Patients who suffered from specific injuries or illnesses might need physical therapy in order to restore their physical mobility and function. Physiotherapy helps patients of all ages and in many cases, medication is not efficient on its own. Physical therapists are well-trained and licensed professionals who help in the medical treatment and diagnosis of physical deformities.
Most patients who were subject to injuries from accidents may need physical therapy to reduce pain in injured areas and maintain back their functionality, retain normal physical activity, and sustain their overall health. A physiotherapy plan or program is decided by the physical therapist according to the case and degree of injury or illness of the patient. The therapist should be able to estimate the period of the program and the short and long-term results according to his diagnosis and evaluation of the case. Read through our article to know who can benefit and how physiotherapy can help.
Common Conditions Referred To Physiotherapy
There’s a wide range of medical conditions that are referred to physical therapy for treatment and for reducing pain. Below are some of the common cases that can benefit from physiotherapy.
- Hand and Fingers Therapy: Hand therapy exercises are among the most effective ways to improve motor skills ability. Abnormalities and weaknesses in hand function and mobility may occur due to a neurological event, a brain injury, or a stroke. This is one of the conditions that require physiotherapy, especially to avoid worse conditions from developing, such as arthritis.
- Cardiopulmonary Conditions: Cardiopulmonary therapy helps in treating vast conditions like asthma, chest infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, myocardial infarction, and cystic fibrosis. Physiotherapists are elevating their treatment programs and are excelling in treating further respiratory problems, such as hyperventilation and other respiratory symptoms caused by stress-related disorders.
- Neurological Conditions: Patients who suffer from functional disabilities and immobility due to spinal cord, brain, and nervous system impairment may greatly benefit from physical therapy. These patients are usually struggling in their daily life activities due to the loss of function, stamina, misbalance, and muscle weaknesses. In these cases, physiotherapists work through stimulating the nervous system to restore back movement and function.
- Sports-Related Injuries: Sports-related injuries are known to be painful, and players also need a long-term physiotherapy program before returning back to sports activities. Musculoskeletal physiotherapists are able to design a special program for your sustained injury, wherein the program will help relieve pain from injury, retain functional skills, strengthen injured muscles, and maintain mobility.
Physiotherapy Can Help Avoid Certain Surgeries
In some conditions, physical therapy is recommended as an effective alternative to surgeries. Many patients were able to avoid the possibility of undergoing surgery after joining a physiotherapy program that helped in improving their case. Even if surgery is still required after physiotherapy, it will improve the healing process and reduce pain stress since your body becomes healthier and stronger after the PT sessions.
Reduces Pain
Physiotherapy has a great effect on eliminating and reducing pain, especially pain resulting from joints and muscles injuries. There may be other causes of why the patient feels this kind of body pain. For this reason, the professional therapists at LifeForce Health Solutions recommend manual therapy techniques, as well as electrical stimulations and ultrasounds. These will help relieve pain, muscle restoration, retain joint functions, and prevent pain from returning. In some cases, injuries might result in chronic pain if the patient hasn’t received the required physical treatment.
Women’s Health Care
A lot of women have specific health problems, especially during pregnancy and after giving birth. Physiotherapy helps in many cases too to reduce symptoms that result from various conditions that most women experience such as breast cancer, pelvic pain, constipation, urinary incontinence, and fibromyalgia. Health care providers will direct women suffering from any of the mentioned issues to start a program managed by a professional physiotherapist to reduce the impact of these conditions on daily activities.
Diabetes Conditions
Patients who are suffering from diabetes realize that medication alone cannot help maintain their health and physical activities. Regular exercise and physiotherapy programs help in lowering blood sugar levels. Diabetes is a manageable disease but the main problem that comes with this illness is the effect it has on the feet and legs sensation. If a diabetic patient reaches this point, physiotherapy becomes inevitable to improve their case and prevent further deterioration.
Age-Related Conditions
Many health conditions that develop due to age are a common problem. Osteoporosis and arthritis are usually suffered by elderly adults, and the best practices to avoid deterioration of those cases are through physiotherapy programs. One of the common cases in old age is joint replacements, which need the help of professional physical therapists to improve the mobility and function of joints after surgery.
Balance Improvement
Problems with the vestibular system usually cause balance issues and a risk of falls. Physiotherapists are able to reduce symptoms of dizziness and vertigo by providing physical exercises to improve function and coordination. The exercises will enhance the patient’s balance and will also reduce the risk of falls. Even assistive devices are sometimes needed to support walking safely.
Some patients lose functionality and the ability to perform daily activities after suffering from certain injuries and illnesses. The aging process also happens to affect mobility and other physical abnormalities. If you’re exposed to these conditions, most probably your health care provider will direct your case to a physiotherapist.
Physical therapy is known for being effective in order to maintain body functions, physical activities, muscle and joint restoration, and other related issues. Many cases develop chronic pain that can hardly be relieved with the help of medication alone, other alternatives like physical therapy can do wonders to reduce pain caused by injuries and other diseases. Trained physiotherapists provide patients with medical programs that work on improving their functionality, strengthening muscles, and gaining back their ability to perform daily activities. After diagnosis and case assessment, physical therapists evaluate the patient’s condition to design the right program for their case. Certain testing procedures referring to the patient’s history are taken into consideration before the physical therapy starts. Therapists do not only depend on the program sessions applied to patients, there will also be recommendations for self-management exercises to help in fast recovery and improvement.
