The Most Important Information About Physiotherapy

Do you suffer from pain or a medical condition that requires physical therapy? 

Here are some important facts about naturopathy to help you better understand this treatment.

If you want to receive physiotherapy or physical therapy, you must first learn more about this treatment and which cases may be appropriate. The most important information and details are provided to you in the following:

What is physical therapy?

It is a therapeutic profession related to human functioning, movement, and increasing motor ability to the maximum extent possible.

Physiotherapy uses various methods to restore, improve, and maintain the patient's psychological and physical balance, taking into account the various changes in the health status of the treated person.

Physiotherapy is based on strong scientific foundations, relies on professional clinical experience, and analysis of the patient's condition.

Problems treated by physical therapy

Physiotherapists treat a variety of physical problems, especially those related to diseases and problems with:

• nerves.
• Skeletal muscle.
• heart and blood vessels.
• Respiratory system.

Examples of areas of physical therapy

Examples of areas of work for physiotherapists with physiotherapy are many and include:

• Treatment for patients injured in road accidents or sports injuries.
• Treatment related to female’s health units, such as: treatment after various surgeries of the reproductive system in women.
• Treatment of the elderly and problems of advanced age, including: maintaining mobility, independence, rehabilitation after a fall, treatment of Parkinson's disease, and others.
• Neuron rehabilitation, as in cases of trying to recover body movements after a stroke.
• Trauma treatment of all kinds.
• Treating patients with mental illnesses, such as: strengthening patients' self-confidence through exercises and certain movements.
• Treating people with learning difficulties.
• Occupational health treatment, by studying work habits and the physical problems they cause to employees.
• Providing advice to voluntary organizations, the education sector, the private sector, and sports clinics.

Does physical therapy treat back pain?

A research was conducted evaluating outcomes to compare a series of medical treatments used to reduce back pain and the assessment process and advice given by a physical therapist during a single physical therapy session.

This research tested 286 patients who had mild to moderate back pain for more than 6 weeks.

Some of them received a series of medical treatments provided by the health system, while the other part received one session of physiotherapy with a physical therapist, which included an assessment of the patient's condition and some advice.

The development of the two groups was examined after 3 months, 6 months and 12 months.

The results were given according to a scale of points developed for special scales to examine the disability that resulted from back pain, and according to the reports of the patients themselves, and after the expiration of 12 months, no difference appeared between the two groups.

Although the patients who received physical therapy praised it and said that the treatment helped them in a small way, but in the long run there is no benefit to be gained from these treatments.

More in-depth research on physiotherapy is needed before such a conclusion can be reached and applied.

For example, sports lessons that are practiced by physiotherapists during physical therapy sessions are of great benefit, while treatment by hands along the spine did not show any improvement, neither in the level of pain nor even in the level of performance.

Is physical therapy useful?

According to the data, 9 out of 10 patients feel an improvement in their symptoms after physical therapy. Choosing a therapist for physical therapy is not easy. You must find an honest, listening therapist who understands your problems and goals.

Since physiotherapy is often very expensive, you definitely want to choose the one who gives you the best result and is honest with you about the number of appointments you need and the length of the physiotherapy treatment.

There are therapists who specialize in physiotherapy for specific problems, such as: treating women after pregnancy, persistent pain, and more.

What is physical therapy? And how much it is needed to treat diseases

Physiotherapy is a medical specialty that aims to help a person regain movement and function when affected as a result of an injury, illness or disability, and it may also help reduce the risk of future injury or disease, according to the National Health Services in the United Kingdom.

According to the first specialist in physiotherapy for joints and spine at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar, Dr. Kamel Zaarour, physiotherapy is a specialized therapeutic art that depends on assessing a person's condition, and is carried out through therapeutic tools.

In a previous episode of Al-Jazeera Clinic, Zaarour added that physiotherapy is a studied science based on a clear scientific academic study, and it is under the medical umbrella and comes after the doctor's medical diagnosis.

According to Zaarour, physiotherapy differs from regular exercise in that physiotherapy is for a person suffering from a specific pain or problem and aims to help solve it, while exercise is for a healthy person who does not suffer from problems or pain.

Physiotherapy is used to help deal with many health problems, whether with the aim of treatment, rehabilitation or alleviation of difficulties, such as:

• Back pain.
• neck pain
• shoulder pain
• Sports injuries.
• Movement problems caused by a stroke.
• Problems caused by multiple sclerosis.
• Movement difficulties in Parkinson's disease.
• Rehabilitation after a heart attack.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
• Cystic fibrosis.

Among the natural treatment methods:

Advice and education: The physiotherapist provides advice to improve a person’s daily life, such as the importance of exercising and maintaining a healthy weight, how to lift heavy loads without hurting the back, and how to sit at a desk.

Movement: where the physiotherapist teaches and trains the person to practice certain movements or exercises, with the aim of improving general health, for example, or strengthening certain muscles after injury or increasing the ability to move.

Exercises done in warm, shallow water (hydrotherapy): These can help relax and support muscles and joints, while helping a person gradually improve strength.

Providing tools that help the person move around, such as crutches or a walking stick.

Manual therapy: in which a physiotherapist uses his hands to massage body tissues, which can help relieve pain, improve blood circulation, improve movement of parts of the body, and relax.

Acupuncture: where fine needles are inserted at specific points on the body.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): A small, battery-powered device is used to deliver electric current to the affected area, with the goal of relieving pain.

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves are used to treat deep tissue injuries by stimulating blood circulation, in order to reduce pain and spasms and speed up recovery.