In this article you will learn how to manage your Pain through Physiotherapy.
Physiotherapy or physical therapy is slowly making a name in the medical industry.
It’s not because it’s a new branch of medicine, but because more and more people are seeing the importance of movement and self-recovery in healing and in protecting the body from injuries.
Physiotherapy is not your conventional treatment wherein you just drink medicines, eat a different diet, or stay in bed and rest. Rather, it is a branch of medicine that focuses on how movement targets the body parts that are injured making them go back to normal or even increasing in strength and endurance.
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It is not limited to exercises either. Physiotherapists can draft a program for you that includes exercises, massages, advice, and education in various injuries and motor-related illnesses.
6 Ways Physiotherapy can Manage Pain
One of the benefits of going through physiotherapy is its ability to relieve pain. Whether it’s a recurring pain or a temporary injury, PT can alleviate pain to some extent so that you will be able to move better. Here are specific ways as to how physiotherapy does this.
1. It Fixes the Root Cause of the Injury
The good thing about physiotherapy is that it is not just a reactive branch of medicine. It is not limited to curing people who are already having illnesses and injuries in some parts of their body. It can be a preventive measure for illnesses.
However, when it is really needed, physiotherapy heals the injured part not only by focusing on it but also by looking for the root cause of the injury. This is because most of the time the root cause is not found in the injured area.
2. It Gives Low-impact Exercises to Warm up your Muscles
A lot of people think that the best way to treat an injury is to rest it out. But according to physiotherapists, just staying rested is not the best way to completely heal injured muscles.
This is because when a long time passes that your muscles are stationary, they get “rusty” and tend not to retain their strength. Low-impact exercises help to warm up those muscles.
3. It also Gives Strengthening Exercises
After warming up with low-impact exercises, your body would be able to take in more strenuous movements. This seems unsettling at first because who would want to do heavy exercises when you’re already in pain? Of course, physiotherapy doesn’t suddenly force you to do exercises without proper conditioning.
It is also important to note that during the first time you engage in physiotherapy exercises, your body will ache. This is only natural because your nerves and muscles are not used to these movements. There will also be exercises that your body has never experienced so the pain might be due to the stretched nerves and muscles that were never stretched before.
4. Going through Physiotherapy Reinforces the Production of Pain-Relieving Hormones
Because physiotherapy focuses on movement, going through its exercises would increase the production of endorphins. Endorphins are what some people call “happy hormones” because they help in making the person feel positive. It also helps in reducing the pain felt during an injury or a traumatic experience.
Research shows that people who are experiencing chronic pain have lower levels of endorphins(1). That is why physiotherapy is helpful because it boosts the production of these hormones.
5. Physiotherapy is Patient-specific
This simply means that there is no one-size-fits-all in physiotherapy. Each patient whether they are injured or not are assessed and programs specific to their condition are developed. This is one of the reasons why people prefer physiotherapy – you are assured that the whole program is designed for your body’s needs.
6. It Encourages Lifestyle Changes
Finally, one of the ways in which pain is managed by physiotherapy is through encouraging lifestyle changes. Aside from all the movements done, a part of physiotherapy involves being educated as to what it means to be healthy motor skills-wise.
Conclusion
Physiotherapy looks into the whole lifestyle of the patient and pinpoints certain attitudes and movements that prevent the person from healing faster. From here, physiotherapists will also be able to advise patients as to how their muscles should be exercised to maximize their strength and endurance.
Author Bio: Melanie Lim
Working at Capital Physiotherapy, Melanie Lim has helped treat and manage various patient ailments in Australia. She finished a Bachelor of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne and has achieved experience within the public and private sectors.
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