Assessment Description:
Describe any new technologies or therapies that could help minimize muscle atrophy for a patient confined to a bed for a long period of time.
Please contact Assignment Samurai for help with this or any other assignment.
Email: assignmentsamurai@gmail.com
SOLUTION to BIO-201: Human Anatomy and Physiology I: Lab - Topic 5 DQ 1.
SAMPLE 1
Hello everyone,
Preventing muscle atrophy in bedbound patients is essential for preserving muscle function. Present-day advancements in technology and cure offer a viable solution to this problem.
A relatively popular technology that also demonstrated a high potential for preventing muscle atrophy is Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES). According to Bao et al. (2022), NMES employs electricity to contract muscles, which is similar to how muscles contract normally. It could be most useful for patients confined to bed most of the time due to their medical conditions and thus cannot exercise. Another benefit NMES offers is positive stimulation of muscles that help prevent extreme muscle atrophy associated with a long-term bedridden state. Some clinical trials suggest that NMES may improve muscle strength and endurance, which justifies its application to addressing muscle disuse in immobile patients.
Robotic Exoskeletons is another technique implemented to address the issue of muscle atrophy. Garces et al. (2022) state that these wearable devices are intended to help and facilitate movements of the patient’s limbs, whether through postural or active assistance movements. For example, a robotic exoskeleton can activate muscles that do not work for patients with severe mobility disorders. In this way, the devices support the limbs to ensure that the muscles do not degenerate and the rate of atrophy is minimized. Robotic exoskeletons can be especially helpful in rehabilitation procedures; they may help the patient rehabilitate and enhance muscles.
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Therapy is a novel approach to stopping muscle wastage. BFR entails using a tourniquet or cuff around the limbs to minimize blood circulation as the patient performs exercises of lesser intensity. This procedure helps to reduce oxygen supply to the muscles, thus promoting muscle building and strength even without training. A recent research study by Zhang et al. (2022) showed that BFR therapy preserves muscle mass and enhances muscle power among bedbound patients, which provides hope in eradicating muscle atrophy.
References
Bao, W., Yang, J., Li, M., Chen, K., Ma, Z., Bai, Y., & Xu, Y. (2022). Prevention of muscle atrophy in ICU patients without nerve injury by neuromuscular electrical stimulation: A randomized controlled study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 23(1), 780. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-022-05739-2
Garces, E., Puyuelo, G., Sánchez-Iglesias, I., Del Rey, J. C. F., Cumplido, C., Destarac, M., ... & Garcia, E. (2022). Using a robotic exoskeleton at home: An activity tolerance case study of a child with spinal muscular atrophy. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 67, e71-e78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2022.09.014
Zhang, X. Z., Xie, W. Q., Chen, L., Xu, G. D., Wu, L., Li, Y. S., & Wu, Y. X. (2022). Blood flow restriction training for the intervention of sarcopenia: Current stage and future perspective. Frontiers in Medicine, 9, 894996. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.894996