Top 6 Signs You Need Physiotherapy

My husband has been complaining about an Achilles issue for a couple of years now. With two little ones to be constantly trading off, there is no time for in clinic, hands on treatment from me. But as you may have guessed, I am a big exercise pusher... So a couple of weeks ago he lamented (again) "am I never going to be able to run again?" And, my response (again) was "Have you been doing your eccentric exercises?" This time, though, he has actually followed my advice and has been doing them regularly. Last night he said to me "I think those exercises are actually working."
Really? Was my advice your last resort?
So, when do you know that you need an expert (physiotherapist or otherwise) opinion in regards to your injury?

1. You have an acute injury. Heard a snap? Have bruising? Swelling? Are you limping? Time to see a doctor or physiotherapist. Your physiotherapist can assess your injury and will help maximize your recovery as well as give you a program to help you get back to your sport/activity of choice while minimizing the chance of re-injury.

2. You have had surgery or been immobilized. Surgery and immobilization can lead to limits in strength, range of motion, proprioception (balance and motor control) and gait. your physiotherapist is trained to maximize your recovery of all these elements.

3 Pain is holding you back from your normal activity levels. I am a firm believer in living an active lifestyle. Activity helps you heal faster, sleep better, live longer and improves mental and emotional well-being. And in my opinion REST RARELY fully RESOLVES the issue (see my instructions on dealing with running injuries!) So do what ever you need to get back to it!


4. You have numbness. Any numbness indicates there is a pinched nerve. Your sports/orthopaedic specialist (doctor, physiotherapist, chiropractor) will help diagnose where the numbness is coming from and how best to deal with it.

5. Dr. Google hasn't helped. It is hard to diagnose yourself. I have a hard time doing it and I am a trained professional! Yes, sometimes you can help yourself with one quick fix, but in most cases someone needs to physically see your weaknesses, tightness, posture and more to really give you an appropriate diagnosis and program.

6. All else fails. Hopefully you will not be like my husband and wait until this happens, but if you are at this stage maybe its time...

To see what a physiotherapist at our clinic can do for you, see a list of our services on our website.

As always, thanks for reading, Rebecca