Monday Post

In today’s fast life, pains and aches are common in both young and old. The various kinds of pains and aches that people experience are back pain, knee pain, muscle pains, pain in the foot, leg pain, shoulder issues, arthritis-related pains, old injury pains, or issues like sciatica ( pain which runs down one or both legs from the lower back), carpal tunnel (numbness or tingling in hands), etc. At times you may get neck pains. While regular exercise can help relieve a few common pains, that are not chronic, a few pains will need medical consultation followed by Physiotherapy.

What is Physiotherapy

At times, a doctor prescribes some physiotherapy exercises to relieve and cure the people of the pain they are suffering from. At such times, the help of a physiotherapist is needed. The physiotherapist understands the doctor’s prescription and takes you through a certain set of specific exercises and procedures that help cure your pain. These procedures help repair damage, reduce stiffness and pain, increase mobility and improve the quality of life of people.

At times, the physiotherapist may suggest certain simple or little complicated exercises. There could be daily or weekly sessions prescribed based on the situation and the need. At times, the physiotherapist also uses specific treatment options like heat therapy, massage, etc. Sometimes, physiotherapy is also prescribed to recover from injuries to gain the proper mobility in the limbs, etc.

Options

There are a few ways in which one can undergo physiotherapy. If the pain is not so severe, then you may consult a physiotherapist, who will teach you few exercises as part of a consultation session and ask you to do the same at home with periodic review. If some other complicated exercises or treatment are needed, they may ask you to visit the hospital or clinic, a couple of times a week or so. There are also certain physiotherapists who will visit you at home with their machines and do it at home for a charge.

Regular Home Exercises

Physiotherapy exercises are highly individualistic, depending on the nature of the pain/injury, area affected, age of the person, and few other such factors. Hence, instead of just asking or following someone, it is always best to consult a doctor and get the required prescriptions.

However, as part of regular pain-relieving procedures, one may adopt Yoga as a lifestyle to help prevent as well as alleviate certain common pains and aches. Even Yoga should be practiced under the guidance of a certified teacher only, as certain asanas are not favorable for specific conditions. Simple stretches can always be done at home. Especially for people working a lot on computers/screens, eye exercises, simple neck and shoulder exercises, and regular walks to counter the long sitting hours are always advised.

Common Physiotherapy Exercises

The common exercises types which are suggested are:

• Motion exercises- These are meant to provide or increase flexibility in the joint and ease joint pains. These may also involve the use of pulleys, balls, wheels, wall climbing, etc.
• Simple stretches- These are advised for improving joint flexibility.
• Aerobics – These exercises are suggested to condition the muscles and the body.
• Balancing exercises- These are prescribed to help maintain body balance and avoid falls
• Aquatic exercises- At times, even activities are prescribed for improving motion and strengthening muscles.
• Strengthening exercises- These are done to strengthen the muscles.
• Breathing and relaxation techniques- To help cool down the body after each session.

So this was some basic information about physiotherapy, hope this will be useful to you.

Waiting for your views and commons.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

19^th July 2021