More Than Meets the Eye: How Your Physiotherapist Can Help You
If you've ever visited a physiotherapist for help healing an injury, you'll know exactly how useful they can be in repairing your body. But did you know that healing injuries are not the only thing that physiotherapy can help you with? In fact, these professionals have a wide variety of therapeutic skills – and applications for those skills – that you could consider visiting them for. Here are just a couple:
Pain Relief
If you suffer from pain, whether generalised or in a specific location such as your back, then a physiotherapist could absolutely help you to reduce and manage that pain. They may do this via massage therapy, or by recommending exercises that will ease tension in your body. These can be repeated at home, but making additional visits to the therapist will help to ensure that your form is correct and that the exercises are having the desired effect.
Injury Prevention
If you take part in a lot of sport, particularly contact or high-impact sports, then visiting a physiotherapist for injury prevention may well be a good idea. These sessions will help you to understand how best to protect your body against potential damage, whether through protective clothing, targeted warmups or advice regarding your style of play. Because physiotherapy is often about taking the condition of the entire body into account, not just one specific area, your physio will also be able to identify potential future problem areas for you to take care of.
Mobility Assistance
If you struggle with mobility, physiotherapists are trained to be able to help you make getting around easier. They can do this by recommending walking aids such as crutches or canes if necessary, but will also help you strategise in order to avoid putting yourself in pain. For example, you may be harming your body by placing all your weight on one side when you get up out of a chair; if this is the case, then your physio will be able to identify this and encourage you to get into the habit of spreading that weight more. It's all practical advice that will help keep you mobile for longer – and may be combined with massage or some joint exercises to aid your mobility, too.
In short, you shouldn't just save the physiotherapy sessions for when something's actively wrong. Prevention is better than cure, after all – and taking care to see a physio every now and again may just help you do that.