title: Systemic sclerosis: rehabilitation as a tool to cope with disability.
abstract: In patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), local disability of the hands and face, due to the involvement of skin, subcutaneous tissues and musculoskeletal system, is scarcely improved by pharmacological therapy, but may be treated efficaciously with rehabilitation, which can prevent and reduce local disability, thus ameliorating global disability and impaired Quality of Life, related to changes in the hands and face. In SSc, in order to be efficacious, rehabilitation should: 1. include and use both local treatments of hands and face and global rehabilitation techniques; 2. be different according to the different SSc phases and subsets; 3. include different techniques to tailor treatment to the personal needs and abilities of the patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maddali-Bongi
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Rosso
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005148:Facial Dermatoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome