Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy treats injury, disease and disorders through exercise, massage, manipulation and other treatments instead of medication and surgery. It aims to improve a person's quality of life, alleviating pain and restoring function or, in the case of permanent injury or disease, to lessen the effects of any dysfunction. Physiotherapy can help reduce recovery time after surgeries covering:

Musculoskeletal which is also called orthopaedic physiotherapy and is used to treat conditions such as sprains, back pain, arthritis, strains, incontinence, bursitis, posture problems, sport and workplace injuries, plus reduced mobility. Rehabilitation following surgery is also included within this category.
Neurological- This is used to treat disorders of the nervous system including strokes, spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. It can also be used for rehabilitation following brain surgery.
Cardiothoracic is the name given to the treatment of used asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and other cardio-respiratory disorders.

Each individual's treatment is tailored to suit their needs and a physiotherapist will choose from a range of therapies:

Manual therapies: joint manipulation and mobilisation, manual resistance training and stretching.
Exercise programmes: muscle strengthening, posture re-training, cardiovascular stretching and training
Electrotherapy techniques: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), laser therapy, diathermy, and ultrasound.

Injury can be caused by underlying factors e.g. constant back pain caused by repetitive work related activities like bad posture, or even adopting the wrong technique when playing a sport.