5 Signs that You Might Need Physiotherapy

Physical therapy (also known as physiotherapy) is a method of treating patients of all kinds to prevent diseases and conditions, alleviate pain, restore balance and recover from injuries. Today, our Nepean physiotherapists present you with 5 signs that physiotherapy might be able to help you.

You might have heard about physiotherapy when professional athletes use it to help them perform. However, don't feel intimidated or like this treatment is exclusively for people with injuries or high performing athletes.

Physiotherapy therapy can improve your health in a number of ways, regardless of who you are.

Physical therapy encourages a healthy and active lifestyle while it treats health issues. It can be used to alleviate chronic pain, promote strength and flexibility, and prepare your body for surgical procedures. Physicians will often prescribe physiotherapy early as a conservative approach to treating an illness before resorting to other methods. But, this isn't a requirement for working with a physiotherapist!

Here are 5 signs you can look out for in your body that a visit to Nepean Sports Medicine & Physiotherapy Centre and a consultation with one of our experienced physiotherapists might be a good idea:

1. You have been considering physiotherapy.

While it may seem like a bit of a no-brainer, you wouldn't be thinking about speaking with a physiotherapist unless you were feeling like something was wrong.

If you suspect that physiotherapy could help you with whatever it is that has caused you to consider it as an option, chances are that it can! Physical therapy is able to address all sorts of health issues beyond pain or injury, and our Nepean physiotherapist team may have expertise in whatever is causing you discomfort.

2. You are struggling with balance.

While you may not think about a loss of balance as being caused by an injury, there is a good chance that a noticeable loss of balance is a result of an illness, condition, or injury affecting your inner ear (or vestibular system).

Physiotherapists are able to help you recover your lost balance by undertaking a treatment called vestibular rehabilitation. Your physiotherapist will be able to help your body support your vestibular system as it recovers from whatever was stopping it from functioning properly.

3. You are experiencing pain.

Are you suffering from pain which won't go away? While one might expect the pain of an injury to subside over time, it sometimes will remain and become chronic. This is especially common in lower back and neck injuries and can affect every part of your life, from work to sleep.

Physiotherapists can work with you to identify the root issue which is causing you pain and creating a physical therapy treatment plan to reduce or even eliminate your pain entirely.

4. You experience discomfort at your desk.

The human body is built to move, so sitting for long periods of time at work can put strain on your neck, back and joints. Getting up every often to stretch can be a great start, as can speaking with your HR manager about what resources they offer for healthy and safe desk setups.

Physical therapy can also help combat desk discomfort. Our physiotherapists can walk you through good posture at your desk and provide advice about what a good home office desk setup should include. 

5. You struggle with your daily tasks

If you are you struggling with your usual daily tasks and finding common movements suddenly harder to do, physiotherapy might help.

Before pain sets in, the body will naturally try to compensate to solve a "problem" that is developing, in order to achieve a task (e.g., reach up to a high cupboard for a coffee mug). Your brain will achieve the task, but HOW you move to reach the mug might be changing, and might not be optimal.

Physiotherapists can help assess your body’s functional and joint-specific movements, to determine if the quality of your movements are optimal and safe. Solve the problem before your brain & body say "time out" and experience more serious pain or dysfunction.