The Importance of Physiotherapy

About six months back, I started to have pain in my lower pack. I just attributed it to my slogging a bag full of textbooks back and forth across campus everyday, and thought it was something that would eventually go away. Unfortunately, it didn't. And much to my chagrin, a week or so after my back pain became prominent, I developed two ulcers in my stomach which forced me to go on medication, and cut any and all anti-inflammatory drugs from my daily regiment. My back pain worsened, and finally I broke down and decided that if I was going to do this pain free, I was going to need to enlist the help of more than just a nurse practitioner to give me a few tips, I needed to call in the big guns, a physiotherapist.

If you are not familiar with the physio therapy profession, they are health care professionals concerned with the repair and rehabilitation of various injuries to the body. In Vancouver, where I live, the team of physio therapists I work with all have both a Bachelor's and Master's degree, but in most places in Canada, I believe physiotherapists are only required to have a Bachelor's. There are several types of physiotherapists, and each have their own unique set of methods, or specializations. Because of the nature of my mystery injury, I sought out a back specialist, and met Jen.

A good physio will assess your lifestyle, provide you with a series of exercises to help you strengthen your muscles and joints and monitor your rehabilitation. A fantastic physio will delve deep into your medical history, and assess not only the injury in question but will search your body for other ailments that could be contributing to your injury. A thorough physiotherapist will also be able to make sound recommendations for x-rays or body scans, and have the ability to interpret the results so they can properly treat you.

Working with a physiotherapist can be a lengthy process. I've been working with mine for just over four months, but over the course of those four months, I haven't taken a single prescription drug for pain relief. To achieve the results you want, you have two work hard for them, and stay committed. Whether it's a blown ACL, or an injured back, physiotherapy should become a pertinent part of the healing process. In some cases, it's the only path to complete rehabilitation.