How to Relieve Pain with Physiotherapy
Dealing with pain is never fun, and having to live with painful joints can greatly impact your quality of life. Many people find themselves having to give up activities they enjoy because they can no longer withstand the pain they experience while participating in those activities.
Some people think the only option is to take extreme measures like surgery to relieve their painful joints. However, treating aches and pains with physiotherapy is a solution worth trying. It may be just what you need to relieve your sore joints. And you may be surprised just how effective physiotherapy can be. The great part is that many healthcare plans cover physiotherapy so why not give it a try! Here are some benefits of physiotherapy you should consider.
It Helps Bad Knees
A few years ago, researchers at the University of Western Ontario found that combining physiotherapy and medication to treat osteoarthritic knees has the same efficacy as arthroscopic surgery. This finding proved what many physiotherapists had already seen in the patients.
Pain in the knees can be caused by tight muscles, inflamed knees, or weak joints. Physiotherapy can help relieve knee pain by taking patients through exercises that improve flexibility and strengthen their knees. Your physiotherapist can come up with options to tackle the underlying issue causing knee pain and offer a holistic approach to the problem.
Breathing Techniques
As we mentioned earlier, physiotherapists take a holistic approach to joint and muscle pain. Breathing is one of the methods they use to address joint pain. There are times when there may be issues within the autonomic nervous system, which is comprised of muscles and nerves that impact our organs. If you suffer from asthma or sleep apnea, a cardiovascular physiotherapist can help you gain better control of your breathing through a series of breathing exercises.
Relieves Pelvic Floor Disorders
If you suffer from pelvic floor disorders, physiotherapy can help address this issue. Pelvic floor disorders can cause tightening or shortening of the pelvic floor or pelvic floor muscle spasms. These often occur after pregnancy, childbirth, or abdominal surgery. Pelvic floor muscles play a key role in sexual, bladder, and bowel functions and support the abdominal organs and spine.
People experiencing pelvic floor disorders often feel pain in their abdomen or groin area. They may also experience painful intercourse, or urinary and bowel incontinence. If you’re experiencing pelvic floor muscle spasms, a massage technique called the “trigger point release” can help ease your discomfort. Strengthening your core through exercise can make all the difference.
Combats Obesity
One of the tools used as a preventative approach to chronic pain is lifestyle physiotherapy. This involves taking the time to educate patients and make exercise easier for them. They’re informed about how extra weight can burden the musculoskeletal system and cause knees and other joints to be painful. Your therapist will work with you to create a personalized exercise program for you that will not burden your joints, making it a more effective program and one that you are more likely to stick with.
Relieves Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can be debilitating and cause major disruption to your lifestyle. Your physiotherapist will take a look at the source of your chronic pain and come up with ways to alleviate the pain by strengthening the muscles that are around the painful joints. Many patients find that physiotherapy improves the quality of life in as little as 8 to 10 weeks.
Many people take pain medication to deal with chronic pain. The problem with this is that medication only masks the pain – it does not solve the root of the problem. Without addressing the core issue, you may end up relying on pain medication for a long time which is not advisable.
Cures Back Pain
Back pain can be caused by poor posture, strained muscles, or arthritis. Sometimes a bad habit you’ve had for years may strain your back and spinal cord. Remember that it takes time to restrain yourself to not continue habits formed a long time ago, so be patient with yourself. Once the cause of your back pain is determined, physiotherapy can help alleviate some of this pain. A physiotherapist can also help you do stretches to strengthen your back muscles.
Contact Us
Need physiotherapy in Toronto? If you’re wondering whether physiotherapy will benefit your condition, reach out to Knead Wellness. Our physiotherapy services are designed with you in mind. We’ll work with you to come up with the best course of action to treat your condition. Call today to learn more about our services!