- Physiotherapy takes a holistic approach to recovering from illness and injury, and to overall health.
- Physiotherapists help patients become independent in maintaining their health and preventing further injuries and diseases.
- There are many benefits that patients can gain from physiotherapy, from improved mobility to pain management.
Physiotherapy takes a "whole person" approach to healing and overall well-being. It goes beyond one injury or condition and considers the person's general lifestyle, and how they can be involved in their own care through participation in their treatment. Physiotherapy is also about a patient's awareness, education, and empowerment in their own health.
A physiotherapist is a kind of mechanic for your body. Physiotherapists are trained to use natural physical methods to promote, and when necessary, restore, your wellbeing. They help you recover from injuries and illnesses as well as maintain good health so that you can work, play sports, and do everyday tasks without a problem.
Although it's particularly helpful when you're recovering from trauma, you can benefit from physiotherapy at any time, and at any age. This is because it's not just a response to negative experiences with your health. It's also a preventive measure to avoid getting injured and contracting diseases. Physiotherapy enables independence in patients so that, in most circumstances, they can take care of themselves.
What is physiotherapy used for?
Bone and joint conditions
Physiotherapy can be great for people recovering from corrective surgery to address bone and joint deformities. A physiotherapist might create a program that combines strength training and exercises to improve the patient's coordination and sense of balance.
Heart and lung conditions
Those who have suffered from a heart attack can use physiotherapy in their recovery and to help prevent it from happening again. Physiotherapy can also mean teaching people with cystic fibrosis to clear mucus from their lungs, or teaching a parent whose child has cystic fibrosis.
Neurological conditions
Neurological conditions like strokes, multiple sclerosis, or cerebral palsy can badly affect an individual's speech and coordination. They can also make it hard to move around independently, which physiotherapy aims to assist with.
Childhood conditions
Physiotherapists can help children with bone and muscle conditions, like the congenital condition muscular dystrophy, by recommending treatment that will improve muscle strength, increase flexibility, and prevent joints from becoming stiff.
Conditions that occur in old age
There are many age-related ailments that can be addressed with physiotherapy. Arthritis and osteoporosis patients alike can benefit from physiotherapy, and so can elders who have recently had hip replacement surgery. Physiotherapy also plays a big role in maintaining the wellbeing of seniors and allowing them to be active and independent.
Benefits of physiotherapy
Recovery from injury and trauma
Some hospitals offer physiotherapy for traumatic injuries like fractures, soft tissue injuries, and wounds. Patients may be treated in a ward or in their houses. Some may begin treatment in the hospital and eventually transition to home visits and independent treatment.
Other common injuries that can be cared for with physiotherapy are whiplash, neck pain, back pain, tension headaches, joint pain, and running injuries. It can also be utilized by women experiencing discomfort during pregnancy, and by employees who have work-related health issues.
Recovery from stroke or paralysis
Physiotherapy uses low-tech, home-based approaches to rehabilitating stroke patients and helping them walk again. Studies show that these approaches can be just as effective as specialized treadmill training done in a rehab facility. Researchers say that even if patients don't begin physiotherapy immediately after having a stroke, it can be extremely helpful as long as there is a steady intensity and frequency in the practice. In the study, even patients who started physiotherapy six months after having a stroke showed great improvement.
Partially paralyzed patients have been able to walk longer distances at faster speeds just one year after having a stroke with only three 90-minute physical therapy sessions a week, all from the comfort of their own homes.
Pain management
There are many natural remedies physiotherapists recommend for lessening pain and reducing the need for opioids to deal with pain. For example, ice packs can be used on hot, swollen joints to bring down the swelling. Hot packs, on the other hand, can relax tense, stiff muscles. If a patient's rheumatoid arthritis acts up, it can be relieved by temporarily splinting the painful joints.
Improved mobility and movement
While it's important not to overwork your body with strenuous tasks, it's also important not to neglect physical activity and stagnate. A physiotherapist can give you sound advice on pacing yourself – whether you should increase your activity level, and to what degree, or if you should instead find a healthy balance between rest and activity. Physiotherapists will also help you plan out your activities so that you can enjoy doing whatever it is you love to do without worrying that it will take a toll on your wellbeing.
Injury prevention
There are several ways that physiotherapy can keep your body safe from injury without using surgery or medication. One of these is strapping and taping, which some physiotherapists are specially trained for.
Physiotherapists can give you a biomechanical analysis. This is a process of assessment, observation, and diagnosis for the best form of treatment. Physiotherapists have the diagnostic skills needed to not just detect but also avoid muscoloskeletal injuries. One aspect of this is correcting poor technique and posture.
Some physiotherapists specialize in sports physiotherapy. As the name suggests, this kind of physiotherapy deals with injury recovery, injury prevention, and improving performance for athletes. Although engaging in sports can be great for your cardiovascular health, playing regularly can negatively affect your body, especially if you have certain bad habits that you might not realize are harmful. Physiotherapists can correct these bad habits so that you get only the full benefits of your physical activity.
Avoiding the need for surgery
In some cases, physiotherapy can be a safe alternative to surgery. Lumbar spinal stenosis can be treated with either surgery or physiotherapy, and the latter even poses a lower risk of complications. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis experience pressure on their spinal cord because the space inside the lowest part of their spinal canal has narrowed. This can be quite painful and make standing and walking difficult.
Comparative studies show that surgery and physiotherapy both have positive effects for lumbar spinal stenosis patients. Out of 169 patients, half were operated on right away, and the other half agreed to participate in a physiotherapy program specifically designed to treat the lower back pain condition, lumbar spinal stenosis. As quickly as ten weeks after beginning treatment, patients said that they experienced lower back pain less often and their physical function improved continuously. By the two-year mark, there was no difference in pain levels or physical function between the two groups.
Fall prevention
As we age, our risk of falling gets higher, and the consequences get more concerning. Part of physiotherapy is exercising to improve strength and balance, which will help you maintain an active lifestyle and reduce your chances of falling.
Falls become a dramatically greater risk once we turn 65. They could be caused by poor eyesight, a lack of balance, or certain medications and medical conditions. A preventative physiotherapy approach to avoiding falls starts with a risk assessment. The assessment would take into account your age and health, among other factors, then a physiotherapist would use this information to create a custom program for you.
Fall prevention physiotherapy programs typically include some exercises to strengthen the legs and improve balance. It's important to stay on the move even in old age, which is why a big part of physiotherapy is regular physical activity. In addition to this, physiotherapists who do home visits may also make recommendations on how to make your house as safe as possible to reduce the risk of falling. This can entail installing stronger lighting, removing rugs from bare floors, and even changing your footwear to make you less likely to slip.
Physiotherapy is usually associated with recovery from accidents or medical conditions, but it can help with so much more than that. Athletes use physiotherapy to protect themselves from injury and improve their performance. Children can be treated for cystic fibrosis with physiotherapy. Even healthy individuals with no immediate medical concerns can benefit from physiotherapy through a biomechanical analysis to find out how they can make their posture better and lessen the risk of getting injured as they do their day-to-day tasks.
Whatever your situation and whatever your age, physiotherapy may well be worth a try.