What is physiotherapy?

Apr 15

Top 10 questions about physiotherapists answered

Learn about how to choose a good physiotherapist

What is physiotherapy used for?

Depending on the type of physiotherapy, physiotherapy can be used for a broad range of conditions ranging from cardiorespiratory, neurological, or orthopedic conditions. Physiotherapy can also be used for rehabilitation after surgery, or for ‘prehabilitation’ before surgery.

Cardiorespiratory physiotherapy is a type of physiotherapy that focuses on diseases or injuries relating to the heart and lungs. The goal of these treatments is to prevent and to rehabilitate these conditions and to improve cardiorespiratory health. This type of physiotherapy is often used when recovering from a heart attack.

Neurological physiotherapy is used to treat conditions that are due to nervous system or neuromuscular system disorders. The goal is to improve functional movement and to manage activities of daily living. Neurological conditions treated with physiotherapy include but are not limited to strokes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and cerebral palsy.

Orthopedic physiotherapy is the most common type of physiotherapy. This type of physiotherapy focuses on treating orthopedic conditions and musculoskeletal injuries. This means an orthopedic physiotherapist will assess and treat conditions involving the bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. Within the scope of orthopedic physiotherapy is sports physiotherapy. Sports physiotherapy focuses on rehabilitating and preventing sports injuries. At Rehab Hero, our Markham physiotherapist focuses on orthopedic and sports related conditions.

What are the benefits of physiotherapy?

The benefits of physiotherapy are generally focused on improving your quality of life and activities of daily living. Benefits include:

Decreased pain and stiffness
Improved range of motion
Decreased fear avoidance behaviours
Improved confidence in movement
Increased muscular strength
Injury prevention
Improved balance
Improved posture
Improved athletic performance

When is physiotherapy used?

Physiotherapy can be used proactively or reactively to an injury. Most often patients seek out physiotherapy when they get an acute injury (from a traumatic event), or when experiencing a repetitive overuse injury. Lifewise it can be used to prevent injuries through “pre-hab”. Pre-hab is generally used to better prepare the body for surgery, or with athletes that want to minimize injury risk. To do physiotherapy in Markham you can click the button below to book in at Rehab Hero.

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Can a physiotherapist diagnose?

The scope of a physiotherapist will depend on where they practice since regulating laws differ depending on the state or province. In Ontario, physiotherapists are able to see you directly without the need of a medical doctor’s referral and are able to diagnose you with an orthopedic condition. A collection of your injury history, orthopedic tests, muscle tests, movement assessment and neurological examination is used in order to determine what is causing your injury.

What’s the difference between a physical therapist and a physiotherapist?

The main difference between the two titles is where the designation is coming from.

If your education and training was in Canada, you will get the title of physiotherapist. Typically schooling is 2 years long and it is a post baccalaureate degree. Physiotherapists have a Masters in Physiotherapy (MPT) which is a entry to practice degree.

The title of physical therapist is received if your education and training was completed in the USA. Typically schooling is 4 years long, and similarly to the MPT, it is a post baccalaureate degree. Physical therapists have a Doctors in Physiotherapy (DPT) which is also an entry to practice degree.

Regardless of where your education and training took place, both titles require you to write the Physiotherapy Competency Examination in order to be qualified to practice in Canada.

Which type of physiotherapy is best?

The type of physiotherapy that will be best for you depends on the type of condition you are dealing with. If you are dealing with a cardiorespiratory condition then consulting a cardiorespiratory physiotherapist will be required. Like if you’re dealing with repetitive overuse or acute injuries, consulting an orthopedic physiotherapist or sports physiotherapist will be the correct choice.

When choosing a physiotherapist, it is always recommended to do a bit of research prior to your appointment since each individual has a different treatment approach. A good physiotherapist may use a combination of myofascial release therapy, acupuncture, scraping, laser, shockwave, and exercise rehabilitation.

Does physiotherapy actually work?

Physiotherapy is considered to be the gold standard for the rehabilitation of orthopedic conditions. Of all of the interventions that a physiotherapist can provide, exercise rehabilitation or physical rehabilitation is shown to be the most effective at providing recovery. In fact, the exercise program is the reason why physiotherapy is considered to be so effective.

If your physiotherapist does not provide corrective exercises during your appointments, proceed with caution. Unless specifically contra-indicated (such as non-reduced joint dislocations or non-reduced fractures) your physio should provide individualized prescribed exercises. Progressive exercises should form the core of your plan of care, with adjunctive modalities (such as massage or acupuncture) used for support.

Why do I feel worse after physiotherapy?

Since the goal of physiotherapy is to cause tissue strengthening through progressive exercises, local inflammation during recovery can sometimes cause short term pain and discomfort. Exercises are used to cause controlled microtrauma to your muscles or tendons. This is used to stimulate collagen and protein synthesis to increase the strength of these structures. Inflammation is a normal response to help move the recovery process forward. Typically the increased soreness only lasts a few days and decreases as your connective tissues get stronger in subsequent appointments.

Is physio a waste of time?

If the physiotherapist has the correct diagnosis and is providing evidence-based treatments, then it is generally not a waste of time. As mentioned above, physiotherapy is the gold standard for treating orthopedic conditions.

Some individuals may not get results if the diagnosis is not correct. This is why a good physiotherapist will re-assess your progress and re-test your movement every appointment in order to make sure things are on track. This also allows the physiotherapist to make adaptations to your plan of care promptly in order to minimize the amount of time dedicated to a differential diagnosis. This also helps the physiotherapist to make sure their treatment choice is suitable to your ongoing diagnosis.

Likewise, you may not get results if the physiotherapist is not providing evidence-based treatments. As mentioned above, a good physiotherapist will be walking you through exercises to decrease your pain and improve function unless otherwise contraindicated. They will also avoid using outdated modalities like TENS or ultrasound for over a week as recent research has revealed that they are not effective for long term recovery. Although these modalities can be helpful for reducing pain, their effectiveness is limited to the acute stages of recovery (first 3-5 days after an acute injury).