What is Physiotherapy?

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Suppose you’ve ever experienced an illness or injury that made walking or doing everyday duties difficult. In that case, your doctor may have recommended you to see a practitioner of physiotherapy. A physiotherapist, often known as a physical therapist, assists patients in managing pain, balance, mobility, and motor function.

Most people will work with a physiotherapist at some point in their lives. For example, you may have been sent to one following a vehicle accident, surgery, or for low back discomfort. They work with patients who have a wide range of diseases or limits.

What is the role of a physiotherapist?

A physiotherapist collaborates with patients to create personalised programmes that aim to recover as much functional capacity and movement as feasible. They are trained to assist patients of all ages, from infancy to old age, whose function and mobility are hampered by:

  • Disease
  • Health problems
  • Injury
  • Environmental aspects
  • Disorders of Aging
  • Problems with weight

Physiotherapists do this through a variety of approaches, including:

  • Recommend workouts to the patient.
  • Muscle massage
  • Make use of muscular stimulation equipment
  • Manipulate the joints
  • Teach various lifestyle habits such as walking, posture, and so on
  • Muscle stretching

They adopt a holistic (whole-body) approach to your well-being, treating the physical and emotional, psychological, and social components. They are involved in many aspects of healthcare, such as prevention, education, intervention, rehabilitation, and treatment.

What are the conditions that physiotherapists treat?

A physiotherapist may treat a wide range of medical illnesses and injuries. Here are a few examples:

  • Back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, low back pain, foot ailments, sciatica, knee conditions, joint disorders, and so on.
  • Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy (nerve damage), vertigo (feeling dizzy/off balance), cerebral palsy, stroke, and concussion.
  • Fibromyalgia, Raynaud’s syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS).
  • Asthma, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and other chronic problems.
  • General well-being

They may work at a clinic, hospital, nursing home, or rehabilitation institution or visit patients at their homes. They frequently collaborate with doctors, offering input on a patient’s progress as well as any difficulties they discover while working with them.

Why see a physiotherapist?

There are several reasons why you would visit a physiotherapist. First, your doctor may send you to a specialist to treat a specific injury or ailment. Other times, you will go to physical therapy on your own.

Some of the most common reasons people seek the services of a physiotherapist are:

  • Sickness: Following a protracted illness or during/after an illness that influences movement, balance, or motor abilities.
  • Chronic health disorders: For example, diabetes can influence mobility and balance.
  • Following surgery: Getting up and moving is essential to the recovery process. If a physical component, such as a hand, foot, or back, has been injured, physiotherapy can assist the patient in regaining use or compensating.
  • Injury: Physiotherapy is commonly used to treat injuries that cause the patient to be uncomfortable or unable to move.
  • Ageing: As people get older, their bodies undergo changes that affect their mobility and function. Physiotherapy can assist patients in regaining part of that function or learning to live with the loss.
  • Major health crisis: A heart attack, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and other health emergencies can make it difficult for a person to operate normally. Physiotherapy can assist patients in regaining part or all of their lost function.
  • Improved physical performance: Athletes or patients who desire to improve their fitness performance may seek physiotherapy to discover ways to optimise the body’s performance potential.

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