What Physiotherapy Options Are Available to You?

Whether you’re experiencing chronic pain or recovering from an injury, a Physio can help in several ways. They can create a treatment plan suited to your specific needs and provide the treatments themselves. There are different physical therapies available, which is why there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all in physiotherapy.

Paediatric Physiotherapy

Also known as children’s physiotherapy, this treatment focuses on helping infants, toddlers, children and even adolescents recover or overcome various physical disorders, from developmental to skeletal.

Physiotherapy helps address acute injuries, birth defects, developmental delays, head trauma, muscle diseases, and other orthopaedic disabilities.
Some of the treatment methods used include exercise, modalities, and treatments for pain management, strength recovery, and balance and flexibility.
With consistent physical therapy, children with developmental delays experience improvement in cognitive and sensory processing as well as gross and fine motor skills.

Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy

One of the most common physiotherapy treatments, musculoskeletal or orthopaedic physiotherapy, is designed to restore movements and function to affected bones, joints and muscles.

It’s highly recommended for people with arthritis, back and neck pain, posture problems, muscle strains and sprains, and joint stiffness.
People recovering from orthopaedic surgery can also benefit from this type of treatment.
Some treatment methods used in orthopaedic physical therapy are exercise, taping or bracing, massage, and joint mobilisation.

Geriatric Physiotherapy

As balance, flexibility, and movements deteriorate in older adults, geriatric physiotherapy can help alleviate pain and discomfort.

Most treatments are focused on restoring mobility, properly managing pain, and promoting independence by working around physical limitations.
Physiotherapy can also help with proactive health care, especially for active individuals. Rather than wait until issues arise, seniors can join physiotherapy programmes to help them stay active and keep any physiological issues at bay as long as possible.

Sports Physiotherapy

Sports injuries can happen to anyone, not just athletes. Pro or not, engaging in sports increases the risk of muscle strains, sprains, and other forms of physical injuries.

A physical therapist not only works after a surgery or injury, but they can also help in preventing injuries through various exercises that strengthen bones, muscles, and joints.
They will develop a treatment plan for recovery and rehabilitation following surgery.
Before they give the go signal to return to your sport, they use different therapy methods to help improve endurance and flexibility.

Other physical treatments available are pre- and post-natal physiotherapy, clinical Pilates, strengthening and conditioning, massage, and pelvic health.

What to Expect During a Physical Therapy Session

Knowing what to expect can take away any fears you might have, especially if it’s your first time undergoing physical therapy.

A physical therapist will carry out an initial assessment to better understand which treatment programme is suitable based on your symptoms, medical history, and lifestyle.
You may need to undergo a physical examination to better evaluate your flexibility, mobility, and strength.
They will draw a diagnosis and a treatment plan once the root cause of your issue is identified. A good physiotherapist will explain their findings and your recovery plan. Otherwise, take the initiative to ask questions until you fully understand what you’re getting into.
Several methods may be used in your treatment plan, including myotherapy, magnetic therapy, and a range of motion exercises. In between sessions, you may need to do some gentle exercises.