Physiotherapy is the primary health care profession that promotes wellness, mobility and independent function.

Physiotherapists have advanced understanding of how the body moves, what keeps it from moving well and how to restore mobility.

Physiotherapy – essential to your health, mobility and independence

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Physiotherapists manage and prevent many physical problems caused by illness, disability and disease, sport and work related injuries, aging, and long periods of inactivity.

Physiotherapists are skilled in the assessment and hands-on management of a broad range of conditions that affect the musculoskeletal, circulatory, respiratory and nervous systems. Here are some of the ways physiotherapy can help:

• Address physical challenges associated with pain, arthritis, repetitive strain injury etc.
• Assist in the management of incontinence
• Attend to sports injuries and provide advice on prevention and recurrence
• Help manage the physical complications of cancer and its treatment
• Manage and treat neck and back pain and other joint injuries
• Maximize mobility for clients with neurological disorders such as stroke, spinal cord injury or Parkinson’s disease
• Oversee rehabilitation in the home after injury or illness
• Pre- and post-natal care and other women’s health conditions
• Provide care for children with paediatric conditions such as developmental delay, fractures and cardiorespiratory conditions
• Recovery after surgery
• Treat and manage respiratory and cardiac conditions

Physiotherapists assess and analyze the effect of illness, disability, injury and inactivity and develop specific treatment plans based on their assessment and the individual client’s goals.

In order to maximize your health potential and minimize strains and stresses to your body, your physiotherapist will follow these four steps to get you moving as optimally as possible:

1. Assess your level of mobility, strength and endurance
2. Diagnose your condition and develop a treatment plan to restore movement and reduce limitations, including pain
3. Prescribe and demonstrate specific therapeutic exercises, monitor your progress over time, and adjust your treatment according to your needs and preferences
4. Prepare you for independence with advice on how to manage your condition, including education on complications and prevention of a recurring problem

Your physiotherapy treatment plan will be as unique and individual as you are, and your active participation will be essential for success.

Your physiotherapist will develop your treatment plan in close consultation with you and adjust it during the course of therapy in keeping with your goals and personal circumstances. Depending on your needs, your registered physiotherapist may draw upon a number of practice skills, such as:

• Corrective techniques to improve heart and lung function and cardiac conditioning
• Electrical modalities and acupuncture
• Manual therapy interventions to reduce pain and stiffness
• Posture and gait retraining and individualized conditioning regimes
• Techniques to correct muscle imbalances and postural alignment
• Techniques to improve movement coordination and balance
• Techniques and modalities that reduce pain
• Therapeutic exercise to build strength, flexibility and mobility

The goals you establish with your physiotherapist are used to measure your progress.

Your physiotherapist will be able to explain what aspect of your condition will be addressed first and how your treatment will progress. Throughout treatment, the physiotherapist will pay close attention to improvements in your symptoms and functionality, and remain attentive to your assessment of progress.

Some of the milestones you can use to evaluate your progress include:

• Ability to return to work, sports and other daily activities
• Distance you are able to walk, run, swim etc.
• How much you can lift or carry, e.g. groceries, baby, weights
• Increased motion and/or strength
• Improved endurance
• Length of time you are pain free and decreased pain intensity
• Overall improvement in quality of life

Used with permission from the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, March 2007