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A physiotherapist helps in restoring, maintaining, and promoting the best physical health for his or her patient. Various attributes are to be considered for the best physiotherapist. This article will explore the qualities of a good physiotherapist and understand what makes a good physiotherapist.

Qualities of a Top Physiotherapist:

  1. Knowledgeable: To find solutions to what is troubling the patient, one needs to update their knowledge depth. The knowledge sources are plenty: scholarly journal, colleague, or a tattered text. The clinical science behind physiotherapy gets better and complicated. It is advisable to stay a lifelong learner.
  2. Smart: A physical therapist needs to observe and assess the situation of the patient to treat them properly. So, the observational skills have to be refined so that the problems of the patients are identified easily.
  3. Patient: It is very important to act patiently with the people that approach us. Sometimes, due to continuous exposure to patients with the same type of problems, we may consider their pain as “nothing”. Some patients deal with a lot of pain before getting their problems diagnosed. We must deal with them patiently.
    Also See: Benefits of Physiotherapy
  4. Comprehensible: As we deal with many patients, we will eventually know their suffering by diagnosing it. The main challenge is to explain the patient about the problem and how they can treat it also about things that the patient needs to take care of. We should explain everything correctly but not scare them. It should be like scolding them or lecturing.
  5. Humble: Being humble is equivalent to being realistic. This implies that we learn by ourselves, learn from people around us viz. our colleagues, finally, learn from our patients. Although education is vital, it is with the experience that we learn the most.
  6. Positive: Reality may be seen in various aspects. A top physiotherapist knows how to highlight positive thoughts and redirect negative thoughts. The focus can be shifted to what is working and the improvements so far. If we believe in what we say, the patients will believe us too.
  7. Caring: It is important to be caring about the needs of the patient. This also means that we should not judge the patients in their time of need. Also Check: RPW Therapy
  8. Realistic and Lifelong Learner: As it is said, no matter how many lifetimes we live, there is still more learning to do. We have to be realistic about what we can do, and what is not in our limits.
  9. Professional behavior: He or she has appropriate knowledge and skills, is aware of his or her limitations, is honest, seeks further knowledge if needed to help patients. He keeps himself up-to-date in terms of his knowledge and skills. The patient’s needs are put first, he is dedicated and communicates with people that deal with the patient. He suggests alternatives to help the patient, patient’s history, and his current pain status. He maintains professional distance, confidentiality, and treats every patient whole-heartedly.
  10. Flexible: The patients may not always show up on time or the computer can crash or the goniometers may break or something can happen that requires us to adjust for a considerable amount of time. We need to adapt and improvise gradually; this makes the work less strenuous for us as well as the people around us.
  11. Well Rounded: It is necessary to possess all the skills that are required and mastering at least one physical therapy is essential. This comes with experience (in different fields), an efficient general knowledge base. Interest in cultural activities viz. art, music, science, and social studies. These skills and interests help the physiotherapists to relate to their patients and helps them to understand the demands of their daily activities. A well-rounded physiotherapist can design programs that connect therapy to functional and meaningful goals.
  12. Inter-personal skills: A good physiotherapist is a good listener; he empathizes with the patient and asks related questions (which means that he is listening). He builds trust and has proper body language. Also, he introduces himself; makes eye contact, and speaks directly to the patient, counsels him, and respects the point of view of the patient.
Also Check: Concussion Management
FAQs:
  • What is Physiotherapy?
    Physiotherapy is a health care profession wherein a physiotherapist help people to restore, maintain, and boost their strength, function, movement, and overall well-being.
  • What does a physiotherapist do?
    Physiotherapists get you involved in your own recovery. Be it a Chronic pain, Spinal decompression, or any other issues, physiotherapists help you with physical rehabilitation, fitness, health, and injury prevention.
  • Is physiotherapy a respected career?
    Yes, indeed it is. It is a career that helps one to empathize with others and help them in dealing with their pain.
  • Do physiotherapists perform surgeries?
    No, the profession deals with pain without surgery. However, physiotherapy can be performed before and after the surgery if suggested by a physician.
  • Is pursuing physiotherapy hard?
    No, it just requires an interest in medical subjects and the qualities mentioned above in this article (which comes with experience).
  • How can I improve my physiotherapy skills?
    It is important to be aware of the trending skills, maintaining professionalism, to be friendly, and to empathize with the patients.