Jacky Peter Physiotherapy - Physio FAQ's (General)

Aren't physios just highly paid massagers? >>back to top: No, physiotherapy is a highly specialised, 4 year degree (with honours) where physios are trained to treat the entire body... Not just with massage! There are very specific types of techniques (joint and nerve mobilisation, myofascial release, electrotherapy, massage, exercise, traction to mention but a few) used in treating all sorts of injury/dysfunction.
How do I know if I need a physio? >>back to top: If you have any pain or discomfort, you most probably need physiotherapy. Most causes of pain/swelling/weakness in the body are coming from an injury caused to the nerves/muscles/joints (neuro-muscular-skeletal system). This is a physio's speciality! However, pain that is being referred from an organ (stomach, heart, gall bladder etc) can be felt in the muscles or joints. For example, the heart muscle can refer pain into the arm and chest; gall stones can give you a sore shoulder/shoulder blade. If this is found to be the case, you will be referred to your GP or a specialist as physio won't really help.
When would you go to a Chiropractor, and when would you go to a physio? >>back to top: This is a tricky one to answer as physios and chiros often treat the same thing in similar, but different ways.
Chiropractors mainly manipulate the spine and joints or 'click everything back into place'. When the chiropractor isolates the source of the problem, a manipulation can give instant relief of pain and stiffness!
A Physiotherapist also treats pain and stiffness, among other things, and can use manipulation/mobilizations as one of the many treatments options available.
The main question any health-care practitioner must ask is 'why did the joint become stiff or painful in the first place?' That answer will lead to the CAUSE/SOURCE of the problem and not just the SYMPTOM. For example, if your lower back is stiff and sore (symptom) it may be because you have a weak glut muscle (buttock muscle)(cause) so your back has to work harder to extend your leg when you walk. For interest sake, if you are a cricketer you will have to overuse your arm when you bowl because your lats (major muscle of shoulder) works together with the opposite buttock muscle (glut) when bowling or throwing. This will cause a shoulder injury (symptom) but the CAUSE is not in shoulder but in the leg (weak glut). So then, if the lower back is not the source of the problem, treating the lower back only will not help! The whole mechanics of the body (starting with strengthening the glut muscle) needs to be corrected TOGETHER WITH treating the stiff and sore lower back! This is all based on a THOROUGH assessment by the practitioner!
What's the difference between a biokineticist and a physiotherapist? >>back to top: To read what physios do, please see the answer to Aren't physio's just highly paid massagers ?.
Biokinetics and Physiotherapy go hand in hand. It is important for both therapists to be involved in client care.
Biokineticists are the best exercise specialists! They assess (sometimes together with a physio) what exercises are specific to a person and their body type/general health/injury/ sport. They use certain tests and equipment to accurately measure strength in muscles, picking up subtle differences between left and right and different muscle groups. They also perform other tests to determine your oxygen content/volume when you are at rest or exercising as this will affect your performance! They normally do the exercise/rehab sessions with the client to make sure the exercises are correct, specific and progressive.
Often, a physio will treat the dysfunction (pain/swelling/stiffness), but then the healing needs to be maintained with exercise. So, the best results are achieved by a physio and a biokineticist both being involved in client care.