What is physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy or physical therapy is a form of treatment which helps in restoring, maintaining and improving the patient’s mobility function and well being. It is concerned with improving the quality of life by maximizing movement potential, health and fitness. Physiotherapist identifies your condition and offers advice and reassurance to manage your condition and addresses all your concerns.
What is the need of physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy helps through physical rehabilitation, injury prevention, and health and fitness. Physiotherapy is a very important part of arthritis treatment in most cases. Physiotherapy may help in treating or relieving the pain caused by following problems.
- Neck and back pain caused by problems in the muscles and skeleton
- Problems in the bones, joints, muscles and ligaments, such as arthritis and the after-effects of amputation
- Lung problems such as asthma
- Heart problems which resulted in disability
- Pelvic issues, such as bladder and bowel problems related to childbirth
- Loss of mobility because of trauma to the brain or spine, or due to diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis
- Fatigue, pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of muscle strength, for example during cancer treatment, or palliative care.
Benefits of physiotherapy?
- Reduces pain :- Arthritis or injuries can be extremely painful hindering your activeness. Physiotherapy proves really helpful in eliminating pain or reducing your pain regardless of age. It also restores the functioning of your injured or swollen muscle and joint.
- Improves mobility :- Any injury, ailment or any other condition which causes knee or joint pain also results in reduced mobility and functioning of joint. Physiotherapy is helpful in restoring the same mobility as before pain and injury.
- Improves overall strength and fitness :- It proves extremely beneficial in improving overall strength and well-being. It improves your quality of life by making you more active and fit.
- Avoid Surgery :- In some selective cases, when the pain and mobility is managed by physiotherapy then the surgery might be avoidable. Even if surgery is to be performed, it works as pre surgery treatment.
- Recovering from a surgical procedure :- After surgery, you might experience weakness, fatigue or may feel physically unfit. Physiotherapy helps you recover faster from the surgeries. It helps you in returning to your normal activities early.
Different techniques used in physiotherapy
There a range of techniques and approaches used to improve health and well being. A physiotherapist may use any one or combinations of more than one method for treating your ailment and relieving you from the pain. These are
- Massage and manipulation
- Energy based therapy
- Movement and exercises
- Hydrotherapy
- Neurological physical therapy
- Cardiovascular physical therapy
Side effects of physical therapy
Physiotherapy is a very safe process which generally has no or less risk when performed by specialists. But in some cases, people may experience some side effects of physiotherapy such as increased pain, fatigue, swelling, increased metabolism or heart rate, or burns and rashes.