Burns

The Professor Stuart Pegg Adult Burn Centre at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital is the major referral centre for burn injuries and provides care for adults with burn injuries across Queensland, Northern New South Wales, and the Pacific Islands.

Physiotherapy is a vital component of rehabilitation and recovery after burn injury.  Physiotherapy programs have been shown to:

• Improve skin flexibility and movement
• Prevent burn scar contracture development
• Improve muscle mass and strength, overcome symptoms of weakness, and counteract effects of prolonged bed rest
• Improve endurance and overcome symptoms of deconditioning and fatigue
• Improve balance, function, confidence, and independence with completing daily functional tasks and activities
• Improve mental health, general well being and quality of life

Physiotherapy services at the Professor Stuart Pegg Adult Burn Centre, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) are provided as follows:

Inpatient Services

Physiotherapists provide care for all patients admitted to hospital for:

• Acute burn injuries
• Other skin related conditions such as necrotising fasciitis, toxic epidermal necrolysis
• Reconstructive burn surgery for surgical scar contracture release

All patients admitted to the Professor Stuart Pegg Adult Burn Centre, RBWH will automatically be referred to Physiotherapy, so no additional referrals are required.  In-hospital Physiotherapy may include:

• Thorough assessment of your current breathing patterns, movement, strength, and overall function
• Development of an individualised treatment program to meet your specific needs and goals. This may include treatment for breathing issues, movement and strength problems and improvement of overall physical activity while in hospital.
• Planning what you need in preparation for discharge from hospital and co-ordination of ongoing outpatient treatment programs either at the RBWH or with local physiotherapists if the service is available.

Outpatient Services

The Physiotherapy Department at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital provide two types of outpatient services for patients after burn injuries.  Referrals are received directly from the Burn centre (after inpatient admission) and from the Burn Multi-disciplinary Outpatient clinics. Our physiotherapists will work with you to plan which service or combination of services is best for your condition.

Individualised outpatient physiotherapy treatment sessions for burn injuries

These sessions include exercise-based therapy alongside specific scar management techniques, education and advice and are provided by physiotherapists at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital via either

• • In-person appointments at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Physiotherapy Department located on Level 2 of the Ned Hanlon Building.
  • Telehealth appointments directly into your home or into your local health care facility if you are unable to attend the hospital in person. We can also support your local physiotherapist (if services are available in your location) with any specialty burn management techniques and advice.

Physiotherapy Reviews at RBWH Multi-disciplinary Burns Clinics

Reviews are also conducted by Physiotherapists in combination with other members of the multi-disciplinary burn team (Burn Surgeons, Nurses, and Occupational Therapists) at scheduled RBWH burns clinics.  Again, these appointments can be in-person or via telehealth technologies if you are unable to attend the hospital for any reason.

Burn Educational Services

Due to the specialty nature of burn physiotherapy services, ongoing support and education can be provided to regional and remote physiotherapy services to assist with direct patient care.   Any physiotherapy service in Queensland and Northern New South Wales (both public or private) may request further burn-specific physiotherapy education, training, or in-service opportunities by contacting

Anita Plaza
Consultant Physiotherapist / Team Leader
Professor Stuart Pegg Adult Burn Centre
Email: anita.plaza@health.qld.gov.au
Phone: 07 3646 8111, pager number 42433
Generic Burns Team Email: RBWH-Physio-Burns@health.qld.gov.au

Resources

RBWH Physiotherapy Burn Education and Exercise Sheets

• Physiotherapy after a burn injury: An early start provides the best outcomes
• Physiotherapy after a burn injury: Managing your long-term program while getting your life back on track
• Burns – Face exercises
• Burns – Neck exercises
• Burns – Trunk exercises
• Burns – Shoulder exercises
• Burns – Elbow exercises
• Burns – Wrist exercises
• Burns – Hand exercises
• Burns – Hip exercises
• Burns – Knee exercises
• Burns – Foot and ankle exercises
• Burn Exercise Tracker

RBWH Physiotherapy Burn Video Resources

Other Useful Websites and Information

• Models Systems Knowledge Translation Center – Living with burn injury
  Resources available for patients about all aspects of burn care and living with a burn injury.
• University of Washington –  Harborview Medical Burn Centre
  Video related to pain management after burn injury
• Victorian Adult Burns Service at the Alfred
  Resources available for patients about aspects of burn injury from a comparable burn centre in Australia