Introduction to Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is a health care profession which treats dysfunctions and disabilities. It has been around for thousands of years and plays an important role in the rehabilitation of patients who cope with traumas and accidents. It enables the person in restoring their maximum body movement and functional ability throughout their lives or that has been compromised due to some reasons. Physiotherapy aims at the human being as a whole and not only physical but also considers psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing in all aspects. Furthermore, it promotes the quality of life, prevention, intervention, habilitation, and rehabilitation programs. To receive an appropriate treatment plan, there are various physiotherapy techniques that are evolved since the time of Hippocrates.
Every physiotherapy treatment is based on specialized techniques and is science-based, committed to extending, applying, evaluating and systemic reviewing the evidence that informs its practice and application. Nowadays, physiotherapists are even specialized in just one area. Physical therapist deals with a broad range of physical problems that are associated with neuromuscular (nervous system and brain), musculoskeletal (joints, bones, soft tissues), cardiovascular and pulmonary systems (heart and lungs). They usually work with a team of health care professionals. Usually, people are referred to a physiotherapist by their doctors but nowadays, people get first-line access to the physiotherapist on their own because of increasing health issues without seeing their health care professionals first. Many developed countries are exploring the role of the physiotherapist within the triage system of emergency units.

Goals of Treatment

The main goal of physiotherapy treatment is to make the patient independent as much as possible. It should improve the quality of life by improving the physical function or by preventing the disease to become worse. The primary goal is to relieve pain and other symptoms. Furthermore, it maintains respiratory function, circulatory function, prevents muscular atrophy, inhibits muscle shortening, prevents joint contracture and improves the mobilization of the patient by developing functional independence. Hence its overall aim is to help the patient to achieve the best possible quality of life for the rest of life.

Significance of Physiotherapy

Nowadays, physiotherapy is not only concerned with injured and disabled people but also enhance the athlete’s life by making them healthier, stronger and facilitates them to strengthen their muscles. Also, it is also important in our daily lifestyle. It helps to avoid surgery in several health conditions as it shows to be a better approach than surgery. Sometimes, pain consistency can also lead the patient to the surgery, but physiotherapy shows the best way to heal the pain by recommending and applying stretches, postural activities, and exercises. Physiotherapy techniques will provide instant relief in certain conditions while in some cases, positive results develop gradually after a few sessions of therapy.
On other hand, it also provides holistic healing by healing injury as well as improving social, psychological, and physical issues. A physiotherapist may help in holistic healing in many ways like relieves pain, improves blood circulation, enhance body mechanism to reduce the pain, controls blood pressure and increases the body function through rehabilitation. Balance issues are very common in old people as they become aged, their strength, balance and bone density reduction, and they suffer from osteoporosis. They get fracture easily when falls. Physiotherapists try to improve stability in old people and prevent their falls by strengthening them enough through physiotherapy techniques, programs, and exercises. With age, the body usually suffers from neurological diseases such as chronic fatigue, dementia, paralysis, stroke and so on. In such cases, physiotherapy plays a most important role by keeping such disorders away and inhibiting the progression of the disease by providing a combined approach of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular treatment.

Therapeutic Techniques

There are three most common techniques in physiotherapy

1. Manual therapy includes manual assistance and resistance training, stretching and mobilization techniques through several practices such as Maitland and Mulligan methods.
2. Exercise therapy includes postural correction, rehabilitation after injuries, muscular stretching and strengthening
3. Electrotherapy comprises devices such as TENS, SWD, ultrasound, electrical stimulator.

Advantages

There are many advantages of physiotherapy that helps human being to overcome their issues. Mainly it helps in:

1. Enduring pain whether its backache, neck pain or joint pain in upper and lower extremities.
2. It helps in pain relief and heals from an injury, surgery may not be required and even if it’s necessary, it will provide benefit from pre-surgery physical therapy. Because going into surgery in strong and better shape, it will help to recover faster after a surgical procedure in many cases. Besides, physiotherapy treatment also reduces cost by avoiding surgery if it is not necessary.
3. Therapeutic treatment and management of arthritis, diabetes, stroke and traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and a range of respiratory and cardiac conditions.
4. Treatment includes restorative exercise which improves strength, range of motion and endurance and correct postural deformities, muscle imbalance, joint mobilization, manipulation, and soft tissue therapy.
5. Stretching and trigger point therapy to reduce stiffness, ease rigidity and to relieve pain.
6. Patients with orthopaedic problems that include disorders of the ligaments, bones, muscles, tendons, joints, nerves, and skin, can greatly benefit from physiotherapy.
7. Provides neurological treatment that involves injuries, illnesses, and disorders related to the nervous system.
8. Reducing obesity by burning unnecessary fats and lower the cholesterol level through several exercises. Therapeutic care for a cardiopulmonary disease which includes both heart and lungs related issues.
9. Physiotherapy encourages breathing method and focuses on conditions in the nervous system, the involuntary muscles and neurological conditions that manage our organs.
10. People suffering from asthma, dyspnea, chest pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) or sleep apnea, can be treated by cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary physiotherapists, who may use breathing control activities, percussions and use of incentive spirometers to make better the mobility of chest and mobilize the lungs secretions.

Majority of cases results in 100% recovery with the help of physical therapy, but it also depends on person to person varying on the intensity and severity of the disease. However, it is a great method to eliminate injury and ease the pain without any medications and even if medications are required, the amount of side effects caused is majorly less. Nowadays, physio activities become so easy to perform that even while sitting at home, it can be followed through the internet but it is always advisable to take the guidance of professional health care or who is skilled in performing physio. Every problem is different and only a skilled physiotherapist can find and study your problem. Therefore, one must not rely on the information and exercises available on the internet.