Down Syndrome
Down syndrome (also known as Trisomy 21) is a genetic condition which is caused by a person having extra chromosomes. The extra chromosomes may cause the patient to have developmental delays or different physical features (such as having short neck or smalls hands and feet).
Patients with this condition may act similar or have similar characteristics. However, strengths and weaknesses of each patient is different.
Trisomy 21
This is known as the most common type of down syndrome. In addition to causing issues such as learning difficulties or having different physical features, this condition may also cause heart problems, vision, and hearing problems and more.
Translocation down Syndrome
Translocation down syndrome is less common than Trisomy 21 and accounts for small percentage of patients with down syndrome. Translocation down syndrome is caused by one extra chromosome attaching to another chromosome. Patients with this type of down syndrome may also have difficulties with getting pregnant or may also suffer from miscarriages.
Patients with this type of down syndrome suffer from similar health and learning difficulties as patients with other types of down syndrome.
Mosaic Down Syndrome
Mosaic down syndrome also accounts for a small percentage of patients with down syndrome. Mosaic down syndrome is caused when the patient has extra chromosomes in one cell while in other types of down syndrome such as translocation down syndrome and trisomy 21, the patient has extra chromosomes in all cells.
Children with this type of condition may also suffer from developmental delays and learning difficulties.
Physiotherapy for patients with down syndrome
As explained above, patients with down syndrome have similar physical features. Some of these physical features may include:
- Having short neck
- Small arms, legs, and feet
- Small ears
- Poor posture, muscle tone or having loose joints
- Short height
- Reduced muscle strength
Physical therapy can play a significant role for the management of down syndrome. Due to having different physical features, patients with down syndrome may have difficulties with their posture, balance, bone mass and have reduced muscle strength.
A professional physiotherapist can provide the patient with a plan to help with the management of this condition. There are a range of factors that needs to be considered by your physiotherapist to provide you with a plan that best suits your needs.
A physiotherapist may increase the physical activity of the patient, which leads to having lower risk of heart problems, obesity and improve muscle strength. Having a right plan of exercise is crucial for patients. A physiotherapy professional needs to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the patient and educating the patient on how those experiences need to be done to avoid any type of injury that may be caused to the patient due to exercise.
Having shorter arms or legs can result in the patient having issues with walking, balance, or learning motor skills. The general long-term goals of physiotherapy sessions are to improve patient’s motor skills and balance to prevent falls. This is done by providing different exercises and treatments to improve the patient’s overall quality of life.
At Merrylands Rehab Centre
At Merrylands Rehab Centre we use the most advanced technological facilities to help you manage your pain in a fast and effective manner. As physiotherapy professionals, we are committed to provide you with the best treatment that suits your circumstances and needs.
Occupational therapy for patients with down syndrome
Occupational therapist (OT) can help patients to learn skills to be as independent as possible. for the patients with down syndrome, OT works on the patient’s fine and gross motor skills, educating parents and carers with management strategies and improving the skills and abilities of the patient. OT is also available as a home-based service at Merrylands Rehab Centre.
For more information on what other services occupational therapist can provide for you, click on tab ‘services’ then click on ‘occupational therapy’.
Types of treatments at Merrylands Rehab Centre
The types of treatment we provide for down syndrome include:
- Laser therapy.
- Shockwave therapy
- Hydrotherapy
- Exercise
- Electrotherapy
- Kinesiology taping
- Rigid taping
- Dry needling
- Manual therapy and hands on treatment
If you have any further questions in relation to this condition, feel free to chat with us on our social media platforms or call us on (02) 9637 5708.
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