Physiotherapy has existed for a long time.
Many ancient books and records have records of hot springs, massage, acupuncture, magnetic therapy and other physical therapies to prevent or treat diseases.
With the deepening of understanding and the development of medical technology, the research and development of medical physiotherapy instruments and equipment has also begun to develop and popularize in a spurt. However, all kinds of physiotherapy instruments on the market are mixed with good and bad.
How to treat the efficacy of physical therapy scientifically?
How to choose your own physiotherapy methods and instruments?
What is physiotherapy?
The [physical therapy] to be mentioned in this article refers to physical factor therapy, which is a method to treat diseases and promote the rehabilitation of patients by using various physical factors such as electricity, light, sound, water, magnetism, temperature, etc. It belongs to the category of rehabilitation medicine.
Does physical therapy have the effect of what?
Physical stimuli such as electricity, heat and vibration can excite neuromuscles, exercise skeletal muscles, promote local blood circulation and lymph reflux, reduce swelling, relieve pain, soften scars, and promote tissue fluid absorption.
Common physical therapy methods include electrotherapy, phototherapy, ultrasonic therapy, magnetic therapy, cold therapy, hydrotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, etc.
So, do you think there are many methods of physical therapy and their functions are very powerful?
In fact, physical therapy is one of the means to promote rehabilitation. Its function is affected by a series of factors, such as individual differences of patients, severity of diseases, timely rehabilitation time, reasonable rehabilitation plan, etc.
We still need to know more.
Does what need physical therapy?
Usually we feel that our lumbar spine and cervical spine are uncomfortable, our ankle is twisted, and our joints are painful. We often think of doing physical therapy. Sometimes doctors also suggest doing so. Looking at the market, there are many kinds of domestic physical therapy instruments.
Yes! Cervical and lumbar diseases, muscle strain, arthritis and many other diseases can relieve pain and improve the quality of life through standardized rehabilitation and physical therapy.
However, it is also necessary to correctly understand the limitations of physical therapy, which cannot completely replace the diagnosis of specialists, necessary drug therapy and functional exercise.
Some joint swelling and pain can be relieved by physical therapy, but if inflammation and pain occur due to infection, antibiotics or hormones should also be used.
Lumbar muscle strain can try physical therapy or manual massage, but the strength exercise of lumbar and back muscles is also even more important.
Physiotherapy should be symptomatic. If it is not symptomatic, there will be no therapeutic effect in light cases, delay the treatment time, and aggravate the disease in heavy cases.
Physiotherapy also has corresponding contraindications.
For example:
Electrotherapy can treat or relieve muscle strain, neuralgia, scapulohumeral periarthritis and other diseases to a certain extent. However, electrotherapy cannot be used in cases of heart failure, implantation of cardiac pacemakers, acute eczema, local metal foreign bodies, etc.
Phototherapy is also contraindication for bleeding tendency, high fever, active pulmonary tuberculosis, malignant tumor, etc.
Therefore, physical therapy is not available to everyone or any kind of disease at will.
Suggestions for physical therapy
Dr. Clove’s advice to you is:
1. Physiotherapy should go to the rehabilitation physiotherapy department or rehabilitation center of a regular hospital;
2. Whether a household physiotherapy instrument is needed, it is best to consult a physiotherapist;
3. If you choose family physiotherapy, you should also listen to the advice of professional physiotherapists and let them assist in the formulation of family physiotherapy programs.
4. Don’t blindly follow the physical therapy experience of the people around you or online, follow the guidance of doctors, and don’t change the physical therapy plan and method without authorization;
5. When purchasing physiotherapy instruments, don’t only attach importance to advertising or manufacturer publicity, ask more professional physiotherapists;
6. Physiotherapy instruments and equipment should be used in strict accordance with the operating instructions to avoid accidental injuries caused by non-conforming operations.
In a word, the principles to be followed in physical therapy are-professional suggestions, symptomatic plans, systematic treatment and rational understanding.
In fact, exercise therapy and manipulation therapy are also part of physical therapy in rehabilitation medicine. They are also important components of the treatment of some diseases. We will share the two in other articles.