Physical medicine

Many agents have multiple forms of energy and function complexly. Kinesitherapy is an integral part of physical therapy and represents treatment with an active and passive movement. Physical agents are applied not only in the treatment but also in the prophylaxis, in prevention of the disease or the consequences of the disease, and injuries. Also, certain agents are also used in diagnosis and injuries, as well as the stages in which a disease or injury is found.

Human body tissues have the ability to selectively absorb the energy of individual agents. For example, skin-fat and bone tissue absorbs most of the energy of short waves, while tissues with high water content and electrolytes absorb most of the energy of the magnetic field of short-wave and microwave. Connective, bone and cartilage tissue absorb ultrasound energy most. Of great importance is the depth of penetration of energy. Some modalities, such as ultrasound, penetrate deeper while others, for example, ultraviolet rays are absorbed only in the superficial layers of the skin.

Physical treatment is in principle complex, that is, it consists in the application of several physical agents with a synergistic effect. Also, physical treatment should be dynamic. During the treatment, the reaction of the patient should be monitored and the dosing parameters should be adjusted according to the reaction.

Physical therapy has been applied in many areas of medicine. It is especially important in the application of rheumatic and degenerative diseases, orthopedic diseases, post-traumatic conditions, in sports medicine, in neurological and neurosurgical diseases, as well as in many other fields of medicine.