What is Physiotherapy used for?
/ Blog
Well, it’s for sports injuries, right? Wrong. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
While sports injuries might just be a small yet important part of it, you may be surprised to learn that physiotherapy goes far beyond that.
What is Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy, also referred to as physio, makes use of physical methods like massage and manipulation to promote healing and wellbeing.
Physiotherapists and Physiotherapy Assistants are healthcare professionals who have trained specifically in physiotherapy. They may work in a range of places including hospitals, private practices, GP surgeries, workplaces and in the community.
What is Physiotherapy used for?
Physiotherapy is used by Physiotherapists who are highly trained medical professionals with an array of skills and techniques to treat problems that affect your:
- Muscles
- Joints
- Heart, blog circulation, and lungs.
Physiotherapy tools and equipment
You may expect it to be all ultrasound, laser, and nerve stimulation machines, but these days physiotherapy is far more diverse and can include plenty more than the more obvious hot and cold therapy treatments.
Staircase trainers are used to help regain strength and mobility in the legs, be it for sports people after injury or the elderly after illness.
Another common mobility tool is parallel bars, which are medical devices specifically used in physical and occupational rehabilitation therapy used to help individuals re-learn to walk and for gait training. Balance balls and trampolines are also used for physiotherapy to improve coordination, balance, muscle strength, spinal health etc.
These physiotherapy equipment tools underline that physical rehab from injury, illness or disease isn’t always about newfangled technology and medications; even the most common devices can make a huge difference under the careful guidance of a qualified expert.
And that means treadmills, exercise bikes, elliptical trainers and pedal exercisers are just as likely to find their way into recuperation.
Duties of a Physiotherapy Assistant
A Physiotherapy Assistant’s role is hands-on and highly patient-based. Physiotherapy Assistants work with Physiotherapists and are required to be responsible for providing patient care and encouraging patients to complete specific treatment plans related to injury, illness or disability-related physical issues. In fact, helping our senior members of society maintain or regain mobility is a major part of physio work, not to mention a highly rewarding one.
They generally work indoors in a room or other space specifically designated for physical therapy, although they may also work in clients' homes.
From assisting with clinic treatment to doing house calls around town, a Physiotherapy Assistant is an integral cog in the clinic wheel.
All that rehab exercise equipment mentioned earlier? A Physiotherapy Assistant assists in performing manual exercises to increase the patient’s strength. From there it might be a therapeutic massage or ultrasound treatment and helping someone get up and make their progress on a cane or an artificial limb. As a highly trained professional with vast knowledge, a sizable part of a Physiotherapy Assistant’s job is imparting the training knowledge to recuperating clients before they finish their clinic treatment.
How much does a Physiotherapy Assistant make?
A Physiotherapy Assistant’s salary in Australia ranges anywhere between $40,000 to $55,000 a year (Payscale, 2018). This means they can earn between $19 and $25 per hour, depending on their qualifications and experience.
