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Physiotherapy for the prevention and management of secondary complications in patients with neurological conditions
no. OP59
Oral papers
In case of a severe condition of a patient following a neurological injury, positional therapy aimed at the prevention of complications (thromboembolism, contractures, decubitus ulcers, pneumonia, or spasticity) plays a very important role. The main principle in the application of positional therapy is that all body parts should be in their correct physiological positions. The most commonly recommended positions are supine, lying on the healthy or the affected side, and sitting in bed or a wheelchair. Usually, the patient is placedin a position that extends the most spastic muscles. If muscle force is decreased in one side of the body only, the head should not be bent to the weaker side and turned towards the unaffected side, the upper arm should not be turned inwards and adducted, and the forearm should not be bent and pronated. Flexion of the wrist or the fingers should be avoided, as should be the extension of the thigh and the lower leg with thigh adduction or flexion of the thigh and the lower leg with thigh abduction. Passive movements are preformed for muscle tone reduction and the prevention of pathological synkinesis. Passive rhythmical slow rotating movements of the trunk and the extremities should be started with large joints, gradually moving on to the smaller ones. [...].