Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation in Turkey: Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center

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When it comes to the treatment of any disease, we primarily think about whether or not there is a total cure. Each doctor makes all the effort to return a patient to his normal everyday life without any complications or limitations. Unfortunately, certain disorders can`t be healed completely due to irreversible changes in the body. In such situations,  stage of treatment should be followed by stage of rehabilitation.

Comprehensive rehabilitation is a must for patients with neurological (stroke, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries) and orthopedic disorders (fractures, joint diseases, scoliosis); also this is an obligatory part of recovery period after operations and traumas.

Medical care in acute conditions is of primary importance in most countries, while the recovery treatment (rehabilitation course) isn't always a priority . That is why rehabilitation programs are usually provided by private institutions, which are able to guarantee decent technological level of the treatment and recruit the most skilled specialists. Due to the same reasons, patients and their relatives often seek medical help abroad, choosing healthcare facilities with approved treatment schemes and a renown worldwide reputation. Thereby, multidisciplinary Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center admits thousands of international patients annually, providing them with individual rehabilitation programs.

Content

1. Why is it worth choosing a rehabilitation programme in Turkey?
2. What is Romatem?
3. Which patients should visit Romatem center for the rehabilitation?
4. Which unique equipment is used at the Romatem center?
5. How can I get  treated at the Romatem Center?

Why is it worth choosing a rehabilitation programme in Turkey?

Patients and their relatives usually look for a rehabilitation programme when the stage of active treatment is successfully completed. This means that the patient has already experienced severe symptoms of the disease and gone through a serious course of medication  or surgical treatment.

Before starting the rehabilitation course, patients and their relatives may be a little bit confused with the result of treatment (only a partial cure) and necessity for further medical assistance (being under 24-hours control in the hospital).

That is why it should be pointed out, that there are several conditions of completing comprehensive rehabilitation program with stable results:

• Patient`s intention to improve his health, full involvement in all rehabilitation procedures and other activities
• Availability of necessary equipment (training and adjuvant devices) and medicines for chemical support of recovery forces
• Involvement of skilled healthcare professionals with successful experience of rehabilitation programs creating and providing, as well as experience of work with modern equipment (e.g. robotic one)

Each and every rehabilitation program in all branches of Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center starts with a doctor`s consultation and examination. As a general rule, rehabilitation involves comprehensive measures and is not focused on a sole organ of system of organs. This is why every program is decided individually and needs coordinated work of healthcare professional’s team. In addition to specialists in particular fields (neurologist, traumatologist, cardiologist, etc.), each patient regularly visits a physiotherapist and psychologist.

Due to certified rehabilitation regimens and an excellent professional reputation in foreign countries, Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center has more than 12 years of experience of working with international patients.

On the basis of this vast experience international patients receive the following advantages during the treatment process:

• Developing highly individualised rehabilitation program by the team of experienced doctors and adjustment of the program to the patient`s changing needs during the course of treatment. Healthcare professionals in Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center improve skills and master new techniques each 6 months or more often, if necessary. After the completion of inpatient course of rehabilitation in the hospital, the patient receives detailed recommendations on further treatment at home. This enables the patient to consolidate the result and move forward to new aims.
• Physical training on the most up-to-date equipment. Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center constantly renews rehabilitation equipment that are consistent with international guidelines and requirements. Today such training devices as Lokomat, Amadeo system, TheraSuit for adults and children, Armeo-power and Vertetrec are available here. Undoubtedly, the center has an overwhelming number of variants when it comes to the physical aspect of rehabilitation, but each patient has his personal training schedule in order to work with 3 training devices maximum per day. This avoids excessive physical activity and makes the process of recovery more natural.
• Affordable price of rehabilitation programs. Vast experience of work with international patients makes it possible for Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center to offer such patients customized treatment prices. To be precise, treatment will cost from $200 to $300  per day depending on the initial state of the patient. This amount includes not only the fee for hospitalization with full accommodation, consultations with board of doctors and all treatment procedures, but also accommodation for an accompanying person. In most cases patients come for rehabilitation with relatives or close friends; it makes the trip more comfortable and, in certain cases, combines rehabilitation with tourism.
• Providing help with the organizational issues. To ease the process of admission to the hospital all international patients meet with a personal medical coordinator at the airport. The medical coordinator organizes transfer to the admission department and provides help with the possible language barrier. If necessary, the personal coordinator will always help with everyday questions or arrange the excursion program.

What is Romatem?

Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center admitted the first patient for full-term rehabilitation program in July 2005. The motto of Romatem is “Life is Action”, which reflects the main idea of the treatment approach. Few new healthcare facilities have been opened since then in order to provide specialized care to all people in need.

Modern Romatem includes four departments of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation. This center is a certified health brand in the field of recovery treatment and improving patient`s social skills.

Today you have the chance to choose between four branches of Romatem, taking into consideration their location and peculiarities of the process of treatment:

• Samsun Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital. This is the first branch of the Romatem network, located in Canik municipality of Samsun city. Doctors of the Samsun hospital have created unique rehabilitation techniques, which were adopted by other departments afterwards.
• Kocaeli Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital. This branch has been actively helping patients since August 2006. Initially this department was meant to serve as an outpatient facility, but the growing amount of patients has changed the plan. Now the department in Kocaeli Province is combined with the hospital for patients who need constant medical surveillance.
• Besiktas Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation and Pain Center. This is the most up-to-date branch, located in Istanbul. In addition to advanced neurological and orthopedic rehabilitation, this department provides medical care to patients with chronic pain syndrome.
• Bursa Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital. This branch is located in Bursa, the administrative and cultural centre of Bursa Province. The department in Bursa was opened in 2014 and has become one of the most actively visited hospitals since then.

All Romatem hospitals are ready to admit patients without any delay, qualified personnel is on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The only possible restriction is the availability of free places, as the demand for efficacious rehabilitation is extremely high. It is to be noted that the team of Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center serviced around 53,000 patients in 2017.

Which patients should visit Romatem center for the rehabilitation?

As it was mentioned before, Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center provides patients with different types of rehabilitation programs depending on the underlying disease and concomitant conditions.

The main fields of concern include the following:

• Orthopedic rehabilitation and rehabilitation after sports injuries
• Neurological rehabilitation (including adult patients and children)
• Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
• Rehabilitation in the postsurgical period
• Treatment of obesity and nutrition disorders

Orthopedic rehabilitation is intended for the restoration of muscle strength and reducing spasticity, relieving pain in joints and muscles, correcting deformations in the osseous system and functional recovery of joints and muscles. This type of rehabilitation is administered for patients with arthritises, scoliosis, professional and traumatic injuries of joints, bones and ligaments. The program usually includes massage, physiotherapy, mechanotherapy (continuous passive motion), and electrostimulation. A kind of combined orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation allows non-surgical pain relief in patients with spinal disc hernia. This aim is reached via work with Vertetrec (in patients with cervical and lumbar disc hernias) and system of spinal decompression DRX 9000 C (in patients with thoracic and lumbar disc hernias).

Neurological rehabilitation is the essential stage of recovery in patients with stroke or traumatic injuries of the brain and spinal cord. The aim of the treatment in the acute phase of such disorders is to save lives, and this is natural. Nevertheless, only long-term rehabilitation will restore a high quality of future life, which is essential, as well. Neurological rehabilitation restores the ability to fulfill activities of one’s daily lifestyle, talk, walk and engage socially. This kind of rehabilitation is also useful for patients with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, as an addition to permanent medicinal treatment.

Neurological rehabilitation in children pursues different aims, as it is performed in patients with cerebral palsy, birth injuries or congenital neurological disorders. The treatment course is primarily focused on intellectual and physical growth and development. Young patients need to learn basic skills from the beginning, not to restore them. This process is a real challenge, but the  child`s brain is plastic enough to learn new information and master new activities under the supervision of qualified doctors.

Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and rehabilitation in the postsurgical period are helpful in returning to everyday life and conventional level of physical activity. To be precise, this kind of rehabilitation starts in the inpatient department, where a patient goes through primary intervention (surgery, myocardial infarction treatment, etc.). Simple in performing motion exercises with low weights are, actually, the first step to comprehensive rehabilitation program. Rehabilitation schemes for such patients include individual exercise programs with the help of training equipment, walking with rising load, nutrition recommendations and medicinal support under the control of the specialist in related field. Carefully provided rehabilitation decreases the risk of relapse significantly and serves as the secondary prophylaxis.

Treatment of obesity can also be considered a kind of rehabilitation, as the sole administration of medicines for weight reduction often fails to show the desirable result. Today there is no official international guideline for rehabilitation of such patients, so the best result is guaranteed only by the personal experience of healthcare professionals. Individual programs aimed at body mass reduction include nutrition recommendations, diverse physical activity under the surveillance of a competent instructor and work with psychologist. The program gives a good start with obvious results, but the main point is that the patient will be able to enhance the progress at home.

Which unique equipment is used at the Romatem center?

 Achieving good result in each kind of rehabilitation is possible only in case of well coordinated team work. Doctors, psychologists, physical instructors, specialists in physiotherapy and a patient himself should work together to reach the treatment goal. Nevertheless, advanced modern equipment is extremely helpful, as it creates special conditions for restoring function and relieving pain.

Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center has all the necessary training devices for comprehensive work out with patients.

• Amadeo system. This device stimulates hand movement restoration. Peculiarities of the mechanism ensure working with the whole hand or with certain fingers. Amadeo system is effective in both mechanical traumas and injuries of the brain and spinal cord, as it influences muscles and the ability to control movements voluntary.
• Armeo-power. Another name of this device is robotic arm exoskeleton, as it works with both hand and forearm. Armeo-power primarily stimulates coordinated work of upper extremity muscles, but the same time provides restoration of the correspondent areas of the brain cortex. This rehabilitation procedure is particularly effective in patients with stroke.
• Lokomat. Another name of this device is the walking robot. Lokomat restores the ability to walk and improves mobility of lower extremities even in paralyzed patients. Exercises with Lokomat are controlled not only by the skilled instructor, but also by the computer program. The program saves all specific features of one’s walking pattern and helps to create the most appropriate training scheme for the future. Lokomat is recommended for patients in the recovery period of stroke, after traumas of the brain and spinal cord.
• TheraSuit system. This device is useful for both children with cerebral palsy and adult patients with stroke or craniocerebral trauma in anamnesis. TheraSuit system in combination with specially elaborated exercises creates correct body position with appropriate load on all parts of the body. This improves ability to control non-functioning due to the disease groups of muscles, increases amplitude and range of motion, and returns muscles tone back to normal. TheraSuit system for young patients has an additional functional property – it stimulates intellectual development at the same time.
• Continuous passive motion (CPM) devices. This group of devices is used in orthopedic rehabilitation and rehabilitation in the post surgical period. CPM devices provide balanced movement of the target joint with predefined range. Such exercise results in relieving post surgical pain, reducing inflammation, and restoring normal function of the joint. CPM devices are successfully used after joint replacement (e.g. knee replacement and endoscopic knee ligaments reconstruction).
• Vertetrec and Spinal Decompression System DRX 9000 C. These devices are extremely effective in non-surgical reduction of lower back pain and relieving pain syndrome connected with spinal disc hernias. Vertetrec and DRX 9000 C extends the distance between spinal discs, so that the pressure and compression of the spinal cord and nerves are gone. These devices provide pronounced and permanent result in case of cervical, thoracic and lumbar disc hernias.

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How can I get  treated at the Romatem Center?

Romatem Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center provides international patients with comprehensive medical assistance. Other issues, such as administrative work, execution of documents and organizational aspects of the trip are performed by the official partner of the Romatem Center – a medical tourism company called Booking Health. Booking Health is the medical tourism company, which arranges treatment abroad for thousands of patients every year. It is natural that medical advisors and patient case managers of Booking Health protect personal data of the patients, so stories of the rehabilitation in Romatem are not discussed in detail.

Speaking in general, there are a few most common causes of applying for rehabilitation programs and certain peculiarities regarding each of them:

• Stroke, traumatic injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Patients with these conditions may need special help in travelling to the hospital, as they may have difficulties with walking. In such situations patients are transported in the wheelchair from the airplane or bus to specialized motor transport. If necessary, flight via air medical service may be provided. Usually such patients are accompanied by relatives during the whole process of treatment, so the Romatem Center offers accommodation in two-bedroom apartments. Quality of accommodation services may be compared to a five-star hotel.
• Traumas, including professional ones, and diseases of joints, ligaments and bones. Such patients usually receive the initial treatment at home and visit Romatem center in order to restore the function of injured organ or relieve residual pain syndrome. Depending on the stage of the process, rehabilitation may take from few weeks to few months (including follow-up procedures in the native country). Competent restorative treatment of these conditions usually leads to relatively fast improvement, so patients are able to combine the treatment with tourism. Personal medical coordinator will arrange shopping or excursion program, if necessary.
• Cerebral palsy and development delays in children. Young patients often come for long-term rehabilitation programs; the average duration of the treatment course is 1 month. Children may be accompanied by one or two relatives, and the Romatem Center provides accommodation for all family members. Physical rehabilitation is usually combined with psychological support and consultations with a speech therapist. Besides treatment activities, young patients may communicate with other children – social interactions are no less important than physical skills. Sometimes it is even possible to meet compatriots in the same department.

In order to receive the primary consultation regarding the possibility of going through the rehabilitation program, collection of the necessary documents and organizational details, you should leave a request on the website of the company Booking Health. After this you will be contacted by a patient case manager, who will help you plan your trip and receive necessary treatment. Your patient case manager and personal medical coordinator will guide you through the whole process of treatment.

 

Choose treatment abroad and you will for sure get the best results!

 

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Authors:

The article was edited by medical experts, board certified doctors Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk, Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!

 

Sources:

Cochrane Rehabilitation

Smart rehabilitation

Medscape

 

Read:

Why Booking Health - questions and answers 

How to make right decision when choosing the clinic and specialist

7 reasons to trust to the rating of clinics on the Booking Health portal

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