Physiotherapy can be a perfect solution to address any pain you experience in your body. Not only that, but it can also help you increase your range of motion, help you heal quicker from injuries, and can also help alleviate certain chronic conditions. Although physiotherapy aims to help you feel back to normal, specific treatments and exercises will cause side effects.
What are the common side effects of physiotherapy?
There are a few side effects of physiotherapy that you should be aware of. These range from being physical to emotional, and they will also vary in intensity from mild to severe. Here are some of the most common side effects of physiotherapy:
General pain
Throughout the process of treating your injury or condition, your physiotherapist might need you to move your body in ways that can cause pain. This can occur during the session or after the session. The further you go along with your treatment plan, you may experience more pain as time goes on since you will be able to push yourself more and more. Your physiotherapist will be able to give you some solutions to address pain relief and will help you understand what level of pain is normal for your treatment plan.
Feelings of fatigue
Fatigue is another common symptom, and this is because physiotherapy makes your body work hard. You will be asking your body to move and do things that it does not feel happy doing, this includes stretching it out to its full range of motion, or you might need to start bearing more weight on it or do certain activities that your body is not used to doing. Do not be alarmed if you begin to feel exhausted after your appointment with your physiotherapist. Just make sure that you give your body enough time to rest.
Tenderness in the body
Certain muscles, joints, tendons, or ligaments worked by a physiotherapist or with a machine might feel more tender after your appointment. This is normal because you strengthen your muscles and move your body in ways that it has not yet grown accustomed to. This is part of the corrective process, and your current inflammation or injuries may temporarily be reactivated. Before your body can heal and correct itself, muscle cells and tissue must be broken down and rebuilt within protein molecules. If you have any concerns or discomfort, contact your therapist before you begin your next session to see if they may be able to do something to reduce any soreness. There are often pre- and post-exercise treatments that will promote the growth and recovery of your muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons.
Muscle fatigue and soreness
You may also experience muscle fatigue or feel shaky once your appointment is complete. If your therapy is meant to help you build up more muscle mass and help regain your strength, you should expect these symptoms. Be sure that you stay hydrated, get plenty of rest, and eat the proper nutrition to speed up recovery from these sessions.
It is also very normal to be sore once you have completed treatment, or you will most likely experience a flare-up as a temporary symptom after seeing your physiotherapist. After all, you will be working on injured muscles and joints. It is normal to feel some slight soreness and pain after you finish your treatment.