Physical therapy helps individuals recover from an injury and develop, maintain, and restore maximum movement of the body and physical function. Physical therapy can also deal with a chronic condition and prevent future injury. World Physiotherapy Day was started on September 8 in 1996. The day founded in 1951 marks the solidarity of the global physiotherapy community.

The theme this year is "Long COVID and physiotherapy".  This theme will focus on rehabilitation and long COVID and the role of physiotherapists in the treatment and management of people affected by Long COVID.

Dr. Shraddha Khot has worked in the field of Rehabilitation and Fitness at various clinics and hospitals since 2008 in various capacities. She has also been instrumental in setting up Weight loss verticals at leading Fitness chains in India.

She is successfully running a clinic in Mumbai where patient’s health and well-being are their topmost priority. She was a Runner up of the "Alka Memorial Award" at the Indian Association of Physiotherapy conference. She has expertise in practicing Manual Therapy and Mobilization techniques for better results.

All you need to know about “Physiotherapist”

Dr. Shraddha Khot says, “To put it in simple terms, a physiotherapist is a healthcare professional and they basically help to restore a function of an individual post-injury or surgery or post sickness. They also help in the prevention of any kind of injury So, now to put it in, For example, an individual who is suffering from back pain which could be due to a number of reasons, a person is not able to do simple functions like bending forward or he is not able to sit in one position for a long period of time or is unable to work. In this case, a therapist uses a holistic approach in which first they do a physical assessment. And based on the assessment or diagnosis that has been made we can know the cause of the problem and a customized program can be planned specifically to the goal of a person. So, the goal could be the movement or could be improving our overall function or any disorders or a goal could be just restoring the normal day-to-day activities that a person is able to do with ease. So, this is the role of a physiotherapist. “

Importance of physiotherapy 

Dr. Shraddha informs, ” Physiotherapy is not restricted to only pain. Physiotherapy helps in rehabilitation and restoring the function in broader categories like - 

Tennis elbow  Frozen shoulder Post fracture  A neurological disorder like bell’s palsy, Parkinsonism Cardiopulmonary causing breathlessness, and congestion of the chest. 

Physiotherapy helps in improving cardiac function and neurological function by restoring the daily activities of an individual. Physiotherapy is not restricted to one particular category. It's almost everywhere. Rehabilitation is a process to restore your function. It is part of every day. Physiotherapy is a physical therapy that means movement. Physiotherapists help you in  depending on the diagnosis and the condition of the individual.” 

Duration of a therapy session in Physiotherapy 

Dr. Shraddha explains,” The therapy session depends upon the condition to condition and goals. An individual likes a badminton player having neck pain or shoulder pain, due to which they are unable to play badminton or their sport particularly. So, it will range from 30 minutes to one hour depending upon the condition. If it's a neurological condition, where already the processes are slow, for example having paralysis or someone is unable to make a movement like in Parkinson, the process goes slow, because you have to lead as a  physiotherapist need to have patience with the physiotherapy with the patient so that they can carry out their activities with ease at the same time and they are not overburdened with the therapy itself. So, it may last from 30 minutes to one hour, depending upon the condition. It's very condition-specific. And, Covid related sessions take more or less 45 minutes- 1 hour. 100% participation of patients is a must. The speed is not dictated by the therapist, basically how the patient responds, or how the patient participates accordingly the speed can be dictated. After doing a few exercises feeling breathless means you have gone overboard and you need to give a little pause to the therapy, and then they start the therapy again so that they are comfortable with their entire session. So that's how the entire process goes.“

Physiotherapy for a healthy lifestyle

Dr. Shraddha informs, “Exercise is a part and parcel of your life. Movement is part and parcel of your life. That is something that we are not going to stall at any time. And, it shouldn't be stalled also because it reverses the process. Talking about the medical field, physiotherapy is present in every domain and it is going to stay and it is going to improve. Understanding the importance of physiotherapy is important because it is not just pain relief, but it is restoring the function of an individual. So, that that individual can have a normal life without any discomfort or without any hesitation. The person should be able to carry out simple activities with ease when physiotherapy comes into the picture. It is not restricted to only the orthopedic, physiotherapy is everywhere. If you talk about pre-pregnancy, physiotherapy is also required. Post-pregnancy also physiotherapy is required. So, physiotherapy is something which is going to help every population and it is going to spread more and more awareness.”

(Edited by Dr.Rati Parwani)