What Is Physiotherapy and Is It Something You Should Consider for Your Pain?

By Sarah Bond

Whether due to trauma or repetitive motion, which over time can cause injury, the result is the same: pain and limited range of physical movement in that region of your body. The method you use for treatment is the focus of this article. We are human beings who dislike any deterioration in our health and most of us will look for the easiest and quickest means of relieving the discomfort. Against our better judgment, rather than seek the advice of a doctor, we open a bottle of something - generally speaking something that is available over the counter, in hopes of feeling normal and pain-free. While this is not the worst thing you can do, after all, many over the counter drugs contain an anti-inflammatory, which will assist in reducing the throbbing and swelling, depending upon the severity, you may need something more to encourage healthy tissue and/or muscle. If you are noticing that things are not improving, it is time to see what sort of rehabilitation physiotherapists can offer you. The last thing you want is something that is relatively simple to treat with physiotherapy becoming such a nuisance that you find yourself in constant pain or in need of surgery.

Trauma

If your pain is the result of sudden impact, perhaps a car accident or falling on an ice patch whilst walking, this is quickly identifiable. You experience trauma and whether it is immediate or does not occur for another two or three days, the site of the crash or blow swells and the discomfort is unbearable. Indeed, so much so, you are unable to ignore it. Quite often if you are unsuccessful in getting relief as quickly as you might like, you arrange a visit with your doctor who will suggest various forms of treatment, the most common of which is physiotherapy. This is excellent advice because quite frankly analgesics can only do so much. Although they do offer temporary relief, they are just that: temporary. Anything in pill form is designed to treat the symptoms, but to see any actual improvement in your overall health, if your doctor has suggested physiotherapy; you will see benefits that are not only immediate, but also permanent.

Repetitive Motion Disorder/Syndrome

What happens when one day, seemingly out of nowhere and for no discernible reason, you wake up with your wrists swollen or your knees aching or with a stiff elbow? Although you may not trace it to something specific, such as a fall or accident, you have pain and swelling that suggests you have some disability that must immediately be addressed. Indeed it was easy to reach into your highest cupboards the other day; today doing so causes you considerable agony. Maybe you found that when you work at the computer all day, as the majority of professionals do, over prolonged periods of time you notice that your wrists just hurt! An avid runner for many years, what used to give you relief from stress and be enjoyable is no longer either. "What happened?" you ask yourself.

When symptoms such as these cannot be traced back to a specific event, the likely culprit can often be a repetitive motion syndrome, such as carpel tunnel disorder or tendonitis. What has occurred in this instance is that with the continued motion of running, typing, playing tennis or something along these lines that is repeated numerous times throughout the day over a period of years has caused injury to that region of your body. Again, similar to a sudden impact injury, we are inclined to first self medicate with a pill and when this proves useless, we see a doctor. He or she will more often than not suggest you see a group of physiotherapists who will work wonders on your health and suggest a specific form of treatment to rid you of your disability.

What Can Physiotherapy Do For You?

Depending on the severity, your rehabilitation process may be slow or your results immediate. However they will be permanent and more importantly, have you avoiding surgery. Your physiotherapists will target the area with specific exercises whose purpose is to strengthen the muscles and tendons at the injury site. As an example, if you have carpel tunnel syndrome, the result of typing on the computer 8 hours a day, five days a week, your physiotherapists will both work to target the area, thus decrease the discomfort but also teach you new ways to type, to avoid future injury. Sometimes part of physiotherapy might be to teach you to move your arm, knew, elbow or other affected area to move in the opposite motion.

As an example, when your body is letting you know that it wants you to stop doing whatever is causing the pain, with exercises given to you by the physiotherapists, you will counter the discomfort by doing the opposite motion. This is just one of numerous exercises you that will benefit you in your rehabilitation and help restore you back to health.

The important thing to understand about doing anything physical is that it can result in injury, pain and sometimes disability. Treating the symptoms will only offer you temporary relief. Seeing physiotherapists will help get you started on a treatment program that will net you lasting and permanent results. As the expression goes, "Anything worth having is worth working toward", in this vein, please do not anticipate anything to be instant. Whether you are considering physiotherapy for trauma or a repetitive motion disorder, be patient, do the exercises that are prescribed to you and you'll soon reap the benefits that physiotherapy has to offer.

Choosing a physiotherapist to treat your condition is an important decision to make. Feel free to visit http://www.physiotherapistipswich.co.uk/ for more information and advice about the benefits of physiotherapy and finding a Physiotherapist in Ipswich in the UK.

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