Deepti complained of a nagging back pain that just wouldn’t go away. She couldn’t concentrate on her work and things came to such a pass that her bed became her world. Ratheesh K. suffered from low blood pressure and chest pain. Conventional treatment had failed to ease his pain. Akshita used to experience severe pain in her hand joints along with redness and swelling in the area. Diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, she was doomed to a life of suffering and constant pain.

For all these people physiotherapy came as a boon — the chance to lead a normal life once more. Long considered to be a poor cousin of medicine, physiotherapy has come into its own only recently. It is now recognised as a rehabilitative science that offers succour when other forms of medicine have failed. “Physiotherapy tries to alleviate suffering by getting at the root of the pain and offers a more permanent relief from pain,” says Tuhin Sinha, a second year physiotherapy student at Nopany Institute of Healthcare Studies, Calcutta.

Because of the effectiveness of physiotherapy and because so many people are profiting from it, physiotherapy has also become a hot career option. Today, there are a range of specialisations in physiotherapy, including orthopaedics and trauma, cardiopulmonary, neurology, paediatrics, obstetrics, oncology, sports, etc. Says Dr Shabnam Agarwal, chief physiotherapist, Belle Vue Clinic, Calcutta, “Physiotherapy is increasingly being relied upon to rehabilitate sportspersons making a comeback after a lay-off. It has become such an integral part of sports that cricket teams can’t do without appointing a team physiotherapist.”

The best thing about physiotherapy is that it has no side effects or contra-indications. Says Dr S.S. Rao, assistant professor and head of the department, National Institute for the Orthopaedically Handicapped, Calcutta, “Since most people prefer not to go in for surgery, they turn to physiotherapy to alleviate their problem.”

Physiotherapists teach people with disabilities to improve mobility. They also assist patients with pain management following treatment for cancer.

“The joy of seeing people recovering while being paid for it is what attracted me to this profession,” says Sridam Debnath, senior physiotherapist, Woodlands Hospital & Medical Research Centre Ltd, Calcutta.

Physiotherapists are employed in trauma centres, hospitals, sports clinics. Super specialty gyms too recruit them. One can even set up shop independently. However, with the cost of most equipment like ultrasonic, short wave diathermy, etc, being in the range of Rs 1 to 1.5 lakh, going it alone is an expensive affair.

After having gained some experience in the field, physiotherapists also have the option of working as consultants. The academically inclined can opt for the teaching profession too. The remuneration offered can be anywhere between Rs 7,000 and Rs 30,000, depending on the place of employment.

To be a physiotherapist, one has to have a bachelors degree in physiotherapy (BPT) or a masters degree in physiotherapy (MPT). Students who have passed Plus Two or its equivalent in science with a minimum of 50 per cent marks are eligible for admission to BPT. Well-known institutes that offer degrees in physiotherapy include National Institute for the Orthopaedically Handicapped, Calcutta, Nopany Institute of Healthcare Studies, Calcutta, School of Physiotherapy, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Calcutta, Burdwan Institute of Medical Sciences and Life Sciences, Burdwan, etc.

And with the West Bengal government making it a part of the Joint Entrance Exam, physiotherapy has truly arrived as a career option, claims Dr Rao.