“Physiotherapists can help with that?”

“Physiotherapists can help with that?” I have had a lot of conversations with family, friends, and patients lately that have started with that question. It has made me reflect to when I was in school to become a physiotherapist because I was shocked at the size of our scope. At that time, I associated physiotherapists with sports related injuries, and I was totally unaware of the other roles physiotherapists played in our healthcare team. Here is a list of the some of the less common things that we do:

1.     Physiotherapists can assist with managing temporomandibular pain, aka TMJ pain. Before I became a physiotherapist, I had no clue that physiotherapists could help with jaw pain. We can provide patients with education and exercises. Laser and manual therapy may also be appropriate in managing symptoms.

2.     Headaches! There are a wide variety of reasons as to why you have a headache. There is a subgroup of headaches that are caused from the neck. If that is the case, treating the neck should assist with headaches.  It can be surprising how quickly headaches subside with treatment.

3.     Managing osteoarthritis. Wait times can be long in New Brunswick for a knee or hip replacement, and you do not need to suffer while you wait. Physiotherapists can provide exercises, manual therapy, and advise on how to navigate your wait.

4.     Return to exercise. A lot of people have taken a break from exercise due to covid-19. Physiotherapists can screen patients and assist with return to an exercise program. A screening may be appropriate to determine current areas of weakness. We can create a plan to allow you to reach your goals, with a reduced risk of injury.

5.     Tackling inflammatory arthritic conditions. Just like we can assist with return to exercise program, we can help patients who have been diagnosed with rheumatic arthritis’s. We can review how to manage your day-to-day and provide you with a plan to allow you to reach your goals.

If you’re ever wondering, can physiotherapy help, then please feel free to contact the clinic. We may not be the right person for the job, but we can point you in the right direction. The number of services available is surprising, and you may be missing out on something that can be really helpful.