What Is Physiotherapy All About?
What does physiotherapy involve and can it help me with my injury and pain?
So, you’ve had a niggling injury or bothersome discomfort lingering in the background that doesn’t seem to be getting better with time. Although you’ve rested it, tried massage, ice, stretches, essential oils and a funky exercise some guy on YouTube said would fix it, it doesn’t seem to be improving. What do you do? You’re hesitant to gain help because you’re not sure who to see, whether to have an X-ray or take pain relieving medication...
This is a common story many patients experience before presenting to physiotherapy for an assessment. To cut through the confusion, we have laid out an explanation of what a physiotherapy session involves, what you can expect and whether physiotherapy can help you.
The aim of physiotherapy is to help patients achieve a certain goal or outcome; mostly, feeling better, or being pain free and functional to move in ways that are not inhibited by injury or pain.
Often, we can feel disempowered when we aren’t sure what has caused our pain, or what to do to help improve it. To understand why someone is experiencing pain or discomfort, your physiotherapist first performs an assessment to gain information and establish a diagnosis, which then guides your treatment plan and rehabilitation journey. Let’s walk through the things involved in an initial physiotherapy session:
Assessment
A comprehensive physiotherapy assessment firstly involves a discussion with your treating physio about the nature of your injury; how long you’ve been experiencing discomfort, factors which may have contributed or caused it, your previous injuries and what your goals and expectations are. It is important to communicate your goals to your physio regardless of how big or small they may seem. The aim of physiotherapy is to help patients achieve a particular goal; mostly feeling better but this can more specific such as ‘walking 2km with my friends,’ ‘doing Mooloolaba triathlon,’ ‘playing golf pain free,’ ‘sleeping with no hip pain,’ or ‘surfing with no knee pain.’ Once your physiotherapist is informed of your ambitions and expectations, they can work with you in supporting and guiding you to help you achieve your goals and health outcomes.
Following the interview and discussion, your physiotherapist will then do a comprehensive physical assessment asking you to move in certain ways and will perform a number of clinical tests. This may involve asking you to perform various movements (a squat for example) then tests for muscle length and strength, ligaments and joint range of motion to ascertain a diagnosis. We look at the biomechanics of certain movements (standing on one leg or hopping for example) and analyse what structures may not be loading optimally, potentially leading to dysfunction or pain.
Diagnosis
From the interview and physical assessment, your physiotherapist will then give you a diagnosis and explain your condition or injury. You will receive advice and information regarding what things have contributed to your injury and a treatment plan informing you of expected timeframes for healing, what things to avoid and activities that will inhibit or assist with your healing and recovery. Your physiotherapist will outline a plan for prognosis (the likely course for your condition) and best- and worst-case scenarios. They will guide you about whether you should have further imaging or scans and whether you should seek guidance from a GP or specialist in addition to physiotherapy treatment. You will also be informed on when you will need a follow up physiotherapy session or whether other modalities such as hydrotherapy, massage or group classes may enhance your recovery alongside your physiotherapy program.
Some common conditions we treat at Back to Bounce:
Shoulder injuries (tendon pain, post orthopaedic rehabilitation, sports injuries)
Sporting injuries
Knee, ankle and foot injuries
Neck pain and headaches
Hip, low back and pelvic pain
Disc related low back and nerve pain
Joint dislocation, laxity or hypermobility syndrome
Post operative orthopaedic rehabilitation
Treatment Techniques & Your Program
Following an explanation of the diagnosis, your physiotherapist will perform various treatment techniques such as; hands on manual therapy (joint mobilisation) or massage and soft tissue release of particular muscles. Sometimes tape, dry needling, or other modalities may be suited to your condition. Your physiotherapist will guide you about certain postures or movements to avoid to reduce your pain and assist with healing. Alongside this, you will be given suitable exercises or stretches to help your injury. At Back to Bounce Sports Physiotherapy, we tailor a specific therapeutic exercise program alongside instructional videos and parameters including dosage, reps and sets of each exercise. We go through each exercise with you and sometimes even get you to do some of your exercise program at your physio treatment so we can guide and correct your technique.
In the instance of rehabilitation following orthopaedic surgery (such as Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction or total hip replacement) physiotherapy will be guided by the type of surgery you had, the surgeon’s specific requests for rehabilitation and your ultimate short- and long-term goals. Based on post-operative protocols, we guide you step by step through the various phases of rehabilitation from the early days of recovery, through to end stage return to function, until you have reached your goals.
Have a conversation with our Physiotherapists at Back to Bounce Sports Physiotherapy
If you are confused about whether physiotherapy is suitable for your condition or injury, our friendly team are happy to chat and answer any questions. If we don’t think we are suited to helping treat your condition, we will give recommendations to other healthcare providers who may be the correct fit for you.
If you have further questions, we are always happy to help with guiding and supporting you to receive the best treatment plan in order to be pain free, functional and achieve your goals. Your success is largely guided by the partnership between yourself and your physiotherapist; working together to achieve a goal by gaining an accurate diagnosis followed by a clear plan. We have a thorough assessment protocol which involves listening to your goals, analysing and assessing your body to understand the contributing factors, followed by supporting and guiding you through your rehabilitation journey to achieve your goals.
If you would like to discuss your injury or goals further, don’t hesitate to call or email us with any questions!
