10 Benefits of Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy has many benefits which can be effective at addressing a number of different conditions. Some of these issues and impairments may not be immediately obvious but once having them addressed by physiotherapy, they translate to lifestyle improvements. While this list below is by no means comprehensive, it will help shed some light on the various benefits physiotherapy may offer you. 

Reduce Pain

This is the most obvious reason to see a physiotherapist, to reduce any pain you are experiencing. The majority of cases physiotherapists treat involve pain and physios are very experienced in helping reduce pain. Pain is typically a result of impairment or damage, so to reduce pain other issues will also need to be addressed.  

Restoring Flexibility

Our many different soft tissues can become tight and restricted, depending on injuries, repetitive strains and postural strains. When these soft tissues become tight, they will reduce your flexibility and often your range of movement. Physiotherapists are trained to loosen these soft tissues with a combination of trigger point releases, massage and stretching. These techniques will help improve flexibility and movement.  

Improve Strength

Strength is important to help protect joints and other soft tissues from overloading strains/injuries. Improving strength through targeted exercises will help protect joints in the future. Physios are able to identify which areas need to be targeted and prescribe the best exercises to improve the strength necessary to adequately protect joints and soft tissues.

Improve Joint Mobility

Joints are throughout the body and allow for the range of movement required to perform various tasks. If joint mobility becomes restricted this can reduce your ability to perform certain tasks and can cause pain/discomfort whist doing so. By mobilising a stiff and restricted joint, along with prescribing a range of targeted movement stretches and exercises, a physio can help you restore any restricted movement, which in turn leads to increased function.  

Correct Biomechanics and Muscle Memory

Biomechanics and muscle memory are important to protect your limbs from injuries, especially while under load. Much like strength, muscle memory will help your body protect joints and soft tissues from injury. If your biomechanics are not optimal the stress through your limb will be uneven, which can increase the chance of injury or wear and tear. By identifying any issues with your biomechanics and correcting them, physiotherapists can help reduce your injury risk.

Injury prevention

As mentioned previously, reducing injury risk is a great benefit physios offer. Along with the strengthening, improving mobility and correcting biomechanics, there are other ways physiotherapists can reduce injury risks. Physiotherapists understand the body’s ability to adapt to load and how load should be distributed. By looking at your physique and discussing your training methods, physios can tweak your training regime to better suit your body and physical demands to help prevent injuries.

Improving performance

By addressing many of the above-mentioned factors you should expect to see an improvement in performance. Whether it’s the ability to reach further, push harder, run faster, throw or kick further, correcting any impairment will help improve performance. After progressing through a physiotherapy program, the end result is typically an improvement in performance. Involving a physiotherapist to manage your body and training will sustain improved performance.  

Addressing Ergonomics

Many injuries physiotherapists treat are caused by poor posture or other ergonomic factors. Often correcting ergonomics and posture is easier said than done. Physios can identify where you may have some issues with your posture and give you advice, education and guidance on how to set up an ergonomically friendly environment to reduce stress and strain on your body.  

Post Surgery rehabilitation

Surgery may be required to fix issues that can’t be addressed or treated conservatively. However, the surgery will only address the anatomical issue and won’t immediately restore you back to before the problem occurred. Physios are experts in post-operative rehabilitation to help you fully recover following your surgery, to regain your strength, stability and mobility and address any limitation.  

Get back your Confidence

Having an injury, whether a new one or ongoing/recurrent injury, can dent your confidence, especially when you don’t know what’s causing it. Physios are renowned for their ability to communicate and explain what’s causing issues with your body. Many people find the treatment and education about your condition from a physiotherapist to be reassuring. Once the issue has been resolved, physios are great at helping you to regain the confidence to return to sport, gardening or other physical activity. These are just some of the many and varied benefits physiotherapy can offer. Whether it’s recovering from an injury, improving function or preventing an injury for the future, a physiotherapist is someone who is trained in all aspects of movement. If you have any issues or impairments that are limiting your function, sport or daily life, contact the team at Fairfield Physiotherapy to make an appointment and get an individualised assessment and treatment plan to get you back to your best form.