When we speak of getting some rest, we are surely referring to a broader aspect which is known as “recovery” but as always most of us do not understand what recovery is all about and how essential it is for our body. You might have heard the term “Physiotherapy” but what is it actually? How beneficial can it be for our body? These are some of the questions that come to our mind when we hear the word Physiotherapy; it can be defined as a method that focuses on the science of body movement, muscle recovery, motion, function and helping in restoring the overall physical strength of the body parts by addressing the underlying physical issues. Also called, Physical Therapy, it helps in physical rehabilitation, injury prevention, health and fitness.

What does a Physiotherapist do?

A Physiotherapist is a health professional who treats people with physical problems like injury, chronic pain, illness and ageing.  Physiotherapists assess physical condition of a patient to diagnose the problem and recommend a treatment plan.  They help to alleviate pain, strengthen muscles and restore function of the body. For example, if someone has back pain due to long hours in office, the therapist will advice about posture, lifting or carrying techniques or avoiding over-stretching or prolonged standing. The therapist will not only treat the back pain but use a holistic approach to reduce the risk of the injury in future.

Who needs Physiotherapy?

It is a misconception that Physiotherapy is only for sportsmen or people with an injury. In fact, it is for people for all ages to improve the overall health of the body.

Mostly, people who have a severe injury or chronic pain visit a Physiotherapist to get through pain and come toa normal routine of life. In some cases, patients have a loss of balance which causes dizziness, vertigo or disturbed balance. The therapist will assess the head, neck and eye movement and help to treat the problem by providing aspecific exercise which will help to ease the suffering. One of the major benefits of Physiotherapy is that in most cases it prevents from surgery.

Not only physiotherapy improves mobility and reduces pain but is beneficial in recovering from a stroke, improving balance and managing various heart and lung diseases. Women with pregnancy or post-pregnancy also require physiotherapists for different health concerns.

Types of Physiotherapy

Physiotherapists specialize in different areas like geriatric, sports medicine, paediatric, women's health etc. Within these parameters, there are mainly three types of areas:

• Musculoskeletal/Orthopaedic: Treats patients with sprains, back pain, arthritis, posture problems, sport and workplace injuries and reduced mobility.

• Neurological: Treats patients with nervous system disorders like strokes, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

• Cardiothoracic: Treats patients who suffer with asthma, chronic bronchitis and other cardio-respiratory disorders.

Physiotherapy Treatments

As Physiotherapy is a separate medical field, it has various numbers of treatments and preventive approaches for pain relief. Sometimes, the pain can be relieved through medication but at times, it needs more than a painkiller. The Physiotherapist may use any of these three approaches:

• Educate and advice on the problem
• Provide with an exercise program
• Give a rehabilitation program for long-term therapy

There a few physiotherapy treatments which are tailored to suit different requirements:

1. Manual Therapy: Therapy includes moving joints in specific directions and at different speeds to regain movement (joint mobilization and manipulation) and improve the mobility and function of tissue and muscles.

• Exercise Programs: Include muscle strengthening, posture re-training, cardiovascular stretching and training.

• Electrotherapy: Use of electrical devices to stimulate nerves, muscles and tissues to treat chronic pains, injuries for healing and pain relief.

Conclusion

Physiotherapy is a holistic approach towards a healthy lifestyle to prevent and manage disease and pain for normal functioning of the body.  Physiotherapists tailor the programs according to medical conditions, illnesses or injuries for all ages. The therapy sessions help people to return to their prior level of functioning and encourage activities and lifestyle changes that can help prevent further injury and improve overall health and well being.