5
Chronic neck pain is
common in people
who have depression,
and vice versa. “Screen-
ing for mental health
issues can help inform
the way we manage the
pain,” says Jasdeep
Dhir, chair of the ortho-
paedic division of the
Canadian Physio-
therapy Association.6
Your capacity to
recover from an
injury isn’t tied to the
severity of your pain.
What researchers call
your “pain self-
efficacy”—your belief
that you will fully regain
your ability to do the
things that are import-
ant to you—is a strong
predictor of success.7
Sprained your
ankle? A physiother-
apist can assess you
and determine whether
you can manage recov-
ery on your own. If you
don’t heal from an
injury properly, you
may start to move your
body differently, which
could lead to pain in
other areas.8
If you’ve been
injured in the past,
consult a pro before
you try a new activity.
“A physiotherapist can
give you individualized
advice on how to pre-
vent injuries,” says Dhir.9
Don’t stay on the
sideline. Even if
you’ve hurt yourself,
you can likely return to
activities you enjoy,
provided you receive
proper care. “The goal
of physio is to restore
you to optimal function,
whatever that means
for you,” says Dhir.10
Got bad knees?
You don’t neces-
sarily need surgery. A
Harvard study from
2013 found that physio-
therapy was just as
effective for treating
osteoarthritic knees.11
Just because your
discomfort is gone,
it doesn’t mean your
injury has healed. The
first six weeks after
getting hurt are when
scar tissue is “remod-
elled,” which, in manysoft-tissue injuries, helps
prevent reinjury. Cutting
therapy short can put
you at an increased risk
of reinjury.12
Physiotherapists
will know if you
haven’t done your
homework. They design
exercise plans for your
body’s abilities and
needs. If you don’t work
on your body at home,
you’ll likely be return-
ing again and again for
the same issues.13
Your mom may
have nagged you
to sit up straight, but
physiotherapists
believe there’s no such
thing as bad posture—
just posture that may
indicate aspects of
activity or injury that
need to be addressed.
“We’re realizing that
people’s bodies take
specific positions
because of the require-
ments of their lifestyle,”
says Dhir. “We look at
what your functional
needs are and how we
can adapt your exercise
routine to help.”rd.ca 21