Looking After Me

Looking After Me Overview

Understanding Your Body – one of the keys to achieving what you want to do.

Looking after the body and mind is very important for everyone to be able to do the activities they want to do. A healthy body and mind assists people to lead a good life.

 

Problem How it may present Possible treatment
Pain and Fatigue
  • Pain in any part of the body
  • General tiredness at any time of day regardless of activity levels
  • Increasing difficulty in completing activities
  • Feeling weak, muscle tightness, struggling to keep up with others, increasing injuries
  • Management of pain source
  • Energy conservation – finding balance between activities and rest
  • Exercise and therapy to improve ability to move: stretching, strengthening, general fitness
  • Surgery
  • Medication
Arthritis
  • Joint pain during or after movement
  • Joint stiffness or tenderness
  • Restricted range of joint movement
  • Grating sensations when joint is moved
  • Hard lumps under the skin around the painful joint
  • Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Podiatry, Orthotics all aim to reduce joint deterioration e.g. muscle strengthening, stretching, balance, rest, massage, mobility, good lifestyle habits, exercise
  • GP or specialist e.g. medications and general health management, surgery
Mental Illness
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Low mood or sadness
  • Persistent feelings of stress and worry
  • Inability to get out and about
  • Lack of motivation or low energy
  • Counselling
  • Exercise
  • Socialisation support
  • Recreation support
  • Life planning and support
  • Medication
Neck
  • Subluxations
  • Nerve entrapment
  • Myelopathies
  • Cervical instability
  • Radiculopathies
  • Spondylosis
  • Spondylolisthesis
  • Osteophytes
  • Cervical stenosis
  • Fractures
  • Pain, with or without movement
  • Feelings of neck instability
  • Decreased range of movement
  • Headaches that do not respond to medication
  • Unexplained dizziness or light- headedness
  • Pins and needles, numbness
  • Loss of strength over a short period of time
  • Changes in bladder or bowel control
  • Medical Review with possible investigations such as CT Scan or MRI
  • Consultation with GP, neurologist or neurosurgeon
  • Physiotherapy e.g. neural lengthening, mobilisations, muscle and joint retraining, strengthening, stretching or ergonomics
  • Ultrasound, electrical stimulation or massage
  • Regular monitoring
  • Surgery with intensive rehabilitation
Mouth and Jaw
  • Pain
  • Locked jaw
  • Tooth and gum problems
  • Difficulty with eating, chewing or feeding
  • Fatigue with eating
  • Jaw clicking, fatigue or locking
  • Neck pain
  • Headaches
  • Bruxism
  • Snoring
  • Speech difficulties
  • Tooth or gum pain
  • Tooth or gum infections
  • Dental support for tooth and gum management
  • Equipment such as mouth guards
  • Speech pathology e.g. swallowing recommendations
  • Physiotherapy e.g. mobilisation, massage and exercises
  • GP or specialist consultation e.g. medications, sleep review
Swallowing
Aspiration
e.g. fibrosis of lungs
  • Coughing when eating or drinking
  • Difficulty eating, chewing or feeding
  • Fatigue when eating
  • Speech difficulties
  • Avoiding some foods
  • Chest infections
  • Regular hospitalisation for chest infections
  • Regular antibiotic use
  • Difficulty controlling saliva
  • Speech pathology e.g. swallowing recommendations
  • Physiotherapy e.g. respiratory management, positioning, exercise
  • Occupational therapy e.g. positioning
  • GP or specialist e.g. respiratory management
Communication
  • Difficulty communicating with friends, family and carers
  • Difficulty using a communication board, tablet or other device
  • Inability to communicate with strangers or support staff
  • Frustration at not being understood
  • Speech pathology, establishing ways to communicate
  • Occupational therapy, establishing ways to access communication systems and devices
Respiratory
  • Diseases of the respiratory system
  • Upper airway obstruction e.g. sleep apnoea, acute airway obstruction
  • Aspiration e.g. fibrosis of lungs
  • Coughing when eating or drinking
  • Difficulty taking deep breaths or coughing
  • Inability to cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Unusual tiredness
  • Chest infections
  • Regular antibiotic use
  • Snoring
  • Longer than average recovery time following minor illness
  • Hospitalisations
  • Speech pathology e.g. swallowing recommendations
  • Physiotherapy e.g. respiratory management, positioning, exercise
  • Occupational therapy e.g. positioning
  • GP or specialist e.g. respiratory management including medication, inhalers, nebulisers, ventilators or CPAP, BiPAP and cough assist machines
Heart
Cardiovascular problems such as arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Vertigo
  • Chest pain or discomfort which may extend to the arm, back, jaw or neck
  • Shortness of breath
  • GP or specialist consultation for medication or surgery
  • Physiotherapy e.g. exercise
  • Dietitian e.g. food recommendations
  • GP or specialist e.g. medication
  • Dietitian e.g. food recommendations
  • Physiotherapy e.g. positioning and exercise
Gastrointestinal
  • Reflux
  • Burning in stomach tube
  • Constipation
  • Loose bowels
  • GP or specialist e.g. medication
  • Dietitian e.g. food recommendations
  • Physiotherapy e.g. positioning and exercise
Shoulders
  • Dislocations
  • Instability
  • Bursitis
  • Frozen shoulder
  • Pain at rest or with movement
  • Difficulty lifting or carrying objects
  • Changes in posture
  • Shoulders not level
  • Inability to move arms away from body
  • Changes in ability to manage everyday tasks such as dressing or hanging out washing
  • Difficulty using elbow crutches or a four-wheeled walker
  • Physiotherapy e.g. pain management, postural support, muscle retraining, exercises, massage, electrical stimulation, task specific training, adjustments to mobility equipment, rehabilitation
  • Occupational therapy e.g. activity recommendations, adjustments to mobility equipment
  • GP or specialist consultation for medication or surgery
Scoliosis or kyphosis
  • Pain
  • Shoulders not level
  • Inability to sit upright or turn side to side
  • Ribs touching pelvis
  • Difficulty lifting head or standing tall
  • Difficulty taking deep breaths
  • Tiredness
  • Physiotherapy e.g. pain management, postural support, exercise, monitoring, seating systems, night time positioning, respiratory management
  • Occupational therapy e.g. seating and night time positioning support
  • GP or specialist consultation for long term monitoring of spine, x-rays, consideration of braces or surgery
  • Orthotics e.g. braces
Lower back / sacrum
  • Radiculopathies
  • Nerve entrapment
  • Tingling, pins and needles or numbness in lower legs
  • Changes in sensation
  • Changes in bladder and bowel control
  • Pain
  • Reduced mobility
  • Difficulty bending or lifting
  • Pain or discomfort when walking, climbing stairs or in transfers
  • Pain or discomfort in positions including lying, bending, standing or sitting
  • Physiotherapy e.g. neural lengthening, mobilisations, muscle and joint retraining, strengthening, stretching, ergonomics, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, massage and pain management
  • Physiotherapy e.g. activity training, equipment for movement and positioning, seating, night time positioning
  • Occupational Therapy e.g. seating and night time positioning
  • GP or specialist consultation for medication, referral for orthopaedic or neurosurgery review and consideration of surgery
Elbow, forearm and hands
  • Muscle contractures
  • Overuse syndromes e.g. tennis elbow, golfers elbow, carpal tunnel or ulnar nerve entrapment
  • Finger changes e.g. swan neck deformities
  • Pain
  • Reduced range of movement in joints
  • Difficulty writing or typing
  • Aching, particularly at night
  • Difficulty moving thumbs
  • Pressure injuries on hands from fingers and thumbs
  • Difficulty spreading fingers and thumbs apart
  • Tightness in hands, fingers and thumbs
  • Poor or worsening grip strength
  • Reduced fine motor skills
  • Difficulties cleaning palms of hands
  • Skin breakdown in palms of hands
  • Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy e.g. pain management, taping, bracing, ultrasound, laser, exercise, stretching, muscle retraining, strengthening, ergonomic assessment, active and resting splints, hygiene strategies
  • GP or specialist consultation for medication or surgery
Hips and pelvis
  • Pelvic obliquity
  • Hip dislocation
  • Hip displacement
  • Arthritis
  • Pain
  • Reduced mobility
  • Pressure injuries – especially sitting bones, ribs, pelvis and tailbone
  • Changes in posture
  • Feelings on instability in hips
  • Difficulty sitting upright
  • Slipping forward while seated
  • Leg length discrepancy
  • Knees shifting to one side when seated or lying down
  • Changes in walking ability or mobility levels
  • Knee or lower back pain
  • Increase in falls or tripping
  • Feeling lopsided when standing
  • Limping or increased fatigue when walking
  • New need for a mobility aid
  • Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy e.g. 24-hour positioning and movement support for seating, night time positioning, relaxation, exercise, stretching, strengthening, braces, footwear, gait and transfer training, monitoring
  • Medical specialists e.g. tendon releases, tendon transfers, osteotomies, hip replacements, Botulinum toxin therapy
Knees
  • Patella alta
  • Patella fractures
  • Patella displacement
  • Pain
  • Changes to walking ability
  • Difficulty using stairs
  • Increasing muscle fatigue with walking
  • High riding knee cap
  • Knee instability or sensations of knees 'giving way'
  • Clicking or grinding sounds
  • Tiredness with standing and walking
  • Needing to rest regularly
  • Increased muscular tightness in legs
  • Inability to straighten knees, preferring to keep knees bent
  • Physiotherapy e.g. pain management, stretching, strengthening, taping, bracing, mobilisation, massage, muscle retraining, activity retraining
  • GP or specialist consultation for medication or surgery such as tendon releases or realignment
Ankles and feet
  • Flat feet
  • Deformities to hind, mid or forefoot
  • Pain, aching
  • Changes in walking patterns
  • Increase in falls or tripping
  • Reduced mobility
  • Swelling
  • Pain with walking or standing for long periods
  • Reduced balance
  • Difficulty finding comfortable footwear or wearing shoes out quickly
  • Skin problems relating to walking patterns and ill-fitting footwear
  • Physiotherapy e.g. massage, stretches, strengthening, pain management, gait retraining, mobility equipment
  • Orthotics e.g. foot orthoses, ankle foot orthoses, seating and foot plate placement
  • Footwear e.g. specialised, customised
  • GP or specialist consultation for medication or surgery such as triple arthrodesis, tendon transfers, bony spur removal, bunion surgery, first metatarsal fusion or plantar fascia release