RAK Rehabilitation Centre offers free screening on back strength and gait pattern

On the World Physical Therapy Day, the hospital creates a month-long awareness campaign to drive home the importance of therapeutic exercises

• Tailored therapeutic exercises can help control blood sugar and can be very effective in managing ailments such as diabetes, heart and lung diseases. 
• Physiotherapy an effective alternative to surgical procedures - corrects abnormality in walking pattern, balance disorders in children, bone diseases in elderly and injuries caused by running, hunching over laptops, poor posture and sedentary lifestyle 

Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, September 7, 2016:  Physiotherapy is not just an important tool for pre-and post-surgery recovery, but can also serve as an effective alternative to surgical procedures, stressed Dr Jean Marc Gauer, CEO and Head of Surgery at RAK Hospital. With the help of various therapeutic exercises and techniques, physical therapy can help young children, adults and elderly overcome various physical impairments and deformities in a far relaxed environment. Moreover, physical therapy is particularly useful to correct any abnormality in walking pattern, such as being flat footed, walking and balance disorders in children and bone diseases in the elderly while also rectifying injuries caused by hunching over laptops, poor posture, a sedentary lifestyle and injuries related to athletes. 

To further drive home the point, RAK Rehabilitation Centre at RAK Hospital is offering free intensive screening on back strength and gait analysis — in order to assess mobility and any irregularity in walking pattern — on the occasion of the World Physical Therapy Day. Beginning from 7th September until the end of the month, the campaign at RAK Rehabilitation Centre, Ras Al Khaimah, will create awareness on ways to correct spine disorders, balance and postures and the different therapy techniques used in pre- and post-surgery cases.

“It is really impressive how far physical therapy treatments have come. From hydrotherapy to electrical stimulation to ultrasound to hot and cold applications, people now have a wide variety to choose from,” said Dr Gauer, “It is the most conservative, yet a practical option for people facing mobility problems since it addresses the core issue, helps build strength, reduces chances of fall and other injuries and expedites recovery at a lower cost. Whether it is back and neck pain or stiffness in legs and arms or immobility after a stroke, or sports-related muscle and bone disorders, physical therapy can go a long way in correcting the problem. 

“Moreover, it can even help manage ailments such as diabetes, heart and lung diseases. In diabetes, for example, certain tailored therapeutic exercises can actually help control blood sugar,” added Dr Gauer.

Dr Raza Siddiqui, CEO, Arabian Healthcare Group and Executive Director, RAK Hospital said: “This complimentary screening can serve as a reminder for us that like other diseases, we need to focus on our physical abnormalities and take corrective measures before they get much worse. At the RAK Rehabilitation Centre we offer a comprehensive programme including treatments for reducing back and neck muscle pain, spine strengthening through aquatic therapy, provide a virtual walking environment on a treadmill, check proper balance and offer analysis of gait pattern or human mobility in general, besides a number of individual therapies.” 

Attendees visiting the Centre on 7th and 8th of September can also avail onsite tour as part of the Open House programme at the RAK Rehabilitation Centre for all the evaluation and treatment options. The Centre will be open from 10am to 7pm for the tour.