Any condition that affects your muscles, joints or nerves can be treated with the help of Physiotherapy. Common problems that can be helped by physiotherapy include:
- Painful conditions such as arthritis
- Back and neck pain
- Sports injuries
- Strokes and other neurological problems
- Symptoms of stress and anxiety
The treatment included:
- Assessment: This is a thorough assessment that done by the physiotherapist. The aim is to find out the main complain of the patient, the treatment direction and the asterisks to be re- assess next time.
- Treatment: The treatment in physiotherapy included manual therapy, electrotherapy, cryotherapy, thermotherapy and exercise therapy.
Physiotherapists practice in many different clinical
areas including:
- Orthopaedics – e.g. arthritic knee, sore back, post total hip replacement surgery
- Sports injuries – e.g. sprained ankle, rotator cuff tendonitis, post knee ligament surgery
- Neurology – e.g.strokes, diseases like Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis
- Paediatrics – e.g. developmental disabilities like Cerebral Palsy, and orthopaedic problems like torticollis
- Cardiac Rehab – e.g. after a heart attack
- Respiratory – e.g. Cystic Fibrosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, heart and lung transplants
- Physical Medicine – e.g. amputees, spinal cord injuries
Manual therapy:
After finding put the main cause of patient’s present discomfort, physiotherapist will use the manipulative technique to help mobilizing, correcting, realigning the spine or the peripheral joints in order to cure the problem.
Electrotherapy:
The electrical devices/ modalities used in physiotherapy. The main aim of electrotherapy is to reduce pain, relax the tighten muscles and control inflammation. e.g. Interferential therapy, TENS, ultrasound, shockwave.
Cryotherapy:
Ice. Aim to control swelling and inflammation. It is advised to use ice when there is sprain/ strain injury, soft tissue contusion and other joint’s acute inflammation. The main aim s to decrease the surface temperature of the injured site, reduce circulation in order to decrease redness and swelling.
Thermotherapy:
Heat. Aim to promote circulation in order to soften the tightened muscle. Patient should feel comfortably warmth. E.g. Heat pad, Wax, shortwave, microwave.
Exercise therapy:
Exercise can be part of our physiotherapy treatment. Not only for those weakened muscle, but also postural muscle and core muscle especially in neck pain, low back pain. It is also essential in rehabilitation field such as some post- operative condition. E.g. ACL rehab, OA hip rehab etc.
Generally, one session of physiotherapy last for 45-60 minutes, include manual therapy, electrotherapy, exercise therapy and home exercise. Patients should try their best to attend the session in order t o keep the treatment effect. In the acute phase, it is advised to have physiotherapy three times a week. In severe cases, daily treatment is required. In subacute phase, it is advised to have 3-4 treatment in a two- week period of time. If the condition keeps improving, the treatment frequency can be reduced to once a week. Remember before your physiotherapist told you that you are fit enough to stop the treatment and the function is restored, do not stop the treatment.
Often athletes and individuals suffer recurrent or chronic symptoms because they do not sufficiently retrain the muscles to restore adequate strength, endurance, flexibility, posture, core stability or dynamic balance. It is believed that once the symptoms have been relieved, it is vital to restore normal movement and function otherwise the symptoms are likely to recur.
In low back pain, the recurrent rate is up to 60-70%. The abdominal strength should be increases and especially the deep muscle Transverse Abdominus. This is a very deep muscle that directly supports the lumbar spine. Before retraining the deep muscle, there are nothing to stabilize the spine when playing sports and heavy weight lifting so it is easy to reinjure the low back and the sign and symptom will recurrent. So before the physiotherapist told you that you are fit to waive off treatment, please do not stop the treatment. And you should seek help from your physiotherapist as soon as possible on precursors and attend regular maintenance treatment as preventative measures.
We work with our patients to pin point the underlying cause of pain and injury. We understand the importance of returning back to full function and to resume their normal lives and activities, whilst keeping the cost down. We encourage home exercise and self maintenance. We will teach our patients a home exercise program that works with the treatment of the physiotherapist. This gives you the self awareness and self management. In following this simple plan, you will also help to prevent any further injuries exacerbate in this area. Generally, 8-10 treatment sessions is needed forn one region, lasting for four to six weeks. Your physiotherapist will discuss the treatment with you.
There are over 100 different forms of arthritis and the most common form is osteoarthritis. Arthritis is the inflammation of a joint. Acute arthritis is marked by pain, redness and swelling. Individuals with arthritis can benefit from physiotherapy. In arthritis the joint become stiff and the range of motion is limited. Physiotherapy can help to relax the stiff joint with manual therapy; decrease pain with electrotherapy and can provide splints or braces for the joint. Physiotherapy also involves use of ice, heating pad as well as ultrasound. To help reduce stress on the joint, physiotherapist will teach you how to distribute weight and teach you the stretching exercise of the affected joint. The exercise should be gentle and help increase the range of motion and strength of the muscle. Also, resting is the best way to cope with arthritis.
A bone spur is a bony growth found on normal bone. A bone spur is a smooth extra bone, but it can cause wear and tear or pain if it presses or rubs on other bones or soft tissue such as ligaments, tendons, or nerves in the body. Common places for bone spurs include the spine, shoulders, hands, hips, knees and feet. A bone spur form as the body tries to repair itself by building extra bone. It generally forms in response to pressure, rubbing, or stress that continues over a long period of time. Some bone spurs form as part of the aging process. Bone spurs due to aging are especially common in the joints of the spine and feet. Most people have bone spurs without pain, however, if they are pressing on other bones or tissues or are causing a muscle or tendon to rub, it can cause swelling, pain and tearing. Treatment directed at the cause of bone spurs may include weight loss to take some pressure off the joints and stretching the affected area. Bone spur can be surgically removed or treated as part of a surgery to repair or replace a joint when there us deformity such as OA knee.