This is a common question asked by some people before seeing a physiotherapist- Can physiotherapy cure completely and guarantee 100% recovery?
Cure is the permanent end to the specific medical problem, disease, illness or sickness. It is a treatment, a REMEDY, to restore health back to normal.
There are thousands kinds of medical problems, disease or illness in the world. Each medical problem varies with their cause.
Unfortunately, even the best medical doctors or surgeons in Singapore or even around all countries will not guarantee a 100% cure from certain disease or illness. That is why modern science is continuously keeping up to date with researches and finding better treatment to help patients get the best solutions to their medical condition.
It is important to note that one should seek medical help as early as when once you detect some health condition changes. Eg if you first start to notice signs or symptoms of back pain or backaches, do seek advice from a doctor or physiotherapist early. If treatment of back problem is delayed or inadequate, it can lead to chronic persistent back pain. The sooner a physiotherapist can see you, the easier it is to fix your injury and guarantee the best outcomes and the faster you recover and return to living a pain free life. Whether physiotherapy treatment can cure 100% and recovery will be dependent on other factors such as patient’s age, other medical condition, participation of patient, following physiotherapist’s advice, home exercises done.
Cure also depends on what causes the problem and the state of affected tissue, joint, organ of the person’s body. Conversely, joint problems like cartilage degeneration or osteoarthritis that is due to aging and rheumatoid arthritis which is caused by autoimmune disease are examples of chronic illnesses and they cannot be cured. Nevertheless, person with chronic illness can still live well. For example, person who suffered either rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis can still be functional with the medications prescribed by the doctor and the treatments given by the physiotherapist. Their goal is not to cure the patient but to prevent further damage to the body and prolong the remission phase of the disease. Physiotherapy treatments can be done to relief pain, improve their joint flexibility; strengthen muscles to ease pressure on the joints. It is also the same way from people who have Diabetes, cure is not the solution but to learn about the different ways to maintain the normal blood sugar level in the body in order to stay functional and to prevent complications. In fact, person who has chronic illness doesn’t mean, he or she is unhealthy. As the world health organization defines health as, is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Hence, cure doesn’t really matter as long as one remains active and independent.
So, a physiotherapist is not a miracle to solve ALL medical problems and guaranteed that problem will not recur in future. Physiotherapists do not overpromise or give empty promises that medical problem such as back pain will not reoccur forever again. If someone suffered from a back pain and recovered with physiotherapy, it does not mean there will not be any back pain relapse in future. A physiotherapist will provide all necessary back care tips and prevention to the patient. It is up to the patient whether these advices are strictly adhered to. Even if these advices are adhered, who can stop an accident such as falls or near slips from happening? Or stop an aging spine or body?
At Physioclinic, we guarantee you that you are in safe, experienced hands of the physiotherapists. We believe that physiotherapy plays an essential part of everyday healthy living – pain relief, correct a dysfunction, improvement to a disability before it becomes a debilitating injury or problem. Prevention is much better than a cure!
