Physiotherapy, otherwise known as physical therapy, is a kind of therapy used to improve the physical condition of the human body. It normally includes a number of exercises or massages with the help of some equipment and physical media. It helps the patients in providing maximum mobility and reduces pain as much as possible.
Physiotherapists are the professionals who assist patients for physiotherapy. They should have a thorough knowledge of human anatomy to perform it perfectly and professionally. Patients are referred to physiotherapists due to many reasons. It might be due to some injury or muscle pain or aging or even because of paralysis. A physical examination is normally done as part of diagnosis and a suitable therapy plan is identified for the treatment. Based on the problem, the treatment varies from person to person.
Physiotherapy is usually done alongside medical or surgical treatment. There are some medicines that are taken alongside physiotherapy treatments in some cases and in other cases physiotherapy begins after surgery. The physiotherapist provides complete guidance to the patient, so that he heals as quickly as possible.
As a physiotherapist has to deal with different types of patients with different kinds of diseases, specialization is very common in physiotherapy. There are specializations in areas like orthopedics, pediatrics and neurology. Normally physiotherapy is executed inside a hospital or health clinic with the help of a physiotherapist. But in most of the cases, the patient has to continue the exercises even after being discharged from hospital. Usually the physiotherapist teaches the patient the exercises to be done at home. If implemented correctly, it is found that even a paralyzed patient can sometimes reach back to their former stage of health with physiotherapy.
Different techniques used in physiotherapy include massage, manual resistance training, laser therapy, and infrared radiation. This can be done with the help of electrical and mechanical devices or by using physical media like heat, ice or ultrasound or even manual stimulation. Some of the equipment used by physiotherapists are physiotherapy chairs, TENS, devices used for ultrasound and electrotherapy and even exercise balls and weights.
Physiotherapists should provide maximum support to the patient. As physiotherapy is a clinical health science, normally to be performed by a professional physiotherapist, a degree in physiotherapy is a must. Now even better physiotherapy techniques are evolving which are offering better pain relief to patients. Physiotherapy helps ensure maximum independence and relief to the patient, and continues to be an extremely important art.
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