Let’s get back to basics, if we were to ask you, “What is Physiotherapy? Or “What is physiotherapy treatment?”, would you be able to answer? Not a problem if you can’t, it’s quite a vast area to understand so we will talk you through it, and don’t worry it’s not as scary as you think.
Physiotherapy is a science-based profession that uses different natural energies to cure, maintain or improve a vast amount of conditions, with the benefits coming through in a variety of different ways. The main goal of physiotherapy is to restore movement and function of a particular joint or structure when an individual is limited by injury, illness, disability or a degenerative condition. It looks at the underlying causes of an individual’s problem and allows them to be directly involved in their treatment by providing education, exercise, and advice, along with hands on manual treatment provided by the physiotherapist. Whilst sports injuries are commonly treated, physiotherapists also treat diseases of the brain and spinal cord, provide rehabilitation for the heart and lungs and chronic rheumatic conditions.
A physiotherapist works independently, in their clinics, however part of a supportive team. They can carry out an assessment, create a treatment plan based on the findings and perform different treatment to get the patient better, however the most important part of the process is what the patient does after their treatment with us.
Physiotherapists use their knowledge gained throughout their qualifications to assist in different areas such as:
- Musculoskeletal – The treatment of back pain, whiplash associated disorders, sports injuries, arthritis, sprains, reduced mobility, posture issues, and workplace injuries.
- Neurological – Treating conditions of the nervous system such as strokes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson`s disease.
- Cardiovascular – Treating of conditions such heart disease, rehabilitation after heart attack, and emphysema.
- Respiratory – Treatment of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis.
In most cases, injuries are caused by a range of factors. For example, MSK (musculoskeletal) knee pain can be caused by over training, sudden/high impact sports, tight hamstrings or quadriceps, or even repetitive activities. The good thing about physiotherapy however, is that we use an holistic approach, looking at the whole body to ensure the injury doesn’t reoccur. This ultimately leads to the treatment for each individual being specific to their needs, and the physiotherapist will choose from a set of treatment possibilities including:
- Manual Therapy
- Soft tissue mobilisation and trigger point release
- Acupuncture
- Postural rehabilitation
- Ultrasound
- Sports Massage
- Home exercises
Throughout a course of treatment and ultimately once it has been completed, how a patient adapts to new techniques and the exercises provided by the physiotherapist, will determine the overall success.
