What is Physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy / Physical Therapy is a health care specialty involved with evaluating, diagnosing, and treating disorders of the musculoskeletal system. The ultimate goal of physio therapy is to restore maximal functional independence to each individual patient. To achieve this goal, physical such as exercise, heat, cold, electricity, and massage are utilized.

Physiotherapy is provided by Physiotherpists, who are health care professionals with a Bachelor's or master’s or doctorate degree in physiotherapy. Physio therapists evaluate, diagnose, and manage the physiotherapy treatment plan, customizing it to each individual’s needs.

Physiotherapy is ordered by a physician or by direct access when it is felt that such a course of treatment would be beneficial.

It is offered to a wide variety of patient’s including newborn babies, children, adults, and geriatrics.

Physiotherapy is useful in treating many different medical disorders. and injuries, neurological and muscular illness, as well as cardiopulmonary diseases are only a few pathologic conditions which physiotherapy plays a treatment role in.

Through patient and therapist interaction, physiotherapy can help restore movement and function helping patients return to their prior level of independence.

Physiotherapy is a health care specialty concerned with treating disorders of the musculoskeletal system and it's interaction with physical movement.

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Who is Physiotherapists?

Physiotherapists / Physical Therapists are professionals who work with people that have sustained disabilities, impairments, or limitations in their overall physical function.

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How long will i need PT?

How long will physiO therapy take is a common question asked by many patients. Although the question itself is a simple one, the answer is much more difficult.

Unfortunately there is no correct answer to this question. Each person is different, and thus an individual's rate of healing is also different. It may take one person only three days to walk one hundred feet after knee surgery, however a patient who had surgery on the same day may need five days to reach the same distance. This is due to the variation in pain perception, motivation, and healing rate we each have.

Rather than setting a date to complete therapy by, set various goals that you would like to achieve during your rehabilitation program. Make this your focus, not time. Reward yourself for achieving these goals, regardless of the time taken to reach them.

A quick tip on reducing the amount of time spent in therapy is through performance of a home exercise program.

Although the physiotherapist works with the patient during therapy sessions, it is important for the patient to take an active role in their therapy program. Daily participation in a home exercise program is a major factor in how quickly one recovers.

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Goals and Rehab:

Setting goals is the best way to achieve a successful rehabilitation outcome. When starting physio therapy, you must think what is it that you want to accomplish at the end of your program. Goals are often very individualized, but then again so is the rehabilitation process. Once you have set your goals, it is important to sit down with your therapist on the first visit and discuss them together.

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Determining Goals:

The goals you set should be ones that are important to you. However, they must also be realistic and attainable. If you do not abide by this rule, then you will be disappointed in your rehabilitation program as well as the outcome.

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How to Set Goals:

After determining your goals, these should be described as your long term goals, the goals that you want to achieve at the end of your therapy. Then, make several short term goals that will help you achieve your long term goal. For example, if at the end of therapy your long term goal is to walk 200 feet without an assistive device, make 2 short term goals of: 1) walking 200 feet with a cane, then 2) walking 100 feet without an assistive device.

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Time Frame:

Your therapist will help you determine an appropriate time frame for achieving your goals. This also should be within a realistic time frame and will depend on the gains that you make during your rehabilitation program.

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Finding the Physiotherapist:

The best way to find a good professional is to ask your friends and doctors for recommendations. Otherwise, you can go Forum For Physiotherapists by phone cal. Here are questions to help you select a good physio therapist:

• Is the therapist a Graduate physiotherapist?

• What credentials does he have? Has he treated this type of problem before? (Physiotherapists have different specialties.)

• Who owns the physiotherapy facility: the physio therapist herself, an outside company, doctors or a hospital? It’s best to have independent treatment, and you need to know if a doctor will profit by referring you to a facility in which she has a financial interest.

• Do I need to pay when I visit? Am I billed or does my insurance company pay?

• What does the initial consultation involve?

• What are office hours? Where would I park? Are there individual treatment rooms?

• What type of therapy equipment is available? (Your treatment might require a specific piece of equipment.) This can include ultrasound, hydrotherapy and exercise equipment.

• Will you report on my progress and your evaluation regularly to my other health care providers? if need..

• May I meet with someone on the staff or visit the facility? A physiotherapist should be willing to meet with you and answer questions.

• Will I get to discuss my treatment goals with a therapist? Will that person be responsible for my treatment?

• What will my evaluation include?

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Types of Physiotherapy?

Defines the major branches and areas of Physiotherapy.

Overview

There are many specialty areas in the field of physiotherapy. Although this is well known throughout the profession, it is often overlooked by the general public. Below is a brief description of the five most common specialty areas in physio therapy. Read on to find out what specialty area is most appropriate for you or your family member.

Orthopedic- Orthopedic physio therapists diagnose, manage, and treat disorders and injuries of the musculoskeletal system as well as rehabilitate patients post orthopedic surgery. This specialty of physio therapy is most often found in the out-patient clinical setting. Orthopedic therapists are trained in the treatment of post operative joints, acute sports injuries, arthritis, and amputations just to name a few.

Joint mobilizations, strength training, hot/cold packs, and electrical stimulation are modalities often used to expedite recovery in the orthopedic setting. Those who have suffered injury or disease affecting the muscles, bones, ligaments, or tendons of the body will benefit from assessment by a physio therapist specialized in orthopedics.

Geriatric - Geriatric physio therapy covers a wide area of issues concerning people as they go through normal adult aging, but is usually focused on the older adult. There are many conditions that affect many people as they grow older and include but are not limited to: arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, alzheimer's disease, hip and joint replacement, balance disorders, incontinence and more.

Geriatric physiotherapy helps those affected by such problems in developing a specialized program to help restore mobility, reduce pain, increase fitness levels and more.

Neurological - Neurological physiotherapy is a discipline focused on working with individuals who have a neurological disorder or disease. These include Alzheimer's disease, ALS, brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, and stroke. Common problems of patients with neurological disorders include paralysis, vision impairment, poor balance, inability to ambulate, and loss of functional independence. Therapists work with patients to improve these areas of dysfunction.

Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation - Cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation physiotherapists treat a wide variety of patients with cardiopulmonary disorders or those who have had cardiac or pulmonary surgery. Primary goals of this specialty include increasing patient endurance and functional independence. Manual therapy is utilized in this field to assist in clearing lung secretions experienced in patients with cystic fibrosis. Patients with disorders including heart attacks, post coronary bypass surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis are only a few examples of those who would benefit from cardiovascular and pulmonary specialized physiotherapists.

Pediatric- Pediatric physiotherapy assists in early detection of health problems and uses a wide variety of modalities to treat disorders in the pediatric population. These therapists are specialized in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of infants, children, and adolescents with a variety of congenital, developmental, neuromuscular, skeletal, or acquired disorders/diseases. Treatments focus on improving gross and fine motor skills, balance and coordination, strength and endurance as well as cognitive and sensory processing/integration. Children with developmental delays, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and torticollis are a few of the patients treated by pediatric physiotherapists.

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Choosing A Physiotherapist:

Great advice on how to choose a physio therapist. Review this tip list

Almost everyone requires rehabilitation after an injury. If you've been injured or you are recovering from orthopedic surgery, your first priority is to treat your problem. After a specialist medically evaluates your condition and tells you that it is safe to participate in the rehabilitation process, a physico therapist will certainly help you. Also there are many other conditions for which you must receive physico therapy treatment.

Below you will find a short list of questions to help you decide whether you need a help from a physiotherapist:

• Do you feel pain in the muscles and / or joints?

• Do you have grinding noise or sensation within a joint?

• Have you muscles become weak and tight? • Did you have head injury recently or a car accident - and from that time suffer from headaches, dizziness, problems with feeling and controlling the body?

• Do you have trouble getting enough air to breath? Maybe you suffer from heart disease, pulmonary disease, or have problems connected with postoperative lung complications?

.Did you recently had some operation on your shoulder, knee or lost part of your limb?

If you have answered "yes" on any of these questions, I suggest you better hurry: find yourself a good physio therapy service because you are in the need for physio therapy treatment.

If you are not on the list be proud on your wellness and use knowledge to hold this state of your body. Preventive medicine, things you do before you get ill, is the best medicine. Therefore, you can make an appointment with the physiotherapist. Let him teach you a proper posture for you or your children, correct ways of exercising and preventive techniques that you can use every day. Be sure to ask all the questions connected to your professional career or your personal way of life.

Best advice is to call your local PT to see what you need to do, or ask your physician. You have the right to know about the important items when advocating for your choice of physiotherapy services

The most important items are: quality of care, availability of services, personnel training/expertise and payer coverage.

Those items are explained in this tip - list! The list will help you pick the correct questions for your potential therapist.

• Does the provider have literature describing its services, cost, and funding? (That could help you to make your decision)

• Do they offer services that match your needs? (Check experience and specialties when choosing a physiotherapist; find one that is conveniently near your home or work; find out about convenience of appointments)

• Years of experience? (Optimal: at least three years of experience)

• Cost of services?

• What types of payments are accepted?

• Make a few words interview with the potential therapist to evaluate your ability to work together!

• At last don't forget to ask friends and your doctor for their recommendations!

Here are some of the factors that may influence your decision.

Remember that you, the patient, have the right to expect to be respected as an individual when being admitted for physio therapy!

Also remember that you have rights to receive care of the highest quality.

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Working With Your Physiotherapist:

Learn how to work efficiently with your physio therapist.

A physiotherapist will evaluate and treat those with musculoskeletal disorders, neurological dysfunctions and those with other types of disease, injury or illness.

It is important to find a therapist who has experience in treating patients with similar conditions you have. Before choosing your personal physio therapist check ability for mutually cooperation.

Have a short conversation and make sure that communication between both you and a physiotherapist is clear and understanding. Furthermore, do not disregard your first impression - that person should make you feel relaxed and equal. Remember that you will be a part of the team involved in an extensive process of improving your health. You should not be an object of rehabilitation practice, but an active part. Your physio therapist will guide you through this long and possibly painful process; only effective teamwork could show some results.

I must return to the word: "painful". Yes, you have to prepare that sometimes pain may occur, although a physio therapist will do as much possible to decrease pain. Especially after a surgical procedure when affected joint become stiff. At that time a patient and his therapist must work together with an important goal: to rich full range of motion of joint. Wouldn't that job be more convenient with tolerant and pleasant person?

When you choose a most convenient therapist for yourself - teamwork with him/her can start. First what they would do is a physio therapy evaluation. This is a standard procedure - taking status of the affected parts of your body based on your individual needs. Evaluation includes: testing assessment of posture, gait, range of motion, strength, soft tissue changes, joint mobility, muscle strength, cardiovascular function, reflexes, or functional skills. Those measures take place in the beginning and at the end of the treatment. During the treatment a therapist can repeat evaluations to see your rehabilitation progress and at the end you could enjoy in success of your mutual job.

After the physiotherapy evaluation a primary role is to create a personalized treatment program, which will, in teamwork, improve the functional activities of your life! This program will contain best possible exercise, "hands on" rehabilitation program or modalities for your condition.

Some of the methods that a therapist could use are: joint mobilization, soft tissue massage, modalities (ice/hot packs, water, electrical procedures) or different rehabilitation equipment, like weights, pulleys, therabands, stationary bikes, and treadmills. What will they use depends on the diagnosis.

During your treatment therapist will design an appropriate home exercise program for you, learn you about pain-relief methods (for "home-use") and measures of prevention during your work or during your home activities - based on your status and your diagnosis.

You'll be working together every day, three times or once weekly, depends on your condition. During that time your physical therapist will change your treatment plan, based on your progress and achievement.

I do hope you will find a perfect therapist for yourself and wish you all the luck in your teamwork.

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For more details contact FPT members

Thank you

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