What is it with Physiotherapists and Exercises???
Key Points
Targeted exercises are able to provide decreased pain, increased movement, better function and help tissues heal / remodel.
Personalised exercise provide long term solutions to musculoskeletal issues and post surgical recovery.
Physiotherapy guided exercises can (and I would argue should) be used in prevention of injuries as well a rehabilitation.
Introduction
In the world of physiotherapy, the significance of exercise as a treatment modality cannot be overstated. As a physiotherapist deeply invested in the well-being of my patients, I am continually thinking about the best exercises for each patient and not just handing out a generic plan and making exercises plans targeted. I am sure there are plenty of my patients that wonder why physiotherapists like myself keep asking them to do exercises. I know patients also find the exercises boring, time consuming, slow and sometimes make them sore. In this post, we’ll explore the latest research supporting the integration of exercise treatment in physiotherapy and shed light on why it has become a cornerstone of rehabilitation practices.
A Shift in Physiotherapy
To my knowledge traditionally, physiotherapy has been associated with passive treatments such as massages, electrotherapy, and joint mobilizations. While I do believe there is a place for these interventions in the management of pain, inflammation and stiffness. The contemporary landscape of physiotherapy has seen a paradigm shift towards a more active and patient-centered approach. This shift is thanks to a plethora of recent research that highlights the numerous benefits of exercise in promoting recovery, restoring functionality, long term resolution and prevention of re-injury.
If you would like to learn more about how I combine hands on therapies with exercise treatment contact us at Palm Beach Physiotherapy, 07 5598 1222 and ask to see Tom.
The Power of Movement
The research consistently demonstrates that exercise is not to merely enhance muscle strength, muscle size, body aesthetics or cardiovascular health; it can also achieve focused results for physiological and psychological healing. Studies have shown that targeted exercises tailored to a patient’s specific condition can alleviate pain, improve joint flexibility, and enhance overall mobility. From my reading there is also a pain / neuro modulations effect with movement and exercises, which essentially means that exercises can help to reduce pain signal frequency or intensity.
Tailored Prescriptions for Individual Needs
One of the key things I say to patients regularly is that even though research may say an exercise is the best for a particular condition, everyone is different and not every exercise works for everybody. As such re-evaluation of an exercise program is a must after being given out to a patient. This is the part of exercise therapy that I love, the problem solving and hunting for the best possible program for each individual and sometimes coming up with novel approaches. This individualized approach ensures that the prescribed exercises are not only effective but also safe and enjoyable, fostering adherence to the treatment plan. Click on this link to find out more.
Recent studies have shown that personalized exercise regimens for patients recovering from orthopedic surgeries significantly accelerate rehabilitation and reduce the risk of complications. This tailored approach takes into account factors such as age, fitness level, and the nature of the injury, optimizing outcomes and minimizing the likelihood of setbacks.
If you are interested in discussing a personalised rehabilitation plan following orthopaedic surgery, click on this link.
How long do you need to do exercises for?
In my opinion this is one of the most common issues physiotherapists have with exercises and results is simply patients are not informed of how long they need to do the exercises for in order to see results, and when someone doesn’t see results in the time line they are expecting they stop. The timeline for seeing results from exercise varies for different body tissues. Research indicates that muscle adaptation can occur relatively quickly, with noticeable changes evident within a few weeks of consistent resistance training (Damas et al., 2018), and continued training for up to 12 weeks to see lasting strength improvements.. Tendons and ligaments have slower responses to exercise, with studies suggesting that significant improvements in tendon and ligament properties may take several months, emphasizing the importance of sustained training for optimal outcomes (Wiesinger et al., 2015). Bone is a dynamic tissue, in that it responds gradually and continually depending on the stresses applied to it consistently over long periods of time. Research indicates measurable improvements in bone density and strength after several months of weight-bearing exercises (Kelley et al., 2018). All this being said these are only rough general guides individual factors such as age, fitness level, and exercise intensity play crucial roles in determining the pace and magnitude of musculoskeletal adaptations.
Prevention is Better Than Cure
One of my biggest passions with regards to physiotherapy, my clinical practice and the direction I would like to see physiotherapy take in Australia is, utlising physiotherapy in pro-active and preventative way. In my opinion the system we are stuck in is only being thought of after someone is hurt, instead we have a plethora of skills to significantly reduce the risk of injury in the future. People are happy to spend money on ice baths, saunas, supplements and lotions’n’potions, which are all great and I have spent my money on all of these in my time, but in my opinion they are all 1%ers. What I mean by that is that they do offer benefits and do add to the overall well being picture but unless you have a balanced goal driven exercise program, appropriate diet (which I have no place to speak on) and musculoskeletal deficits managed then the 1%ers are not going to get you to achieve your goal.
Recent studies emphasize the role of targeted exercises in preventing musculoskeletal injuries, particularly in populations at higher risk, such as athletes and individuals with sedentary lifestyles. Between those 2 ends of the spectrum it seems that all of us could benefit from physiotherapy targeted exercise, so if you want to know more click this link.
Conclusion
As physiotherapy continues to evolve and approaches adapt to provide more effective consistent results it is my opinion that exercise therapy will be a constant staple to provide lasting results and improved quality of life. I do also believe that it is important for physiotherapy to acknowledge that while exercise research is extremely solid, there is also a place for hands of therapies and potentially new technology such as laser therapy or shockwave therapy in patient treatment. I believe it is also necessary to listen to patient needs and feedback in order to find what works for each individual.
Interested in a balance treatment approach call us at Palm Beach Physiotherapy and make an appointment with Tomos Bevan.