On the occasion of World Physiotherapy Day on Friday, students of the Physiotherapy Department of Assam Women’s University and PMR Department of Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) undertook a free musculoskeletal awareness and assessment programme at the Jorhat Press Club.
The students under the supervision of teachers of the respective departments were divided into three groups to assess patients depending on location of pain and the requirement of physiotherapy – back, neck and frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis and knees and legs. To assist them were trained physiotherapists from JMCH.
Another group was engaged in checking blood pressure, weight and height and calculating the Bone Mass Index (BMI) of an individual. Earlier, Assistant Professor of the department Affrin Zaman related the history of physiotherapy and why September 7 was observed as World Physiotherapy Day since 1966.
She informed that this year’s theme was ‘Physiotherapy for Mental Health’. Swapna Pran Saikia, a doctor from the PMR Department of JMCH said that the demand for physiotherapy was increasing by the day but stressed that preventive therapy by way of lifestyle changes was preferable than going up to that stage where physiotherapy was needed.
Speaking about frozen shoulder, he said that the reasons for this were diabetes, hypothyroidism, uric acid, etc. The doctor said that even if the sugar levels were decreased, adhesive capsulitis persisted as the “damage had already been done and could be got rid of only through physiotherapy and other means”.
Saikia said that the common belief that physiotherapy treatment was lagging in Jorhat and one had to go out of the district for treatment was “wrong”. Saikia showed some case studies which were successfully treated here – one was of a person who could not walk and was now mobile after an operation.
In another event at Don Bosco School, Baghchung doctor Gautam Sahu delivered an informative speech on how to control diabetes, a serious lifestyle disease, by implementing some simple activities in day-to-day life. He said that diabetes was a serious health issue in India and the numbers affected by uncontrolled blood sugar was increasing by the day in the country.