Physiotherapy: How It Works and Why It Is Good for Your Body
Posted on: 28 October 2015
The human body is very interesting. It contains several different types of muscles and joints that work to facilitate mobility. Once in a while, however, the human body might experience some bought of pain or discomfort, calling for instant relief. Luckily, there is an effective method of dealing with many of the bodily problems that you may encounter; physiotherapy.
What is physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy, sometimes just called physio, is a treatment option concerned with the maintenance and restoration of functional mobility of the human body, alleviating pain and promoting active lifestyles in individuals. Physiotherapy involves using an array of different techniques to help your joints and muscles work optimally.
What type of problems do physiotherapists treat?
Physiotherapists treat an extensive range of conditions, including spinal cord injuries, sports injuries (e.g. ankle sprains), fractures, paediatric conditions (e.g. juvenile arthritis), musculoskeletal problems (e.g. joint pain), after-surgical recovery (e.g. after a total knee replacement), neurological disorders (e.g. hemiplegia), etc.
What techniques do physiotherapists use?
Physiotherapists apply a myriad of approaches to treat their patients, including:
- Manual therapy: carried out by use of hands to relieve stiffness and muscle pain.
- Movement exercise: involves the re-learning of proper movement patterns, lifestyle habits and biomechanics.
- Aquatic therapy: performed inside water
- Electrotherapy: entails use of ultra sound technologies.
- Other techniques: acupuncture, hot therapy, cold therapy, joint mobilization, etc.
Who can benefit from physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy can benefit people of all ages, ranging from infants to the elderly in the population. It can also benefit people of different occupations, especially those recovering from work-related injuries or sport activities. Patients living with chronic illnesses such as arthritis can live more gratifying lives through physiotherapy.
What are the benefits of using physiotherapy?
As a treatment option, physiotherapy offers the following advantages, just to indicate a few:
- Speeding up the recovery process: The human body holds an incredible ability to self-heal. Physiotherapy takes advantage of this ability to help the body heal by itself without the need to take drugs to attain best results. Instead, physiotherapy calls for an active lifestyle and good general health habits as regards to any physical fitness problem.
- Rehabilitation: Physiotherapists are instrumental in relation to rehabilitation, e.g. by helping individuals who have suffered strokes to get reacquainted with basic movements. Rehabilitation can also be provided before and after surgery following sporting injuries.
- Prevention-oriented: Besides providing treatment, physiotherapists can provide advice on best exercise activities, health promotion programs, and lifestyle habits to assist you prevent problems from reoccurring or even taking place in the first instance. Physiotherapists do not just focus on treating the problem, but investigate factors which lead to the problem.