What Do Physiotherapists Do?

Physiotherapists help to regain function and movement when someone is affected by injury or physical disability.

Who will benefit from physiotherapy?

Physiotherapists treats a wide variety of sports injuries including:
● Recent or chronic injuries
● Post-surgery rehabilitation
● Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or meniscus tears
● Muscle strains
● Shoulder dislocation
● Rotator cuff injuries
● Frozen shoulder
● Stress fractures
● & many more

What are the different types of physiotherapy treatments available?

There are many different types of physiotherapy. While some therapists aim to help a patient who has suffered a catastrophic injury like a stroke regain some function, others may subspecialize in helping a patient who has had a sports injury or undergone some form of surgery to fix a sports injury rehabilitate to regain his/her optimal form.

Many patients are under the mistaken impression that physiotherapy is just exercise and they can easily watch some YouTube videos and perform the exercises by themselves. That is a mistaken impressions, however, as there are many modalities of physiotherapy that can help a patient.

Different types of physiotherapy include:
● Thermal therapy
● Cryo therapy
● Radiofrequency therapy
● Shockwave therapy
● Manual therapy – soft tissue mobilization,sports massage & etc
● Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization(IASTM)
● Dry needling
● Exercise therapy
● Muscle re-education therapy
● Sports rehabilitation

How Does Physiotherapy Help Recovery? Aren’t You Supposed To Rest?

Physiotherapists will work hand in hand with you to provide a thorough rehabilitation programme which will encourage a variety of advantages including:

● Reducing any pain and inflammation from your injury
● Restoring your full function as soon as possible
● Faster recovery
● Strengthening weakened muscle groups
● Minimising future injury risks
● Improving your flexibility and coordination
● Advice on correct footwear and supports
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In addition, physiotherapists also work closely with surgeons. I often prefer to refer patients to physiotherapists with whom I am familiar. This helps to facilitate communication between myself and the physiotherapist so that we can discuss with each other if the patient is lagging in recovery in any aspect and we can work out the optimal way to fix the problem.

How often should I go for physiotherapy?

The frequency of therapy depends on the severity of your condition. To have a better recovery, it is recommended to have frequent therapy sessions especially in the early stages of recovery.

As physiotherapy frequency requirements differ from individual to individual, it is best to seek professional advice from a physiotherapist to assess your condition and guide you through prior to prescribing you a program. Similarly, if you are recovering well and improving, frequency of therapy can be reduced in which your physiotherapist will assess and monitor your progress and advise accordingly.

As a general guideline:
● Minor injuries may require 2-3 sessions of physiotherapy lasting an hour each
● Soft tissue injuries will require approximately 6 – 8 weeks of physiotherapy, with 1 – 2 sessions a week.
● More chronic or serious conditions may require 2 or more months of treatment depending on the level of progress.