Physiotherapy uses natural elements and mechanical actions to improve health.
Physiotherapy is a healing technique that consists of appealing to natural elements (light, water) or mechanical actions (a massage ). The word is born from the union of two Greek words: physis ( "nature" ) and therapeia ( "treatment" ). The etymology, therefore, indicates that physiotherapy is “treatment through nature” .
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) , physiotherapy can develop different tasks to evaluate functional capacity, the strength of a muscle or the movement characteristics of a joint . And the university training necessary to assume this profession prepares physiotherapists to act as competent members of Public Health. They must be prepared to read and analyze a clinical history and refer their patients to other professionals when necessary, as well as to work together with other specialists. In addition, the physical therapist must be able to both contribute to the recovery and help prevent a physical disorder .
Origin of physiotherapy
The antecedents of physiotherapy are very remote, since evidence is recorded from Ancient Mesopotamia , Ancient Egypt and pre-Hispanic America . Its evolution began with procedures that in many cases were based on religion and magic, although always with the intervention of physical agents.
In Greece , through the work of figures such as Hippocrates , medicine took on a more rational character, since it left mysticism in pursuit of research, to reach the source of the condition and, studying each individual in particular, give with the most appropriate treatment.
The application of electrical current or ultrasound is common in physiotherapy.
Main functions
We distinguish three functions that this discipline fulfills in society:
- Healthcare function: the very performance of physiotherapy for prevention and cure, using the techniques specific to its field. The first step is the assessment of each patient to be able to issue a diagnosis , from which the path to take for recovery is decided, whether this depends absolutely on physical therapy or requires the competence of other medical professionals. The main tool used in this discipline is the hand and, among the tasks performed, we find massages, stretching and different physical exercises that have objectives such as correcting posture , unclogging the airway and improving motor control. But physiotherapy also relies on other elements and technology to improve health ; application of electric current, ultrasound , water, heat and cold treatments are some of the techniques that are not based on the exclusive use of the hands.
- Teaching and research function: through the university training of future professionals, it is important to aim for an evolution of physiotherapy, opening the doors to treatments that make use of the different technological and medicinal advances that emerge.
- Management function: professionals in this field can agree to participate in Physiotherapy offices or centers as long as the legislation of their country allows it. These are channels that facilitate the dissemination of information to achieve a uniform and coherent development of specialists, through programs, activities and statistics at the national level.
Contraindications of physiotherapy
Although, as it does not use toxic substances, adverse effects are not frequent, physiotherapy can cause some inconveniences such as inflammation, strokes, coagulation problems or infections. Generally, these complications are linked to certain pre-existing diseases or conditions, so each type of treatment has its corresponding contraindications .
In a broad sense, if we talk about manipulation therapies, their application should be avoided in patients with fractures, osteoporosis or rheumatoid arthritis, among other conditions. In the case of electrotherapy, to cite another example, people who have skin infections or inflammations, heart disease or, in the case of women, who are pregnant will not be able to receive this treatment .