Conditions & Treatment

We manage conditions stemming from injury, surgery, chronic diseases, and neurological disorders, among others.

This would include post-operative recovery, stroke, acquired brain injuries, amputations, burns, spinal cord injuries and paediatric-related disorders.

Treatment programmes are diverse and tailored to the individual’s specific needs. They may include:

• Physical Therapy: Utilizes exercises, manual therapy, and modalities like heat, cold, and electrical stimulation to improve mobility, strength, and coordination.
• Occupational Therapy: Aims to enhance the patient’s ability to perform daily activities through adaptive techniques and equipment.
• Speech-Language Therapy: Helps individuals recover speech, language, and swallowing abilities affected by conditions such as stroke or traumatic brain injury.
• Exercise Programs: Customized routines designed to increase physical strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance.
• Pain Management Techniques: Strategies to manage chronic pain, including acupuncture, massage, and biofeedback.
• Assistive Devices: Training in the use of devices like walkers, crutches, or wheelchairs to improve independence and mobility.

Conditions we treat:

Amputations

An amputation involves the surgical removal of part or all of a limb.
Amputations can involve fingers, toes, feet, hands, arms or legs. The higher the amputation (the closer to the core of the body) the more diffculties the person will have adjusting to their new body.

Brain Tumor / Injuries

Brain injury, also called acquired brain injury, is any damage to the brain that affects a person physically, cognitively, emotionally and/or behaviourally. Brain injuries can happen at birth, or later, from an illness or a trauma, and are called either traumatic or non-traumatic, depending on the specific cause.

Dementia/Alzheimer’s

Dementia is the term used to describe a set of symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by disease. Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with Alzheimer’s disease. It is the most common type of dementia, but it is only one of many forms.

Guillain – Barre Syndrome (GBS)

GBS is an acquired immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nervous system.

Motor Neuron Disease (MND)

The motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are a group of progressive neurological disorders that destroy motor neurons, the cells that control essential voluntary muscle activity such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing.

Multiple Fractures

When a bone is fractured, there is often damage to surrounding soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels and nerves. Surgical intervention (fixation of the fracture) and subsequent long periods of immobilisation may lead to stiffness of the affected joints and significant weakness of the surrounding muscles. This limits the individual’s capacity to perform functional activities such as walking, dressing and driving. Rehabilitation addresses all these challenges, ensuring the best possible functional outcome for the individual.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). The body’s own immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibres and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause the nerves themselves to deteriorate or become permanently damaged. MS can only be diagnosed after 2 or more episodes of relapse.

Near Drowning

Some of the children that we work with have suffered near drowning events. According to WHO, “drowning is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion or immersion in liquid”.

Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative nervous system disorder affecting movement and belongs to a group of conditions called motor system disorders. It affects an area of the brain known as the basal ganglia which is responsible for regulating movement and coordination.

Peripheral Nerves

Nerves carry information from the brain to the rest of the body, and vice versa. The arm and leg contains numerous nerves that transmit information for muscle contraction, sensation, and reflexes. The nerves that innervate the arm leave the central nervous system (spinal cord) through several areas in the neck, and form a complex structure called the Brachial Plexus. The same occurs for the leg. The nerves are larger near the neck / lumbar spine, and eventually divide to form smaller branches in the upper arm, forearm, and hand and thigh, calf and foot.

Poly Trauma

Polytrauma occurs when a person experiences injury to multiple body parts and organs, caused by a traumatic or catastrophic event. This results in a combination of disabling conditions, such as Amputation, Multiple fractures, Spinal cord injuries, Traumatic brain injuries, Peripheral nerve injuries, Burns, Internal injuries, Pain, Cognitive, Visual, Sensory and Hearing impairments.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Any mechanism that causes injury or damage to the vertebral column or the bones of the spine can result in damage to the spinal cord. Think of the spinal cord as an electrical or telephone cable composed of millions of wires, or nerves. The nerves carry the messages between the brain and the muscles, skin and joints of the arms, legs and trunk. If the nerves or wires are disrupted, there is reduced, or no communication, between the brain and the body below the level of the interruption or injury. This results in no/poor movement, and no/poor feeling in the trunk and limbs below the level of the injury i.e: paralysis.

Stroke

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in South Africa. The condition can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, religion or economic status.

What our treatment entails:

Aquatherapy /Hydro Therapy

Aqua therapy refers to water-based treatments or exercises by a physiotherapist, in particular for relaxation, fitness, and physical rehabilitation. Treatments and exercises are performed while floating, partially submerged, or fully submerged in water.

Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) Systems

Arguably, the most well-known alternative communication system would be that of the late Stephen Hawking. He was unable to speak but he was able to control a computer system using his eyes. The computer was essentially his voice. This is an example of a high tech AAC system but low-tech options are just as beneficial and empowering. In fact, many people who start using alternative, augmentative communication (AAC) systems start with a simple communication board. It is important that every person be given a means to communicate which is unique to them and their situation.

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES)

The use of NMES with functional activity or training is referred to as functional electrical stimulation (FES). Drop foot, which is sometimes called foot drop, is a muscular weakness or paralysis which makes it difficult to lift the foot whilst walking.

Functional Mobility

Disability, or limitation in the ability to carry out basic functional daily activities, becomes increasingly common with advancing age.

Gait Rehabilitation / Re-education

Walking is something we take for granted but includes not only walking indoors but over a variety of different terrains, walking up and down slopes, stepping up and down curbs, negotiating uneven and unstable surfaces, changing direction and speed and being able to cope with crowds of people and being bumped. This ability is life enriching and a basic part of our everyday lives.

Geriatric Rehabilitation

Disability, or limitation in the ability to carry out basic functional daily activities, becomes increasingly common with advancing age.

Modified Barium Swallow (MBS)

Modified barium swallows (MBS) are also known as videofluoroscopy or video swallow studies. A speech therapist will assess a person’s ability to swallow at the bedside or over mealtimes. This assessment gives some useful information but in order to get a more objective view of the person’s unique and specific swallowing abilities and difficulties, as with international standards, a modified barium swallow study is often also recommended.

Motor Relearning

The Motor Relearning Programme (MRP) is a treatment approach that was developed by the Australian physiotherapists Janet Carr and Roberta Shepherd. It is a task-oriented approach to improving control of movement, focusing on the relearning of daily activities. It is strongly based on theories in kinesiology.

Myofascial Release

Myofascial Release is a safe and effective hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure into the myofascial connective tissue restrictions to eliminate pain and restore motion. This important “time element” has to do with a low load (gentle pressure) applied through the skin slowly allowing the fascia to elongate.

Paediatric Rehabilitation

Welcome to the start of your child’s rehabilitation journey. You will receive a lot of information in the coming days. Caregivers, well-meaning friends, the internet, support groups and other families are all good sources of information, but it’s a lot to take in. Don’t try to learn everything at once. Rely on your professional team to guide you through the steps, day by day.

Physical Rehabilitation

Physical rehabilitation, is a discipline concerned with the evaluation, treatment, and coordination of care for persons with multiple musculoskeletal injuries, pain syndromes, and/or other neurological, physical, communicative and cognitive impairment and disabilities.

Spinal Cord Injury Interventions (Spinal Unit)

The back (vertebral column) consists of 24 vertebrae or bones, which is referred to by their region (e.g. cervical (C), thoracic (T), lumbar (L), and sacrum), and by number counting the bones in the region from their position to the head (i.e. C7 or T4). The sacrum and coccyx are seen as one bone, though there are 5 sacral nerve roots.

Swallowing Therapy

Upper Limb Evaluation / Assessments and Treatment

At RHP rehabilitation therapy emphasizes functional activity in training, and makes use of international research guidelines for the use of therapeutic tools and principles. Both the occupational therapist and physiotherapist need to assess the upper limb (UL) for possible return of function.

Vocational Rehabilitation

The simplest definition of vocational rehabilitation was described as “Whatever helps someone with a health problem to stay at, return to and remain in work”.

Weight-bearing Therapy

Weight bearing therapy is one of the fundamentals of both physiotherapy and occupational therapy rehabilitation for a patient with upper or lower limb impairments. Once a comprehensive assessment has been completed and appropriate goals set in conjunction with the patient, the specific exercises will be decided upon. Whether for the upper or lower limb, weight bearing is considered a mainstay of therapy.

The goal?

The goal of treatment is not just to address the immediate physical issues but to equip individuals with the tools and knowledge to maintain and improve their health and well-being over time. Through a comprehensive, patient-centered approach, the team of rehab professionals work closely with each individual to develop a personalized treatment plan that meets their unique needs and goals.