Physiotherapy
A little about Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy helps restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability.
It takes a holistic approach that involves the patient directly in their own care.
Physiotherapists treat people of all ages, helping them manage pain and using a number of methods to aid recovery.
Physiotherapists help treat physical problems linked to a number of the body's systems, including:
What physiotherapists do Physiotherapists help people who've been affected by injury, illness or disability. Some of the approaches they use include:
What conditions can physiotherapy treat?Physiotherapy is multi-dimensional and can treat a vast variety of conditions. Primarily it focuses on the restoration and rehabilitation of the circulatory and musculo-skeletal systems; it can, however be used to treat conditions as diverse as sports injuries, arthritis and respiratory problems.
Muscular aches: the most common muscular pain is back ache, which affects a high percentage of people. Physiotherapy can ease stiffness, reduce pain and encourage blood flow to the muscles. Massage therapy is also used to reduce tension around aching muscles.
Sports injuries: aches and pains are common following a frantic and physically demanding period of exertion. Often sports players have physiotherapy to ease aches as well as increase flexibility and ease stiffness. If an injury has occurred physiotherapy can facilitate the healing and rehabilitation process.
Arthritis: as people get older they are more likely to develop arthritits which affects the joints and can reduce mobility. Physiotherapy helps to ease stiffness in the joints and to increase blood flow to the muscles and enhance the range of physical movement. Physiotherapy can also help to build strength. The exercises are often gentler for older people who are usually more fragile.
Respiratory problems: cystic fibrosis, which is a condition that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system can be helped by physiotherapy. Often physiotherapists can perform exercises which help to cleat the chest and ease breathing. Physiotherapy can also ease and control pain and improve posture which will usually make it easier to breathe. Patients suffering from other conditions including pneumonia, asthma and lung cancer may also benefit from physiotherapy.
Rehabilitation: recovery and rehabilitation processes are instrumental to the well being of a patient especially in the case of a serious accident or a complex medical problem. Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programmes are carried out by physiotherapists to improve circulation, build muscle strength and restore normal bodily functions. In cases where an individual has experienced a serious accident such as a car crash it may be necessary to learn how to walk, sit up and turn over again which will require a long period of intensive physiotherapy; this rehabilitation may include all aspects of treatment in order to facilitate
It takes a holistic approach that involves the patient directly in their own care.
Physiotherapists treat people of all ages, helping them manage pain and using a number of methods to aid recovery.
Physiotherapists help treat physical problems linked to a number of the body's systems, including:
- musculoskeletal – bones, joints and soft tissues
- neuromuscular – the brain and nervous system
- cardiovascular – the heart and blood circulation
- respiratory – the organs that help you breathe, such as the windpipe (trachea), voicebox (larynx) and lungs
What physiotherapists do Physiotherapists help people who've been affected by injury, illness or disability. Some of the approaches they use include:
- movement and exercise – taking into account a person’s current level of health and their specific requirements
- manual therapy techniques – where the physiotherapist helps recovery by using their hands to relieve muscle pain and stiffness, and encourage blood flow to an injured part of the body
What conditions can physiotherapy treat?Physiotherapy is multi-dimensional and can treat a vast variety of conditions. Primarily it focuses on the restoration and rehabilitation of the circulatory and musculo-skeletal systems; it can, however be used to treat conditions as diverse as sports injuries, arthritis and respiratory problems.
Muscular aches: the most common muscular pain is back ache, which affects a high percentage of people. Physiotherapy can ease stiffness, reduce pain and encourage blood flow to the muscles. Massage therapy is also used to reduce tension around aching muscles.
Sports injuries: aches and pains are common following a frantic and physically demanding period of exertion. Often sports players have physiotherapy to ease aches as well as increase flexibility and ease stiffness. If an injury has occurred physiotherapy can facilitate the healing and rehabilitation process.
Arthritis: as people get older they are more likely to develop arthritits which affects the joints and can reduce mobility. Physiotherapy helps to ease stiffness in the joints and to increase blood flow to the muscles and enhance the range of physical movement. Physiotherapy can also help to build strength. The exercises are often gentler for older people who are usually more fragile.
Respiratory problems: cystic fibrosis, which is a condition that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system can be helped by physiotherapy. Often physiotherapists can perform exercises which help to cleat the chest and ease breathing. Physiotherapy can also ease and control pain and improve posture which will usually make it easier to breathe. Patients suffering from other conditions including pneumonia, asthma and lung cancer may also benefit from physiotherapy.
Rehabilitation: recovery and rehabilitation processes are instrumental to the well being of a patient especially in the case of a serious accident or a complex medical problem. Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programmes are carried out by physiotherapists to improve circulation, build muscle strength and restore normal bodily functions. In cases where an individual has experienced a serious accident such as a car crash it may be necessary to learn how to walk, sit up and turn over again which will require a long period of intensive physiotherapy; this rehabilitation may include all aspects of treatment in order to facilitate