Hello steem4nigeria community, my name is Victor Oguzie. I'm from Abia state, Nigeria. I am a student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Physiotherapy is my profession and I would like to tell you about it.

Physiotherapy is an amazing profession. Physiotherapy is the use of physical means like exercise, current, massage, cold, heat to treat diseases, deformities and injuries. Most times, physiotherapy comes in where drugs and surgery won't be effective.

Physiotherapists are health professionals that render physiotherapy services to individuals in order to restore and maitain movement as well as ensuring they go about their normal activities effectively.

What I would like to teach

I would like to teach the specialties in physiotherapy. There are several specialties in physiotherapy. They include:

Neurological physiotherapy

This specialty deals with people who have diseases that affect the brain and spinal cord. These diseasee include stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, brain injury, spinal cord injury, facial nerve palsy.

Orthopedic(musculoskeletal) physiotherapy

Physiotherapists in this specialty treat and manage disorders or injuries that affect the musculoskeletal system. They manage those who have diseases affecting the bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints. They treat conditions like scoliosis, low back pain, spondylosis, bursitis, spondylolisthesis.

Sports physiotherapy

It involves athletes wellbeing. The physiotherapists are involved in making sure the athletes are fit, training them, treating and preventing injuries. They take care of injuries that may occur from sporting activities like dislocation, strain, sprain, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness(DOMS).

Cardiopulmonary physiotherapy

They provide therapy for various cardiopulmonary disorders(affecting the lungs and heart). They also do rehabilitation after cardiac or pulmonary surgery. They use chest physiotherapy to clear secretions in people with COPD, cystic fibrosis, bronchitis.

Pediatric physiotherapy

This specialty deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and management of the pediatric population(infants, children, adolescents) with several conditions that may be developmental, congenital, skeletal, neuromuscular or acquired. Some conditions handled here include cerebral palsy, erbs palsy, injection palsy, delayed developmental milestone.

Women's health physiotherapy

Women's health physiotherapy for the most part resolves ladies' issues connected with the female reproductive system, labour, and post pregnancy. These circumstances incorporate lymphedema, pelvic organ prolapsed, pain in the pelvic region, pre-birth and post pregnancy periods, and urinary incontinence.

Other physiotherapy specialties include geriatric physiotherapy, palliative care physiotherapy, community physiotherapy.

Why it's necessary to acquire the knowledge I passed

In Nigeria, a lot of people are ignorant of physiotherapy and what it provides. Many people don't know the conditions that require the attention of a physiotherapist and they suffer unnecessarily. It is important that majority of the Nigerian population realize that physiotherapists are first contact health professionals and they can help treat conditions that drugs or surgery can't resolve.

How technological advances have affected physiotherapy

Technology advancement has affected physiotherapy practice in positive ways. Taking telehealth for example, physiotherapy has become way easier because of telehealth. Patients don't necessarily need to go to the hospital in order to consult a physiotherapist. The patient can be accessed by the therapist from the comfort of his/her home.

In addition, virtual reality has assisted in physiotherapy. It has provided a means whereby patient can do their exercises in a favourable environment.