Physiotherapy, or physical therapy, is a method of treatment that doctors prescribe to patients whose bodies have been damaged by injuries or disease. A patient would be prescribed a certain amount of times they should visit with the therapist. The therapist will give the patient instructions on how to properly do the techniques and what they can do at home to help them recover.
Sometimes physical therapy is prescribed for patients who are in a coma or are otherwise bedridden. The professional performing this type of therapy would need to be specially qualified to do the work, as they will have little or no help from the patient when performing the techniques.
The point of having physical therapy is to keep the muscles strong, supple and flexible. When someone is unable to use their arms or legs for a prolonged period of time, the muscles will atrophy, or weaken, creating a problem with movement. The brain can only sustain the thoughts, it cannot keep muscles strong.
Therapists will manipulate the arms, legs, and torso to help the patient stay limber. Patients can sometimes help themselves, especially if they have recovered from the disease or injury and just need to learn to manipulate their own limbs again. The body can be kept flexible but it cannot stay strong unless the muscles are used consistently. Sitting in a wheelchair or laying in a bed will make them very weak.
A physical therapist must be a strong individual, someone with enough of their own physical strength to manipulate and move sometimes very large patients. They must have the mental stamina to work with patients who might not be in the highest of spirits. Very often, people who have physical disabilities, especially if the disability is new to the patient, will become very depressed, anxious, stressed and angry.
Any therapist working in these situations needs to be compassionate and kind. They should try to encourage the patient as much as possible and keep their spirits as high as they can. It is important that someone who is in need of this kind of therapy gets the right kind of positive motivation to help them through their journey. The road to recovery after injuries and disease can be long and extremely difficult. Therapists can help the situation by being understanding.
Whenever a doctor prescribes physical therapy for a patient, the schedule set forth by that doctor should be followed. Skipping appointments for this can cause delays and sometimes even setbacks. The work can be hard and frustrating, which is why doctors and therapists must be encouraging whenever they can.
Physiotherapy should be accompanied by some kind of mental counseling whenever it looks like the patient might be taking their situation very hard, emotionally. The doctor in charge will understand the patient well enough to know whether this kind of step is warranted. It is always good to err on the side of caution. There is a good chance that depression and stress over a bad situation can cause someone to break down mentally and become suicidal. It is best to work to prevent this kind of thing well ahead of time.
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