Physiotherapy uses proven techniques to help restore movement and function to anyone affected by an injury, disability or health condition. It’s a therapy that can help you achieve movement for life.
A physiotherapist will use their in-depth knowledge of how the body works, combined with hands-on clinical skills, to assess, diagnose and treat your symptoms. They can even help you prevent many injuries and health conditions. Physios work in lots of different settings including hospitals, medical centres, schools, work places, communities and private clinics. While well known for treating injuries, physios also have the skills to treat and prevent a range of health problems.
What is Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy is a healthcare profession concerned with human function and movement and maximizing potential. It uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social well-being, taking account of variations in health status. It is science-based, committed to extending, applying, evaluating and reviewing the evidence
that underpins and informs its practice and delivery. The exercise of clinical judgement and informed interpretation is at its core.
Say Physio for Arthritis
Arthritis means inflamed joint; when the joint is inflamed it can be sore and stiff. Sometimes it can be hot, red and swollen. People with arthritis can find it difficult to do everyday things such as getting dressed, walking to the shops, cooking and playing sport.
How physio helps
A physio can help you manage your arthritis and continue (or return to) an active life doing the things you enjoy. Physio can also help with:
- Becoming stronger, fitter and more flexible
- Staying active and independent
- Avoiding or delaying the need for surgery
Physio For Back Pain
Over 80% will experience some form of back pain in their lifetime. If you’re one of them, then you’ll know what a struggle it can be. Back pain can impact on your work and your general ability to keep moving and enjoy life.
There are a number of different factors that contribute to the experience of back pain. In most cases, it is not possible or necessary to identify a specific source of pain.
Your physio can identify the factors contributing to your specific back problem and design a treatment plan and management program that’s just right for you. They’ll also check if any underlying health conditions could be contributing to your back pain.
For minor back pain the sooner you get back to being active the better; gone are the days where bed rest for weeks was recommended. In fact, research clearly demonstrates that staying active can help reduce your pain and shorten recovery time in most cases. A physio can advise you on appropriate exercises that are right for you.
Your physio can help with:
- Assessment and advice on your back pain
- Mobilisation and manipulation as appropriate
- Specific exercises to help your recovery
- Designing a pain management plan
- Education on how to manage any future back problems
- Advice on returning to work, sport and general activities
- Workstation assessments, ergonomic analysis and advice on specific work tasks
Sports Performance
If you play sport then you may have seen a physio for injury rehabilitation – but did you know physiotherapy can also improve your sporting performance, show you how to reduce the risk of injuries and teach you how to stretch and warm up correctly? The most common sporting injuries (according to ACC) are to the head, shoulders, hamstrings, knees and ankles. Most sports injuries are easily preventable, which is where a physio comes in. They can help you rehabilitate from an injury, show you how to prevent one occurring or work with you to improve your sporting performance.
As a general guideline you should see a physio if:
- You cannot continue normal sporting, work or daily activities; or
- Your injury is recurrent; or
- You are concerned about record from your injury.
How physio helps
Injury Prevention
Your physio can help with:
- Identifying any previous injuries that have not healed
- Teaching correct techniques for warming up and stretching
- Prescribing an injury prevention programme specifically tailored to you and your sport
- Giving you a biomechanical screening assessment
- Prescribing an individual exercise programme to correct any muscle imbalances and improve your movement patterns
Injury rehabilitation and management
Your physio can conduct a thorough assessment to get an accurate diagnosis and will design a treatment and management programme that’s just right for you and your sport.
Your physio can help with:
- Postural education
- Joint mobilisation and manipulation
- Specific rehabilitation exercises
- Strapping and taping
- Developing a programme for a safe return to training, or modifying your training to suit
- Referring you to another health professional if your injury needs further investigation
Sports performance
Looking for a boost in your sports performance? A physio can help with a screening assessment and an individual performance plan to address any weak areas. Your physio can help with:
- Sport specific conditioning to meet your goals
- Home and gym-based strength and flexibility training
- Exercises to improve your efficiency of movement patterns
- Core stability program (such as Pilates)
- Improving your breathing control
- Biomechanical screening assessment to identify any faulty movement patterns that may be impacting on your performance
- Many physios also offer video analysis of your activity and movements
