Physiotherapy is a type of therapy that can help ill, injured or disabled people recover movement and function to their full potential.
Physiotherapy takes a holistic approach that involves the patient directly in their own care.
Examples of approaches used in physiotherapy include:
- movement and exercise taking into account a person’s current level of health and their specific requirements
- manual therapy techniques where the physiotherapist aids recovery by using their hands to relieve muscle pain and stiffness, and encourage blood flow to an injured part of the body
- other techniques such as heat, cold and acupuncture to ease pain
Physiotherapy helps to treat physical problems linked to a number of the body’s systems, including:
- musculoskeletal bones, joints and soft tissues
- neuromuscular the brain and nervous system
- cardiovascular heart and blood circulation
- respiratory the organs that help you breathe, such as the windpipe (trachea), voicebox (larynx) and lungs