Physical therapy is known as physiotherapy. The purpose of a physiotherapist is to promote recovery after sickness, injury, or disability. This treatment helps to restore a person’s movement and functional abilities to their original state. Physiotherapists make independent decisions about physiotherapy treatment based on their clinical judgment. Patients are constantly re-evaluated after treatment and the treatment is adjusted according to the results.
The HCPC registers health care professionals in the UK such as physiotherapists. Physiotherapists are trained to treat people at every stage of life, including newborns and the elderly. The program offers a holistic approach to health care, involving patients as closely as possible in the process.
Physiotherapy is sometimes abbreviated by the terms “PT” or “Physio”. Physiotherapists work in clinics and hospitals as either solo practitioners or in collaboration with other professionals. Doctors, nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, and others may also be on the team.
Physiotherapists treat what?
Physical problems are assessed, treated, and managed by a physiotherapist. The body’s circulatory, cardiovascular, neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and respiratory systems are all associated with them. The focus of this article is physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions.
Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System
Physiotherapists treat muscle, bone, nerve, cartilage, tendon, ligament, and joint problems. Some of these include:
Low back pain and chronic low back pain are examples of spinal problems. Spinal stenosis, slipped discs, herniated discs, and degenerative disc disease. Joint pains associated with osteoarthritis. Injury to the neck, whiplash, neck pain, and back pain.
Soft Tissue Injuries – Including Sports Injuries. Including repetitive strain injuries. Pain in the knee, meniscus tears, hamstring injuries, ACL tears, and tendinitis in the patellar tendon.
The rotator cuff, bursitis, and tendonitis may be causing you to suffer from pain in the neck, shoulders, and rotator cuff. If you are suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, you may also be experiencing wrist pain. There is pain in my foot, I sprained my ankle, I have plantar fasciitis and I have shin splints.
Rheumatological problems such as arthritis are a form of arthritic disease. In addition to osteoarthritis, the following conditions can occur as a result of osteoarthritis: rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), gout, and psoriatic arthritis (PA). As well as fibromyalgia. You may suffer from painful joints as well.
During rehabilitation, spinal fusions, laminectomy surgeries, and discectomies are performed. Shoulder surgeries are also available. There is also a joint replacement program. Leg pain, sciatica, sacroiliac joint, pubic symphysis, as well as lower back pain during pregnancy.
Getting active and exercising
Physiotherapists assess a patient’s ability to engage in physical activity. The tests measure joint range of motion, strength, sensitivity, coordination, balance, and ability to perform tasks.
As a result of exercise, you become more flexible, stronger and more coordinated. Exercise and physical activity are beneficial in preventing and managing chronic conditions.
Therapy that involves hands-on work
Manual therapy can be beneficial to rehabilitation. Our joints make gliding and sliding movements as we move through a range of motion. These movements must be performed in conjunction with the main movement, they cannot be performed separately. Following an injury to these small internal movements, our joints can become restricted in their ability to move.
Physiotherapists can apply passive movements to loosen injured joints and tissues. Active movements are those we perform ourselves instead of passive movements. Joint mobilization is the action of performing repeated movements on joints. Due to their ability to tense up and stop movements, these are always under the patient’s control. They can also ask the physiotherapist to stop.
Manipulation is the act of performing quick, forceful movements one by one. Since the joint is pushed beyond its limits to loosen up, the patient cannot control the manipulation. A physiotherapist may manipulate, but osteopaths and chiropractors tend to do so more frequently.
In addition to manual guidance, a physiotherapist may assist or resist a joint as it moves. Soft tissue techniques can be used to treat scars, swollen joints, and thickened swelling left behind by injuries. Massage reduces pain and swelling, but massage therapists are now more commonly providing this service.
Also read: Speech therapy for adults.
