A physiotherapist (or physical therapist) is someone who helps patients recover from injuries, illnesses or surgeries that affect their mobility and independence. They use techniques like massage, soft tissue manipulations and joint mobilizations.

They will help you build strength, balance and mobility through a graded exercise programme. They will also show you how to manage symptoms and prevent further injury or ill health.

Physical Exercises

Exercise is a key part of physiotherapy. It can boost strength, mobility and coordination, and help prevent other health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. It also reduces the risk of depression. People can perform physical exercises at home, with a gym membership or in an accessible community centre.

For stroke recovery, your therapist will use exercises that target your specific needs. If you have trouble standing and walking, for example, your therapist may use a combination of strengthening, stretching and balance exercises to help improve your gait.

The first step in the process is a clinical assessment that takes place at your physical therapy clinic. Your therapist will ask you about your symptoms, such as pain, stiffness and loss of movement, as well as examine the affected area to assess the level of impairment. This information will allow your therapist to develop a treatment plan.

During treatment sessions, your physiotherapist will teach you exercises to do at home to improve your mobility, strength and coordination. You will need to do these regularly to maximise your recovery and avoid relapse. This will include:

A range of treatment techniques are used during physiotherapy, such as soft tissue techniques (such as massage), joint mobilization and manipulation, muscle energy technique, neuromuscular facilitation and electrical stimulation. The last two are therapies that use a TENS machine, which sends pulses of electricity to your nerve endings via pads placed on your skin and alters the way your brain interprets pain signals.

You will also do cardiovascular and strength-training exercises, such as a low-level walk or stationary cycling, using an interval or work: rest approach. These exercises are designed to prevent deconditioning, hypostatic pneumonia, orthostatic intolerance and stimulate cognition, mood and vascular health.

Many stroke survivors struggle with balance and stability, and exercises that target the core muscles can help retrain the body. For example, Beth Thornton and Kathryn Smyth suggest nine core exercises to help regain balance following a stroke. Other balance-boosting exercises include pushing laterally against a table or sliding the back of your hand across the surface of a bench, both of which increase your hip flexor strength and can help address foot drop or ankle stiffness in people who have had a stroke.

Massage Therapy

In addition to physiotherapy, massage therapy can be an integral part of the recovery process for stroke victims. It is typically only introduced when a client is comfortable with being touched and has been given permission from their physician. The purpose of the treatment is to reduce pain and improve function and range of motion in the affected areas of the body.

Massage stimulates the skin, subcutaneous cellular tissue and muscle mass, as well as activating peripheral somatosensory receptors, which are sensitive to touch. This stimulation can help to increase the flow of blood in the effected area and decrease the swelling caused by paralysis of a particular skeletal muscle group. It can also promote lymphatic drainage and help the removal of toxic waste, which helps to decrease swelling.

It is a safe and effective way to relieve stress and relax the muscles, which in turn can help to ease any pain or stiffness. It can also help to improve mood and sleep patterns, enhancing overall mental wellness. Massage may also provide relief from feelings of anxiety and depression, which are common after a stroke.

The type of massage used depends on a person’s needs, but there are a variety of techniques that can be applied to the body, including deep tissue, neuromuscular massage, trigger point therapy and reflexology. Each technique focuses on specific points of tension in the body, which are called “knots.” These knots cause pain and stiffness, and when a massage therapist kneads those areas, they can release them.

Neuromuscular massage is a type of deep tissue massage that works on deeper layers of muscle and connective tissues, such as fascia. It can be useful for people who have muscle tightness due to a lack of exercise, poor posture or repetitive movements such as typing and sitting all day at work. A therapist can use various techniques to work on these tight muscles, including compression, friction and joint mobilization. This is one of the most commonly used forms of massage to treat post-stroke muscle spasticity. It is often combined with a combination of other physical therapies, such as a physiotherapy programme or rehabilitation exercises in a hospital-based clinic.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a healthcare profession that focuses on helping people to perform the activities, or occupations, that are important to them in their lives. This can include everyday tasks, such as washing and dressing, or hobbies, such as playing sports and gardening. It is also used for conditions, such as arthritis, birth defects, mental health problems, and severe injuries and burns.

OT is different from other types of rehabilitation, such as nursing or physical therapy, in that it is focused on the skills needed for daily living and resuming roles within the family, home, work, and community. It takes into account the person’s personality, values, and beliefs. It is also based on an understanding of the relationship between occupation and health, well-being, and quality of life.

An OT will often start by reviewing the person’s medical history and asking questions about their day to day tasks. They will then watch the person carrying out these tasks to identify areas for improvement. They may then recommend specialist equipment or suggest ways of doing a task differently, such as using a shower chair to bathe, or removing rugs that could cause tripping hazards.

They will then develop a treatment plan that is tailored to the person’s goals. The goals can be either short-term, such as getting back to work or resuming the family role after a stroke, or long term, such as improving their ability to play with children or take part in a leisure activity. An OT will use techniques to help improve the function of the affected body part, for example, reducing spasticity by stretching or using splinting, or managing dependant edema by positioning and supporting the limb.

An OT can also apply the concept of “occupational justice”. This is a theory that highlights the link between occupation, health and wellbeing. It can be viewed in two ways, one focusing on the benefits and privileges that come with participation in occupations, and the other highlighting the harms and inequalities that can occur as a result of not being able to participate in occupations.

Education

Physiotherapists (known as physical therapists or PTs in most of the world) are highly trained health professionals who help people improve their ability to move and function. They work with people of all ages to prevent and treat injuries, illnesses and diseases that affect the body’s movement systems. This includes the neuromuscular (brain and muscles), cardiovascular and pulmonary and respiratory systems. Physiotherapists also have an important role to play in person and whanau centred care, helping patients understand their condition, manage their own illness or injury, and making decisions about their own health care.

PTs use a variety of treatment methods, including massage therapy, exercises and treatments that involve heat, cold, electrical stimulation or ultrasound. Their goal is to relieve pain, strengthen weakened muscles and increase range of motion in the joints. They also work to educate patients about their condition and provide them with tools to continue improving their health outside the clinic.

People are usually referred to physiotherapy by doctors or other health and social care professionals. Increasingly, however, people are choosing to see a physiotherapist near Turner directly. This is known as first-line access.

The education required to become a physiotherapist is extensive. Physiotherapists spend three to four years in undergraduate schooling to earn a bachelor of science in physical therapy (BScPT). In addition, they study medical sciences such as anatomy, pharmacology, physiology and more. Many go on to graduate school for a master of physical therapy (MPT). They may specialize in areas such as orthopedics, sports medicine or manual therapy. They can also become fellows of the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Physiotherapists, an elite credential that requires additional post-graduate training in orthopedics and manual therapy.

After graduation, physiotherapists must pass a national certification examination. This ensures that they are competent in the safe and effective practice of physiotherapy. To maintain their credentials, physiotherapists are required to undertake continuing education courses to keep up with new research and techniques. These courses are available through the Physiotherapy Association of Canada. Some provinces also offer bridging programs to facilitate the upgrading from a BScPT to an MPT credential.