
To improve breathing functions.
And with all this, your quality of life, mental health, memory and sleep quality could be improved significantly.
References
BAILEY, P., THOMSEN, G. E., SPUHLER, V. J., BLAIR, R., JEWKES, J., BEZDJIAN, L., VEALE, K., RODRIQUEZ, L. & HOPKINS, R. O. 2007. Early activity is feasible and safe in respiratory failure patients. Critical care medicine, 35, 139-145.
GOSSELINK, R., BOTT, J., JOHNSON, M., DEAN, E., NAVA, S., NORRENBERG, M., SCHÖNHOFER, B., STILLER, K., VAN DE LEUR, H. & VINCENT, J. L. 2008. Physiotherapy for adult patients with critical illness: recommendations of the European Respiratory Society and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine Task Force on physiotherapy for critically ill patients. Intensive care medicine, 34, 1188-1199.
HERMANS, G., DE JONGHE, B., BRUYNINCKX, F. & VAN DEN BERGHE, G. 2014. Interventions for preventing critical illness polyneuropathy and critical illness myopathy. Cochrane database of systematic reviews.
MORRIS, P. E., GOAD, A., THOMPSON, C., TAYLOR, K., HARRY, B., PASSMORE, L., ROSS, A., ANDERSON, L., BAKER, S. & SANCHEZ, M. 2008. Early intensive care unit mobility therapy in the treatment of acute respiratory failure. Critical care medicine, 36, 2238-2243.
SOMMERS, J., ENGELBERT, R. H., DETTLING-IHNENFELDT, D., GOSSELINK, R., SPRONK, P. E., NOLLET, F. & VAN DER SCHAAF, M. 2015. Physiotherapy in the intensive care unit: an evidence-based, expert driven, practical statement and rehabilitation recommendations. Clinical rehabilitation, 29,1051-1063.
STILLER, K. & PHILLIPS, A. 2003. Safety aspects of mobilising acutely ill inpatients. Physiotherapy theory and practice, 19, 239-257.