Lia Sartor
L. Sartor - The role of gender rehabilitation in women's health
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Lia Sartor graduated in Physiotherapy ten years ago and has been co-directing a rehabilitation practice in Lugano with her husband for seven years. Last year she successfully completed the first edition of the CAS in Rehabilitation and Women's Health. We spoke with her about this experience and the importance of gender-specific oriented physiotherapy treatment.
Gender medicine has demonstrated the importance of considering the differences between men and women in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. Does this aspect also apply in women's rehabilitation and in the work of physical therapists?
鈥嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌�鈥嬧赌婣bsolutely. Even in the rehabilitation field, attention to gender-oriented treatments is central to proper patient care. Too often, however, there is a tendency to think that women's rehabilitation arises and ends with the prevention and treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction. In reality there is much more to it, and it would really be worth taking note of. I believe that physiotherapy based on new scientific evidence is the starting point to dispel certain false myths on the one hand, and on the other to replace therapeutic techniques that are no longer appropriate or in step with the times. Other treatments, on the other hand, can be improved and optimized in light of this new knowledge. However, the goal remains the same: to treat patients as best and as quickly as possible. One aspect to consider is to become aware of our individuality. A herniated disc cannot be treated the same way for all patients, but according to their specifics. Phrases like "avoid exercise during menstruation" or "if you are pregnant, don't lift weights" certainly have their validity for some people, but the danger is to generalize and create false myths or misinformation.
What made you choose to attend CAS in Rehabilitation and Women's Health and what aspects did you learn that are most useful to you today?
鈥嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌婽he first impact, the one that struck me the most, was seeing how many different topics were covered in the modules and how they all focused on the woman and her wholeness. It is a training that starts from pelvic rehabilitation, but it also covers the case histories of the woman athlete, the postoperative management of the breast cancer patient, or the prescription of exercises at different stages of life. In short, it was undoubtedly the most comprehensive CAS on the market, and I must say that I am very satisfied that I attended it. On a professional level, I have learned, updated and refined the quality of the treatments I offer to my patients. This year I am celebrating my 10th year as a physical therapist, and I have always felt that in order to be able to give the best to my patients, I must always keep up to date. If they were to, so to speak, propose a kind of CAS "2.0 in Rehabilitation and Wellness," I would be the first to sign up, precisely because there is so much new and evolving that keeping up to date is essential.
What do you think is the added value of the training you have attended?
鈥嬧赌�鈥嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌婭 would say the teachers, who are of course an essential part in ensuring the quality of the training. Those who taught at CAS, in addition to their prestige and professional skills, were endowed with great human sensitivity that facilitated the transmission of knowledge. Then the topics covered, the distance and in-person course structure, and the whole organization behind it. And last but not least, I remember with great pleasure the human dimension and the nice atmosphere of work and exchange that was created within the group of participants.
If you could define the concept of well-being with one sentence it would be ...
鈥嬧赌�鈥嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌婩or me, wellness is a synergistic state between physical and mental health, it is harmony with oneself and with others, a swing between contentment and happiness.
As a physical therapist, what role do you think you have in prevention and information dissemination to protect women's health?
鈥嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧�嬧赌�鈥嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌婽his is a vast and complex issue. From my point of view it needs to be addressed in synergy with other specialists and certainly in schools. There are topics that even today are ignored or considered embarrassing. For example, if one does not know the parts of one's body - trivially the difference between vulva and vagina - it becomes difficult to gain confidence in oneself and express one's discomfort. We need to break down taboos and legends and start using the correct words, calling things by their names and not by belittling nicknames. Menstruation and menopause are very normal phases of life. Educating everyone and everyone about concepts like these, clearly and without taboos, is essential to help women better understand and manage their health. Only by addressing these issues can we support them and make them feel less alone in their health journeys.