From left; Mr Levin Chetty, Ms Stacy Lawler, Dr Verusia Chetty and Dr Saul Cobbing.Physiotherapy Inspires Greatness in Buenos Aires
Four staff members from UKZN’s Discipline of Physiotherapy recently presented research papers at the11th International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The four; Dr Saul Cobbing, Mr Levin Chetty, Ms Stacy Lawler and Dr Verusia Chetty attended the Conference hosted by ISPRM, a global agency for Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM).
Cobbing, a lecturer, Physiotherapist and Biokineticist, recently graduated with a PhD in Health Sciences for a study titled: “Home-Based Rehabilitation for People Living with HIV in a Resource-Poor Setting in KwaZulu-Natal”. The study investigated a home-based rehabilitation intervention in KwaZulu-Natal.
At the conference, he presented findings from the study but focused specifically on the experiences of community healthcare workers and people living with HIV (PLHIV) who participated in his study.
‘Both the healthcare workers and PLHIV described improved physical and mental well-being, despite the various challenges they faced during the four-month intervention,’ said Cobbing.
Lawler presented the findings of her Masters research, in which she explored patients’ experiences and perspectives of cardiac rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass graft surgery conducted at a tertiary hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.
‘Patients’ perceptions of the current delivery of cardiac rehabilitation in this study setting emphasised that the current delivery of the programme is lacking in the areas of patient-centered care, equality of access to cardiac rehabilitation programmes, and appropriateness of programme content,’ explained Lawler.
Levin presented work he completed during his Masters degree titled, “The role of structured group exercise programmes and its effects on functional fitness levels in geriatric populations”.
His study concluded that 12 weeks of multifaceted group exercise together with the participation of just two times a week was an effective strategy to improve overall functional fitness levels in the elderly.
‘A structured plan of enhanced physical activity has been shown to improve health and quality of life in the older population and these benefits have a positive bearing on the preservation of functional capacity and decreased medical costs in this population,’ he explained.
‘Despite these benefits, high percentages of the elderly population in South Africa continue to lead sedentary lifestyles,’ continued Levin.
According to the organisers, the Conference featured an innovative programme designed to meet the needs of PMR doctors, rehabilitation teams and patients for the 21st century.
Verusia presented two papers, the first one titled; “Landscape of Physiotherapy Clinical Education at a Tertiary Institution in KwaZulu-Natal”, she co-authored with Lawler, Ntsikilelelo Pefile and Cobbing.
The study explored the perceptions of physiotherapy students, community service physiotherapists and physiotherapy clinical facilitators on the clinical education framework at a tertiary institution in order to understand preparedness of students for practice.
She also presented a paper titled, “The impact of static versus dynamic stretching on agility performance among hockey players in South Africa”, which she co-authored with Lawler.
The duo conducted an experimental design investigating the effects of performing static stretching, dynamic stretching or a combination of the two on agility in individual hockey players.
The study was done at two College hockey clubs in KwaZulu-Natal using the Illinois agility test.
‘The protocol that had a significant difference to the pre-intervention agility level of each player was the combination protocol which remains controversial in literature aimed at effectiveness of stretching protocols for optimal warm-up of hockey players,’ explained Verusia.
According to the organisers, the Conference featured an innovative programme, designed to meet the needs of PMR doctors, rehabilitation teams and patients for the 21st century.