Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy helps to restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. It can also help to reduce your risk of injury or illness in the future.
It takes a holistic approach that involves the patient directly in their own care.
When is physiotherapy used? Physiotherapy can be helpful for people of all ages with a wide range of health conditions, including problems affecting the:

• Bones, joints and soft tissue – such as back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and sports injuries
• Brain or nervous system – such as movement problems resulting from a stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson's disease
• Heart and circulation – such as rehabilitation after a heart attack
• Lungs and breathing – such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis

Physiotherapy can improve your physical activity while helping you to prevent further injuries.
Some of the main approaches used by physiotherapists include:

• Education and advice – physiotherapists can give general advice about things that can affect your daily lives, such as posture and correct lifting or carrying techniques to help prevent injuries
• Movement, tailored exercise and physical activity advice – exercises may be recommended to improve your general health and mobility, and to strengthen specific parts of your body
• Manual therapy – where the physiotherapist uses their hands to help relieve pain and stiffness, and to encourage better movement of the body

At your first appointment, you will have an assessment to help determine what help you might need.
Education and advice - One of the main aspects of physiotherapy involves looking at the body as a whole, rather than focusing on the individual factors of an injury.
Therefore, giving general advice about ways to improve your wellbeing – for example, by taking regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight for your height and build – is an important part of treatment.
A physiotherapist can also give you specific advice that you can apply to everyday activities to look after yourself and reduce your risk of pain or injury.
For example, if you have back pain, you may be given advice about good posture, correct lifting or carrying techniques, and avoiding awkward twisting, over-stretching or prolonged standing.
Movement and exercise - Physiotherapists usually recommend movement and exercise to help improve your mobility and function. This may include:

• Exercises designed to improve movement and strength in a specific part of the body – these usually need to be repeated regularly for a set length of time
• Activities that involve moving your whole body, such as walking or swimming – these can help if you're recovering from an operation or injury that affects your mobility
• Exercises carried out in warm, shallow water (hydrotherapy or aquatic therapy) – the water can help relax and support the muscles and joints, while providing resistance to help you gradually get stronger
• Advice and exercises to help you increase or maintain your physical activity – advice will be given on the importance of keeping active, and how to do this in a safe, effective way
• Advice on using mobility aids – such as crutches or a walking stick to help you move around

Your physiotherapist may also recommend exercises that you can continue doing to help you manage pain in the long term or reduce your risk of injuring yourself again.

Manual therapy - Manual therapy is a technique where a physiotherapist uses their hands to manipulate, mobility and massage the body tissues.
This can help:

• relieve pain and stiffness
• improve blood circulation
• help fluid drain more efficiently from parts of the body
• improve the movement of different parts of the body
• promote relaxation

Manual therapy can be used to treat specific problems, such as back pain, but may also be useful for a range of conditions that don't affect the bones, joints or muscles.
For example, massage may improve quality of life for some people with serious or long-term conditions by reducing levels of anxiety and improving sleep quality. Manual techniques are also used to help certain lung conditions.
Other techniques - Other techniques sometimes used by physiotherapists that may help to ease pain and promote healing include:

• Acupuncture – where fine needles are inserted into specific points of the body, with the aim of reducing pain and promoting recovery
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) – a small, battery-operated device is used to deliver an electric current to the affected area, with the aim of relieving pain
• Ultrasound – where high-frequency sound waves are used to treat deep tissue injuries by stimulating blood circulation and cell activity, with the aim of reducing pain and spasms, as well as speeding up healing

Some people have found these treatments effective, but there is not much scientific evidence to support them.

Why Choose Vitality Health Center? We have an excellent reputation, both with treating patients and providing guidance on corrective care.

If you are suffering from pain, call Vitality Health Center at 651-773-9414, Dr. John T. Toth can help.​ 

Vitality Health Center serves patients in White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, Gem Lake, Little Canada, Vadnais Heights, Mahtomedi, Maplewood, North St. Paul, Shoreview, Oakdale, Lake Elmo, Woodbury, Arden Hills, North Oaks, Pine Springs, Grant and surrounding areas.