Massage Therapy Journal Fall 2024

Fall 2024 • 51

obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema, chronic bronchitis), inactivity, advancing age and obesity. Mobility impairments can be permanent or temporary. Examples of temporary mobility impairments are a broken bone, a hand injury or during recovery from a surgical procedure. Several mobility impairments involve paralysis. A person who is paralyzed is unable to move or feel a part of their body. Paralysis is usually due to an illness or an injury that affects the nervous system. The extent of paralysis depends on the type of illness or injury and its location. Strokes or other vascular incidents such as brain aneurysms are the leading cause of paralysis, followed by spinal cord injuries. 31 Strokes may cause hemiplegia, which is paralysis on one side of the body from damage to the brain. Spinal cord injuries may cause quadriplegia or paraplegia. Quadriplegia is when all four limbs are paralyzed from damage to the cervical area of the spinal cord. Paraplegia is paralysis from the waist down from damage to the thoracic or lumbar area of the spinal cord. People with conditions like cerebral palsy and Bell’s palsy often exhibit paralysis as part of their signs and symptoms. Individuals with paralysis may develop contractures . This occurs when elastic tissue is replaced with inelastic fibrotic tissue. This condition causes previous elastic tissue to shorten and tighten, pulling the affected joint into a permanent flexed position sometimes called a contracture deformity. Mobility impairments can affect clients in several ways. Some clients may take longer to enter a building, to move from one room to the next or to move around in small spaces. In some cases, physical barriers may prevent entry into a building or room. A mobility impairment may affect, to varying degrees, a client’s ability to fill out an intake form or a consent form. A client’s physical abilities may also vary from day to day. Approximately 39 million Americans have mobility impairments. One in seven adults, or 13.7 percent, have difficulties with movement. 32

Assistive Technologies and Your Clients

Assistive technologies are any device or equipment that can help a person with a disability fully engage in life activities. There are several types of assistive technologies for people with mobility impairments. Aids that help a person walk or move are called mobility aids . Mobility aids vary and can include canes, walkers, wheelchairs or motor scooters. Over 6.8 million Americans use mobility aids. This group comprises 1.7 million wheelchair or scooter riders and 6.1 million users of other mobility devices, such as canes, crutches and walkers. Stroke, spinal cord injuries and osteoarthritis are the most prevalent conditions among wheelchair and scooter users. 33 To assist mobility, the individual may also use a service animal. Another type of mobility aid is a prosthesis , an artificial body part such as a leg or an arm. Other examples of prostheses are artificial joints and breast implants. The most common reasons for the use of prosthetic devices are loss of limbs due to amputations from disease (55 percent) and trauma (45 percent). The most common reason for traumatic amputations is motor vehicle accidents, followed by work-related accidents and accidents involving machinery.

Evidence suggests that massage therapy not only improves mood but also reduces pain and fatigue, improves range of motion and promotes sleep in people with disabilities.

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