WELLNESS
Have you been exercising, perhaps running,
playing tennis or doing
another regular activity,
and noticed that you are
getting an increasing niggle, ache or pain? Have
you experienced an injury, accident or surgery
that seems to have permanently changed the
way your body moves? If
so, you may find physiotherapy to be an excellent option in helping you
get free of unnecessary
pain and move your body
optimally.
A trained physiotherapist
can assess your biomechanics and determine
whether something is impinging on your natural
healthy range of motion,
or if your body is overcompensating in some way for
a weakness at one point
that may lead down the
road to pain in another
point. For example, a runner may have pain in their
Achilles tendon, and following traditional wisdom
may vigorously massage
or foam roll their calf in
the hopes of improving
the situation. But a physio-
therapist could recognize
that the problem actually
lies in a hip that is not flexible enough and gluteal
muscles not firing enough.
The therapist can perform manipulations and
prescribe exercises to address the weak or tight
area in the body that
leads to pain or impaired
movement.
Following an injury or surgery, physiotherapist can
help to redevelop muscles that may have been
injured or atrophied, preventing the development
of unhealthy compensation mechanisms that
could lead to injury down
the road.
Depending on why you
are seeing a physiotherapist and the severity of your
issue, you may need to
experience some painful
manipulations or stretch
to appoint that causes intense discomfort in order
to regain normal mobility.
Good physiotherapists will
know the difference between the necessary pain
of a rehabilitative stretch
and one that is doing
By Parvati Magazine staff
harm. In addition to the
manipulations, they may
perform other treatments
such as therapeutic ultrasound, dry needling, heat
or cold therapy, or skin
and wound care.
Some
physiotherapists
specialize in sports injuries,
while others may work with
retirement homes, or focus on patients who have
been through traumatic
accidents. Physiotherapy
is a regulated profession
in Canada, which means
practitioners must pass
certifications and adhere
to practice standards.
If you are feeling a slight
ache, the best time to
deal with it is before it becomes a bigger problem.
With a doctor’s referral,
you can claim physiotherapy on many extended insurance plans. It’s a
worthwhile investment in
keeping your body happy, healthy and moving
for life.