If you suffer from back and neck pain, arthritis, or have suffered an injury through sports or an accident, it's widely known that physiotherapy can be of help. The link between working and exercising relevant parts of the body and pain and injury to those same parts is intuitive, so most of the work physiotherapists do relates to these types of conditions.
But there's a lot more that physiotherapy can help with than just the obvious.
There are several conditions you may never have thought could be treated with physiotherapy, but there are techniques to help manage a whole range of different issues. Here are some of the surprising ones.
Asthma
If you're asthmatic, you're probably used to reaching for your inhaler if breathing becomes difficult, but physiotherapy may be able to help by making this less common. It works by teaching you ways to breathe better, and to manage early signs of an attack, such as a cough. If you do have an asthma attack, a physiotherapist can teach you ways to deal with it better, so it will be less severe.
Dementia
Dementia is an extremely difficult condition, as much for friends and family as it is for the patient themselves. While physiotherapy can't help with the cognitive problems faced by dementia sufferers, it can improve their lives by helping them manage other aspects of the condition. In particular, it helps with balance, making exercise easier and, crucially, reducing the risk of falls.
Incontinence
Both bladder and bowel incontinence are embarrassing problems, but there's no need to suffer in silence. Physiotherapists can teach you exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which helps you to regain some level of control and minimise the chance of accidents.
Diabetes
The most important thing with diabetes is controlling your blood sugar levels through diet and medication, but exercise plays a key part as well. Working with your physiotherapist, you can develop a routine of activity that suits your ability and will give you the most benefits. In addition to helping you stay fit and healthy, physiotherapy techniques can be used to assist you with any physical complications you experience because of your diabetes.
Dizziness
Ordinary dizziness affects most people from time to time, if they're spun around quickly or experience certain temporary conditions. For some people, however, such as those who suffer from vertigo, it's a serious problem. Physiotherapists teach exercises that are highly effective at counteracting severe dizziness, improving the quality of life for vertigo sufferers.
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