Everyone suffers from aches and pains. It is the severity and cause of these aches and pains that will help to determine the best treatment plan. Two popular treatments are physiotherapy and massage therapy. However, people sometimes find it difficult to determine which of these treatments they need.
What is Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy is used to treat people who have limited mobility and/or pain as a result of injury, illness or disability. This kind of treatment helps such individuals to regain movement and function through exercise, manual therapy and education.
Reasons You May Need Physiotherapy
Stiff Muscles – If you have experienced fractures, sports injuries, back and neck sprains, a physiotherapist will use joint mobilization and manipulation exercises to reduce pain and stiffness of muscles.
Surgery – Physiotherapy is often recommended after certain surgeries to help rehabilitate patients. This is good for patients who require ongoing treatment after procedures such as joint replacement or heart surgery.
Mobility Issues – Physiotherapy can help you to regain balance and mobility after injuries ranging from strains to broken bones. Physiotherapy can also provide treatment for conditions such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis which affect mobility as well.
Old injuries – Sometimes the effects of an old injury can resurface especially if you didn’t deal with it when it was fresh. This can lead to recurring pain and discomfort. Luckily, physiotherapy is designed to address not only recent physical problems but also old injuries that are still causing symptoms.
In-home physiotherapy
You don’t have to go to a hospital or clinic to benefit from physiotherapy as you can access the same services through in-home physiotherapy. With in-home physiotherapy services, also known as mobile physiotherapy, a physiotherapist visits your home or another location that is convenient for you. This is great for patients who have difficulty leaving home. Furthermore, many people with mobility issues have trouble moving about their homes and often have accidents as a result. In-home physiotherapy allows your physiotherapist to develop a treatment plan with exercises that will give you the skills you needed to move around and maintain independence without accidents and further injury.
What is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy is an alternative treatment that uses manual manipulation of soft body tissues such as muscles, connective tissues, tendons and ligaments to enhance a person’s health and well-being.
Reasons You May Need Massage Therapy
Pregnancy – Pregnancy massage, or prenatal massage, refers to a therapeutic massage treatment performed by a registered massage therapist to alleviate symptoms associated with pregnancy. These symptoms include headaches, lower back pain, swelling in the extremities and muscle tension.
Anxiety and Depression – If you experience frequent anxiety or depression, massage therapy can help by increasing levels of serotonin and dopamine to help stabilize mood.
Pain – Massage therapy can relieve muscle tension and pain caused by injuries. Conditions such as Fibromyalgia and arthritis can be relieved or managed with regular massage therapy. A carefully tailored treatment can offer a combination of therapeutic massage techniques to meet the patient’s specific needs.
Circulation improvement – Massage therapy can aid in blood circulation. It also helps improve joint flexibility and posture.
In-home physiotherapy in Accra and surrounding areas
Your specific condition and the symptoms you are experiencing will help you decide between physiotherapy and massage therapy. While massage therapy can be used to control the stress and tension in your body and help relieve symptoms of chronic pain, massage therapy cannot be used for rehabilitation and musculoskeletal strengthening the way physiotherapy can.
