REHAB NEWS

So we also talk of how tragic road traffic accidents are and how a lot of families are left in dire situations because of them. I recently sat in a forum during a Mai Chisamba programme and realised how little we are doing as a country to assist victims of road traffic accidents. But not only that, l also realised how little we as Zimbabweans know about what we can do when tragedy strikes us or someone close to us.

Although l felt touched while we had this conversation and wanted to know and was advocating for a lot more to be done when such incidents occur. The subject only became highly important when l had to go through an experience of looking for friends that l had last talked to when they left Bulawayo coming to Harare. The trauma that l went through in those 24hours of not knowing what had happened is nothing compared to what they were actually going through. They had been involved in a car accident somewhere close to Kadoma and two had died and two had survived.

After this event in my life l felt the need to write this article. When you suspect that a relative or friend might have been involved in a car accident please try and contact the police they might be able to help you know their whereabouts. In the event that an accident has occurred every vehicle in Zimbabwe is supposed to have a vehicle insurance. After getting a police report depending on the type of insurance you can then claim for damage on the vehicle and with other insurance covers for public vehicles you can forward an insurance claim to cover medical bills for the individuals who were in the vehicle. St Giles has for years been offering medical services for victims of road traffic accidents. Although we are well known for providing therapies like Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy our institution also provides counselling services through our Psychologist who can help with grief and bereavement counselling. A lot of people might be unable to get into a vehicle, drive or even be independent after such an ordeal. Please get help when you go through these experiences after an accident.

Beauty Mushipe is a Senior Social Worker at St Giles. She holds a bachelor and Master’s degree in Social Work from Curtin University and the University of Zimbabwe. She also holds a certificate in People Management from IPMZ and is a registered Clinical Social Worker with the Health Professional Authority since 1999.

She joined St Giles Medical Rehabilitation Centre as a junior Social Worker in 1983. Over the 31 years at St Giles she has held several positions as the Centre restructured. Beauty was instrumental in the placement of people with disabilities into formal employment such as banks and other sedentary occupations by matching people’s disabilities and capabilities with organizational requirements and providing support to both employee and employers to ensure successful placement, giving rise to her publication ‘Attitudes of Employers in the Employment of People with Disabilities’ – (1987)

Apart from her professional life, she loves reading, gardening and interior décor. Beauty has 3 grown up children, a daughter and two sons.

A bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is damage in the continuity of the bone. This can be as a result of high force impact or stress, on a minimal trauma injury as a result of certain medical conditions that weaken the bones.

Your risk of fracture depends, in part on your age. Broken bones are very common in childhood, although children’s fractures are generally less complicated than fractures in adults. As you age your bones become more brittle and you are more likely to suffer fractures from falls that would not occur when you were young.

There are many types of fractures but the main categories are displaced, nondisplaced, open, and closed fractures. Displaced and non-displaced fractures refer to the way the bone breaks. A closed fracture is when the bone breaks but there is no puncture or open wound in the skin. An open fracture is one in which the bone breaks through the skin

The most common causes of fractures are: trauma- a fall, a motor vehicle accident, or a tackle during a football game. Bone fractures can also be as a result of osteoporosis which is a disorder that weakens bones and makes them more likely to break. It can also be due to overuse e.g repetitive motion which can tire muscles and place more force on the bone. This can result in stress fractures and these are more common in athletes.

Smokers are also at high risk of suffering bone fractures. This is because smokers generally have lower bone density than non-smokers. Research has also shown that smoking also delays bone healing.

Treatment of bone fractures are broadly classified as surgical or conservative, the latter basically referring to any non-surgical procedure, such as pain management, immobilization or other non-surgical stabilization. Open treatment refers to any treatment in which the fracture site is surgically opened, regardless of whether the fracture itself is an open or closed fracture.

Fractures take several weeks to months to heal depending on the extent of the injury and how well you follow your doctor’s advice. Exercises will also help you restore normal muscle strength, joint motion and flexibility. This however, requires proper experts such as physiotherapist and occupational therapist to ensure that no further damage is exerted on the affected area during exercises. St Giles has a team of qualified therapists to assist in this regard.

In addition to the above treatments, proper diet and regular exercises may help in preventing some fractures. A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D will promote bone strength.