Q: What is physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy uses a variety of techniques to
help your muscles and joints work to their full potential. It can help repair
damage by speeding up the healing process and reducing pain and stiffness.
Physiotherapists also have an important role in
rehabilitation, for example, helping people who have had strokes to relearn
basic movements. However, physiotherapists don't just offer treatment, their
advice can help you prevent problems returning or even happening in the first
place.
Q: What types of problem can
physiotherapy help?
Virtually any condition that affects your
muscles, joints or nerves. Common problems that can be helped by physiotherapy
include:
•
Painful conditions such as arthritis
•
Back and neck pain, including whiplash
•
Problems affecting children including cerebral
palsy
•
Pregnancy related symptoms such as back pain and
stress incontinence
•
Upper limb work related problems, also known as
repetitive strain injury (RSI)
•
Asthma and other breathing difficulties
•
Sports injuries
•
Strokes and other neurological problems
•
Symptoms of stress and anxiety.
Q: What does the treatment involve?
Before any action is taken, the physiotherapist
will assess your condition, diagnose the problem and help you understand what's
wrong. They will work with you to develop an effective treatment plan that
takes into account your lifestyle, leisure activities and general health. This
will include advice on how you can help yourself, for example, you may be shown
exercises that you can do between treatment sessions. Where appropriate,
physiotherapists also advise carers how they can help.
Physiotherapists use a variety of treatments. For
example:
•
Exercise programs - designed to improve mobility
and strengthen muscles
•
Manipulation and mobilisation - to reduce pain
and stiffness
•
Electrotherapy - for example, ultrasound to speed
up the healing process
•
Acupuncture - used by some physiotherapists
qualified to practice this technique
•
Hydrotherapy - exercise in water
•
Massage.
Q: What should I do if I injure
myself? Do I need to be referred by a MD, or can I make an appointment to see a
physiotherapist immediately?
If the nature or extent of your orthopedic injury
is unclear, you must make an appointment for a consultation with your personal
medical physician or specialist. The specialist may in turn recommend x-rays,
medication or any other course of action, which is deemed appropriate,
including perhaps physiotherapy.
If, however, you are very familiar with your
injury, and you know that a physiotherapist can address it, you may choose to
skip the medical consultation and make an appointment directly with our
physiotherapy services. But remember, when in doubt about the nature of your
injury, consult a physician. These consultations are fully covered by Medicare,
so there's no need to gamble.
Q: How effective is physiotherapy?
Physiotherapists measure their clinical
effectiveness by the same standards applied to other health professionals,
including doctors and nurses. This is done through independent research to
prove that physiotherapy works. For example, studies show that exercise-based
cardiac rehabilitation, led by physiotherapists, results in a reduction of
sudden death rates after a heart attack by 25 per cent. There is also strong
evidence that physiotherapy is an effective treatment for back pain.
To ensure physiotherapists in Quebec apply
equally high standards, the Order des Physiotherapeutic du Quebec, the
professional body representing physiotherapists, circulates guidelines based on
research to all its members.
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