Abstract
Physiotherapists play a significant role in the prevention, treatment, and management of disabling health conditions that occur due to injuries, diseases, and/or aging. Effective prevention, treatment, and management of physical disabilities require the services of physiotherapists. Thus, for healthcare systems to enhance the recovery of patients, maintain physical health, and promote healthy lifestyles of people, physiotherapists have to get involved. Consequently, due to the importance of physiotherapy in the prevention, treatment, and management of disabilities, I want to be a physiotherapist.
Introduction
Physiotherapy is a noble profession of healthcare that requires not only relevant physical skills but also dedication and determination to help people with disabilities to improve or restore their physical wellbeing. Physiotherapists effectively interact with physicians and psychotherapists in ensuring that patients have physical health that enables them to recover from widely disabling conditions that result from injuries, diseases, or aging as aforementioned. Before the 19 century, physical therapy mainly dealt with the recovery of patients from physical injuries but currently, it has expanded to include maintenance and enhancement of physical health conditions of patients. Currently, the field of physiotherapy is growing exponentially due to increasing disabling conditions of diseases, injuries, and aging, which prompt healthcare systems to expand services to gather for the ever-increasing number of people who seek physiotherapy services. According to National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education (2000), approximately one million patients with physical disabilities continually receive physiotherapy services in various healthcare institutions across the United States (p.1). Hence, medical conditions of physical disabilities still pose a great challenge to the healthcare system and require more resources in terms of physiotherapy facilities as well as physiotherapists. Therefore, since disabling conditions continue to increase exponentially and healthcare systems still grapple with the challenge of providing physiotherapy services, I want to become a physiotherapist and be part of the healthcare systems in helping people to promote their physical health.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is an integral part of healthcare services since virtually all diseases and injuries cause disabling effects on patients. Moreover, given that patients’ health depends on their physical ability, physiotherapy becomes a central intervention that effectively promotes the health status of patients. The physical health of an individual is intricately linked with psychological, emotional, physiological, and social aspects, thus physiotherapy is important in enhancing the general health condition of convalescents. Physiotherapists play a significant role in enhancing recovery of patients and promotion of physical health; Verhagen and Engbers (2008) argue that physiotherapists provide interventions that are critical in restoring body systems, optimization of body’s capacity, minimizing incapacity, maintenance of health, and promotion of quality life (p.99). In this view, I perceive that many patients continue to suffer in various healthcare institutions because they lack or they receive insufficient physiotherapy services, thus prolonging their convalescence period. Thus, I want to be a physiotherapist so that I can help patients recover effectively by utilizing varied interventions of physiotherapy.
Since some disabling conditions due to diseases, injuries and aging cause lifelong disabilities to patients, physiotherapy provides means of managing disabilities by alleviating pain, limiting disability, and enhancing mobility. Through physiotherapy, patients with disabilities are able to manage their disabling conditions effectively and improve the quality of their lives. According to Sheedy, Smith and Bauman (2010), physiotherapy interventions given to children with disability at an early age can enable them to improve and manage their disabilities even if they seem to be permanently disabled (p.285). Thus, I want to be a physiotherapist so that I can help people with disabilities manage their conditions and improve the quality of their lives.
People in modern society spend a great deal of their time in their workplaces and thus they do not have time to perform physical exercises despite the fact that exercises are critical in maintaining or improving one’s health status. Due to insufficient physical exercise, many people are developing disabling conditions such as obesity, osteoporosis, and early aging amongst other conditions. In this case, physiotherapists play a significant role in designing and developing physical fitness programs that suit the different abilities of the people. Riddoch, Puig-Ribera, and Cooper (1998) assert that to promote healthy lifestyles in society, we need physiotherapists who emphasize the importance of physical health and provide physiotherapy services to the people (p.5). Hence, becoming a physiotherapist will give me a platform for sensitizing people to adopt healthy lifestyles by incorporating essential physical exercises into their busy schedules.
Moreover, the field of physiotherapy is expanding exponentially to offer varied educational and career opportunities that students can choose and specialize in their respective interests. According to Owen (1996), physiotherapy has been expanding with time and is currently applicable in fields such as hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, schools, sports, fitness centers, and even workplaces (p.216). Being a physiotherapist, there are expansive arrays of job opportunities and working environments that one can choose from making it an interesting career to pursue. Given that the expansive nature of a physiotherapy career gives students the flexibility in choosing careers, it stirs a passion within me to become a physiotherapist.
Conclusion
Physiotherapy is a special healthcare service that helps patients to recover and manage disabling conditions of health that emanate from diseases, injuries, and aging. Moreover, physiotherapy is important in preventing disabling conditions and improving the physical health status of people. Therefore, for physiotherapy to be sufficient and effective, physiotherapists are essential for they offer diverse professional services that suit the different needs of the patients and the general population. Hence, I want to become a physiotherapist so that I can employ my knowledge and skills in helping people and patients to cope with disabling conditions of health and ultimately improve the quality of their lives.
References
National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education (2000). Physical Therapy: Making a Difference in the Lives of Students with Special Needs. American Physical Therapy Association, 6, 1-11.
Owen, N. (1996). Strategic Initiatives to Promote Participation in Physical Activity. Health Promotion International, 11, 213–239.
Riddoch, C., Puig-Ribera, A., & Cooper, A. (1998). Effectiveness of Physical Activity Promotion Schemes in Primary Care. Health Education Authority, 1-23.
Sheedy, J., Smith, B., & Bauman, A. (2010). A Controlled Trial of Behavioral Education To Promote Exercise Among Physiotherapy Outpatients. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, 46(9), 281-289.
Verhagen, E., & Engbers, L. (2008). The Physical Therapist’s Role in Physical Activity Promotion. British Medical Journal, 43(5), 99-101.