Going by the boons and banes of the globalization, the evolution in people’s lifestyle, food habits and the endless list of health problems has nothing but added to the bane rather than the boon. Stress has become the watchword overnight and the growing pollution is putting more and more people at risk to develop diabetes, obesity, neurological, orthopedics, respiratory and cardiac problems. It is here that Physiotherapy comes in picture. It not only deals with all the above problems but helps in tackling them by adding quality to life. It is said that a doctor helps in adding ‘Years to Life’, but it is the physiotherapist who adds ‘Life to Years’. The physiotherapist has a major role to play in various diseases such as Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, post myocardial infarction, Bronchitis, post operative treatment after major surgeries such as Lung surgeries, Cardiac bypass, abdominal surgeries, Joint arthritis, neck pain, backache, post fractures, patients developing neurological problems such as stroke, head injuries, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Antenatal & Post natal care, Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity, Work related injuries, Burn’s care etc. With a plethora of side effects, spiraling cost of the drugs and duration of the therapeutic value, people are now turning their attention to treatments free from the tangles of drugs and other medicines and thus becoming more aware of preventive measures.
Physiotherapy is a branch of Allied Health Science. The degree offered in Physiotherapy is Bachelor of Physiotherapy. The Bachelor of Physiotherapy is a 4 ½ year program and the Masters is a 2 year program. A student learns subjects such as Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Psychology, Pharmacology, orthopedics, Neurology, Medicine, Sociology, Exercise Therapy, Electrotherapy, Biomechanics, Physiotherapy in Orthopedics, Neurology, Cardiopulmonary conditions, Community based rehabilitation and Research Methodology. Apart from this, there are several other options available for Science students in medical and allied sciences.
During the 1st two years of Physiotherapy, in addition to the preclinical and paraclinical subjects, a student learns the basic physiotherapeutic skills. From the 3rd yr, a student learns how to assess a patient suffering from various orthopedic, neurological, cardiac and respiratory problems, learns how to provide physiotherapy to these patients as part of their clinical training.
Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore under the aegis of Manipal University offers a 4 and a half year program in Bachelor’s degree and a 2 year Master’s program. Ph.D program in Physiotherapy is also offered at this institution. The Department of Physiotherapy has ‘state of art’ facilities required for Physiotherapy treatment and research. A wide variety of patients are treated both on first contact basis as well as through referrals from Medical, Surgical and Super specialty units such as Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery, Cardio Thoracic Surgery etc. Thus, a student joining this institution has an added advantage of being clinically trained under the strict supervision of faculty. It is this exposure to clinical training that has helped our alumni to excel in their patient care and academics both at national and international level..
In the Master’s program in Physiotherapy, a student can opt for various branch of specialization offered namely Musculoskeletal, Neurosciences, Cardiopulmonary and Community Based Rehabilitation along with a research paper. This is one of the professions that a student with interest in Biology and Human Science can opt for, after their PUC. It is the only branch in medical science wherein the students learn all the aspects of medicine that polishes the value of human care due to the close proximity to the patients during the treatment in physiotherapy. Students interested in pursuing their Bachelor in Physiotherapy at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore may contact the Department of Physiotherapy. Phone No:- 0824- 2422271.