When Should I See A Physiotherapist?

When you’re in pain or discomfort that feels more like torture, when you are losing your balance and tending to fall, or you are unable to perform ordinary tasks around the home after an injury, surgery or because you are growing older…That’s when you should see a physiotherapist.

And you won’t be doing it only for yourself. Your severe pain can impact not only on you but on everyone around you.

Physiotherapists aim at leading you back to a life that’s as near to normal as possible in terms of both function and pain levels after trauma, lifestyle, illness and ageing have taken it away from you.

They compile therapeutic programs which involve a number of different treatment modalities to address your particular situation. Easing pain and discomfort are clearly their priorities, but they go far beyond that in to helping you learn how to cope with the situation you are in and function as best you can in it.

Dispelling Some Myths about Physiotherapy

While pain, after trauma or sports’ injuries and the discomfort felt particularly in the lower back and neck as a result of poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle, are the most obvious areas addressed by physiotherapy, they are not the only ones.

Treating inner ear problems that lead to feelings of imbalance, working on stretched and weak muscles that develop after giving birth, and dealing with bowel or bladder weakness or leakage, are also within the physiotherapy ambit.

In most instances, slack and weak muscles are at the core of the trouble, but again that’s not always the case. Physiotherapy can also help with neurological or nervous system problems, including dementia, Parkinson’s Disease by improving levels of movement and function and increasing independence.

So When Can a Physiotherapist Help Me?

A physiotherapist can help you when:

• You are experiencing back and neck pain or battling to balance because your work involves hours of sitting at the computer; you’ve been lifting and carrying heavy items, or have been forced to adopt uncomfortable or painful positions constantly because of the nature of your work.
• You’ve suffered a trauma-related injury brought on by violence or an accident, you’ve had bad fall, or you have been hurt while playing sport.
• You are suffering from a chronic or degenerative disease or illness, like Parkinson’s, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, arthritis, Fibromyalgia or Multiple Sclerosis, and if you are recovering from a stroke or have a cardiovascular problem.
• When the effects of ageing leave you feeling stiff and sore a lot of the time.
• When you need help coping with physical limitations.
• When you are preparing for or recovering from, operations and procedures like hip and knee replacements.
• When you are pregnant or have recently given birth.

If you are battling to deal with the effects of any of these situations, perhaps it’s time for you to see a physiotherapist. You have nothing to lose but pain and discomfort, and possibly a lot to gain – Like the ability to work, play and live a more normal life than you have now.