Q&A: What to Expect When Facing an Upper or Lower Limb Amputation In the United States alone, approximately 185,000 amputations occur each year, and 2 million people are living with limb loss. In recognition of Limb Loss Awareness Month, this article addresses common questions surrounding limb loss, from the reasons for amputation to returning to favorite activities following surgery. An amputation is the surgical removal of part of the body, usually an arm or leg. There are three main reasons for amputation.
The Interdisciplinary Approach in Rehabilitation to Multiple Sclerosis Care Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects nearly 1 million people in the United States alone. MS is an immune-mediated disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the myelin insulation that surrounds the nerves in the central nervous system. This damage causes widespread symptoms varying in severity, including fatigue, weakness, sensation loss, visual impairments, and walking and balance impairments. These symptoms of MS can impact someone’s mobility, quality of life, ability to work and provide for their family, relationships, and community participation. Because these symptoms can impact so many aspects of a person’s life, a rehabilitative care team should consist of multiple disciplines that work together to provide a collaborative, all-encompassing care plan, called interdisciplinary care.
9 Ways to Improve Sleep After a Concussion After a concussion, there are a lot of common misconceptions about sleep. Mainly, is it safe to sleep following this mild traumatic brain injury? The answer is yes – it is okay to sleep after a concussion! This misconception stems from an out-of-date recommendation to wake the person up every hour to check on them. However, that is only if there is concern about the risk for a brain hemorrhage or bleed that wasn’t immediately apparent.
Five Reasons to Participate in Research During my participation in a clinical trial, I was able to learn first-hand about the process surrounding medical discoveries. I also gained an understanding of how to advocate for my health and learned to ask more questions about the risks involved in different medical treatments. Participation in research was incredibly beneficial to me personally. To help you learn more about research participation, we’ve compiled a list of 5 reasons to participate in research.
How to Measure Exercise Intensity Target heart rate (HR) is a great way to measure exercise intensity to get the most out of your workout. For most people, it provides an accurate way to measure the safety of an activity in relation to the percentage of your maximum heart rate. However, for some people, because of several medications that regulate HR (such beta blockers) or the availability to acquire a device that monitors HR, using HR alone to measure exercise intensity can be challenging.
