Welcome again to the ThreeSpires Physiotherapy blog; in this article I thought it might be nice to return to looking at a case study and examining the difference that our home visit physiotherapy service really can make. Just to remind you, we provide a home visit physiotherapy service based in Lichfield and serving areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Cannock, Tamworth, Rugeley and Walsall. In this article we will look at a case study involving helping a patient with severely reduced mobility following a prolonged hospital stay.  In this case we were contacted by the patient's daughter to explain that her mum who lives in Rugeley had recently had a prolonged period in hospital due to an infection and was now recovering at home. The patient was medically stable but was now unable to walk or mobilise due to weakness and a lack of confidence. She was due to receive NHS physiotherapy but due to resource constraints they were likely to be waiting for about a month and the family were extremely concerned about the lack of input and wanted to get their mum moving again. On initial assessment the patient was able to stand with a stand aid and some help but was too weak to walk and was also very fearful of falling. Prior to her hospital admission she had been able to mobilise indoors well with only a stick for aid but after being in bed in hospital for approximately 4 - 6 weeks she had lost a great deal of leg strength. So in conjunction with the family we decided that the best course of action was a daily course of intensive physiotherapy to try to get the patient back on her feet and strong again as soon as possible.

Over the course of the next 3 weeks both myself and our excellent physio Rachael visited the patient at home in Rugeley and worked with her on her leg strength, balance, general fitness and mobility. Sessions were tailored to the ability level and needs of the patient and focused on achieving her goal of walking again. By the end of 3 weeks the patient was almost at her previous levels of mobility and was back to walking indoors with a stick (occasionally when tired she used a zimmer frame). At this point we began to reduce the number of sessions and about a week later we discharged the patient with a home exercise programme and self management advice.

In my opinion this case realy highlights the difference that early and effective physiotherapy can really make for patients with reduced mobility. The sooner a patient who is experiencing difficulties with mobilising is able to access physiotherapy the better they are likely to respond.

For anyone reading this blog who hasn't come across our site before: we are a home visit physiotherapy service, based in Lichfield but serving anywhere within a 20 minute drive including areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Cannock, Burton and Rugeley. We offer a wide range of services including paediatric physiotherapy, post-operative rehabilitation, neurological physiotherapy and neck and back pain relief. If you need further information or would like to book an appointment we can be contacted on 0788 428 1623 or viaenquiries@threespiresphysiotherapy.co.uk