Physiotherapy

When is physiotherapy used?

Physiotherapy can be helpful for people of all ages with a wide range of health conditions, including problems affecting the:

bones, joints and soft tissue - such as back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and sports injuries
brain or nervous system - such as movement problems resulting from a stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson's disease
heart and circulation - such as rehabilitation after a heart attack
lungs and breathing - such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis

Physiotherapy can improve your physical activity while helping you to prevent further injuries.

Physiotherapy is provided by specially trained and regulated practitioners called physiotherapists.

Physiotherapists often work as part of a multidisciplinary team in various areas of medicine and settings, including:

Some physiotherapists can also offer home visits.

Physiotherapists consider the body as a whole, rather than just focusing on the individual aspects of an injury or illness.

Some of the main approaches used by physiotherapists include:

education and advice - physiotherapists can give general advice about things that can affect your daily lives, such as posture and correct lifting or carrying techniques to help prevent injuries
movement, tailored exercise and physical activity advice - exercises may be recommended to improve your general health and mobility, and to strengthen specific parts of your body
manual therapy - where the physiotherapist uses their hands to help relieve pain and stiffness, and to encourage better movement of the body

There are other techniques that may sometimes be used, such as exercises carried out in water (hydrotherapy or aquatic therapy) or acupuncture.