When struggling with a long-term or acute injury, you may be referred to a physiotherapist in an attempt to resolve the issue. The treatments that physiotherapy can offer are wide ranging and deep, as it cares for all aspects of the body. There are great benefits to using private physiotherapy treatment regularly, so continue reading to find out 5 benefits of regular sessions.
Eliminating or reducing pain
Quite often, the main cause for treatment with a physiotherapist is because of injury or a chronic condition. This condition may well be causing debilitating pain, so a trained physiotherapist will work to relieve the pain and prevent it from returning.
Arthritis, muscle tears or strains, and tendonitis, are most commonly treated with physiotherapy techniques, including massages, stretches and specific exercises and movements. Physiotherapists may also use other pain reducing techniques, such as ultrasound and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). The latter is a method of pain relief using mild electrical current. It is a favoured drug-free approach to reducing pain as it involves no pain killing tablets, like paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Physiotherapy treatment can help to greatly reduce pain felt from a long-term or acute injury. It is also key in preventing re-injury or pain from surfacing again in the future. Managing the pain long-term means having regular sessions with a professional, who will set out a bespoke treatment plan to alleviate the pain and keep it at bay in future.
Gradually, the effects will be felt and you will be able to return to a more normal way of living, free from pain and with increased movement of the affected area.
Preventing surgery
Another great benefit of regular physiotherapy sessions is that they can help to prevent the need for surgery. Nobody enjoys going under the knife, both for the actual act of surgery and for the recovery it demands afterward. If there was a treatment that would prevent surgery, most people would likely take it.
Physiotherapy can provide that relief. With regular trips to a physiotherapist, constant care of the affected area of the body can keep you off the operating table. Of course, some injuries are so severe that they need surgery, but plenty of issues can be resolved with a physiotherapist.
If surgery has been the only option to fix the injury you have sustained, physiotherapy can actually help with the recovery as well as the preparation. Easing your body into the surgery and nursing it back to full health is the aim of a physiotherapist, so post-surgery treatment is highly beneficial and often recommended.
Of course, in some instances, it isn’t needed, but for peace of mind and to ensure you have the best recovery possible, seeking the help of a private physiotherapist can help massively.
Improving motion and strength
Another key goal of physiotherapy is to improve the motion and strength of the injured body part. If you’ve struggled with a shoulder, knee, elbow or wrist injury – maybe it has a slight tear, sprain or fracture – regular physiotherapy sessions can not only help to heal that injury but improve motion.
Through the use of massages, stretches, and exercises, your physical therapist can strengthen the joints, muscles, and ligaments of the affected area. This can help you to lead a pain-free existence.
If you are struggling to walk due to an injury to the leg, hip, or pelvic area, regular trips to a physiotherapist can help to improve your mobility. They can achieve this through a number of different treatments. These will involve a number of physiotherapy techniques, but your physical therapist can also fit assistive devices, like crutches, a cane, and can even assess for an orthotics prescription.
Improving mental health
Physiotherapy doesn’t just focus on the body as a physical state, though. It can also help you achieve clarity with your mental health. Suffering from a debilitating injury has been known to hamper many people’s mental health due to the constant feeling of helplessness associated with the pain.
Chronic pain, and the type of pain that prevents you from functioning normally day-to-day, can badly affect your mental health. This leads to a vicious cycle where the pain never gets any better while your mind continues to spiral. This may not only affect your personal life, but your professional life too.
Seeking physiotherapeutic help to reduce or eliminate the pain can greatly impact your mental health in a positive way, helping you to feel lighter and happier in the long-term. Regularly attending sessions with your physiotherapist can bring mobility and a pain-free existence back to make it your new normal.
Furthermore, some physiotherapy clinics actually offer therapy for the mind as well as the body. If the ailments you feel are all mental, then speaking to a qualified professional can help you significantly. You may have tried all kinds of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications and not felt a positive change. If that is your situation, being referred to a clinic, or seeking private therapist support could be the key to unlocking a happier, brighter future.
Physiotherapy gets results
The amount of treatment required varies from person to person, but research has shown that physiotherapy produces results. Whether that is for injuries to bones, joints, muscles, soft tissue, ligaments, or even the heart and circulation, lungs and breathing, physiotherapy has been proven to work wonders.
Depending on the type of treatment you require, your issue could be resolved in as many as five sessions or fewer. The treatment provided and techniques used in sessions are gentle and do not push your body to a point where you may experience more pain. Physiotherapy is all about easing the body back to a normal capacity, free of pain and with improved mobility.
Physiotherapy isn’t just a one-size-fits all type of service either. You will remain a key part of the treatment, with plans created to fit you, based on what is best for your body, and tailored to your needs. Every patient is different, so your physical therapist will build a plan of treatment to suit you.
Treatment can also be empowering to you as an individual. After every session, you should see and feel gradual improvements. Your physiotherapist will give you tasks and exercises to complete in your own time, and by attending regular sessions, your mobility will increase over time as the pain reduces. This, again, fits into how physiotherapy sessions are tailored to your needs.
Your professional will not rush you through stages; recovery will go at a pace you’re comfortable with and what your body can handle. By working with your physiotherapist, you can live a happier and healthier life following treatment.
Treatment at Total Physio
If you require any sort of assistance with an injury, or you would like to know what we treat, then get in touch with Total Physio to speak to one of our experts. By visiting one of our physio clinics, you will gain immediate access to some of the industry’s leading health care professionals including physiotherapists, massage therapists, podiatrists, chiropodists, strength and conditioning coaches, personal trainers, and acupuncturists.