Physiotherapy will improve your health

Ms. Anna Houghton, a world-class physiotherapist, has urged Ghanaian women to undergo routine physiotherapy as they age to help in the prevention of diseases.
She said women continued to die from preventable diseases and healthcare issues, which could have easily been corrected with physiotherapy.

Ms Houghton said this at the Third Biennial National Conference of the Ghana Physiotherapy Association, of which she is the president, at Takoradi, in the Western Region.

The conference, which brought practitioners from the 10 regions, was under the theme, "The Role of Physiotherapy in Women's Health in Ghana".

Ms. Houghton said women often suffered a lot of stress from child birth, menopause, and home management, adding that, women's health was a significant area of concern, which needed recognition and attention.

Mr. Samuel Wie Otoo, the President of the Association, explained that physiotherapy was the field of medicine that worked to restore the functions of the body through exercise, heat, electrical current, sound and light.

The method is usually to relieve pain, restore functions, and also to strengthen the muscles as a means to maximising the quality of life of the individual.

Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang, Western Regional Health Director, complained about the lack of infrastructure in the districts to offer the needed services.

He said physiotherapy was a critical component of healthcare, which tended to reduce stress, pain, and cancers, therefore, it was important to push it in daily healthcare delivery to improve the quality and socio-economic well being of the people.

Mr. Alfred Ekow Gyan, the Deputy Western Regional Minister, said women had unique health issues, especially, with regard to pre-natal and post natal.

He, therefore, urged the physiotherapists to play their roles effectively in ensuring better health for women.