Physiotherapy is a health care profession who helps to restore movement and function when you had an injury/ illness that affect your ability to carry out daily activities and affecting your quality of life. Physiotherapist uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social well-being, taking into account variations in health status. It is science-based, committed to extending, applying, evaluating and reviewing the evidence that supports and informs its practice and delivery.
A physiotherapist works with people of all ages with wide range of health conditions:-
- Bones, joints and soft tissue – such as back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and sports injuries
- Brain or nervous system – such as movement problems resulting from a stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson’s disease
- Heart and circulation – such as rehabilitation after a heart attack
- Lungs and breathing – such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis
Reason to see a physiotherapist
- Post surgical – Is a part of the healing process, to regain back the normal functional movements of pre surgery. (body parts such as hand, foot, knee, back, shoulder, ankle).
- Illness – After/ during illness that involves mobility, balance, motor skills.
- Injury – Injuries that leave the pain or inability to move .
- Aging – As aging people experience changes in their bodies (such as balance problem, mobility, muscle weakness, poor posture, pain) .
- Major health crisis – Major loss of normal functional movements. Such as heart attack, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke.
- Improved physical performance – To helps in better fitness, enhance performance, reduce injury
- General Wellness – To counteract the effects of aging, learn skills for staying mobile and healthy, and staying flexible.
What to Expect at the Physiotherapist
At the first appointment, physiotherapist will start with a subjective assessment. They will get a complete current history, past history, medical history, review all your records, looking at any X-ray and other tests that you may have. They will also ask you regarding your complaint, illness or injury that they are treating, so it is important to be completely honest to your therapist.
After that will be an objectives assessment, where the therapist might ask you to perform some movements to assess your physical capabilities and limitations. They might also perform some special test to further assess or diagnose your condition.
Then the therapist will explain to you about your condition and then will discuss goal, expected outcome and a customized physical therapy program with you. Follow up appointment is usually needed to make sure you are improving within the expectation and help you to reach your wellness and recovery goals.
GENTLE REMINDER:
IT’S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR PHYSIOTHERAPIST 😊
REFERENCES:
- Physiotherapy / physical therapy. Physiopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.physio-pedia.com/Physiotherapy_/_Physical_Therapy
- (n.d.). NHS choices. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/physiotherapy/how-it-works/
- Contributors, W. M. D. E. (n.d.). What is a physiotherapist? what they do, when to see one, and what to expect. WebMD. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-a-physiotherapist
Article by
Toh Poh Lee
Physiotherapist