Michelle Depass, physiotherapist, performs ultrasound to the neck of a 29-year-old woman suffering severe muscle spasms after being hit by a motor car. - CARLINGTON WILMOT/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
SUFFERING FROM muscle spasms or lower back pain? It might just be time to ask your doctor for a referral to a physiotherapist.
Physiotherapists (in the United States, physical therapists) use physical means to treat disease and disability. The major conditions managed by physiotherapists can be broadly grouped into three categories:
1. Musculoskeletal - various therapeutic modalities are available to physiotherapists working in this area, including exercise prescription (strength, motor control, stretching endurance), manual techniques, soft tissue massage and so on.
2. Cardiopulmonary - cardiopulmonary physiotherapists work with patients in a variety of settings, treating acute problems like asthma, acute chest infections and trauma as well as in the preparation and recovery of patients from major surgery.
3. Neurological - this group of physiotherapists typically use exercises to restore motor function, attempting to overcome motor deficits and improve motor patterns.
Source: http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Physiotherapy.
