What Physiotherapy Entails

What Physiotherapy EntailsPhysiotherapy is an all-encompassing term that involves many different types of treatment. They can be used in conjunction with each other, or just one at a time, to get someone back on their feet again. These types of treatment are massage therapy, hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, and exercise movement.

Physiotherapy can be used for a variety of reasons. There are facilities that focus on sports rehab. Other facilities work with patients who have a physical or mental disability. There are still others that rehabilitate non-athletes who have suffered some sort of injury.

Massage Therapy

This type of therapy is one that can be utilized by nearly all patients of physiotherapy. The massage therapist can tailor the form and firmness of the massage to fit the clients at the time. The act involves using patterns or sequences with the hands to ease the tension in the joints and muscles. this helps to increase blood flow, mobility, and flexibility. While these massages may feel nice, they are quite different from the types of massages you may get at a spa.


As the name implies, hydrotherapy takes place in a pool. It can be taken place in a regular pool, but it often takes place in a specialized pool. What matters the most is that the water is shallow enough for the patient to stand in and warm enough that it keeps the blood flowing. The physiotherapist will then encourage the client to do certain exercises. Against the pressure of the water, the patient will build muscle strength, improve circulation, and allows the muscles and joints to move more freely than they do outside of the water. In some cases, jets and water massage may be used to stimulate the activity of the nerves even further.


This type of therapy uses electric shocks in a very controlled manner in an effort to stimulate nerve activity. The dose is extremely low, and the process is entirely painless. It helps to decrease the pains in the muscles, contribute to muscle repair and regeneration, and increase activity in weak nerves.

Exercise and Movement

This is what most people think of when they hear the term physiotherapy as it is one of the fundamental concepts of the practice. It works by allowing the joints and muscles to improve their range of movement and strength. As flexibility is increased and stiffness is decreased, the patient can then start safely performing exercises that will increase their overall health. It is important to gradually build up to the exercises to ensure that more damage is not caused. Once the patient reaches a certain point in their recovery process, they can begin practicing their exercise at home as the physiotherapists have taught them. This accelerates the recovery process once they have truly begun to heal. While some of the other types of therapy last only a few weeks, the exercise and movement are performed for several months to slowly build up the endurance, strength, and flexibility the client had before the accident or to get them where they should be.

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Rick Cowman is a Toronto blogger and suggests Grossbeak Chiropractic & Physiotherapy for great physiotherapy treatment.

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