Abu Dhabi-based Mafraq Hospital conducted an educational campaign for patients and staff, promoting physical fitness and raising awareness of physiotherapy in observance of World Physical Therapy Day (September 8).

Mafraq Hospital is owned and operated by the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha).

World Physical Therapy Day, held on September 8 each year, is an opportunity for physiotherapists around the world to raise awareness about their role in keeping people well, mobile and independent.

The World Confederation for Physiotherapy adopted the theme ‘Movement for Health’ for the day to emphasise the importance of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of problems caused by pain, illness, disability and disease, sport and work related injuries, ageing and inactivity.

Mafraq Hospital observed the day by handing out educational leaflets and souvenirs at an educational booth situated at the main entrance of the hospital.

Teri Mason, manager of Rehabilitation Service at Mafraq Hospital, said: “World Physical Therapy Day is an excellent opportunity for us to express our commitment and educate people about exactly what it is we do.

“Every year, physical therapists worldwide help millions of people overcome or mitigate the effects of ageing, illness, accidents, stresses and strains of lives. At Mafraq Hospital, our team of physiotherapists is committed to fight against lifestyle-related ailments and disabilities that may affect children as well as adults.”

Throughout the day, Mafraq Hospital’s Physiotherapy Team manned a booth in the hospital main entrance offering advice to patients, both in Arabic and English, on safe simple lifting techniques and proper back care.

“Many people injure their backs during a ‘simple’ lift that they believe was done safely. Safe lifting is more than just bending the knees,” said Mason.

“They also handed out leaflets to the patients on the role of the physiotherapist; physical exercise and child obesity; physical exercise and diabetes; physical activity and cancer and physical activity and ageing.

As part of the awareness drive, a team of physiotherapists demonstrated Passive Range-of-Motion exercises to the nursing staff for patients who are unable to move against gravity and need help to fully stretch their muscles and move their joints to prevent problems associated with immobility. The team also discussed early mobilization and ways to ensure safe transferring of patients to the nurses.

They educated the Emergency Department team on how to teach the patients to walk safely on crutches and to measure them correctly and showed the nurses how to safely transfer the more immobile patients from the bed to the chair and vice versa without hurting their backs.

“For patients who are referred for physical therapy, our goal is to help decrease pain, increase function and teach the patient a maintenance program to prevent future problems. We firmly believe, however, that that prevention is better than cure,” Mason added. – TradeArabia News Service