How Does a Burn Injury Affect Your Body?

A burn injury causes stress to your body. Your heart and lungs may not function as efficiently, and your bones may not be as strong as they were before. Remember that muscles become weak or smaller when they are not used.

Being on bed rest probably caused you to lose some muscle. For each day of bed rest, people can lose up to 1% of their muscle mass.

Additionally, as your burns heal, you may notice that your skin feels tighter. You may not be able to move your joints as far or as freely as before. This tightness and restricted movement may make it harder to perform everyday activities like bathing, dressing, and eating.

Why Is Exercise Important?

The sooner you begin everyday activity, the better. Sitting up, getting out of bed, and walking will help you recover and leave the hospital sooner.

Being active or exercising will:

• Improve your breathing

• Help your body fight infections, like pneumonia

• Increase your flexibility and ability to move

• Reduce your risk of developing scars or contractures that limit movement

• Make it easier to take care of your daily activities

•Provide a sense of well-being

Rehabilitation After Grafting

Skin grafting is the process of transferring skin from one part of the body (the donor site) to another area (the recipient site) that has been damaged by burns.

Common donor sites for grafting are the upper arms and thighs. Other areas may include the back, buttocks, or abdomen. A period of 5 to 7 days is required to allow the graft to integrate and establish circulation. During this time, movement is discouraged in the grafted areas. However, surrounding parts of the body can still be moved.

Physiotherapy for Post-Burn Management

• Therapeutic Exercises:

To maintain and improve range of motion (ROM) and enhance muscle strength.

• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS):

Used to relieve pain and pruritus (itching).

• Hydrotherapy:

Encourages ROM exercises, especially in cases of significant pain or fear of movement.

• Paraffin Wax Therapy:

When applied to contractures in the extremities, it helps improve ROM.

• Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT):

Low-energy ESWT, combined with traditional physiotherapy, has been shown to relieve burn scar pain and pruritus. It also improves health-related quality of life, scar appearance, and functional mobility in patients with severe burns.

• Scar Tissue Massage:

Improves the pliability of scars. Different scar tissue massage techniques can be utilized to aid recovery.

A burn injury puts stress on your body, potentially affecting the efficiency of your heart and lungs, and weakening your bones. Keep in mind that muscles can weaken or shrink if they are not used. Various physiotherapy exercises can aid in the treatment of burn injuries.