Preventative Physiotherapy: Learn How to Reduce & Prevent Injuries

Do you need to be injured to receive physiotherapy treatment?

Many people think of physiotherapy as a treatment service only for those that have suffered an injury or require rehabilitation. However, many people are discovering the benefits of preventative physiotherapy.

Causes of Injury
 
Preventative physiotherapy is currently popular among athletes as it can reduce the chances of injury. In athletes, injury usually occurs due to overuse of a joint or muscle. For instance, lateral epicondylitis or “tennis elbow” as referred to by most people, is common in tennis players and occurs due to repetitive use of muscles and tendons in your forearm. There is also a version for golfers called “golfer’s elbow”.
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Nonetheless, these injuries aren’t limited to athletes. Rather, anyone can suffer from overuse injuries due to any repetitive motion and overuse of the same tendons and muscles. Often, these injuries can occur in the workplace with labour jobs that require the same motions for extended periods of time. ​

How to Prevent Injury with Physiotherapy Treatment
 
The easiest way to prevent injury is to “warm up” before you engage in physical activity. By performing warm up exercises, you can increase blood circulation and flexibility which helps prepare the body for physical activity. Physiotherapists can recommend several stretches and exercises depending on the specific type of physical activity engaged in by a person. For example, a pulled muscle can be stretched to bring back its elasticity; thus, preventing it from tightening up again.

Another way to prevent injury is to add variation within your physical activity. Adding variation to your physical activity will prevent any overuse injuries to occur. Additionally, repetitive physical activities may result in certain muscle groups being more developed than other areas of your body. A physiotherapist can help you identify which areas of your body need to be strengthened and create an exercise plan to address those muscle groups.

Frequently, we depend to heavily on pills and prescription medication to help with our injuries which only provide temporary relief, rather than a long-term solution to injuries. Instead of waiting for injury to occur, we should access the physical activity we are engaging in with a physiotherapist and develop a plan that is best suited to our well-being. We should not underestimate the benefits of physiotherapy. Just look at all of our gold medal athletes; they all have a personal physiotherapist. 

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By: Haninder Dhillon

​Amateur chef, foodie and health & wellness professional. Also, likes to eat and share good food with good company.