Physical Therapy

The teaching of physical curative therapies encompasses physical medicine, physical therapy and physiotherapy. These terms have the same etymological root, which comes from the Greek word ‘physis’, meaning nature.

Activating self-healing abilities

The means and methods of activating self-healing abilities are predominantly physical in nature. They have a supportive effect and increase the patient’s resources for recovery. As such, it is necessary to integrate physical therapy into the overall treatment concept, especially if the focus is on surgical or medicinal measures, although these alone may not result in treatment success (cf. Wiedemann, Ernst: Physikalische Therapie. Grundlagen-Methoden-Anwendung. de Gruyter, Berlin).

A wide range of treatments

At the SPC, Physical Therapy is a standalone area within Physiotherapy and comprises a wide range of methods. Conventional physical therapy is understood as treatment methods that act on the body using physical laws, e.g. through the application of heat, light, force, electricity and magnetic fields, balneotherapy and hydrotherapy. In addition to these traditional treatments, other special therapies have since become established based on positive experience.

The treatments offered at the Swiss Paraplegic Centre (SPC), comprising traditional and special physical therapies, represent a significant expansion of the programme of complementary therapies, which are greatly appreciated and widely used by many patients. These therapies are offered exclusively to inpatients.