Why Physiotherapy does not work for everyone?

Have you ever wondered why some people say Physiotherapy did not work for them?

A big part of my clinical consultation involves talking to patients who have been struggling to recover from their injuries or Physiotherapy did not work for them in the past.

The most common reason for this could be either you are pushing yourself too much or you did not get the right Physio.

Whenever you have an injury, like any other disease or condition, you need time to recover. 

Even if it is a mild cold, it does not disappear in a day, does it? So it is the same with any musculoskeletal injury. Normally soft tissue injury can take 6 weeks or more to recover and if you have a fracture, complete recovery can take upto 12 weeks (depending on the bone you fracture).

Damage to the soft tissues(muscle, ligament, tendons) causes inflammation around that area and you can have signs like redness, warmth, swelling, pain and sometimes bruises. 

Let’s make it more simple, imagine you had a cut while working in the kitchen or deep scratch while walking in the woods. Like how these cuts or scratches do not heal in a day, likewise any other injuries need time to heal. 

If you are an active person, it becomes very hard to rest or avoid the sports or activities you love to do. However, it is very important to pace your recovery program. 

Expecting to return to sports or your regular activities too soon because the signs of inflammation have come down can be one of the greatest mistakes that you can make. Once the signs of inflammation are reduced, you need to gradually start building up muscle strength and flexibility. This will prevent excessive loading of the muscle too soon which can lead to irreparable damage.

Some patients that I talk to often refer to seeing Physiotherapists for weeks with no improvement and are just looking for surgical options. I like taking very detailed consultation with such patients as it often turns out that the Physiotherapy program that they were provided was either machine-based passive treatment or too basic or very intensive exercise program.

That is why it is very important to design a customised program as each individual is different. And that can be achieved if we listen to our patients and let them set their goals.

So if you have any ongoing or recurrent pain, please comment and connect.

15 thoughts on “Why Physiotherapy does not work for everyone?”

  1. Rosy Holland

    The explanation here is very clearly thought out, and of course the need for bespoke treatments. One size does not fit all, therefore the time spent on a detailed case study can be very beneficial to the client.
    The client cannot expect to be pain free overnight. They have to be willing to be an active partner in the healing process and carry out the recommended exercises regularly.
    I know, I have had Meg’s expertise and benefited greatly.

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  2. Ken Holland

    Physio certainly works for me. With arthritis in my lower back and right hip I found walking becoming more painful, but with the right exercise regime, which I do almost every day, and some yoga too, I can still walk five miles, swim regularly and remain very active. Physio has definitely helped me to avoid surgery, and enjoy a full life. Thank you, Meg.

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  3. Nina Kapoor

    A really interesting article highlighting the importance of giving our bodies time to heal post injury and avoiding the temptation to do too much too fast risking even further injury as I sometimes see with my own patients. Good physiotherapy is worth its weight in gold.

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  4. Sharada Prasad Das

    This article helped a lot to understand the importance of physiotherapy and the correct way to do it .
    I had issues with my left finger and with your consultation it is rectified now .
    Thanks
    Great post looking forward for more information like this in future .

    Reply ↓
  5. Sharada Prasad Das

    Thanks for sharing this great article , it helped to understand to merits of correct physiotherapy .
    I had issues with my left hand thumb and your consultation helped to recover . Looking forward for information like this .
    Thanks Meg and keep it up

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  6. Saswati Gogoi

    Very useful writing by a highly experienced Doctor.
    Importance of customised program for different individuals is highlighted. Which sometimes we fail to understand. Thank you Megh for this educating article.

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  7. PRITOM PHUKAN

    Thanks Dr Meghali for your outstanding article on damage of soft tissue, muscles, its causes and your concept to build up muscle strength and flexibility.
    This article on physiotheraphy will help us a lot in our daily life and overcome injuries.

    Reply ↓
  8. PRITOM PHUKAN

    Thanks Dr Meghali for your outstanding article on damage of soft tissue, muscles, its causes and your concept to build up muscle strength and flexibility.
    This article on Physiotherapy will help us a lot in our daily life and overcome injuries.

    Reply ↓

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