After your physiotherapy appointment there are a few important things to do to achieve maximum gains and effective treatment, to ensure steps towards your goal(s) are achieved.
- After seeing the physiotherapist it is important to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. This will often be advised by your physiotherapist as soft tissue work and exercises completed during your appointment cause dehydration. During soft tissue work and exercise your muscles are working, causing fluids to pump out of the soft tissue and move to your kidneys via your circulatory system. Any potential pains can be reduced by rehydrating your body. Additionally metabolic waste builds up within the muscles making them tight and potentially form knots, affecting circulation and ability to flush out waste. Soft tissue work releases tension and promotes circulation allowing waste products to move. Drinking water will help get rid of this waste which has been released through soft tissue work.
- Follow through with individualised specific advice that has been given to you such as the application of ice or heat, or modifications of exercise like going for a gentle walk. Advice given will be to help manage and reduce your symptoms allowing you to do more with less pain. This may also be provided to help reduce further injury to that area and prevent the onset of aches or pains in other areas of your body due to compensation in protecting your original complaint. Advice provided also aims to promote healing to the area of injury or pain.
- Finally, it is important to commence any exercises that have been prescribed by your physiotherapist. These exercises, such as stretches or strengthening exercises, will be checked to ensure correct technique and control is used. In commencing your rehabilitation, these modified and adapted exercises will aim to help and reduce your symptoms and help you achieve your goal.
If you have any questions or you’re unclear about anything that has been discussed in your physiotherapy appointment, do not hesitate to ask your physiotherapist at Embrace Life, (even if this is after you have left) as they can help clarify and explain things to you. Give us a call and we will endeavour to get your Physiotherapist to contact you and talk through any concerns you may have.
