??More than 150 families have been positively impacted by the Tygerberg Biokinetics Paediatric Rheumatology Clinic, which Su-ané Zwiegelaar – who graduated cum laude with a Master's degree in Sports Science at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票's (SU) March graduation – helped to set up. It is understood to be the first of its kind in a tertiary hospital providing care to children diagnosed with rheumatological conditions.
The clinic was established in 2021 when Prof Karen Welman, as the coordinator of community service within the Division of Movement Science and Exercise Therapy at the time, invited Zwiegelaar to work on its administrative and clinical standard operating procedures. A year later, she would implement these procedures as the clinic's lead biokineticist. “The clinic is dedicated to improving the participation and perception of children diagnosed with chronic and neuromusculoskeletal conditions by educating them on the benefits of physical activity," explains Zwiegelaar. The clinic also provides a service to communities that would otherwise not have access to exercise as medicine.
This notion of exercise as medicine is what drew Zwiegelaar, who currently lives in Strand, to biokinetics. “The combination of understanding the science of therapeutic exercise prescription for various medical conditions and being able to work with a variety of people towards a healthy life is the crux of why I am a biokineticist."
Each third of Zwiegelaar's life has been spent in a different place. Born in Trichardt, Mpumalanga, she lived in Secunda until the age of nine when the family relocated to Al-Jubail in Saudi Arabia. She lived there for 10 years until she moved back to South Africa shortly before her nineteenth birthday to study at SU. “Growing up in Saudi Arabia was one of the greatest gifts my parents gave me. It allowed for exposure to a multicultural, multilingual, and multireligious community." It was during her time in the Middle East that she gained a love of food and playing sports not often enjoyed in South Africa. But she says the most valuable lesson learned while abroad was to accept her peers' differences and to embrace these differences as a way of becoming a stronger community.
Zwiegelaar applies this lesson to every aspect of her work as a practising biokineticist. “Exercise as treatment requires a biokineticist to work closely with a patient and build a meaningful relationship based on trust, empathy and collaboration." Her master's research focused on developing a physical performance test battery for children diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, the most common condition encountered in rheumatology at the clinic. Although the clinic aimed to provide specialised therapeutic exercise programmes, the physical assessments that were available lacked definition and clarity, she explains. The Juvenile Arthritis Kinetic Health Index has been found valid through Zwiegelaar's MSc research, and work is underway to confirm its reliability.
The clinic has achieved much success since it launched in 2021. Within a year, it was awarded the ASAIPA National Medical Award in the field of Community Service in Biokinetics, and it has helped over 150 families who have been able to access exercise for their children diagnosed with a chronic and/or neuromusculoskeletal condition. “We have seen children experience improved mobility, cardiovascular function and participation in daily activities." Associated benefits for treated children include a healthy weight, a lower risk of developing chronic lifestyle conditions and reduced pain. “Functionally, these benefits experienced by the community translate to a bigger picture of being able to walk pain-free and being able to take part in sports at their schools or within their local communities."
When Zwiegelaar is not studying, she enjoys jogging or strength training. “I also enjoy spending quality time with my family or friends or experimenting with food by spicing up an old family recipe or finding something new to cook." She has registered for a pre-doctorate year to initiate her PhD in Biokinetics and Immunology. Zwiegelaar will continue practising as a biokineticist and serving her community during her studies.
Photo: Stefan Els
