What is Physiotherapy?
You get massage. You get IFC, TENS, and ultrasound. You get traction or “decompression” via machines. You get shockwave and laser. You get acupuncture. You get a run-of-the-mill, one size fits all exercise program. Everybody, please hear me; this is NOT physiotherapy.
It’s Active
Physiotherapy is not passive. It is not about your physiotherapist fixing you (you are NOT broken!). It is not about staying in your comfort zone. It’s not just about stretches. It shouldn’t be about being treated at the same time as two, three, four, or five plus other people. It shouldn’t be an assembly line. It shouldn’t be about throwing you into a dark hole of exercise to sink or swim. None of these things in the affirmative should EVER define physiotherapy.
It’s About Understanding the Client
In the Canadian Physiotherapy Association’s 2012 document titled Description of Physiotherapy in Canada, the “heart of the physiotherapy profession is understanding how and why movement and function take place.” At Ireland Manual Physiotherapy, we take this to heart. In order to get to the root of your concern, we must look further than the area of pain, and take a holistic, thorough look at lifestyle and environmental factors in addition to physical variables.
It Restores Quality of Life
The Canadian Physiotherapy Association’s document states physiotherapy “is anchored in movement sciences and aims to enhance or restore function of multiple body systems…The profession is committed to health, lifestyle and quality of life…by promoting optimal mobility, physical activity and overall health and wellness; preventing disease, injury, and disability; managing acute and chronic conditions, activity limitations, and participation restrictions; improving and maintaining optimal functional independence and physical performance; rehabilitating injury and the effects of disease or disability with therapeutic exercise programs and interventions; and educating and planning maintenance and support programs to prevent re-occurrence, re-injury, or functional decline.” Physiotherapy is about understanding why you want to feel better and create goals, from beginner to advanced, that are meaningful to you, so you can get back to what you love.
It’s Multi-Modal
Physiotherapy can, and at our clinic, it “incorporates a broad range of physical and physiological therapeutic interventions and aids.” We incorporate many of the services and modalities I opened this blog with. We particularly like manual therapy, dry needling, soft tissue mobilization techniques, and taping at Ireland Manual Physiotherapy. However, we use these modalities as a bridge to help to improve your movement and exercise tolerance quicker. In doing so, we find you are able to participate more in your homework (exercises!) and resume your affected activities quicker.
It’s Delivered by Experts
Physiotherapy should be delivered by a Registered Physiotherapist who is a primary health service practitioner licensed to use that title. Physiotherapists have a university based education, and in Canada, it is currently a professional course-based Master’s program. There are doctoral programs as well.
Moreso, our physiotherapists are always building their knowledge base and staying up to date with continuing education courses. We all have completed rigorous post-graduate certifications in niche areas as well. We do this so we can coach you with the best possible tools and advice.
It’s About Doing
Long story short: Physiotherapy is not about receiving. Everything about it has to do with DOING. Physiotherapy is about you, the client, and moving! Physiotherapy has to be active. It has to be purposeful. It needs to be meaningful to you. It is about commitment. It can be about grit. It’s definitely about determination. It’s about accountability. It’s about exercise that is customized to you. It’s about exercise that is guided, functional and progressive. It is about homework and potentially even lifestyle changes. It’s about body awareness and intuition. It’s about building trust and rapport. It’s about realizing potential. It can be about surprising yourself. It can also be about recognizing yourself again. It can include some needling, acupuncture, cupping, taping, ultrasound, and hot and cold packs…but these things should take a back seat to the active component of your physiotherapy experience. This approach will save you time. This approach will save money. This approach will achieve better outcomes for you. When you DO physiotherapy, you GET your life back to where you want it!
Right here in Kingsville, Ontario, at Ireland Manual Physiotherapy, we would love to show you how doing Physiotherapy this way will get you outcomes that matter to you! We are excited to help you with your orthopaedic or pelvic health concerns.