‘History of Physiotherapy’

A Brief Definition of Physical Therapy

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Linguistically, the terms come physiotherapy and physical therapy from the Greek word physis (= nature) from. Basic principles of physiotherapy is to exercise stimuli to the organism, which in its natural environment are already available. Such stimuli can include the application of heat or cold, or the execution of specific active or passive movements. All of these stimuli, ie heat, cold, and movements of the body already knows from everyday life. In contrast, the stimuli appear in physical therapy but not random and undirected one on the organism, but also consciously controlled and targeted manner. One such example is the local application of refrigeration in inflammatory processes.

Finally, the stimuli to fulfill a purpose or a therapeutic aim: They should produce an active response of the organism. These responses come from the natural range of physical reactions. It’s automatic, for example, the skin responds to a cold stimulus at first with white blaze, later reactive with redness and warming. Such natural reactions controls the involuntary nervous system. Does it have to respond again to the same stimulus, in his answer will change sooner or later something. To be therapeutically effective the stimulus, however, affect more than once – series, he must, wherever possible, term treatment are used.

Besides the direct response and change in this response over time, the physical therapy procedures have usually also indirect effects. For example, the repeated application of heat and cold stimuli, alternating the body acclimatise to colds.

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Areas of Physical Therapy

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

Many of the successes of medicine in practice, in hospitals and in rehabilitation are not possible without the physiotherapy. Priorities include the treatment of pain and removal of functional deficits. This is not always just about the musculoskeletal system – although the diseases prevalent because of the age structure of population of course – even nervous, cardiovascular, metabolic or respiratory disorders are physical therapy to influence prices.

And what is often forgotten: Physiotherapy is not just a means to restore or heal. It is also particularly true for once-recognized risk or vulnerability to be proactive. Extend back to disorder of body function that must be made irreversible, the physiotherapy management processes set in motion.

Consequently, the three areas of physical therapy are in the

  • Prevention: (prevention) prevention of the emergence of diseases (so-called primary or Erstprävention) or the prevention of recurrence of a similar disease (so-called second or secondary prevention).
  • Therapy (treatment) early and long-term treatment of acute and chronic illnesses, support to other treatment measures for acute illnesses. Improve the quality of life in older age.
  • Rehabilitation: Measures to restore capabilities that enable it to participate in spite of physical impairments in daily life. Reduce or offset of loss of function, quality of life etc.
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Physical Therapy – an Overview

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

Fango, Kneipp and massage – this is the one most people spontaneously, when it comes to physical therapy or physical therapy. Some people think then perhaps even to the physiotherapy. In the physical therapy has much more to offer.

The first confusion rises at the concept: what physical therapy is different from physical therapy? There are different opinions. While the talk of a physical therapy and physiotherapy in the same breath and with it the same thing, others turn a difference. Even the legislature is not entirely conclusive: on one hand he speaks of a “physical therapist law,” the other, he says elsewhere, “Physical Therapy”.

Sometimes it is also dependent on the profession, which term is preferred: doctors often talk about the Physical Therapy, physiotherapists and masseurs are rather of the physiotherapy. Physiotherapists and masseurs further training call themselves physiotherapists, doctors konnnen “Specialist in Physical Medicine to be” or the suffix “take physical therapy.” The Physical Therapy in turn is part of Physical Medicine.

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