Students and physiotherapists have teamed up to offer open gym sessions for patients with neurological conditions to support their rehabilitation.
Patients on Beech ward at St Margaret’s Hospital in Epping can attend the Tuesday morning gym in addition to their usual therapy sessions.
It aims to give patients more opportunities to practise exercises to regain their movement, balance and strength.
Their ages range from 18 upwards and they are recovering from a stroke or brain injury or have conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
Students who are studying MSc in Clinical Exercise Physiology at the University of East London guide the patients through a range of exercises. Physiotherapists from EPUT are on hand to supervise and provide extra support.
The gym equipment includes static bikes, parallel bars, resistance bands, steps, and Blaze pods, which help to improve strength, coordination, balance and reaction times.
Physiotherapist Amanda Hardy said: “It takes thousands of repetitions of exercises for patients to see improvement after a stroke.
“Every Tuesday morning the patients can practise what they want to practise in the gym, at their own pace, under supervision.
“I find the younger stroke survivors want to spend more time in the gym and some patients have really specific goals. For example, patients with young families may want to be well enough to help their children get ready for school.”
The open gym sessions started in late February and aim to help patients regain their independence so they can leave hospital sooner. They are one of the ways the Trust is working with partner organisations to help us deliver seamless care closer to home, which is one of our priorities.
The sessions also give the students practical experience to help them qualify to become clinical exercise physiologists, who specialise in working with patients to implement exercise, physical activity and lifestyle changes to prevent, treat and manage chronic and complex health conditions.
Student Ellie Cunningham, from Romford, is planning to specialise in working with cardiac and stroke rehabilitation. She said: “It’s been really good to get the patient contact and interaction that you don’t get at university, and learning how each person is different so we can personalise care to them.”
Fellow student Karan Jhutti, from Berkshire, said: “Being able to work with stroke and neuro patients is the key thing, and working as part of the multi-disciplinary team with physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and psychiatrists. It’s invaluable for us as we are learning so we can increase our experience and contact with patients.”
As part of their placement at EPUT, the students also help patients with bed exercises and arm and hand strength and coordination exercises.
Jack McNamara, a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for the MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology at the University of East London, said: “St Margaret’s and EPUT have created something genuinely valuable here, and we are delighted that our students are playing a part in it.
“Giving patients more opportunity to practise rehabilitation exercises is exactly the kind of work clinical exercise physiologists are trained to support, and we look forward to continuing that relationship.”