Role of Physiotherapy in Health
The state of physical, mental, social & spiritual wellbeing is called health.
Physiotherapy: is the branch of medical science which deals with the rehabilitative, facilitative and preventive way of treatment by the use of electrical modalities and therapeutic exercises.
Physiotherapy is the Treatment of diseases by means of electrical modalities and therapeutic exercises.
The goal of the WHO is "Health for all by the year 2000"
Change of environment and increasing population may lead to the development of other health problems, for example increased RTA, A greater percentage of people develop Heart CHD and CVA (Hemiplegia), and lung cancer as well despite the health education programmes such as campaign to stop smoking.
The alterations in medical technology and improved health care have in instances increased the demand on the PT profession. More physically and mentally handicapped children survive and people have a longer life expectancy. These together with developments in cardiac and transplant surgery, neuro surgery and some other surgical procedures all place further demands on PT services.
Community care has increased with the consequent need for PATIENT The community physiotherapist helps to monitor pts. who have been discharged from hospital to ensure that they are maintaining the level of physical activity reached on leaving hospital and to ensure that they are progressing towards optimal or full independence. He may see patients in community for advice and/ or treatment.
Also, general practitioner referrals has id the demand for PT, particularly in OPDs.
The physiotherapy is recognized as a health professional to whom other health professionals will refer patients to assessment, advice, & treatment.
PT includes assessing the patient planning and implementing the Treatment programme, evaluating and then altering the treatment as the result of evaluation.
Physiotherapy treats and rehabilates the patient who are suffering from celerabral palsy (CP), hemiplegia, paraplegia, tetraplegia, facial palsy, transverse myelitis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Guillain Bere Syndrome (GBS), myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophies, polio myelitis and many other challenging cases.
Chest Physiotherapy is also very effective in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) like bronchitis, emphysema, bronchiectasis, asthma etc. as a physiotherapy measures like postural drainage, breathing exercise, percussion, vibration and shaking are performed. There is also an important role of physiotherapy in pre and post thoracotomy operation. Thoracotomy is performed for open heart surgery, pneumectomy, lobectomy, heart transplant etc.
The skill of the physiotherapist lies in the ability to gain the cooperation of the patient, to make a good assessment, to select the appropriate techniques, to implement and evaluate the Treatment plan effectively thus leading the patient towards complete or optimal independence. Thus the physiotherapy is involved in a complex decision making process in order to give an effective Treatment.
-Dr. Y.R.Pandey