Redefining quality of life
At least one in three people has back pain which is muscular skeletal related, and most people have at least one episode of back pain in their life.
A common case is which Joshua has suffered left thumb ache, ever since he got hooked on his new wide screen smartphone. He has no idea where or how this pain came about but it is getting more and more intense, to the point that Joshua finds it hard to bend his thumb. He can do nothing to alleviate it and Joshua is resigned to bear with it for the rest of his life.
Another typical case is that of Patricia, who has been living with a subtle neck and back pain. Initially, Patricia, who has been working as an accountant for eight years, thought that it is just muscle fatigue due to long sitting hours at work. One fine day, a sharp pain shot down her back the moment she stood up briskly from her chair. The excruciating pain immobilised her and she was taken to a clinic.
Much to her relief, the X-ray showed no significant abnormality of her back. She was jabbed and discharged home with pain-killers for self-management. Unfortunately, Patricia sensed her frequent neck and back pain had amplified following the event. The pain prevented her from sitting or driving for too long.
The ‘Common Pain’
According to Jacinta Lim, founder of Rehab Concept, Patricia’s condition is one of the common cases she deals with at her centre. “At least one in three people has back pain which is muscular skeletal related, and most people have at least one episode of back pain in their life.”
However, she said most people who ignore pain issues just like Joshua and Patricia just try to live with it and turn to traditional approaches such as massage to seek a cure or relief.
Many either ignore seeking professional rehabilitation or are unaware of it.
Lim, who is a senior muscular skeletal physiotherapist and holds a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy (UK) and is a Certified Polestar Pilates Instructor, set up Rehab Concept, which adopts a collaborative concept of a multi-disciplinary team. In addition to physiotherapy, this integrated centre boasts highly specialised senior clinicians in their own field.
It is the first integrated rehabilitation centre in Kuching to provide specialised physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, orthotics and prosthesis services under one roof.
“Rehabilitation science is developed based on good understanding of human anatomy and research evidence, hence a therapist’s job is to ‘troubleshoot’ by identifying the root cause of the problem while massage helps to promote comfort by easing the symptoms but not identifying the cause of problem.
“Other than muscular skeletal conditions such as arthritis, neck pain, back pain, orthopedic surgeries and sport injuries, physiotherapy can also help in a wide range of conditions such as elderly conditioning, recovering from heart surgery, neurological conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s disease,” said Lim.
Caring for the elderly
Easter Sim, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Rehabilitation (UK) and is a Vodder’s Manual Lymphatic Drainage Certified Therapist and PWR! Certified Therapist, is another senior physiotherapist in Rehab Concept who specialises in geriatric rehabilitation. Geriatric Physical Therapy (GPT) is defined as a medical speciality in 1989 and covers a broad area of concerns regarding ageing and elderly people.
“We are living longer, but surviving longer does not ensure maintenance of physical capacity,” Sim explained on the need of GPT in creating options and opportunities for aging individuals to maintain, and even improve, their physical capabilities well into their golden years. Common conditions seen by GPT are falls and fractures, Alzheimer’s and dementia, osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer and joint replacements.”
Sim is also a certified practitioner for lymphoedema management, a drainage treatment much needed by mastectomy patients after surgery. Manual Lymphatic Drainage or MLD is also typically used on oedema (swelling) after operation, and to assist in speeding up the healing process of surgical wounds. Sim could not stress more that MLD can only be treated by a trained MLD therapist. “MLD can only be done gently, without the aid of oils, lotions, or powders. This is crucial for those with compromised skin function following radiotherapy, or those with sensitive skin.”
Sim is also a certified practitioner for Parkinson’s Wellness Recovery (PWR!), which is a treatment approach to help people with Parkinson’s Disease put off and reduce symptoms, decrease fall risk, and to improve quality of life.
Say it right
Rehab Concept also provides treatments for speech impediment, which many mistakenly think that somehow people will eventually ‘grow out of’.
However, Etain Vong [Doctor of Philosophy in Speech Language Pathology (AUS)] said that this misconception about communication disorders is detrimental, especially for young children. Vong is a highly qualified speech-language pathologist and educator. She advocates early intervention through speech therapy.
“For example, an eight-year-old child who has stuttered for five years compared to a four-year-old child who has stuttered for a few months, may need a longer treatment and may also have been subjected to bullying and teasing in school.”
She said children who have delayed in seeking professional help face issues such as frustration, behavioral problems, challenged literacy and difficulties in catching up academically.
Vong explained that there are many cases undetected in Malaysia and the awareness of the importance of speech-language therapy is still considered low in Sarawak.
The speech therapist quoted early intervention as the best way to cope and prevent many emerging issues accompanying speech and language delays/disorders, speech sound disorder, stuttering/stammering, and voice and resonance disorders. “Early speech therapy is important because the window for speech and language development is most rapid during the first four years of a child’s life, in which a child’s brain develop most rapidly as well.”
Feet Health and Fitness
Rehab Centre also engages the service of a visiting Dr Edmund Lee senior orthotist and Prosthetist who is an experienced medical professional specialising in the field of orthotist and prosthetist. Feet structural problems have different causes.
Obesity, pregnancy, age or repetitive pounding on a hard surface can weaken the arch leading to it. It is also very common with athletes, especially runners.
Dr Lee said about 70 per cent of Malaysians are actually suffering from flat feet over time. Flat feet or excessive pronation is the cause to many unpleasant problems including heel pain, hammer toes, shin splints and even hip, knee and back pain.
“Flatfoot can be apparent at birth or it may not show up until years later,” Dr Lee explained. Most children with flatfoot have no symptoms, but some have one or more following symptoms:
- Pain, tenderness, or cramping in the foot, leg, and knee
- Outward tilting of the heel
- Awkwardness or changes in walking
- Difficulty with shoes
- Reduced energy when participating in physical activities
- Voluntary withdrawal from physical activities
The good news is that, early treatment provides natural, lasting pain relief from many of the common biomechanical complaints stem from feet structural problems. These conditions are also more reversible among younger children.
Interview with Jacinta Lim, founder of Rehab Concept
What drove you to set up an integrated rehabilitation centre and what is the advantage of such specialised service in comparison to existing ones?
Kuching lacks an integrated centre where physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist and orthotist work together to form a multi-disciplinary team. Having a team help to better support patient recovery. For example, when managing a stroke case, physiotherapist and occupational therapist work on the functional recovery while speech therapist helps with the speech and swallowing, orthotist may need to custom appropriate footwear according to the need.
Your integrated rehabilitation centre spans across several segments in clinical health. Which is the most prominent and promising aspect that makes Rehab Concept different from other centres?
We are a specialised centre whereby all senior clinicians only attend to cases in their areas of specialisation instead of seeing all cases. As how it is practiced overseas, progressing with evidence specialists in rehabilitation field now advocates specialised treatment for the best outcome.
What are the significant challenges that you foresee for clinical health services like this?
It is challenging to change people mindset towards taking responsibility of their own health. People are just resigned to limited mobility and pain, saying that it is part of ageing process. We believe we should take responsibility of our health and that quality of life can be maintained. Increased awareness towards rehabilitation and quality of life is crucial so that the public can be more receptive to rehabilitation.
Rehab Concept is located at Level 4, Laksamana Commercial Suites, Jalan Laksamana. Other than clinical services, Rehab Concept also offers Pilates and Sports massage. For more information, go to www.rehabconcept.com.my.