A sound body has a sound mind, which is why physiotherapy helps you keep your body sound and healthy. Physical therapy manages your pain and soreness, reduces swelling and inflammation, and prevents disability.
Physical therapy not only treats injuries but strengthens the muscles for regular work. It also identifies and diagnoses the problem. A stroke patient becomes independent because of physical therapy. You also use physical therapy for relaxation. But how?
There are several relaxation techniques and tools available that ease tension in muscles. Like massage ball spiky and massage balls trigger points are used to break adhesions and knots. The effectiveness of physical therapy is beyond expectation.
The effectiveness of physical therapy depends upon the severity of the condition and the time of immobility. It benefits you in all possible ways. If you want to know more about physical therapy's benefits, see below.
What is physical therapy?
Physical therapy is a way to treat the movement of a body by using exercises and other techniques. It helps to restore strength and mobility and relieve pain and soreness. So it includes therapeutic activities along with mobility and balance.
The main motive of physical therapy is to enable a pain-free range of motion. It allows you to walk, run or climb stairs with no difficulty. It also helps diabetic and high blood pressure patients. Physical therapy can help with a wide range of conditions.
If you have arthritis in your knee or shoulder, physical therapy can help you feel better and improve your overall function. Physical therapists work with each patient’s primary care doctor to determine what treatment plan will work best for them.
The treatment options include:
Strengthening exercises
Stretching exercises
Therapeutic exercises
Range of motion exercises
Balance and coordination exercises
Gait training
Massage by using a massage ball set
What are the benefits of physical therapy?
Physical therapy focuses on early diagnosis, evaluation, prevention and management of injuries. Such injuries restrict mobility and normal physical functions. But physical therapists not only treat musculoskeletal injuries or play a role during rehabilitation.
The physical therapist also targets stroke patients and pediatric and old-age populations. It also works in ICU surgery and neonatal wards. The sub-specialty includes:
Respiratory physiotherapy
Neuromuscular physiotherapy
Musculoskeletal physiotherapy
Paediatric physiotherapy
Orthopaedic physiotherapy
Sport physiotherapy
Ergonomics
If we look at the benefits of physical therapy, it involves:
Early Rehabilitation after injury: After a stroke or remaining bed-bound due to any cause, a physical therapist helps you to get back on your feet. As in sports, after an ankle sprain or ACL damage, only a physical therapist helps you to come back into your game.
Ease pain: Physical therapy helps to reduce pain and early symptoms of injury. The therapist focuses on increasing the pain-free range of motion. A therapist may heat or massage the area to discomfort the pain.
Reduce stiffness: Physical therapy is essential in reducing stiffness in the joints. As it's the winter season, everyone feels stiffness in the knee or back. So heating and general exercises enable you to do pain-free work.
Strength training: A physical therapist always make strength training a priority. As it enables you to do different tasks or lift heavy objects. Physical therapist plan resistance exercises with functional and compound movements.
Increase flexibility: One of the best benefits is that it increases flexibility. After a sprain or a fracture, our limb becomes restricted to a specific range, and physical therapists with stretching exercises increase flexibility.
Relaxation: Massaging the tender area helps to relax. You can use a massage ball set for this. You can also use a massage ball trigger point to break adhesions and trigger knots that cause pain and discomfort.
Correct Posture: In computer users or YouTubers, incorrect posture leads to scoliosis or kyphosis. Physical therapists assist in correcting posture and also provide proper guidance regarding sitting and lying.
Balance training: In CP, child or other neural problems leads to improper balance. Physical therapists do balance training by using balance boards. It mainly targets the geriatric population, with increased chances of falls and fractures.
Reduce headaches: Are you not getting rid of headaches after medical treatment? Then it's time to visit a physical therapist. Stiff neck muscles or upper spine irregularities sometimes cause a headache.
Decrease Vertigo: In ICU patients, dizziness and vertigo are common. Physical therapists use different exercises that realign the components of the inner ear. It helps the patient to stand upright,
Ergonomically orientated types of equipment: Physical therapy plays an essential role in designing kits that does not hurt you while sitting or lying. For example, a car seat makes it such a ways that if you continuously drive for 10 hours, your back never hurts.
What are the benefits of early mobilisation and physical therapy?
In the ICU, where multiple devices attach to patients, physical therapy aims to reduce hospital stays and provide early mobility. There are four main benefits of early mobility and physical therapy, which are:
Increase strength: Physical therapy helps to increase the strength of weak muscles. After the stroke, when the patient cannot lift his limb, a physical therapist, with the help of exercises and an electrical stimulator, gains the strength back.
Maximise functional mobility: Functional mobility is the main motive of a physical therapy plan in the ICU. It enables the patient to do small activities while lying on the bed. Like they squeeze a ball or pretend to cycle.
Improve the quality of life: Depression and anxiety are common in bed-bound patients. Physical therapy helps them through counselling and friendly behaviour. They also use massage ball sets to relieve stiffness and tight muscles.
What are the benefits of manual therapy?
Manual therapy eliminates the barrier to physical activities. Among many domains of physical therapy, manual treatment helps in all regards. It reduces pain, decreases stiffness, and maximises muscle recovery.
It includes joint manipulation and mobilization, passive and assisted functional movements, soft tissue massage, and lymphatic drainage. Benefits include:
It is used to treat musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction.
Manual therapy reduces pain and stiffness.
It increases fluid movement to the affected muscles.
It helps to restore activities.
Manual therapy helps to improve motor control.
It decreases trigger knots with the help of massage using a massage ball trigger point.
Final Verdict
Physical therapy is an effective treatment after an injury or a disease. Physical therapy has tremendous benefits as it only rehabilitates and provides strength and flexibility. Its main goal is to become a person independent in daily activities. Its main branch is manual therapy which uses different mobilisation and manipulation techniques to provide mobility.
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