At PhysioExtra, we endeavour to treat you and your symptoms with a tailor-made plan specific to your individual needs. With this in mind, our multidisciplinary team of therapists and experts are able to provide varying different skills and approaches to enable us to find the best combination of treatments to suit you.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has a wide range of uses within the Physiotherapy setting. For more information, please see the Acupuncture page.

Gym Training/Functional Rehabilitation

All injuries, whether pre/post operatively, sporting or occupational require some form of corrective exercise. This aids the healing process and allows the body to be restored to a better state than before it was injured. At PhysioExtra, we take a full body approach to your rehabilitation as all of the body continually works together and if one are breaks down, this can knock on to other parts.

Any corrective exercise is normally prescribed in our well-equipped studio and can be a combination of bodyweight or machine/weight assisted protocols dependent on your injury. We can also help with gait (walking) re-education and functional rehabilitation to make you strong enough to deal with the body’s everyday stresses at home and outside. Needless to say, your rehab will be relevant to you and your individual needs, allowing you to quickly get back to everything that you enjoy in your life and give you more confidence and independence at home.

Infrared Heat/Light

This treatment uses a special light alongside other physiotherapy treatments to increase the chances of faster healing. The emitted infrared light energy can penetrate up to 3 1/2 inches (8.75 cm) and releases nitric oxide into the blood. This then stimulates circulation, allowing higher levels of oxygen and nutrients to get to the tissues as well as aiding the elimination of toxins and cellular waste.

Inversion Therapy

The client is safely hung upside down on an inversion table to achieve therapeutic effects. This method is used as an adjunct to the overall physiotherapy treatment and has many positive effects:

• Spinal distraction to promote the hydration of vertebral discs
• Relieving pressure on prolapsed discs and help to relieve nerve irritation
• Can help with general spine realignment
• Helps to de-stress the back from shocks placed on the spine and joints as a result of high impact exercise.

Kinesiology Tape

This taping method has been widely used in both amateur and professional sports teams over recent years. By aiding in lymphatic drainage, kinesio tape can help to reduce recovery time from injury. It aims to provide a free range of movement allowing the body to help to heal itself biomechanically by promoting healthy and functional movement during the natural healing process. It is also a great adjunct to many other treatment methods and allows the patient to continue to receive treatment away from the therapist and between treatment sessions as it can stay on for many days.

Physiological benefits of Kinesio Tape:

• It can significantly reduce pain by offloading tissues
• It can support muscles through normal movement
• It can aid in the removal of swelling by reducing the amount of lymphatic fluid congestion
• It can help to correct joint misalignment
• It can assists in positioning a muscle of joint into a proper position for rehabilitative exercises
• It can assist a weak muscle by placing it back into the correct biomechanical position
• It can improve kinaesthetic awareness and provides continue proprioceptive feedback to the brain to help to improve posture and general alignment.

Manipulation

Manipulation is a small, controlled, high speed movement aimed at spinal joints to help to regain movement and reduce pain. It can be used on locked, stiff or misaligned joints and is quite often followed with a small popping as gases are released from the joint, reducing pressure.

Massage and Soft Tissue Therapy

Different massage techniques can be very beneficial for compromised tissues. A Remedial Massage is a gentle approach to help to relax the patient as well as working stresses and strains out of the muscles, improving wellbeing.

A Deep Tissue Massage (or Sports Massage) is aimed at tissues on a deeper level. This involves specific techniques to work with muscles and fascia as well as with ligaments and tendons. Benefits include:

• Realigning muscle fibres
• Breaking down adhesions/scar tissue
• Stimulating circulation and therefore the healing process
• Restoring balance, aiding posture and increasing movement within joints.
• Preparation for exercise as well as faster recovery post event/training

Frictions are useful for massaging specific small areas of injury. These are generally used to break down scarred or thickened areas and can provide immediate improvements to movement and pain.

Trigger Point Therapy is when direct pressure is put on a “knot” or adhesion in the muscle for a few seconds and is then removed. This can feel uncomfortable initially but allows for the realignment of muscle fibres and increases circulation to the area to bring in oxygen and nutrients and help to flush put any toxins or waste products. This will help to reduce pain and general muscle tension.

Lymphatic Drainage is a form of massage that stimulates the body’s lymphatic system. This aids the body’s ability to eliminate waste and toxins, while improving metabolism and boosting the immune system. Unlike other massage treatments, lymphatic drainage utilises a very light pressure combined with soft pumping movements in the direction of the lymph nodes. This can be particularly useful post operatively especially if lymph nodes have been removed.

Your Therapist may use some or all of the possible massage techniques within your treatment to get the best outcomes. Please see our Massage Treatments Page for more details.

Mobilisation

These are graded passive oscillations to spinal and peripheral joints to help regain movement and reduce pain. Joint mobiliation with movement can help to promote normal function within a joint that may have been compromised by injury, pain and/or inflammation.

Muscle Electrical Stimulator

This device is used to prevent muscle atrophy (wasting) in people with paralysis and assist in gaining some degree of muscle strength, i.e. after surgery. Electrodes can be placed on a specific area of the skin, where the muscles are then stimulated and therefore contract.

Postural and General Advice

As part of any treatment session, we will assess your posture and biomechanics in order to get to the root of your injury. This part of the puzzle allows us to tailor-make your programme to you. Poor posture can have a significant effect on likelihood of injury and certain postural traits can be corrected.

We strive to give you the best home care advice, whether this is with an exercise prescription or for general management of your injury.

Saebo Flex and Saebo Reach

The SaeboFlex is a dynamic, purely mechanical (not electrical or motorised) custom fabricated wrist, hand and finger orthoses that gives individuals who are suffering with a neurological impairment, such as a stroke, the ability to incorporate the involved hand functionally in their rehabilitation programme both clinically and at home. It gently positions the fingers into an extended position, ready for functional movement i.e. grabbing/ flexing, and is spring assisted to aid return to extension.

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)

Shockwave Therapy is a non-invasive, non-surgical and drug-free treatment method, treating chronic tendon problems. Please see our Shockwave Therapy Page for more information.

Stretching

Stretching exercises are used to return soft tissues to an optimal level of flexibility and mobility and are an integral part of any strengthening programme.

Different Types of Stretching:

• Static stretching is when a muscle is held in a position for a period of time, normally 20-30 seconds
• Muscle Energy Techniques (METs) are a therapy used by the therapist where the client contracts a muscle against resistance. The type of contraction (with or against the therapist) and muscle group used will depend on the current problem.
• Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is a combination of stretching and movement, predominantly used to enhance both active and passive ranges of motion to optimise function

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

This is a small battery powered device that sends a low current through the electrodes placed in a specific area on the skin’s surface. A TENS machine can help to temporarily relieve pain via a low voltage electric current. This can also be used away from the clinic to continue treatment between sessions.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound waves can penetrate deep into the tissues (up to 5 cm into the targeted area).

Benefits Include:

• Accelerated healing
• A significant reduction in pain
• Aids in prevention and breakdown of scar tissue
• Reduces inflammation

Whole Body Vibration Therapy

We use a powerful medical vibration plate to help with many conditions and this can provide instant therapeutic effects:

• Acceleration of tissue healing
• Increase blood circulation
• Slowing down the process of osteoporosis and osteopenia
• Increasing bone density
• Improving diabetic circulatory problems
• Can aid a speedy recovery from post exercise muscle soreness and general stiffness
• Increases muscle tone
• Improves symptoms of arthritis in lower limb joints.

 

If you would like to discuss any of our treatment methods or book an appointment to speak to one of our Therapists contact us now