Physiotherapy is time and again wrongly considered to be a medical discipline for those of us who are constantly engaged in sporting events, especially professional ones. Even though it is correct that professional athletes engage a physiotherapist full time, you also need to engage one at some time. Physiotherapists use physical treatment to treat injuries and pain, prevent diseases or deformity, and some other physical challenges.

A physiotherapist will always know when they can help and when their services are not needed. They play a critical role in referring patients to other medical specialists when a problem is complex. Delaying consulting a physiotherapist will in effect delay treatment and recovery and will always prolong pain. Apart from the obvious instances when we visit a physiotherapist’s clinic; during injury, when recommended by a general practitioner and other similar instances, these four are the main reasons to consult a physiotherapist.

Reasons to consult a physiotherapist

Diagnosis

Most if not all musculoskeletal pain is always referred pain – pain originating from a different part of the body. A painful shoulder can be caused by lower back pain. A physiotherapists by virtue of training and experience is the best qualified medical professional to diagnose the origin, nature, and extent of any pain on your musculature and skeleton.

Treatment

A physiotherapist understands which is the correct treatment for pain. Either pharmaceutical or physiotherapy treatment. This is one of the key reasons why you should consult a physiotherapist. Correct pain treatment will improve recovery and reduce pain immediately. Within 3 physiotherapy sessions, pain should subside while prolonged and chronic pain should begin to reduce within 5 to 7 sessions.

Prevention

This is one of the crucial roles of a physio’s job. A physiotherapist will initiate a program that halts and reverses an ongoing debilitating physical condition that would otherwise reduce one’s effectiveness and freedom to participate in sports and even normal day to day activities. One of the reasons you must consult a physiotherapist is to find prevention from severe physical disability.

Ongoing treatment and tune-up

Our bodies function as an engine and therefore, wear and tear is a common challenge to all of us. If not monitored well, our bodies can and will shut down on us especially when we need it A physiotherapist knows what are the tell tale signs of a worn out, fatigued, beaten, and slowing body. He also knows how to tune-up this kind of a body and have it performing at optimum speed. It is also advisable to combine an on ongoing treatment with physiotherapy.

A patient recovering from a heart problem will find it beneficial to heal their cardiovascular muscles just as a new mother who is recovering from prolonged pelvic and lower back pain during pregnancy will find physiotherapy beneficial to tune-up their their pelvic, lower back, and abdominal muscles.