MGMT INTEGUMENTARY IMPAIRMENTS

This 8-week course focuses on the physical therapy management for individuals with impairments to their skin and its associated structures including the hair, nails, and glands. Myers (2004) notes the number of individuals with open wounds treated by physical therapists will only increase due to an aging population, the increased prevalence of chronic diseases and the growth of comorbidities such as diabetes.  This course presents the physical therapy diagnosis and management of clients with integumentary impairments with an emphasis on open wounds and burns. Principles of skin anatomy, wound healing physiology, and factors affecting wound repair provides the foundational knowledge necessary for understanding the principles of integumentary impairments. Physical therapy examination (patient, skin, and wound) and interventions (setting up a sterile field sharp debridement, management of infection, dressing selection, compressive wrapping, and modalities available for adjunctive care) are covered. Wound etiologies including acute surgical wounds, pressure, vascular and neuropathic ulcers encountered in the clinical arena and current surgical procedures that facilitate wound healing and closure are delineated. The principles of burn injury including burn assessment, types of burn injuries, classification by level of tissue involvement, burn severity, and systematic complications of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and immune systems are covered.  A multidisciplinary patient management model and implications to physical therapists are discussed.