Page 10 - A Guide to Physical and Occupational Therapy for CMT

Therapists may also use assessments to determine the impact that your
condition has on your quality of life. These assessments provide information on
how you are affected by CMT at the time of your visit. The information gathered
from your history and physical examination help the therapist formulate a plan
of care tailored to your specific needs and goals. Assessments will often be
performed again at a later date to determine if progress has been made and
to modify the plan if necessary.
After the history and physical examination, the therapist will likely have a
further discussion with you and any family members present to better determine
your current functional activity level and activities you might feel are limited by
your nerve problems. This includes discussing your daily activities and your
role in the family and society, as well as your involvement in recreational and
occupational activities.

The therapist will then work with you to determine an optimal plan of care.
The plan of care is an outline to guide you toward your goals. This plan will
include the expected frequency and duration of visits needed to accomplish the
established goals. Factors that go into this decision include the complexity of
the program, your comfort with your own role and responsibilities related to the
program and the therapist’s need to monitor the program.

The therapist will demonstrate and teach you an individualized home exercise
program designed to support the activities you do when you come to the
office. This will include the expected frequency, intensity and progression of the
exercise or activities. The therapist will monitor your response to the program
and will make modifications as necessary. Much of the success of any course
of therapy rests on diligent follow-through of both the home and clinic-based
portion of the established program.

Common Considerations for
Patients with CMT:

While it is important that interventions are
individualized, existing similarities in the
symptoms and treatment of patients with CMT
also merit therapeutic consideration. In the next
sections, we provide an overview of these
common areas and considerations for the care of
people with CMT.