Physiotherapy

 PHYSIOTHERAPY

Physiotherapy - Types, Treatment, Procedure, Cost And Side Effects

About  |  Types  | Physiotherapy vs Physical therapy  |  Treatment Types  | Steps  |  Needs

What is Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy helps to restore mobility and normalcy in a patient's life after he/she is affected by an injury, disease or disability. Components of a physiotherapy session include manual therapy, advising and educating the patient. Physiotherapy can help a patient of any age to manage further pain and prevent subsequent injuries or diseases. In a nutshell, physiotherapy helps a patient improve and maximize his/her physical strength, functioning and general well-being while taking care of the underlying issues.

It adopts a more holistic approach to a patient's treatment process by taking into consideration his/her lifestyle and other dimensions of their lives. It helps prevent disability and injury, manages chronic as well as acute health conditions, manages and betters physical performance of the patient, provides rehabilitation from the injury and educates patients on how to prevent any further recurrence.

What are the types of physiotherapy treatments?

Physiotherapy types:

1. Neurological: This therapy is given when there is a loss of balance and coordination and balance, extreme weakness of the muscles, loss of function, muscle spasms, and if there is a decrease in sensation. The main aim of the neurological physiotherapy is to establish mobility of the body part and to treat the functional disorders of the body which has occurred due to the nervous system disorder like stroke, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's, etc.
2. Orthopedic: The main aim of this therapy is to treat the diseases related to the musculoskeletal system, including correcting the muscles, bones, ligaments, joints, tendons. Through this therapy, pain is alleviated, increasing the mobilization, and for rectifying any skeletal injury.
3. Cardiopulmonary: This therapy is given to the person who has suffered any cardiopulmonary disorders like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiac arrest. The main aim of this kind of physiotherapy is to tell or educate patients about exercise and techniques through which they can improve the quality of their life.
4. Pediatric: This is a kind of physiotherapy which is done to improve the acute injuries which are found in children in the time of birth which involves certain genetic defects or delay in physical growth. In the physiotherapy, there are various exercises which are done strengthening the affected part of the body and to improve the movement of the body parts.
5. Geriatric: In this kind of physiotherapy age-related matters are treated like osteoporosis, arthritis. In these certain movements of the body restricted to avoid the pain but on the other hand, patients are given aids and exercises improve the overall mobility of the body.
6. Vestibular rehabilitation: The main focus of this vestibular therapy is to bring back the balance of the body which is caused by a problem in the inner ear which destroys the balance and gives the sensation of vertigo and chronic dizziness. This therapy teaches the body to gain back the balance and the muscles to become more studier.

How is physiotherapy done?

A physiotherapist may employ a variety of techniques, determined by the nature of the injury sustained and the particular problem that is being treated. The commonest of them are:

• Manual manipulation: Moving the soft tissues and the joints better circulation, flushes excess fluids from the body and relaxes overly tight muscles and spasms.
• Electrical stimulation of the nerves: Delivering electric currents in controlled intensity to the affected part helps to contain the pain signals, thus preventing them from reaching the brain.
• Acupuncture: This is a great way of stimulating the CNS while dulling the pain and relaxing tight muscles.
• Demonstration: Teaching and demonstrating proper movement patterns to the patient help them to recuperate on their own.
• Functional testing: This involves examining the patient with regards to their physical movements to better assess his/her condition.   

Who needs physiotherapy?

Persons suffering from following conditions can approach for physiotherapy:

• If injured while playing
• If suffering with chronic pain from long time
• During and after pregnancy
• During and after surgery
• To prevent from chest complications
• To prevent from thrombosis
• To prevent from pressure sores
• To prevent muscle wasting and joint mobility 

What are the side effects of physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy side effects:

• Pain: It may happen that your pain increases while you recuperate and recover. To address such pain, oral pain medicines might be administered prior to a session of physical therapy. Heat/cold therapy or other topical methods can work as well.
• Swelling: This is very common; it's because of the fact that the tissues, muscles and ligaments are stretched in order to strengthen them. This can result in swelling and further pain because of it.