Everyone knows pain or illness. The causes are not always serious and you can get your treatment under control yourself with aids such as medication from the pharmacy. Other conditions are so serious that you are dependent on professional therapy, which you determine together with your doctor. Treatment vs. Therapy: What’s the Difference?
Therapy is the ancient Greek word for care or healing. Therapy basically means nothing more than the treatment of a disease. All measures used to treat diseases can be called therapy, which makes the word somewhat broader in its meaning.
In therapy, a distinction is made between:
- General therapy: This is based on the overall condition of the patient.
- Special therapy: This deals with specific treatment details.
The aim of a therapy is to accelerate the healing of a disease through various measures and to restore the physical and/or mental function of a patient.
Therapy: Therapy usually refers to a long-term treatment plan that can last for several days, weeks, months or even years.
Treatment: A treatment is often one-time and often completed within a few minutes. For example, the relocation of a dislocated joint is a treatment that is done after a short time. However, if mobility training is subsequently necessary to restore the mobility of the joint, it is more likely to be referred to as therapy.
A therapy is preceded by a diagnosis, on the basis of which appropriate treatment measures are then selected. Depending on the diagnosis, there may be a treatment, such as medication, which restores health as quickly as possible. Frequently, however, different measures are combined. How can you counteract health problems? 5 treatment situations in which you need therapy
For a healthy life, you can sometimes not avoid therapy. After all, illnesses can occur or accidents can happen. A good treatment will then help you restore your health and accompany you on this path. These are five situations that require therapy in common cases:
Therapy after surgery: Therapy after surgery is not only aimed at reducing pain, but is also intended to support the patient in being able to live free of restrictions as quickly as possible. This can also include rehabilitation measures as well as the targeted treatment of surgical scars with medical aids. The prescription of rest and the avoidance of stress can also be among the therapeutic measures after an operation. Furthermore, doctors must ensure that patients do not suffer any infections after surgery, as their immune system may be damaged by the procedure. Here, preventive medication can also help. Therapy after surgery is important for full recovery Анна Демидова – Adobe StockPost-surgery therapy is important for full recovery © © Анна Демидова – Adobe Stock
Therapy after stroke: What therapy looks like after a stroke depends on the type of stroke and the concrete effects. After the acute treatment of a stroke by medication or surgery, it goes to therapy. This should improve the patient’s vital functions, detect and dissolve further vascular occlusions, prevent a new stroke and treat the consequential damage of the stroke. This often includes rehabilitation, in which the patient has to learn to speak or walk again, depending on the severity. Self-help groups can also be part of the therapy if they help the affected person to cope better with the consequences of the stroke.
Therapy after bone fractures: In the case of a bone fracture, which is usually caused by a direct or indirect form of external violence, the therapy consists of fixing the fragments of the bone so that it can grow together again. For smooth fractures, a plaster cast may be sufficient and for debris fractures, an operation is often necessary, in which plates and screws are sometimes used. Painkillers can accompany the first few days or weeks after surgery. After the bone has healed, physiotherapy is often necessary to restore the mobility of the affected body part. Mobilization and strengthening of the muscles, which decreases with immobilization, are important elements of the therapy.
Therapy for back pain: Which form of therapy for back pain is chosen depends on where the pain comes from. Often it is not acute diseases requiring treatment that trigger back pain, but incorrect posture, incorrect loading and tension. To relieve the acute pain, warmth and painkillers are recommended. However, it is more important to find and fight the cause of the pain. Thus, pain caused by a herniated disc or tension can be combated sustainably by specifically strengthening the back muscles. Sport and exercise are therefore two crucial components of a therapy for back pain. The most common types of treatment for back pain include:
- Physiotherapy
- Manual therapy such as massages
- Back exercises
- Heat or cold treatment
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
If the cause of the back pain lies in the intervertebral discs, surgery can also help.
Therapy for hip pain: Hip pain can have different causes, such as osteoarthritis, inflammation, legs of different lengths or dislocation of the hip. Hip pain is often accompanied by limited mobility. Hip pain can also occur during pregnancy. Depending on the trigger of the complaints, different therapy variants are indicated. For osteoarthritis, for example, exercise therapy, heat treatment, electrotherapy or injections of hyaluron can help. Cortisone can help with inflammation. If the conservative therapeutic measures are not sufficient and the immobility of the patients increases, often only an operation in which a new hip joint is inserted helps. What drug therapy options are there?
For many complaints, illnesses and aches and pains there are medications. However, it does not always have to be the chemical bomb. Herbal remedies can also help or at least support drug treatment. In the case of serious illnesses and infections, however, nothing else usually helps than medicine to alleviate the symptoms and restore the patient’s healthTherapy with medication is standard © for many diseases tamayura39 – Adobe StockChronic diseases often require lifelong medication
Some people are dependent on medication throughout their lives, such as artificial hormones due to thyroid dysfunction or beta-blockers, due to high blood pressure. Epileptics, people with donor organs or disorders of the organs as well as people with heart failure have to take tablets all their lives – and the list is much longer. Treating mental illness with medication
Mental illnesses such as depression can also be treated with medication (antidepressants). The tablets act on the brain and change the feelings and sensations of those affected so that they can function again in everyday life. Painkillers and antibiotics: Everyone needs these two medications