Physiotherapy helps to restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. It can also help to reduce your risk of injury or illness in the future. It takes a holistic approach that involves the patient directly in their own care.

 

When is physiotherapy used?

Physiotherapy can be helpful for people of all ages with a wide range of health conditions, including problems affecting the:

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• bones, joints and soft tissue – such as back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and sports injuries

• brain or nervous system – such as movement problems resulting from a stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson's disease

• heart and circulation – such as rehabilitation after a heart attack

• lungs and breathing – such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis

 

Physiotherapy can improve your physical activity while helping you to prevent further injuries.

 

What physiotherapists do:

Physiotherapists consider the body as a whole, rather than just focusing on the individual aspects of an injury or illness.

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Some of the main approaches used by physiotherapists include:

• education and advice – physiotherapists can give general advice about things that can affect your daily lives, such as posture and correct lifting or carrying techniques to help prevent injuries

• movement, tailored exercise and physical activity advice – exercises may be recommended to improve your general health and mobility, and to strengthen specific parts of your body

• manual therapy – where the physiotherapist uses their hands to help relieve pain and stiffness, and to encourage better movement of the body

 

Physiotherapy can involve a number of different treatment and preventative approaches, depending on the specific problems you're experiencing.

At your first appointment, you will have an assessment to help determine what help you might need.

 

Education and advice

One of the main aspects of physiotherapy involves looking at the body as a whole, rather than focusing on the individual factors of an injury.

Therefore, giving general advice about ways to improve your wellbeing – for example, by taking regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight for your height and build – is an important part of treatment.

A physiotherapist can also give you specific advice that you can apply to everyday activities to look after yourself and reduce your risk of pain or injury.

For example, if you have back pain, you may be given advice about good posture, correct lifting or carrying techniques, and avoiding awkward twisting, over-stretching or prolonged standing.

 

Movement and exercise

Physiotherapists usually recommend movement and exercise to help improve your mobility and function. This may include:

• exercises designed to improve movement and strength in a specific part of the body – these usually need to be repeated regularly for a set length of time

• activities that involve moving your whole body, such as walking or swimming – these can help if you're recovering from an operation or injury that affects your mobility

• exercises carried out in warm, shallow water (hydrotherapy or aquatic therapy) – the water can help relax and support the muscles and joints, while providing resistance to help you gradually get stronger

• advice and exercises to help you increase or maintain your physical activity – advice will be given on the importance of keeping active, and how to do this in a safe, effective way

• advice on using mobility aids – such as crutches or a walking stick to help you move around

 

Your physiotherapist may also recommend exercises that you can continue doing to help you manage pain in the long term or reduce your risk of injuring yourself again.

 

Manual therapy

Manual therapy is a technique where a physiotherapist uses their hands to manipulate, mobilise and massage the body tissues.

This can help:

• relieve pain and stiffness

• improve blood circulation

• help fluid drain more efficiently from parts of the body

• improve the movement of different parts of the body

• promote relaxation

 

Manual therapy can be used to treat specific problems, such as back pain, but may also be useful for a range of conditions that don't affect the bones, joints or muscles.

For example, massage may improve quality of life for some people with serious or long-term conditions by reducing levels of anxiety and improving sleep quality. Manual techniques are also used to help certain lung conditions.

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As with all COREFLEX services for staff wellbeing and enrichment, physiotherapy is a tool to support your staff, make them healthier in body and mind, reducing the likelihood of absence through sickness, injury or stress.

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If you'd like to know more about Coreflex Physiotherapy & Massage, please drop us an email or fill in the contact form.

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