Kinesitherapy - return to lost mobility
Kinesiotherapy is one of the techniques of physiotherapy based on treatment with movement. That is why kinesiotherapy is defined as a form of therapeutic gymnastics or rehabilitation exercises. In kinesiotherapy, the most important thing is exercise, which is treated as a therapeutic measure that affects the entire body. The activities focus on the maximum removal of physical disability and on preparing the patient for further rehabilitation, e.g. social rehabilitation.
Kinesiotherapy is a set of rehabilitation exercises adapted to each patient. During rehabilitation, individual kinesiotherapy is the basic form of treatment that can be combined with physical therapy. Such therapy allows you to strengthen the positive result of the treatment and allows you to regain full efficiency faster. However, it should be remembered that there are some contraindications to the procedure. It is also important to properly select the frequency and intensity according to the general state of health. Individual kinesiotherapy includes passive, isometric, active-passive, breathing and support exercises. The following activities are eligible for general kinesiotherapy: morning exercises, relaxing exercises, in water and general conditioning. There are also therapeutic techniques – manual, muscle energization and neuromotor improvement.
Kinesiotherapy is also often used during spine rehabilitation. Its main task is to relax tense muscles and reduce pain. Kinesiotherapy of the lumbar spine is based on unloaded exercises, which are designed to increase the mobility of the spine. At an advanced stage, you should also remember about relaxing gymnastics.
Kinesiotherapy in Poland, is it worth it?
Indications
It is worth remembering that kinesiotherapy has a number of indications and few contraindications, so before starting any exercises, you should consult a specialist who will select the appropriate set of exercises. It is necessary to cooperate with a physiotherapist who will help with the exercise. The main indications for kinesiotherapy include, among others: obesity, dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal system, orthopedic and traumatic ailments, rheumatoid diseases, discopathy, degeneration of the spine, desire to increase muscle mass, spine pain, limited mobility of the limbs, muscle atrophy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, posture defects. An indication is also the early support for the motor development of children and the improvement of psychophysical health. Also, if you want to:
- Return to the former fitness,
- Correct posture defects,
- Make the limbs more efficient,
- Help in the treatment of multiple sclerosis,
and also, if you care about professional help in returning to your former activity, kinesiotherapy with a professional will be a perfect solution for you!
Contraindications
As with any treatment, a specialist may refuse to perform it, also in kinesiotherapy. Contraindications are incomplete bone adhesions, dislocations, bruises and sprains, high pressure, the presence of stitches, severe pain and phlebitis. Indications and contraindications relating to a given type of exercise are established by the rehabilitation team, taking into account the type of disease and the current fitness and physical capacity of the patient. Contraindications also include acute inflammation of muscles, joints and bones, acute period of cardiovascular and respiratory system diseases, circulatory and respiratory failure, feverish states, and severe general condition of the patient.
The procedure
The procedure does not require any special preparations. The patient should wear comfortable sports clothes. You should take care of personal hygiene and bring the imaging documentation, including the results of imaging tests (ultrasound, X-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) with descriptions. If the patient is pregnant or suspects it, she should inform the team about it before the treatment.
Before the first session, a thorough medical interview is made and the patient’s health is assessed. Kinesiotherapy is the activity of performing exercises in a set rhythm, number of repetitions and in a manner specified by the therapist. Depending on the problem causing the dysfunction, more or less complex sets of exercises are selected. Classes require 30 to 60 minutes, they are usually held 2-3 times a week, but often they are therapeutic cycles of 10 meetings a day. Kinesiotherapy takes place in a specially prepared room with rehabilitation equipment.
The term kinesiotherapy is also often used interchangeably by therapeutic gymnastics. There is also a division into local and general techniques. Local techniques are direct effects on the diseased organ. The patient can use various types of exercises, which are selected according to the patient’s functioning and the goals they intend to achieve. In kinesiotherapy, there are passive, active-passive, active, resistance, guided, breathing or relaxing exercises, standing upright and learning to walk, redressing, self-supporting exercises.
General kinesiotherapy deals with exercises in parts of the body that are not affected by lesions. This type includes general condition exercises, morning gymnastics, water activity, and sports for the disabled. While exercising, the patient must consciously relax his muscles in order to relieve the overall tension. Moreover, each exercise during kinesiotherapy should be consistent with the natural human anatomy, therefore the movements of the joints during exercise must be in line with their physiological axis.
Advantages of kinesiotherapy
Kinesiotherapy has many benefits for overall health. Among the most important are:
- Involvement – the advantage of the treatments is the direct involvement of the patient in the process of restoring them to full or partial physical fitness. Unlike other branches of medicine, in the case of rehabilitation, the most important thing is the personal involvement of the patient in exercises and various rehabilitation treatments. High motivation allows the patient to regain full or partial physical fitness and knows that it is largely due to his own persistence.
- Effectiveness of the effects – kinesiotherapy helps rebuild weakened, atrophic muscle structures, strengthens the skeletal system, stretches the tendons and restores a greater range of motion within the joints. Thus, kinesiotherapy helps to obtain permanent mobility and improve the quality of life of the patient who undergoes this type of treatment. The therapy affects the entire body, improving its efficiency, capacity and range of movements. It acclimates the body to a faster response to stimuli and also makes it easier to move around, preventing the inflammation from getting worse.
- Safety – treatments are completely safe and do not cause any side effects. They also allow you to postpone or avoid risky surgical procedures. The implementation of an individually selected set of physical exercises in conjunction with other types of physiotherapeutic procedures means that orthopedic surgeries may be postponed or the necessity to perform them completely dispensed with.
The effects
Most patients feel a very good effect of kinesiotherapy on their health. A properly prepared set of exercises allows you to achieve such results as, among others relieving pain, improving muscle strength and endurance, body efficiency, elasticity and tension of soft tissues, reducing muscle tension, improving cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency and improving the range of motion. Kinesitherapy makes the recovery of patients who have suffered various injuries much faster. Thanks to the procedure, the patient avoids complications from the respiratory and bone-muscular systems, which are often the result of prolonged immobilization. Kinesiotherapy should be carried out under the supervision of an experienced physiotherapist with appropriate qualifications.
Thanks to kinesiotherapy, patients can increase muscle strength, improve range of motion and deep feeling. In addition, the treatments help relieve pain, improve the elasticity and tension of soft tissues, reduce the increased muscle tension and increase the level of endorphins. Kinesiotherapy also improves cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency, and intensifies metabolic processes. It significantly reduces the risk of back pain syndromes and restores the lost mobility.
If you want to return to the former lost mobility, and you also want to minimize persistent pain from the motor organs, kinesitherapy is a great solution!
