View report page

10
Although the number of cases of Anterior Poliomyelitis has
declined to a spectacular degree following immunization a few cases
present themselves. Electrical stimulation has always played an
important part in the treatment of this condition especially for
muscle testing and a great innovation over the last few years has
been the Progressive treatment Unit including the depolarized
galvanic current which only acts on denervated muscles, the phenomena
of leakage through to normal muscles not occuring so readily.
Consequently this has saved the physiotherapists time and is much
more comfortable for the patient.
The clinic used to have vast numbers of flat feet cases, but
in Walthamstow recently the percentage of postural and structural
scoliosis is far in excess of all foot deformities.
In certain localities including this area conditions of the
chest such as asthma and bronchiectasis have increased in numbers
over recent years - but with special breathing exercises and
postural drainage a good proportion improve, especially when
combined with the administration of various drugs to reduce spasm.
Radiant heat and infra red baths are still prescribed, but
actino therapy has fluctuated in popularity over many years it's
merits still being a controversial subject. Very few children are
now ordered ultra violet light, whereas some ten to twenty years
ago the numbers were so great that a waiting list resulted. Although
not the infallible panacea for all ills, certain conditions do seem
to respond favourably to this form of treatment, e.g., skin conditions
with few reservations destruction of bacteria on the surface,
the ultra violet rays increasing the resistance to skin infection.
The tonic effect is well known, and the action of the rays on the
ergosterol in the skin forming vitamin D plays an important part in
the treatment of some diseases. Prom experience some chest troubles
are often diminished in frequency after a course of general irrad
iation. The overall picture of treatment over the years is I think
rather less massage and far more re education and exercises
Unfortunately as the scope for physiotherapy grows and corres
pondingly the number of patients, the number of physiotherapists
remains inadequate so that departments do not have their full
complement.
Whether it is given for definite disabilities or in a prophy
lactic measure physiotherapy has always been a challenge but most
of all a very real response to human need.
It will be appreciated that only a few types of the many disa
bilities have been mentioned therefore one or two progress reports
on specific children are given in more detail.
S.C. Born a normal child in 1943. this girl was admitted to hospital
at twenty months following a cerebro vascular accident resulting in a
left sided hemiplegia, a large atrophic lesion in the whole of the
right hemisphere of the brain was indicated.