WHAT IS PHYSICAL THERAPY or PHYSIOTHERAPY?
Can Physical Therapy help posture? Before we take in in-depth look at how Physical Therapy can help with your posture, first we’d better see what Physical Therapy or Physiotherapy actually is.
Physical therapists aim to restore your body with a combination of advice, tailored exercises and manual therapy. Sometimes they’ll also include acupuncture (dry needling), and even hydrotherapy.
They tend to work closely with other healthcare providers. This is because they like to take an holistic approach to your well-being. I like this. It’s important for therapies to look at your problems in a rounded way, rather than just focusing on one item.
For this reason, they work similarly to Osteopaths and Chiropractors. It’s a matter of choice which of these you choose to visit.
I’m more familiar with Physical Therapists than Osteopaths or Chiropractors. I work closely with them in the UK. Here they are called physiotherapists. Some of the Physio’s I know also include elements of Chiropractic or Osteopathy in their work It depends on their level of training.
CAN PHYSICAL THERAPY HELP POSTURE?
Yes, in my experience it can be helpful. I’ve worked with clients who have responded well to Physical Therapy. It is most effective when a tight joint or set of muscles isn’t easing off well when I use the subtler processes that I employ.
A Physical Therapist will work in detail on a particular problem. This is where (in addition to their advanced training and regulation) they differ from a massage therapist. A massage therapist may work generally on you back and shoulders, or on your legs, for example as a sports therapist.
In much the same way as a Chiropractor or Osteopath, a Physical Therapist will take time to diagnose your problem. They will work manually on it, and give you some advice to take away…
But whereas a Chiropractor would want you to keep returning to them to get adjusted, a Physical Therapist will want you to go and work on yourself in between seeing them, in order to progress your improvement. They’ll usually have you undertake a series of exercises or stretching sessions. And guess what? If you actually do those, there’s potential for improvement. But if you don’t, well… The number one moan I hear from Physical Therapists is that their patients go away, and when when they come back… The physio asks “have you done your exercises”? and they get the reply… can you guess? “No! I haven’t!” Well, no wonder! Can physical therapy help posture? Yes, if you’ll help them too!
A FINAL NOTE ON PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR POSTURE…
I work on a daily basis with Physiotherapists. We call them Physiotherapists in the UK. You may call them Physical Therapists in your country. A Physio wants to get in there, do a good job, and throw you out of the door, never to be seen again. In fact I’ve heard one often say “You’re fixed, don’t darken my door again!” In the UK, our National Health Service has it’s own in-house Physio’s. This counts for a lot as a recommendation. So my answer to the question, can physical therapy help posture? It’s yes, that you could use this as a good choice from the available Posture Therapies, in your 5 ways to fix posture series.
Bye for now,
James.
