Burn Rehabilitation

The first eighteen months are the most challenging for the patient, and leaving the hospital may be more difficult than the time spent there. Post-discharge burn rehabilitation includes:

• Regularly moving all the patient’s muscles with their assistance by the occupational therapy team. If the patient cannot receive proper occupational therapy after discharge, they may need to be readmitted to the hospital.
• Assessing improvement in the patient’s problems caused by the burn.
• Providing treatments for the post-surgical and post-reconstructive surgery phase.
• Scar treatment and management, especially in areas such as the face, neck, and chest. Scar treatment involves massaging the scars, wearing pressure garments, using topical silicone gel, administering corticosteroid injections, and undergoing surgeries.
• Educating the patient's family on how they can assist in the rehabilitation process.
• Alleviating itching associated with burn healing through massage, moisturizers, and oral antihistamines at night. In some cases, itching may be caused by wound inflammation, and this may require hospital readmission.
• Skin reconstruction is performed two years after the burn to ensure complete healing of all scars.