PHYSIOTHERAPY

How Physiotherapy Works

1 Advice & education

2 Reassurance

3 Treatment

What is
Physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy helps to restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. It can also help to reduce your risk of injury or illness in the future.

It takes a holistic approach that involves the patient directly in their own care.

Physiotherapy is a science-based profession and takes a ‘whole person’ approach to health and wellbeing, which includes the patient’s general lifestyle. At the core is the patient’s involvement in their own care, through education, awareness, empowerment and participation in their treatment.

When is physiotherapy used?

Physiotherapy can be helpful for people of all ages with a wide range of health conditions, including problems affecting the:

bones, joints and soft tissue – such as back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and sports injuries

Physiotherapy can improve your physical activity while helping you to prevent further injuries.

What do physiotherapists do?

Physiotherapists consider the body as a whole, rather than just focusing on the individual aspects of an injury or illness.

Some of the main approaches used by physiotherapists include:

advice and education – physiotherapists can give general advice about things that can affect your daily lives, such as posture and correct lifting or carrying techniques to help prevent injuries
movement, tailored exercise and physical activity advice – exercises may be recommended to improve your general health and mobility, and to strengthen specific parts of your body
manual therapy – where the physiotherapist uses their hands to help relieve pain and stiffness, and to encourage better movement of the body

Initial
Assessment

I will ask you questions about what’s happened, what hurts, what treatment you’ve had to date, past injuries/medical conditions, your general fitness, and so on.

Physical
Examination

I will look at the area of pain, but also the body as a whole: your current pain could, for example, be the result of an injury from years ago that’s now putting excessive pressure elsewhere.

Treatment &

aftercare

Once I have a good overview of what’s wrong, I will provide you with some treatment to ease your pain and make you feel more comfortable.

I will discuss my findings and next steps with you.These next steps may involve regular physiotherapy, exercises for you to do at home, and more (e.g. yoga, pilates, personal training).

When you’re given exercises to do, I like to record them on your phone (with your permission), so that you have something accurate to follow.I will never give you too many exercises – and I will always check that you will realistically be able to fit them into your days.

What happens next depends on your specific condition and the treatment required. I will outline everything in detail during the first appointment, so that you know exactly what’s going to happen and how long your treatment may take.