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Movement is the most accessible and very effective medicine. Proper training of the body increases our physical abilities, strengthens morale and resists many diseases. Physical education classes are needed not only by professional athletes, they have long been used in official medicine for the prevention of diseases and the recovery of patients. With the help of conventional exercises, doctors of physical therapy return patients to a full life after a stroke, heart attack, severe injuries and disorders of the nervous system.
What does this doctor do?
Therapeutic physical culture (LFK) is a combination of conventional physical education, medicine and pedagogy. It is designed to completely return the patient to normal life after physical and moral upheavals. Such a science is based on movements that train the body, restore tone, and restore strength. Therapy methods can be: walking, training, running, swimming, even active games. All that is required of patients in treatment with exercise therapy is conscious exercise. That is why this area of medicine comes into contact with pedagogy, specialists in this field must convey to the patient why he needs physical education.
The exercise therapy doctor prescribes a number of therapeutic exercises to patients, which are based on their capabilities. Most often, such services are needed by people who have suffered a stroke, have lost the ability to walk, and have suffered serious injuries. The lack of proper activity in such cases often leads to the fact that patients cannot return to normal life at all. Also, the doctor’s competence includes posture correction, rehabilitation of patients after operations, treatment of the musculoskeletal system. Often, a visit to such a doctor is required for pregnant women to maintain the woman’s body in the right tone and protect the spine.
An exercise therapy specialist is a person with a higher medical education who has additionally received training in the field of “Therapeutic physical culture”, has undergone practice and internship. For therapy, the doctor assesses the condition of the victim or patient, determines his capabilities and a list of therapeutic measures, and then helps to carry them out. His tasks also include minimal psychological support, since most of his patients are faced with a loss of moral strength. For example, people after a stroke are often forced to deal with paralysis, fear and despondency in such a situation only interfere with rehabilitation. The doctor must return the motive to his ward, for which he needs knowledge in the field of psychology.
The basis of treatment in exercise therapy is physical activity. The list of therapeutic measures used by doctors includes exercises on simulators, swimming in the pool, minimal physical manipulation (for seriously ill patients), games, cycling. Also, such measures are complemented by special massages that improve the effect of physical education. Most of these procedures take place at home according to a plan. Periodically, such exercises take place right in the equipped doctor’s office. In addition, the specialist may recommend rest in sanatoriums where physiotherapy services are provided.
When to See a Physical Therapist
In the vast majority of cases, people get to such a specialist on a referral from another doctor. Many branches of medicine consider exercise therapy as the only method of restoring health, for example, therapeutic training is practiced in orthopedics, traumatology, gynecology, neurology and others. In rare cases, such a doctor is visited independently. Exercise therapy is designed not only to cure a person, it is used for prevention and general strengthening of the body. Consultation with a doctor of exercise therapy will help you choose a set of classes that are suitable in each case. Even healthy people are recommended to go in for sports after the approval of such a specialist.
The help of a doctor in physical therapy is required in such cases:
- after fractures and damage to soft tissues, to accelerate healing;
- with diseases of the joints, flat feet;
- during the period of depressive disorders, such a practice returns the patient to moral health, helps to set goals, get rid of apathy;
- to improve the work of the heart muscle, after illness, for hypertensive patients, as a prevention of coronary disease, strokes and heart attacks;
- in the field of pulmonology, they resort to special breathing practices and exercises for the treatment of tuberculosis, bronchial asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia;
- an obstetrician-gynecologist can refer a pregnant woman to a physiotherapy specialist to strengthen the woman’s body, properly distribute the load, and prevent varicose veins.
In addition, the correct load complex is necessary for obesity, in this case, physical education is considered the basis of therapy. Excess weight has long been seen as a threat to health and normal functioning, and not just as an aesthetic problem. Therefore, it is recommended to get rid of such an ailment with the help of specialists, as a rule, in such situations, a special diet No. 8 and a visit to an exercise therapy doctor are prescribed.
Also, a set of physical exercises is very important for maintaining women’s health. In gynecology, with the help of such measures, a lot of problems are solved, for example, incorrect position of the uterus, menstrual irregularities, prolapse of the walls of the vagina, etc. Active activities have a positive effect on brain function, which explains their use in the field of neurology. Such procedures increase overall satisfaction with life and exclude the possibility of neurosis, periodic depression, and apathy. Moreover, they improve blood circulation, strengthen the respiratory and digestive systems. Such positive consequences fully justify all the efforts of both the doctor and the ward himself.
For the purpose of prevention, you can make an appointment with the doctor of exercise therapy. Such a consultation will help to establish exactly the capabilities of a person and avoid those loads that are undesirable for him. Unfortunately, most gym goers often, in addition to having a beautiful body, “earn” complications after excessive loads. For example, lifting weights is not for everyone, to avoid herniation, displaced discs or damage to the joints, it is better to consult with such a doctor.
What treatments does he use?
The list of dosed exercises is prescribed to patients only after the main therapeutic course. Exercise therapy methods are not used during the acute course of the disease, bleeding, intoxication, functional failures of any organ. This practice is used against the background of rehabilitation, when the body is able to function normally. As already noted, most of these procedures take place at home, periodically the patient visits a specialist for a follow-up examination and exercises in the office. The science of exercise therapy uses the following therapy measures:
- In most cases, morning exercises are considered mandatory. It includes simple movements that help the body return to tone, improve blood circulation and work capacity. It is recommended to spend it in the fresh air, if possible. It is important not to overload yourself, to perform the prescribed classes in the exact amount. As a rule, morning exercises take 10-30 minutes.
- Therapeutic gymnastics is aimed at developing a specific muscle group or organ. It consists of three parts: introductory, main and final. The pace of the load gradually increases, and ends with breathing practices.
- Aqua gymnastics is also considered very effective for general strengthening of the muscles and skeleton, against curvature of the spine. It consists of a set of workouts that are performed in the water, sometimes with an additional tool.
- Running exercises are considered the most affordable and simple way to strengthen the heart muscle. The doctor can recommend the duration of the procedure, speed, frequency.
- Therapeutic walking is suitable for patients for whom running is contraindicated, as well as for the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Such measures are prescribed, providing for different speeds and distances. The terrain also matters, so patients may be advised to walk barefoot on uneven surfaces.
- Massage alone cannot train muscles, but it is an integral part of exercise therapy. With its help, they increase the efficiency of classes, relieve stress, activate metabolic processes. Some types of massage can be performed by the patient himself, but in most cases a massage therapist is required.
Medical therapy and massages are usually added to such methods of treatment. For best results, the specialist prescribes several types of exercises. For seriously ill patients, individual sessions with a doctor are provided, there may also be small groups of several people or completely group sessions. In some cases, when the ward cannot visit his doctor, the exercise therapy doctor comes to the house for consultation and control. In such a situation, the specialist recommends a set of measures, and the patient performs them at home on his own or with the help of loved ones.
After complete recovery, it is recommended not to stop the course of therapeutic measures. If the patient continues to exercise according to the prescribed scheme, he significantly reduces the risk of a new outbreak of the disease. Of all the procedures of therapeutic physical culture, it is definitely recommended to leave morning exercises, which do not take much time, but give very positive results.
How to prepare for an appointment
Finding a good physical therapy doctor can be a daunting task. Only a small part of state medical institutions has such an office; as a rule, the role of this doctor is performed by other doctors. For example, based on the knowledge gained, some exercises may be advised by the orthopedist, cardiologist or gynecologist himself. But for high-quality assistance, a specialist with a narrow focus is required. Most of these employees today are concentrated in private institutions. This has a lot of pluses and only one minus. The disadvantages of such institutions include a high price.
Compensates for this lack of a whole list of pluses. Firstly, in a private clinic, an individual approach and constant assistance from the medical staff are provided. As a rule, here the amount of payment includes an examination, a doctor’s report with a prescribed list of exercises, equipped gyms and swimming pools, and a trainer. In a word, in such conditions, the patient will receive the full range of possible services, but he will have to pay heavily for it. The price of LKF will depend on the level of the clinic itself, the duration of treatment and the necessary procedures.
For a consultation, it is better to prepare in advance:
- sports uniform and shoes (if you need exercises);
- an outpatient card with the conclusions of doctors (if any);
- results of analyzes and researches.
At the appointment, the doctor will examine the documents, listen to complaints, and may prescribe additional examinations. He also independently examines the skin, spine and joints, measures blood pressure and pulse. When he has a complete picture of the disease, he will be able to establish the process of treatment. As a rule, at the first stages of therapy, classes are supervised in small groups or individually. During such procedures, the patient’s pulse and blood pressure are periodically measured. After mastering the technique of classes, the patient can perform the complex independently at home, periodically visit a specialist to adjust the treatment course.
Exercise therapy specialist advice
Any disease is much easier to avoid and prevent than to treat. Therefore, the preventive role of therapeutic physical culture is as important as the restoring one. Getting used to morning exercises, walking, light gymnastics is useful for a person of any age and gender. Physical therapy physicians recommend periodically taking general health promotion measures.
Recovery of the back strengthens the spine and the muscular corset, which ensures the correct posture, the correct position of the internal organs. To take care of your back, it is advised to perform special exercises during gymnastics, exercises for the press are well suited for this. It is also useful to add dumbbells to gymnastics. For example, take a standing position, feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Then you need to bend over so that the body is parallel to the floor, spread your arms to the sides. You can bend them at the elbows, then spread them and return to their original position. The main rule in such exercises is smooth movements, without sharp attacks and jerks.
Meditation, swimming, running, therapeutic walking are useful for prevention and general strengthening. It is important to monitor your well-being during such procedures. If you overcome dizziness, pain in the joints or back, malaise, it is better to consult with an exercise therapy specialist who will select the right load. With a hernia of the spine, scoliosis, osteochondrosis and other diagnosed diseases, physical education should be carried out only with the approval of a doctor. The same applies to pregnant ladies.
The practice of exercise therapy is an affordable and simple medicine. It allows you to reduce the proportion of drug therapy, reduce the side effects of pills and injections. This technique turns the patient from a passive consumer of medicines into an active “builder” of his health. And the doctors of physical therapy once again prove that “movement is life.”