There are various types of physical agents which we use frequently in the treatment of our patients. These are agents and methods include bur are not limited to hot or cold packs, analjesic currents, anti-edema currents, ultrasound, short-wave diathermy, and muscle stimulation.
We use physical therapy to reduce pain and swelling, to speed up the healing of tissue, to gain flexibility in the tissues and joints, to prepare the tissue for exercise, etc.
It is imperative to make a specific and accurate diagnosis of musculoskeletal pain. The correct diagnosis is the cause-effect relationship which accurately accounts for the mechanism leading to the occurrence of pain.
Pain occurs via two mechanisms:
Therapeutic exercise is the single modality which we incorporate in the treatment of all our patients and clients. The reason is that exercise aims to manage the functions of the musculoskeletal system (flexibility, strength, endurance, speed and ajility). No treatment plan would be effective without bringing the musculoskeletal functions to normal. As a result, therapeutic exercise forms the basis of treatment of musculoskeletal problems.