Many people are hesitant when they hear the term "physiotherapy." They do not know what it is, why it is used, how it is used and how it can possibly help them. Most people, whenever they have an injury of some sort, run to a medical doctor who generally prescribes pain medication for injuries. While pain medication is an effective way to deal with pain caused by various ailments, diseases and injuries, it merely masks the pain and does not solve the problem. In addition, many pain medications are highly addictive.
Physiotherapy is nothing new. It dates back to ancient times. Even Hippocrates, the father of medicine, recognized that there was a need for patients to be mobilized. People who have illnesses or disease that keeps them immobile run the risk of getting blood clots in their legs that can travel to their heart or brain. Modern physiotherapy began in the late 19th century when doctors began to realize that patients needed to be mobilized in order to recover. During the polio outbreaks of the 1930s and 1940s, physiotherapy played an important role in helping people who were affected by this terrible illness to regain the strength to walk.
Mobilization, manipulation of muscles and ligaments, exercise, education and training is how physiotherapy works today. There are many reasons why people see a physiotherapist. They range from back and neck pain, which are the most common, to neurological conditions. Even people with heart and lung conditions often have some sort of physiotherapy to help them recover. Physiotherapy is now an important part of any patient recovery, whether it be from an operation or an injury. Many patients, when released from the hospital, are released into the care of a licensed physiotherapist who works with the patient to continue the recovery process.
Curing migraines is one example of how physiotherapy works. Many physicians and physiotherapists believe that migraines are the result of a misaligned spine. By manipulating the spinal column, many physiotherapists have reported success in alleviating the symptoms of migraine headaches; a disabling condition that plagues millions of Americans each year.
Even people with injuries present at birth, such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida have been able to live better lives with the help of physiotherapy. The therapist keeps the limbs mobile and allows the patient to live a longer and more productive life.
Stroke victims are a great example of how physiotherapy works. Oftentimes, after a stroke, a patient is unable to speak or use a certain part of his or her body. A physiotherapist works with a stroke victim to help him or her regain speech as well as movement in the effected area. Physiotherapists have achieved amazing results with stroke victims, particularly in recent years.
Physiotherapy is practiced by a licensed therapist who has vast education in the field of the types of injuries and diseases he or she treats. People who have suffered an accident or have undergone an operation and have recovered with the help of therapy can clearly attest to how physiotherapy works to cut recovery time in half and allow the patient to get back to leading a better quality of life.
