Q. What does physiotherapy do?
Physiotherapy helps people who are struggling with day to day activities such as walking and sitting at work. They also help people keep active and treat any injuries they may have sustained during their sport.
Treatment is guided by what the physiotherapist finds in the assessment. Pain relieving modalities such as massage and acupuncture can provide a lot of relief from pain. Ultrasound treatment can help heal injuries faster (where high energy sound waves are used to increase blood flow to the injured area). Also getting or keeping you moving is very important. Your Physiotherapist will formulate a goal orientated plan of action which will most likely include a progressive exercise program which will be tailored to your goals. For example, if your neck pain is affecting your sleep, our first goal will be to get you to sleep well. If your goal is to get back to rugby or football after an injury, then that will be our joint focus.
Q. When should I see a Physio?
Most people see a physiotherapist when they are either in significant pain, and they need help or when they want to get back to their usual activities sooner rather than later.
Typically, it is between 5 days to 2 weeks we see people who are struggling with a problem, sometimes sooner. The sooner we can assess you, the better. The rational for this is that it is easier to diagnose what is causing you the pain in the early days if you have sustained an injury. Also, we can give you the best advice on how to manage the problem.
Q. What happens at a Physiotherapy consultation?
The Physiotherapist will aim to determine the nature of your problem i.e probable cause of your pain and/or disability. The assessment will involve a short ‘interview’ where you will be asked questions relating to your problem such as “where is the pain and how long have you had it?” There will be a series of ‘screening questions’ to check for any potential concerns. Then the Physiotherapist will want to examine the painful area. You will be asked to move and locate any pain produced. Muscles are resisted to look for weakness and then there are usually special test performed dependant on the part off the body being examined.
Q. What types of problems should I see a physiotherapist for?
Sciatica
Low back pain – muscle strain, disc prolapse, trapped nerve, arthritis, spondylosis
Neck pain – muscle strain, disc prolapse, nerve impingement, arthritis, spondylosis
Shoulder pain– rotator cuff, arthritis,
Knee pain – ligament strain, arthritis, patellofemoral syndrome/patella tracking problems
Ankle and foot pain – plantar fasciitis, arthritis, ligament sprains, tendon strain/tendinopathy
Hip problems – poor pelvic control/muscle imbalance, clicking hip, arthritis
Mobility issues – recovering from surgery or a recent discharge from hospital.
Specialist services we offer here are:
- DSE Workplace assessment. These can be at your place of work or at your home. They can be in person or virtually. We have two staff who are qualified to do this.
- Lymphoedema management – measuring and ordering of private and NHS compression garments and lymphatic massage (MLD). The compression garments can be made-to-measure if your swollen limb/body part cannot fit into an ‘off the shelf’ model.
- Acupuncture – we often use this to relieve pain. It can either be used instead of painkillers or work along side them. It is also, useful for people who cannot take anti-inflammatory medication.
- Home Visits – we come to your home and assess you. We look at your muscle strength and range of motion in your joints. We can do specialist falls assessments to see if you are at risk of falling or if you are a ‘faller’ we can help. We look at you everyday functions around the home such as getting in and out of a chair, walking up stairs and getting in and out of bed.