Final answer:
The goal of a physiotherapist is to enhance a patient's physical functioning postoperatively by designing exercises that build strength, balance, and endurance. They monitor progress and guide on mobility aid use. The therapy includes various exercises, including under-water ones, to prevent muscle atrophy and strengthen muscles.
Step-by-step explanation:
Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
The goal of a physiotherapist is to improve physical functioning and reduce functional impairments, a crucial component of working with postoperative patients like Torst Borgen does. To aid patients in regaining strength and range of motion, understanding the cause of muscle impairment is essential in assessing patient capabilities. Designing a tailored program to enhance these capabilities involves exercises that build strength, balance, and endurance, which are monitored for improvements. Furthermore, physiotherapists guide patients on the correct usage of mobility aids, such as crutches, while ensuring they have the sufficient strength for such equipment.
Exercises prescribed include both warm-up applications, using heat to draw blood to the area, and cool-down strategies, using ice to decrease inflammation and swelling. Strength maintenance targets muscles susceptible to atrophy by stimulating them with prescribed exercises—important for recovery from injuries, disease, or age-related muscle loss. Some therapies may involve exercises under water to exert greater forces and further strengthen muscles. A comprehensive physical therapy plan is key to this approach, with the end goal being the patient's return to normal physical activity levels.