Physiotherapy is a medical profession and an important branch of medicine, through which trained specialists evaluate and treat physical dysfunction associated with an injury, disability, disease or health condition. Physical therapy sessions may be a stand-alone option for treating various diseases, or they may be a type of auxiliary treatment that is prescribed alongside other treatments.
Physical therapy is concerned with restoring or improving an individual's physical abilities, and is suitable for all patients, from children to the elderly, when their motor functions become threatened as a result of aging, injuries, diseases, movement disorders, or any other environmental factors.
Physical therapy was known early as the diagnosis and treatment of disability and disease by natural means, but the modern definition of it is taken from Dr. Thelma Holmes, associate professor of physical therapy curricula at the University of Florida.
What is physical therapy?
Physical therapy is an art and science that contributes to developing health and preventing disease through understanding body movement. It works to correct and mitigate the effects of disease and injury. Methods include evaluation and treatment of patients, management and supervision of physical therapy services and its workers, consulting other health systems, preparing records and reports, and participating in Planning for the community, future projects and plans, and evaluating educational programs.
From another perspective, we can simply say that physical therapy is a safe method that God Almighty has made available to doctors because they use all the natural means that God Almighty has made available to serve the patient, to help him restore his normal functions without using any medical medications that may deteriorate his health condition, and because any medication is important. It has undesirable side effects that negatively affect other functions in the human body and lead to complications.
However, many people make the mistake of thinking that physical therapy is only massage and exercises, and these are only a small part within the science of physical therapy, and this is not completely true, and educational qualifications vary greatly depending on the country.
What is the job of a physical therapist?
A physical therapist is someone who has experience diagnosing physical disabilities, helping restore physical function and body movement, and then maintaining these physical functions and body activity.
Physical therapists work in many settings, such as health care settings, including outpatient offices, private clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and sports and fitness centers.
In order for a physical therapist to provide full service and sound, scientific care to patients, he must work on principles and a strong level of understanding with doctors, occupational therapists, and social service specialists.
Regardless of how a patient comes to a physical therapist, the physical therapist will review the individual's medical history along with a physical examination to reach a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. When necessary, he may need to perform some laboratory tests and imaging tests.
Read also: Treating sciatica with massage
Types of physical therapy
Physical therapy can be divided into several types, and usually a college of physical therapy may have different departments to include these types. Types of physical therapy may include:
A natural treatment for diseases and surgeries of the brain and nerves.
Physical therapy for orthopedic diseases and surgeries, including injuries, fractures, and physical therapy after casts
Natural treatment for heart and arterial diseases.
Physical therapy for respiratory diseases.
Physical therapy for children's diseases and surgeries, including developmental delays and disabilities.
Physiotherapy for elderly diseases.
Physiotherapy for skin diseases, burns, chronic wounds, and plastic surgery.
Physical therapy for obstetrics and gynecology.
Benefits of physical therapy
The benefits of physical therapy may depend on the reason for its use. The benefits of physical therapy may include the following: alleviating pain and reducing the use of strong painkillers.
Avoid surgery.
Improve movement.
Improve balance and prevent the patient from falling as much as possible.
Helping heal from injuries or trauma.
Helping recover from stroke or paralysis.
Control and treatment of medical problems related to aging.
Physiotherapy methods
Does pain occur after physical therapy sessions? Physical therapy often does not cause pain, but in some cases the causes of pain after physical therapy can be due to the strong return of blood flow to the affected organ, softening of the muscles after they have stiffened, or muscle atrophy and immobilization for a long time. Pain after physical therapy is one of the positive signs that indicate to the patient's response to treatment.
There are many methods used in physical therapy, and determining the method used depends on the type of patient’s injury. The most commonly used physical therapy methods are:
Heat physical therapy
Thermal therapeutic methods (in English: Heat Therapy) that raise the temperature of vital tissue and cells to degrees ranging from 14 to 54 degrees Celsius or more are used in this type of physical therapy. These methods are of two types: one with a superficial effect, and one with a deep effect, and both reduce From muscle strain in case of muscle injury. Heat also increases blood pumping in the exposed area, which reduces the causes of pain. Immediately the blood pumping increases is accompanied by an increase in oxygen going to those cells, as well as increasing blood flow to them and increasing their efficiency. Heat also increases the speed of nerve conduction, which increases the efficiency of muscle work. Which is fed by that nerve, and raises the degree of skin vitality. These thermal methods help in treating lower back pain and various joint pain.
There are two types of thermal treatment depending on the type of thermal method used:
Dry heat methods include infrared and infrared radiation therapy.
Moist heat includes thermal pads, as well as therapeutic wax pads.
Electro-wave physical therapy
The physiology of the human body has proven that all human cells are electrically charged. Inside the cell there are negative charges and outside there are positive charges and there is a balance between them. Diseases occur and pain results when this balance is disturbed. This electrical stimulation used in physical therapy with electrical waves (in English: Electrotherapy) for the muscles and nerves works to strengthen various muscles such as the quadriceps muscle, and is used for rehabilitation after knee surgeries and surgeries to remove the cruciate ligament (a famous injury for football players), as well as cases of cramp. Electrical stimulation is not used in cases of heart disease, especially patients who carry a pacemaker, patients with nervous spasms, pregnant women in the first three months of pregnancy, and patients with blood pressure disorders.
Read also: Lower back pain
Ultrasound physical therapy
There are two types of ultrasound physical therapy (in English: Ultrasonic), one with a thermal effect and the other non-thermal, and the effect of each is as follows:
The thermal effect of ultrasound waves: increasing the elasticity of collagen fibers present in vital tissue, increasing blood pumping, relieving pain, reducing muscle tension, and helping to treat joint stiffness.
The non-thermal effect of ultrasound treatment: killing bacteria and viruses in the affected area, revitalizing and repairing cellular tissue, and eliminating scars resulting from various wounds and various surgical operations.
Ultrasound can also penetrate the affected area until it reaches the bones. It is used in treating muscle tears and spinal injuries. It increases metabolism in the affected area and activates vital processes that help in rapid treatment. It is widely used in sports medicine clinics, especially since it has proven high efficiency. In the treatment of muscle tears that athletes are exposed to while practicing various sports, such as football, tennis, basketball, volleyball, and javelin throwing.
Physiotherapy with phonophoresis
Phonophoresis physical therapy is a modern method that scientists derived from ultrasound therapy, where they discovered that these waves can increase the permeability of the outer layer of the skin, and thus can allow the medicine to penetrate the skin-muscle barrier, and spread the medicine in the area to facilitate treatment. That is, it helps the drug travel using sound waves.
Laser physical therapy
The laser beam used in laser physical therapy has special specifications, as it is single wavelength and is a helium-neon laser. The laser works to increase the speed of wound healing, and has a pain-relieving effect. However, in cases of osteoarthritis and arthritis, it is effective in treating these chronic infections, and it can be applied to the nerve roots.
Ice physical therapy
Many people may think that ice is not important in treatment, but science has proven its efficiency in treating many injuries and pains. Cryotherapy is used immediately after injuries occur, and it reduces the temperature of the affected area and reduces the rapid blood flow to it, which works to reduce the complications of the injury and limit its aggravation. Therapists use it immediately after the injury to treat the swelling that occurs as a result of the injury. Ice relieves pain immediately after the injury and reduces muscle tension.
Examples of the most common diseases that can be treated with physical therapy
Physical therapy can be provided for many cases based on the patient’s needs and what the medical team decides, including:
Physical treatment for diseases of the skeletal and muscular system
The human body consists of the muscular motor system, and this system consists of the skeleton, which is represented by the bones, and the motor part, which is the muscles that move those bones. Without the muscles, the bones do not move, of course. Connecting the bones are several types of joints, which contain cushions (cartilage) that work to overcome the force of bone friction, and there is a fluid inside them that is constantly renewed to maintain the integrity of the joint.
Bone injury causes fractures whose types vary depending on the force that led to the bone fracture, such as:
Closed fracture: A fracture that occurs in the bone without penetrating the skin wall of the body.
Open fracture: occurs when bones break transversely or longitudinally, deviate from their place and penetrate the skin wall opposite them, and we can see them with the naked eye. This type is the most difficult type, and requires urgent surgery.
Transverse fracture: is one that occurs across the bone.
Spiral fracture: This occurs as a result of the bone being exposed to two different forces, such as twisting.
Pathological fracture: It is a fracture resulting from exposure of the bone to various diseases, such as bone cancer and osteoporosis.
The role of physical therapy comes directly after the fracture is stabilized by the surgeon, as it has a vital role in restoring the movement of the joints and muscles. Ultrasound devices are also used immediately after the fracture to increase the ability of the fracture to heal. It also works to increase the percentage of minerals that make up the bones and increase their density.
Physical treatment for nerve diseases
The human nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, and cerebral and spinal peripheral nerves. When the brain is affected by a stroke or part of the spinal cord is affected, various types of paralysis occur. There is hemiplegia, which affects one half of the body, whether the right or left, and there is quadriplegia, which affects all limbs of the body, and there is partial paralysis, which affects either the upper half of the body or the lower part of the body, and results from an injury to the spinal cord, then The affected limbs do not move at all or move very slowly. The goal of physical therapy in these cases is to rehabilitate these affected limbs, and then strengthen them to return them to their normal position.
A disc occurs when the disc that separates the vertebrae of the spine from each other herniates and leaks the fluid inside it onto the nerves surrounding it, causing irritation. In other cases, a disc herniation can lead to the vertebrae compressing and pinching the nerves near it. Doctors resort to physical therapy for the disc before surgery to avoid Serious spinal surgeries.
Physical treatment of children's diseases
There is a large group of children who suffer from diseases whose treatment depends entirely on physical therapy, such as cerebral palsy, birth defects, torticollis, and cervical nerve plexus injuries. In these cases, the doctor relies on physical therapy for the muscles to strengthen them according to the disease, and teaches the child motor skills such as sitting, standing, then walking. These stages precede the child’s ability to crawl and his ability to sit.
Read also: Physical treatment for cerebral palsy in children
Physical treatment for obesity
Obesity is one of the most dangerous diseases in the medical arena, and it is often accompanied by diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart and arterial diseases, especially since obesity is a major cause of these diseases in a large percentage of patients. Scientists have developed a measure to indicate the percentage of obesity in humans, which is measuring the body mass index, and from it the diagnosis of obesity in the patient is clear. Once the patient is proven to be obese, he must follow a healthy diet in addition to exercising.
Scientists have recently proven that treating obesity by following a diet alone, or by exercising only is not suitable, as both are two sides of the same coin, especially since exercise maintains muscle mass and strength, while diet alone does not do that, and exercise also helps break down excess fat in the body. The body, increases the efficiency of the heart muscle, and reduces the chances of developing arterial disease and diabetes. Exercise has conditions set by researchers, which are to exercise it 3-5 days a week, with each time the duration of exercise not being less than 20-60 minutes.
Physical therapy for obstetrics and gynecology
Physical therapy has succeeded in relieving and treating many pains in this area, especially menstrual pain and childbirth pain, by using various physical therapy methods, therapeutic exercises, and strengthening exercises to strengthen the back muscles and pelvic muscles, which are the muscles that are of great importance during childbirth. Recent studies have proven that athletic women give birth without feeling severe birth pain, and pelvic physical therapy also helps alleviate the pain of birth and the pain that the patient faces after the pelvis is exposed to an injury such as a pelvic fracture.
Physical treatment for internal diseases
Respiratory system injuries are considered one of the most common problems that threaten the life of its owner, and one of the most important respiratory problems that physical therapy helps in treating is asthma. There are therapeutic exercises to train the patient on how to breathe correctly, and how to confront a crisis, as well as teaching him how to use the muscles attached to the rib cage that help To breathe when feeling an asthma attack.
Physical therapy inside the surgery room
The presence of mucus inside the patient's lungs and bronchi is a problem that must be solved before he enters the operating room, which makes the role of physical therapy important in this case, which helps the patient get rid of that mucus through special breathing exercises and positions in which the patient is placed that help purify the lobes of the right lungs. The left one is phlegm or mucus.
Physical therapy also has an important role in removing surgical scars that occur over the wound after completing various surgical operations, as well as rehabilitating patients after surgical operations.
Physiotherapy and beauty
When the scalpel is used on the face, hands, feet, or any part of the body for beautification, or to repair areas affected by burns, or to perform skin grafting operations, or plastic surgery, physical therapy begins immediately after the end of the surgical operation to rehabilitate the patient after These are delicate processes. Some cases of burns affect the movement of the joints in the affected area, and the role of physical therapy here comes in restoring the natural movement of those joints and the muscles surrounding them, as well as strengthening them so they can return to life again.
Read also: Burn rehabilitation
The extent of the need for physical therapy
The need for physical therapy in various health fields is increasingly increasing, and much depends on what qualified workers can be provided in this field, and there are many factors, some of which we mention are the following:
Rapid advances in medical knowledge and in the application of physical therapy in preventing and treating increasingly diverse conditions.
Increasing knowledge of the problems of chronic diseases and physical and mental disabilities, which has resulted in a rapid expansion of health care programs to include rehabilitation for all age groups.
Developing physical therapy programs at the local and international levels in health departments as a result of the modernization of health care systems around the world.
Increasing knowledge and understanding that caring for patients with chronic diseases requires specific and specialized approaches that take into account the psychological, social, educational, and vocational aspects of the medical condition.
Increasing the needs of educational programs and their demand for advisory and educational services for therapists.
The patient's comprehensive awareness that there is an alternative to medical medications that contain chemicals, which cause completely undesirable side effects, as they affect the functions of other organs.
We now see the trend of the whole world to use natural means of treatment before engaging in any surgical operations or even using any medication, as physical therapy is an integrated part of the health and medical care program, and it plays a vital role in maintaining the health of the individual and society, and specialists contribute Physiotherapy through their professional activities in preventing and correcting disability and severe cases of disability.