It is typical for most of us to rush to the chemists to get painkillers over the counter after having serious back pain, knee pai...
It
is typical for most of us to rush to the chemists to get painkillers over the
counter after having serious back pain, knee pain, or neck pain. But did you
know that painkillers are not always the way to go? Sometimes, the underlying
problem is more severe than just the pain you feel ,and that’s where
physiotherapists come in. What is physiotherapy? It is the treatment of injury,
muscle pain, disease, and disorder through physical movements such as
exercise.
Physiotherapy
has worked for millions of people and is gaining popularity all over the world.
Most patients who have undergone physiotherapy can attest to the fact that it
works. Through proper diagnosis and a suitable treatment plan, the success rate
of physiotherapy is almost assured. However, there are also myths about
physiotherapy that you should debunk by all means possible. You need not die in
pain while you can look up for “physiotherapy near me” on the
internet and find one that is best fit for you.
Below
are some of the ways you can tell if you need to see a physiotherapist;
1. When you have been injured
Unfortunately,
injuries are part and parcel of sports. If you get an injury while playing, it
is crucial to get the first aid first, access the severity of the issue, then
if need be to seek medical attention. Often, with the accidents that involve
minor muscle injury, the RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate) treatment is what
is recommended. However, if the pain takes time before clearing up, it might
just be time to see a physiotherapist. Also, if you get involved in a road
accident, it is very crucial to ensure that you visit a physiotherapist who can
carry out a thorough diagnosis. You might end up neglecting the pain only for
it to become worse than it actually was.
2.
Before and after surgery
While
preparing to go for an operation, it is vital to go through physiotherapy to
gauge if you are fit enough to undergo through the procedure. It also helps to
reduce the risks of developing complications after the surgery is done. On the
other hand, it is also necessary to include physiotherapy as part of your
healing process. After proper analysis, the physiotherapy guides you on the
exercises you should do on a daily to help you recover fully. The type of
exercises will depend on where the surgery was done. For example, the patients
who get bedridden after an operation should change their position from time and
again to avoid pressure sores.
3.
During And After Pregnancy
The
life of the unborn child solely depends on how well the mother takes care of
them. Expectant mothers experience hormonal changes in their bodies, which makes
the ligaments that support the back to soften and stretch. Additionally, due to
the body changes that occur, the stomach and the muscles of the pelvic floor
also stretch to accommodate the fetus.
As such, it is important to ensure that you check up with your
physiotherapist who will guide you on how well you can support your body as
well as the exercises you can do to strengthen your muscles. The
physiotherapist will also guide you on how to recover from delivery and the
type of exercises you can engage in to bring back your body in shape.
4.
When You start experiencing immobility issue
Are
you finding it difficult to bend and pick something up? Well, it might just be
time to visit your physiotherapist. If you had an injury before, you might find
it hard to move the way you used to, however, with the help of a
physiotherapist, you can be able to gain your flexibility back. The treatment
plans that they offer involve a series of exercises that help in strengthening
the muscles.
5.
When you start passing urine uncontrollably
When
you start noticing that you are visiting the bathroom more often than before,
it should be a cause for an alarm. There are two forms of urine incontinence,
namely, urge incontinence and stress incontinence. The former happens when you
feel a sudden urge to pass urine without warning which might lead to leakage of
the urine from the bladder whereas the latter is characterized by increased
pressure on your bladder even when you cough or sneeze. The physiotherapist, in
this case, accesses the problem and guides you through the pelvic floor
exercises that you can do to strengthen the muscles.