Phy­sio­the­rapy

Phy­sio­the­rapy is the sci­ence of move­ment. Phy­sio­the­rapy is an essen­tial part of the pre­ven­tion, dia­gno­sis and tre­at­ment of motor system dis­or­ders. It enables people of all ages to improve their mobi­lity and func­tional abili­ties, as well as reli­eve or pre­vent pain. Phy­si­cal the­ra­pists use their exten­sive know­ledge of the mus­cu­los­ke­le­tal system as well as the neu­ro­lo­gi­cal, car­dio­vas­cu­lar and pul­mo­nary func­tions of the body to work with pati­ents to deve­lop indi­vi­dua­li­zed goals for impro­ving their health and qua­lity of life. The­ra­pies are tail­o­red to each individual’s needs and may take the form of exer­cise pro­grams or manual the­rapy tech­ni­ques. Phy­sio­the­rapy has evol­ved greatly in recent deca­des and now offers a wide range of tre­at­ment opti­ons for almost all health pro­blems. In Ger­many, about one in six drug pre­scri­bers works as a phy­sio­the­ra­pist – and the trend is rising! New New Physio Phy­sio­the­rapyhas recently opened in Heidelberg.

The job descrip­tion of a physiotherapist

Being a phy­sio­the­ra­pist is the­r­e­fore very ver­sa­tile and varied. As a phy­sio­the­ra­pist, you will treat people of all ages with a wide variety of com­plaints. In doing so, it is your respon­si­bi­lity to inde­pendently dia­gnose the pati­ent and select the right tre­at­ment method. A sound edu­ca­tion is the­r­e­fore a basic requi­re­ment for the pro­fes­sion of phy­si­cal therapist.

Phy­sio­the­rapy tre­at­ment methods

Common tre­at­ment methods include mas­sage, gym­nastic exer­ci­ses, and heat or cold the­ra­pies. Ano­ther important aspect of your work is coun­seling pati­ents. You give tips on the right diet and exer­cise to pre­vent or alle­viate com­plaints. You also advise pati­ents on the sel­ec­tion of aids such as ortho­pe­dic artic­les and pro­vide indi­vi­dual solu­ti­ons for each person.

Mas­sage and gym­nastic exer­ci­ses can be used to both pre­vent and alle­viate dis­com­fort. Trai­ning as a phy­sio­the­ra­pist usually takes 3.5 years and can be com­ple­ted at a tech­ni­cal col­lege or voca­tio­nal aca­demy. Admis­sion requi­re­ments are usually a gene­ral uni­ver­sity ent­rance qua­li­fi­ca­tion or a sub­ject-rela­ted uni­ver­sity ent­rance qua­li­fi­ca­tion. Gym­nastic exer­ci­ses such as stret­ching and streng­thening exer­ci­ses are an important part of phy­sio­the­rapy. Heat or cold the­ra­pies can reli­eve pain and pro­mote mobility.