World Physical Therapy Day: Trust your physiotherapist and problem free life

Physiotherapy is an important part of overall treatment and helps people with several health problems, find a balance between rest and activity/exercises, say healthcare practitioners.

Hyderabad: Every year on September 8th, we celebrate “World Physiotherapy Day”. As the day marks the unity and solidarity of the global physical therapy community, it gives an opportunity to recognize the work that physiotherapists do with their patients and communities.

Physical therapy is a treatment that aims to restore, maintain, and make the most of a patient's mobility, function, and health. It helps with physical recovery, injury prevention as well as health and fitness. Physiotherapists help you to heal by yourself.

Dr Manoj Abraham M, Principal, KG College of Physiotherapy, says, "Physical Therapy Education is a continuous process which extends beyond the bachelor or master degree. They help the clients to increase their motor abilities and throughout their life, they are learning and practicing the profession with complexities and challenges. We have lots of advanced techniques which include Robotics, to treat the patients. It holds a variety of innovative areas which have exciting opportunities for physiotherapists working in public and private sectors."

"This field has become an increasingly demanding part of the health care delivery systems, resulting in a number of growing job opportunities with the use of modern technology. The employment trends in Physiotherapy are vast, many standalone clinics/rehabilitation centres are arising and that shows a sustained growth for the field of physiotherapy in the upcoming years", Dr Manoj added.

According to Mr. Harihara Sudan S, Associate Professor and physiotherapist from KG College of Physiotherapy, Physiotherapy is a noble profession which enhances the activities of daily living of the patients. We have many specializations which include Neurological Physiotherapy, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy, Cardio-respiratory Physiotherapy, Obstetric and Gynaecology Physiotherapy and Sports Physiotherapy. We treat patients with conditions like Stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Fractures, Arthritis, COPD and Sports Injuries with exercises and other modes of treatment in physiotherapy. As the Doctor prescribes the Medicine, we prescribe Exercises to the patients.

Only we hold the right to prescribe exercises that are individually tailored depending on the severity of the condition. If an individual needs Physiotherapy treatment, we would first assess the patient physically and diagnose the problem, so that whichever exercise is needed for that patient can be fixed as day-wise protocol. We will ensure that the patient can able to do those exercises, what are the precautions to be taken while doing the exercises and how to perform exercises with proper rest intervals between each exercise session.

With the right prescription of exercises and treatment modality, patients can recover fast and can lead a healthy life. Also in the elderly population, the role of physiotherapy is much needed. By engaging them in mild to moderate physical activity, they can live a life without depending on the caregivers, it will nourish all the vital systems of the body and will provide healthy ageing without any disease progressions.

According to Mrs Pavithra V, Assistant Professor/ Physiotherapist from KG College of Physiotherapy, even though there is enough awareness of Physiotherapy, many do not realize the role of Physiotherapy in women’s health. Women face a lot of health issues with their current lifestyle, occupational stress, and household chores which may lead to PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome, along with Obesity, Premenstrual syndrome, and Premenopausal and Postmenopausal syndrome.

Another troublesome condition, as a result of Aging, postpartum and Post Hysterectomy is Urinary Incontinence. Physiotherapists can help them through prescribed exercises which include Aerobics, Resistance and Endurance training along with Mind-body techniques, to gain improvement and confidence in their bodily condition. By improving their Physical Activity level, we can regulate the hormones, reduce stress, and thereby reduce the symptoms of each condition, which will eventually lead to a happy and healthy life.