Physiotherapy Clinic
The cornerstone of Joint Care Clinic is our physiotherapy service, which is designed to provide rapid access for diagnosis and treatment of all orthopaedic, soft tissue and sports injuries. Our physios, Mark Brownless and Charlotte Perry have wide-ranging experience in the management of all patient groups; from high level athletes, to those patients with back and neck pain.
The Physiotherapy Clinic at Joint Care Clinic provides more than just physiotherapy treatment. We pride ourselves in helping guide you through the overall management of your condition, from your initial assessment and investigations to establish a diagnosis, to treatment of your condition and on to advanced rehabilitation in order to return you to your active lifestyle. We will work closely with your GP, consultant and other health professionals to ensure that your care is seamless and to minimise recovery time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is Physiotherapy?
- How do I choose a Physiotherapist?
- Can I use my medical insurance to pay for Physiotherapy?
- How do I arrange Physiotherapy?
- What can I expect during my first visit?
- What does Physiotherapy treatment involve?
- What will be expected of me?
- What do I wear?
- Will my GP or consultant know what we are doing?
What is Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy is the practice of helping people with physical conditions affecting bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, which might be causing pain or limitations to daily life. This involves using physical techniques such as 'hands-on' treatment, electrical apparatus and, most importantly, rehabilitation exercise.
The aim of physiotherapy treatment is to help you improve your range of motion, general flexibility, muscular control and strength in order to decrease your pain and ultimately help you return to normal function.
Some of the conditions that we can treat are:
- Sports injuries
- Muscle, tendon & ligament injuries
- Joint problems
- Back & neck pain
- Whiplash
- Orthopaedic Conditions
- Pre and post surgical rehabilitation
- Tennis & Golfers elbow
- Frozen shoulder
- Overuse injuries
- Chronic pain
- Nerve entrapment
- Work related injuries and conditions
- Postural problems
If you have a problem that is not listed above, or are not sure whether we can help your problem, contact us.
All types of injury are catered for, whether it occurred at the gym, at work, whilst gardening, or training for top class sport.
How do I choose a Physiotherapist?
Finding a therapist that you can trust is a vital step in the recovery process. There are several factors you should consider when choosing a Physiotherapist. At Joint Care Clinic, we pride ourselves in:
- Listening to our patients
- Understanding our patients and treating them as individuals, with specific needs and goals
- Providing vital individual attention to target appropriate treatment
- Offering comprehensive treatment programmes
- Encouraging and empowering each patient to take control of their problem
- Following-up with each patient to evaluate the outcome of their treatment
Can I use my medical insurance to pay for physiotherapy?
Depending on the level of cover provided by your policy, yes. Many policies and insurance companies will pay for physiotherapy treatment. Depending on the policy, there may be limits to the number of sessions they will fund and you may also have an excess.
For more details, please contact your insurance company prior to commencing your treatment. They will tell you what they will cover and may provide you with an authorisation number. At your first physiotherapy session, please provide us with the details of your policy and any authorisation number you may have, otherwise we will not be able to charge your insurer.
Our physiotherapists at Joint Care Clinic are registered with all the major health insurers.
How do I arrange Physiotherapy?
If you would like to have physiotherapy, you can either consult your GP or, just call us to arrange an appointment. A recommendation or referral from your GP or consultant is usually necessary if you are using your private medical insurance to cover your treatment.
What can I expect during my first visit?
Your first appointment is a comprehensive assessment of you and your problem. As you would expect from any medical consultation, we will take a thorough history of your current and any other medical problems. This will be followed by a clinical examination to determine the nature of the problem and the structures involved. From this we will agree a comprehensive treatment plan to address your problems as quickly and safely as possible, or discuss onward referral for investigations or specialist opinion if required.
What does Physiotherapy treatment involve?
We will use a variety of tools and treatment techniques to target the physical impairments contributing to your pain. By addressing these problems, you should begin to see a decrease in your pain within a short period of time.
Joint mobilisation / manipulation
- For pain relief.
- to improve the mobility and function of stiff and painful joints such as the spine or in the limbs such as the hip or shoulder.
- Mobilisation involves a repetitive gliding oscillation of a joint that is graded according to the type of problem you have.
- Manipulation involves a quick thrust movement that goes beyond that of a mobilisation. A manipulation often results in a click or cracking sound as the joint is loosened.
- Soft tissue manipulation
Many people will think this is a technical term for massage but there are a wide variety of other techniques that this refers to, such as trigger point and myofascial release, specific soft tissue mobilisation and muscle energy techniques.
- Electrotherapy
There are various pieces of equipment that the therapist can use to help the healing process. These can relieve pain and swelling, particularly if they are used in the first few weeks after injury. These include treatments such as interferential therapy, laser, short wave diathermy, TENS and ultrasound.
- Exercise and Stretching
Regardless of the other treatments a physiotherapist might use, they will always give advice on exercise and / or stretching.
- Exercise will help to increase circulation, improve joint mobility, increase muscle tone and strength, relieve swelling and pain, and generally improve fitness.
- Stretching will help to increase the length and flexibility of tissues, stimulate healing and encourage the healing of tissue fibres in the right direction. - Advice
Physiotherapy treatment is of no use if the patient is not given guidance as to how to avoid flaring their problem up, and what activities they should and shouldn't be doing at that stage. Advice can range from how to move or walk to avoid creating pain, to the arrangement of the workplace, improving posture, and the gradual return to normal activities including sports.
What will be expected of me?
In order for you to gain the most benefit from your physiotherapy treatment, it is important that you do not miss your scheduled treatment sessions and that you take the time to perform your individual exercise program as advised by your physiotherapist.
What do I wear?
Please wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing to your visits. If you have a hip, knee, ankle or foot problem, shorts will be helpful.
Will my GP or consultant know what we are doing?
We stay in contact with your doctor through written and verbal communication. We will update them as necessary and notify them when your treatment is complete.