Physiotherapy and yoga in the management of DMD

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a challenging disease for the physiotherapists and other rehabilitation professionals with regard to its unstoppable progression and gradual functional disabilities displayed by the patients. With regular physiotherapy, the therapists aim at maximizing function and improving their quality of life with the available muscle function and strength. However, the long term compliance to the treatment sessions are challenged due to various factors, including lack of motivation and boredom with repetitive exercises. Yoga has been found to be a beneficial alternative to physiotherapy in many medical conditions. Incorporating yoga in the rehabilitation of DMD helps the clinicians and therapists in improvising their interventions and modifying the exercises, so as to avoid boredom with the same exercise programs. This book explores the possibility of yoga in the rehabilitation of patients with DMD, along with physiotherapy. The changes in various parameters are explored in order to identify the effectiveness of both interventions so as to achieve maximum benefit in terms of function, quality of life, and prolonging their lifespan by the therapists.