Physiotherapy at home: When is it necessary?

Physiotherapy at home has many advantages, the clinic moves to your home.

This branch of physiotherapy is little known in Australia. However, the benefits of home physiotherapy are numerous since it moves the clinic to your home, in addition to all the materials to carry out the session. The only requirement is to have enough space to place the necessary elements such as the stretcher.

In the first consultation, the specific conditions of the patient (mobility, strength, coordination) will be analyzed, as well as the history and tests carried out in order to achieve a complete diagnosis.

For which people is this service most recommended?

It is suitable for very diverse groups of people. On the one hand, for those whose treatment is going to last for a long period of time, so it is not profitable for them to go to the clinic so many times. Also for convalescent people who cannot move or elderly with mobility difficulties or who may suffer from some type of disease such as dementia. Finally, it is recommended for those who, due to work hours and family life, find it difficult to move freely.

What are the benefits of physical therapy?

It can be useful for people of all ages with different health conditions, such as problems in bones or joints (back pain, neck pain, sports injuries …), in the brain or nervous system (Parkinson’s disease), in the heart or circulation, lungs, or breathing (cystic fibrosis), etc. It can improve physical activity while helping prevent other injuries.

How is the job of the physiotherapist?

The practitioner considers the body as a whole, does not focus only on the individual aspects of a session or illness. The main approaches of physical therapists include:

Education and counseling. They usually give general advice on aspects that can influence daily life, such as posture, the correct way to bend over or the correct lifting, as well as techniques to learn to prevent injuries.
Movements, custom exercises and advice on physical activity. Exercises are recommended to improve general health and strengthen specific parts of the body.
Manual therapy. The hands are used as tools to relieve pain and stiffness, as well as to promote improved body movement.

What are the advantages of physiotherapy at home?

Physiotherapy at home has many advantages, including the following.

1. Comfort

Comfort is the main advantage of this service, since it allows you to have physiotherapy treatment without the need to move from home.

2. Independence

The patient, not having to travel to the clinic, does not have the need to ask for help with transportation or a higher economic cost (which should be invested in fuel, for example).

3. Flexibility

The home service is tailored to the patient with regard to issues such as time or location. In addition, it allows the person to recover their physical and functional capacities in a daily environment.

4. Mobility

This type of physiotherapy can also be performed in day centers or residences, where older people tend to spend more time. Even for those who are very busy, the professional can travel to the office.

5. Ease of treatment

In the case of people with illnesses such as mental disorders, removing them from their environment and taking them to an unfamiliar place can be a great inconvenience, which can cause them to be reluctant to receive treatment.

Some precautions we must take

The most important thing is to make sure that you are dealing with a licensed professional. For this reason, it is useful to know the profile and experience, with which we can resort to references from other people to inform us, which will also help us to know the specialization of the physiotherapist, since each one has skills in different pathologies.

Once the service has been contracted, it is important to be attentive during the session. We can recognize a true professional because he will carry his own stretcher, as well as he must have the necessary hygienic measures (paper for the stretcher, sterilized material …). You must also have the equipment that you will use in the session, it is advisable to inform the physiotherapist, when contacting him of our problem.

The cost of this service

There is a wide range of prices, since it depends on the criteria of each professional: some charge more for the session when they have to go home, others may include the movement in the price or charge it separately, etc.

Do not forget that each patient is different so, even if you have the same injury, it is not the same in two people. Therefore, a personalized diagnosis is made, adapted to each one. The frequency and number of sessions will depend on each case. Almost all sessions (with some exceptions) last approximately 40 to 50 minutes.