Manipal Hospital, has introduced its 40th medical specialty - Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. The department through its team of doctors, nurses and professionals that will provide Home Care, Out Patient Care, In-patient Care and Sports Injury Programmes.

"Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine is a unique offering that strives for excellence in recovery and ensures "Quality of Life" for patients, including delivering medical care at the patient's doorstep if needed. The specialty will enable Manipal Hospital to venture into a new but growing area of healthcare like medical and nursing assistance at homes and rehabilitation of patients who need not be hospitalized but require long term medical care, said R Basil, CEO, Manipal Hospital.

Dr Guru Prasad, head, Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine said, "Rehabilitation medicine is a medical specialty that is specifically devoted to the evaluation, treatment and management of disability and disabling conditions. It aims at restoring lost abilities of a person who has been disabled as a result of disease, disorder, or injury. It assists disabled patients in achieving their maximum physical, psychosocial, and vocational potential so that they can be re-placed functionally in the community."

The rehabilitation medicine team is an interdisciplinary group of professionals working together to provide excellent care tailored to fit each individual's strengths, needs, abilities and preferences. The Physician-Rehabilitation Medicine will be responsible for the overall rehabilitation programme and uses non-surgical interventions to evaluate, prescribe, monitor and coordinate the rehabilitation needs of any patient whose functional abilities have been impaired. The Physical therapists (PTs) will works to improve the patient's strength, flexibility, endurance, coordination, and balance with activities such as moving in bed, using a wheelchair and walking. The Rehabilitation nurses will be responsible for daily care, education, and coordination of treatment and training. Occupational therapists (OTs) will provide training in self-care, upper body/hand function, endurance and independent living skills such as eating, bathing, dressing, using a computer and special device needed to return to school or work.

The department will also engage services of other specialists on a case-to-case basis. Speech-language pathologists would assist patients who have communication or language problems and/or speech impairment. They may work with patients to improve memory, reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. While clinical psychologists would assists people and their families to understand the changes that can accompany disability or illness, orthotist/prosthetist would be engaged to provide artificial limbs, calipers and train patients to use them. Vocational therapists are also enrolled to help people through the process of returning to a job, school or other career alternatives.

Initially, the patient is expected to attend the Rehab-OPD for a patient management programme. Thereafter the patient is reassessed and gradually placed back in the community with prescriptions regarding exercises, assistive aids, precautions in day-to-day life and home modifications in terms of his disability.

Outpatient care programmes include amputee rehabilitation, orthopaedic rehabilitation: post fracture stiffness, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, hand rehabilitation, pediatric rehabilitation: cerebral palsy, mental retardation, myopathies spina bifida, pulmonary rehabilitation, cardiac rehabilitation: preventive cardiac exercises, post heart attack, post bypass surgery, spinal cord injury: paraplegics, quadriplegics, sports medicine: exercise endurance capacity, sport related injuries, exercise physiology, cancer rehabilitation: post cancer surgeries, secondary spinal fractures, neuro-rehabilitation: stroke, brain trauma, Parkinson's, EMG bio feedback training ,vestibular/balance disorders rehabilitation. Pre and post delivery exercise programmes, home care management programme, occupational rehabilitation: mechanical backache, neck & hand arthritis, geriatric care: age related body atrophy, dementia and HIV/AIDS rehabilitation

Inpatient care programmes offer amputee rehabilitation, cancer rehabilitation, cardiac rehabilitation: acute care, post heart attack, post bypass surgery, orthopaedic rehabilitation: arthritis, joint replacements and other musculo skeletal disorders, paediatric rehabilitation: cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, others pulmonary rehabilitation: respiratory insufficiency/ventilator dependency, spinal cord injury medicine and rehabilitation neuro-rehabilitation: stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain tumour, movement disorders, brain trauma generalized debility (frailty) and reconditioning arthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders post-surgical patients: spine surgery, general surgery and others

The home care management programme will provide medical care at the patient's doorstep. The patients should be under medical care of the Manipal Hospital and would be affected by an illness, which needs a long-term medical care. The care can be availed from the hospital after getting the patient assessed by the rehabilitation and sports medicine department of Manipal Hospital.