Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation

Acute trauma can lead to problems with physical function, either directly from the scar or from the time of treatment and limitations around movement and exercise. In particular muscle strength and functional recovery are key aspects of the patient journey to return to their normal lives. 

Research in this area is focused on the restoration of muscle function, both strength and range of movement. The work involves clinical studies with patients looking at timing, different exercise interventions and recovery, as well as basic scientific research to understand the impacts of exercise interventions on patients.

  • Dr Dale Edgar 

    Dale is a senior physiotherapist and researcher, he has devoted the past 20 years to the provision and improvement of burn survivor rehabilitation. 

    Dale holds academic teacher and mentoring positions at UWA's School of Surgery, Curtin University of Technology, the University of Notre Dame, and James Cook University (Townsville). 

    His previous roles have included Executive Officer of the Australian and New Zealand Burns Association (ANZBA), and President of ANZBA from x-x. Dale received the Andre Zagame International Society of Burn Injury Rehabilitation Specialist Award in 2012.

    Dale’s goals are to focus his research for the Foundation into the challenging area of acute major burn patient rehabilitation and using exercise as a therapeutic tool. Heis continuing to focus on burn prevention, preparedness, and pre-hospital management of burn patients. He is also heavily involved in community education programs and strategies, burn registries, and first aid strategies.

    Connect with Dale | dale.edgar@health.wa.gov.au

  • Dr Pippa Kenworthy 

    Pippa is a physiotherapist at Fiona Stanley Hospital who completed her PhD in measurement of swelling in minor and major burns. She maintains an interest in research and is currently conducting a research project  titled, 'Does exercise influence burn induced inflammation?'​ .

    Dr Grant Rowe

    Grant is an exercise physiologist and is managing the patient trials and data collection for the project, 'Does exercise influence burn induced inflammation?'.

     

     

  • Dale Edwick (PhD)

    Dale is a PhD candidate with the Burn Injury Research Node/School of Physiotherapy at The University of Notre Dame Australia. His PhD project is investigating the proactive management of acute oedema following hand and minor burn injury. He has also applied the use of Bioimpedance Spectroscopy as an outcome measure for the assessment of hand oedema and demonstrated its potential as a measure of wound healing.

     

    Fiona Poelchow (Masters)

    Fiona Masters research project is exploring the effects of a topical silicone-based dressing product on wound healing, pain and scar outcomes in comparison to standard care in the treatment of face burns and donor site wounds.

    • Assess the validity & reliability of wearable activity trackers within a burns ward environment, where an altered gait may be observed

    • Does exercise influence burn induced inflammation

    • Develop the current understanding of the relationship between energy expenditure & burn size with relation to the body's response to exercise during the post-burn phase

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