Physiotherapy can help our Stittsville clients address their physical injuries and conditions that affect their motion, mobility and balance. The trained therapists at our physical therapy center are here to offer a whole range of treatments for our patients to assist them in recovering from and returning to their normal functional levels of physical ability.
The loss of a person's balance, mobility and range of motion are more than simply inconvenient, they can be absolutely life-altering. Clients may find themselves opting out of activities they love, or having to give up hobbies or pastimes because of their discomfort and the fear that with their reduced mobility, they mysteriously injure themselves further.
Some people actually do injure themselves further by undertaking activities that are beyond their capacity or that put excessive strain on parts of their body that they may not even realize have been seriously injured in the first place.
This is where physiotherapy can come in. The physiotherapists at our Stittsville facility are able to offer up a whole host of treatments and therapies to patients who are suffering from a deteriorated sense of balance, restricted mobility and a reduced range of motion.
How can physiotherapy help me recover my range of motion?
As will all physiotherapy treatments, the program our physical therapists will develop to help restore your range of motion will depend on your specific case. Some causes of a reduced range of motion can include chronic pain, muscle spasms, acute physical injuries, invasive surgeries, bad posture and more.
The treatments offered by our physiotherapists to improve our clients' range of motions are both passive (treatments conducted on a patient by a professional such as manual therapy) and active (treatments provided through prescribed exercises that will be taught to you and overseen by a professional).
What is important when it comes to the loss of range of motion in your body, is the prescription of active physiotherapy exercises that target the part of your body experiencing the reduced range of motion. That could be your mid-back (from sitting at your desk for work), or your hips or legs (after surgery).
The exercises we recommend for your issues will often include stretches meant to help your ligaments, muscles and tendons become used to stretching and being engaged for their full elasticity.
How can physical therapy help me to recover my mobility?
The ways that physical therapy can help to restore a client's mobility, like with range of motion, will depend on the kind of injury or condition that is restricting their mobility. It will also depend on the degree to which your mobility is impacted.
For example, we are able to offer treatments and therapies for patients whose functional mobility has been impacted by physical trauma, a disease or a health condition.
Functional mobility is a person's ability to go about their regular day and life, such as moving around in bed or walking through a store. Treatments designed to help patients recover a percentage of their functional mobility will look very different from treatments for people who have only lost some mobility in their neck or mid-back.
As with a reduced range of motion, physiotherapy treatments to help patients recover their mobility are a blend of both treatments our physiotherapists will conduct on you such as hot and cold packs, manual therapy and more, as well as a series of prescribed stretches and exercises, with the aid of your physiotherapist if required, to help return you to your normal level of mobility.
How can physiotherapy help me restore my sense of balance?
Our ability to balance relies on 3 different systems and senses: our vision, a sense called proprioception and a fluid-filled organ in our inner ears called the vestibular system. Our Nepean physiotherapists are able to offer treatments to gradually help these internal systems and senses to begin functioning properly again. Stop us if we sound like a broken record, but the exact treatments that will be prescribed to a client will depend on their unique case and the cause of their sense of balance.
However, because you are trying to give your brain and systems as much "practice" as possible with keeping your balance in safe environments, one of the most common ways of helping to restore your sense of balance and then maintain it involves specialized exercises designed to engage your sense of balance without putting you at risk of a fall.
As with any other physiotherapy treatments, our Stittsville physiotherapists will start out small and slow with the balance and coordination exercises that we prescribe. With these exercises and professional guidance, we will be able to help you to regain your balance your confidence in participating in the activities that you love.