Burn Rehab

Burns? Really? I did not know!

Yes! Physical therapists help people with the process of healing from burns. If I were a betting woman, I’d wager that most people don’t know this.

But what exactly do PTs DO for burns? Seems kind of weird.

Wound care management is completely within the realm of physical therapy. There are even people who specialize in just this. I was really hoping to get some of my observation hours at a wound care clinic last summer but Covid kind of ruined that whole plan. So I don’t have as much personal experience to speak on for this topic yet, but you can expect updates when I reach that point in my education.

One of the most impactful differences your body can experience after a burn is tightness of the skin. Tight skin can limit your range of movement, which can decrease muscle strength over time and make seemingly simple tasks, like walking or balancing, difficult. Plus, skin tightness can be just straight up uncomfortable. The right PT can also help with things like respiratory care, edema, stiffness, pressure sore prevention, and pain control during wound dressing and debridement.

Side Note: PT students sometimes use oranges to practice debridement (de-BREED-ment) in school!

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

To help with these issues, you can expect treatments like exercise (always!) to stretch and strengthen the right areas, and scar tissue massage. If the resources are available, PTs may also use hydrotherapy (pool time!), electrical stimulation, or laser therapy. No, not a destructive laser or a cat toy. It’s a specialized laser designed to help soften tissue. I know I’ve said it before but this is one of those “Don’t try this at home!” things.

Do all physical therapists treat burns?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: I would expect any PT to be able to help with the impact of very minor burns that need fairly simple and minimal treatment. If you have a moderate to severe burn, you would probably need to seek out a wound care or burn rehab specialist.

If you’d like to read more about burn rehab and PT, try one of these sites:

https://www.physio-pedia.com/Post-burn_Rehabilitation

https://www.healthpartners.com/care/hospitals/regions/specialties/burn-center/exercise-therapy/

One last note for y’all: Occupational therapists also help in the burn rehab process but their focus is a little different. For a more thorough explanation on what the difference is, check out this previous post I wrote on just that:

https://www.geekypt.com/letsclearthatup/occupational-therapy-vs-physical-therapy

As always, if you have questions or comments, ask away in the comment section below!