Physiotherapy
Approximately 3.5 million Canadians consult a physiotherapist each year to manage and recover from injuries, surgery and chronic pain.
Physiotherapists are experts in mobility and exercise, providing therapy, guidance and lifestyle changes to help you manage and recover from an injury, surgery or chronic pain. Through extensive training and education, our physiotherapists can do wonders for patients suffering from a multitude of problems that cause pain and immobility.
Physiotherapy uses techniques, such as advanced muscle release, joint mobilization and acupuncture to help treat most injuries. They also may use therapeutic modalities, such as heat, ultrasound, IFC (Interferential Current Therapy), and exercises to help in your recovery.
Physiotherapy offers a range of specialized services of benefit to patients with heart and lung disease, traumatic workplace and athletic injuries, amputations, arthritic joints, stroke, brain injury, spinal cord and nerve injury, cancer and pre- and post-surgical needs. With time, dedication, and effort, physiotherapy can help you find relief and live a normal, healthy life.
Ten reasons you should try physiotherapy:
Reduce or eliminate pain
Therapeutic exercises and manual therapy techniques, such as joint and soft tissue mobilization; or treatments, such as ultrasound, taping or electrical stimulation can help relieve pain and restore muscle and joint function to reduce pain. Such therapies can also prevent pain from returning.
Avoid surgery
If physiotherapy helps you eliminate pain or heal from an injury, surgery may not be needed. And even if surgery is required, you may benefit from pre-surgery physical therapy. If you are going into a surgery stronger and in better shape, you will recover faster afterwards in many cases. Also, by avoiding surgery, health care costs are reduced.
Improve mobility
If you’re having trouble standing, walking or moving – no matter your age – physical therapy can help. Stretching and strengthening exercises help restore your ability to move. Physiotherapists can properly fit individuals with a cane, crutches or any other assistive device, or assess for orthotic prescription. By customizing an individual care plan, whatever activity that is important to an individual’s life can be practiced and adapted to ensure maximal performance and safety.
Recover from a stroke
It’s common to lose some degree of function and movement after a stroke. Physical therapy helps strengthen weakened parts of the body and improve gait and balance. Physiotherapists can also improve a stroke patients’ ability to transfer and move around in bed so that they can be more independent around the home, and reduce their burden of care for toileting, bathing, dressing and other activities of daily living.
Recover from or prevent a sports injury
Physiotherapists understand how different sports can increase your risk for specific types of injuries (such as stress fractures for distance runners). They can design appropriate recovery or prevention exercise programs for you to ensure a safe return to your sport.
Improve your balance and prevent falls
When you begin physical therapy, you will get screened for fall risk. If you’re at high risk for falls, therapists will provide exercises that safely and carefully challenge your balance to mimic real-life situations. Therapists also help you with exercises to improve coordination and assistive devices to help with safer walking. When the balance problem is caused by a problem in one’s vestibular system, physiotherapists can perform specific maneuvers that can quickly restore proper vestibular functioning and reduce and eliminate symptoms of dizziness or vertigo.
Manage diabetes and vascular conditions
As part of an overall diabetes management plan, exercise can help effectively control blood sugar. Additionally, people with diabetes may have problems with sensation in their feet and legs. Physiotherapists can help provide and educate these patients on proper foot care to prevent further problems down the road.
Manage age-related issues
As individuals age, they may develop arthritis, osteoporosis or need a joint replacement. Physiotherapists are experts in helping patients recover from joint replacement and manage arthritic or osteoporotic conditions conservatively.
Manage heart and lung disease
While patients may complete cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack or procedure, you also may receive physical therapy if your daily functioning is affected. For pulmonary problems, physiotherapy can improve your quality of life through strengthening, conditioning and breathing exercises, and help you clear fluid in the lungs.
Manage women’s health and other conditions
Women have specific health concerns, such as with pregnancy and post-partum care. Physiotherapists can offer specialized management of issues related to women’s health.