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Physiotherapy words, explained

Plain words for the terms you will hear.

Balance training, in plain wordsIt means practising small, safe challenges that teach your body to stay steady.Bed mobility, in plain wordsIt means how well someone can roll, shuffle up the bed and sit up on their own.Braces, in plain wordsA brace is a firm support worn on a joint to protect it while it heals.Caregiver training, in plain wordsIt means a physiotherapist teaches the family or helper how to assist safely at home.Core stability, in plain wordsIt is the steady support your trunk gives when your arms and legs move.Crutches, in plain wordsThey are two supports that take weight off a leg while it heals.Discharge plan, in plain wordsIt is the hospital's plan for how you or your parent will manage safely after going home.Dry needling, in plain wordsVery fine needles are placed in a tight, sore muscle, with nothing injected.Eccentric exercise, in plain wordsIt means lowering slowly against load, such as easing down from tiptoe.Ergonomics, in plain wordsIt means fitting the work, the chair and the tools to the person, not the other way round.Functional goal, in plain wordsIt is an everyday thing you want to do again, stated clearly enough to check.Graded exposure, in plain wordsIt means returning to a feared or painful activity in small, planned steps.Heat and cold for aches, explainedWarmth tends to soothe tight muscles, and cold can numb a fresh, swollen injury.Hypotonia, or low muscle toneIt means muscles feel soft at rest, so a baby may feel floppy when picked up.Insurer payment letter (GL), explainedA letter from your insurer to the provider, saying the bill will be paid up to a limit.Isometric exercise, in plain wordsIt means tightening a muscle and holding still, with the joint not moving.Joint manipulation, in plain wordsA quick, small movement at the end of a joint, sometimes called a click or a crack.Joint mobilisation explainedSlow, gentle movements the physiotherapist makes at a stiff joint, within what you can tolerate.Kinesiology tape, in plain wordsIt is a stretchy cotton tape stuck on the skin, and it is a small helper only.MAHPC registration, in plain wordsIt is the official registration physiotherapists in Malaysia are expected to hold before treating you.Manual therapy, in plain wordsIt means a physiotherapist uses skilled hands to ease a stiff or sore area.Motor milestones, in plain wordsThey are the movement skills babies pick up in time, like sitting, crawling and walking.Nerve glides, in plain wordsThey are slow, gentle movements that help an irritated nerve slide more freely.Neuroplasticity, in plain wordsIt means the brain can form new connections through practice, even after injury.Orthotics, in plain wordsThey are shaped inserts or supports worn in the shoe to change how the foot takes load.Pacing, in plain wordsIt means spreading activity and rest through the day so one good hour does not cost you three.Posture, in plain wordsIt is how you hold your body, and the best posture is the next one.Pressure injury, or bed soreIt is damage to skin and tissue from staying in one position too long.Reassessment, in plain wordsIt is a planned check of how you are moving now, so the plan can change with you.Red flags, in plain wordsThey are warning signs that mean a doctor should look first, before any exercise or hands-on work.Referred pain, in plain wordsIt is pain you feel in one place that actually comes from somewhere else.Sarcopenia, in plain wordsIt is the loss of muscle and strength that can come with age or long illness.Shockwave therapy, in plain wordsA handheld device sends strong pressure pulses into a stubborn sore tendon or heel.Sit-to-stand, in plain wordsIt is the everyday move of getting up from a chair, and it shows leg strength.Slings, in plain wordsA sling holds the arm against the body so the shoulder, elbow or wrist can rest and heal.TENS, a small pain-relief deviceA small battery unit sends gentle tingling pulses through the skin to calm pain.The Allied Health Professions Act, simplyIt is the 2016 law that regulates physiotherapists and other allied health workers in Malaysia.Therapeutic ultrasound, explainedIt is a treatment probe that warms deep tissue, and it is not the baby-scan kind.Tummy time, in plain wordsIt is supervised play on the tummy while your baby is awake, which builds neck and shoulder strength.Vestibular rehabilitation, explainedIt is exercise that helps the brain adapt when the inner ear causes dizziness or imbalance.What is a contracture?A joint that has become stuck in a bent position, and how to prevent it.What is a dysphagia referral?Trouble swallowing needs the right specialist, and a physiotherapist helps you get there.What is a home exercise programme?The short list of exercises you do between visits, which is where most of the progress happens.What is a physiotherapist?The person who helps you move better, and how to tell who is one.What is a quad cane?A cane with four small feet that stands up by itself and gives steady support.What is a walking frame?A sturdy frame that gives you something solid to hold as you walk.What is foot drop?A foot that will not lift properly, so the toes catch on the ground.What is gait?The way you walk, and what it tells a physiotherapist before you say a word.What is hemiplegia?Weakness or paralysis down one side of the body, commonly after a stroke.What is inflammation?The body's first response to injury, helpful at first and a problem when it lingers.What is muscle atrophy?Muscles that thin and weaken when they are not used, and how they can be rebuilt.What is non-weight-bearing?Keeping all weight off one leg while it heals, and still getting around the house.What is osteoarthritis?Wear and tear in a joint, and why moving it is part of the answer.What is prehabilitation?Getting stronger and your home ready before an operation, so recovery starts from a better place.What is proprioception?Your body's sense of where it is, even with your eyes shut.What is range of motion?How far a joint can bend or turn, and why it decides what you can do.What is spasticity?The tight, stiff muscles that can follow a stroke, and what eases them.What is tendinopathy?A sore, overloaded tendon, and why rest alone rarely settles it.What is transfer training?Learning to move safely between bed, chair, toilet and car, for the patient and the helper.What is weight-bearing?How much of your body weight you are allowed to put through a leg after injury or surgery.

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