Exercise
Are we exercising pain away?
Specific therapeutic (for treatment) exercises
The efficacy of therapeutic (for treatment) exercises has long been proven to help patients to manage and alleviate pain of musculoskeletal origin.a Unfortunately, health professionals might not be prescribing exercises as often as they should. A study found that less than half of the nearly 700 people surveyed for chronic (long-standing) back or neck pain were prescribed exercise. The results, based on a telephone survey, showed that those who were given instructions to exercise were nearly twice as likely to have received the order from a physiotherapist than from a physician or chiropractor. Roughly a third of physiotherapists' patients, though, still did not receive an exercise prescription.
I find the result of this study agreeable clinically. Most patients who have been seen by other health professionals before attending my clinic have not been given specific therapeutic (for treatment) exercises. Advice on general exercises such as swimming, walking, Yoga, may have been given but these exercises are often not specific enough to be beneficial and sometimes detrimental for certain conditions at certain stages. The aims of specific therapeutic exercises are to ensure that treatment may continue outside of the clinic and to prevent further deterioration. The required exercises must therefore include self-mobilizations, mobility, stretching, strengthening/stability and postural exercises as indicated at various stages of the conditions. However, I find the word 'exercise' is too general or even confusing for most patients. Most people would regard swimming as exercising the shoulder, walking and running as exercising the legs and housework as exercising the whole body. They find it hard to believe that these exercises could be causing further damage to the already injured areas as they are only following instructions to 'exercise'. The reasons of why therapeutic exercises are not given are certainly complicated. Are we worrying about giving ''revenue reduction advic'' or else? The lack of prescribing the appropriate and specific therapeutic exercises means depriving patients of the best possible treatment does worsen the issue further.
Luck LI
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist
I find the result of this study agreeable clinically. Most patients who have been seen by other health professionals before attending my clinic have not been given specific therapeutic (for treatment) exercises. Advice on general exercises such as swimming, walking, Yoga, may have been given but these exercises are often not specific enough to be beneficial and sometimes detrimental for certain conditions at certain stages. The aims of specific therapeutic exercises are to ensure that treatment may continue outside of the clinic and to prevent further deterioration. The required exercises must therefore include self-mobilizations, mobility, stretching, strengthening/stability and postural exercises as indicated at various stages of the conditions. However, I find the word 'exercise' is too general or even confusing for most patients. Most people would regard swimming as exercising the shoulder, walking and running as exercising the legs and housework as exercising the whole body. They find it hard to believe that these exercises could be causing further damage to the already injured areas as they are only following instructions to 'exercise'. The reasons of why therapeutic exercises are not given are certainly complicated. Are we worrying about giving ''revenue reduction advic'' or else? The lack of prescribing the appropriate and specific therapeutic exercises means depriving patients of the best possible treatment does worsen the issue further.
Luck LI
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist