Physiotherapy is practised by professionally trained physiotherapists who are skilled and educated specifically in proper care and rehabilitation.

Physiotherapy involves treatment that focuses on prevention of injuries or disabilities, it helps to relieve pain, promote healing and restore function and movement.

How is physiotherapy used to treat pain?

Physiotherapists take a holistic approach, looking at the body as a whole rather than focusing on the individual factors of an injury or illness.

For example, back pain can be caused by a number of different things, including:

• poor posture
• inherited spinal deformity
• bending or twisting awkwardly
• overstretching
• standing for long periods
• lifting or carrying objects incorrectly

A Physiotherapist may focus on decreasing pain with either passive or active therapy. Examples of passive techniques include:

• Heat/ice packs
• TENS units
• Ultrasound

Examples of active techniques include:

• Stretching and range of motion exercises
• Mobilisations
• Dry Needling
• Massage

Points to consider about physiotherapy and pain

An important aspect to bear in mind about physiotherapy and pain relief is that individuals may respond differently to therapy. People have different types of bodies, different patterns of movement, different alignments and different habits. Physiotherapists and their trained staff can monitor each individual and attempt to correct improper habits, alignments and movement patterns.