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Physiotherapy helps people affected by injury, illness or disability through movement and exercise, manual therapy, education and advice. Quality assured professional treatment is offered in a relaxed environment at competitive rates
When is Physiotherapy suitable?
Physiotherapy can be helpful for all ages with a wide range of health conditions, including those affecting:
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bones, joints and soft tissue – such as back, neck and shoulder pain or sports injuries
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brain/central nervous system – such as moving problems which resulted from a stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's
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circulation and heart – such as rehabilitating a patient after a heart attack
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breathing and lungs – e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or cystic fibrosis
Physiotherapy can improve your physical activity while helping you to prevent further injuries. Please not the above list is not exhaustive and physiotherapy can treat most related injuries.
What physiotherapists do
Physiotherapists consider the whole body, rather than focusing only on the individual aspects of an illness or injury.
Some of the main approaches used by physiotherapists include:
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education and advice – physiotherapists can give general advice about things that affect your daily life, such as posture, correct lifting/carrying techniques to prevent injuries
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movement, tailored exercise and physical activity advice – exercises may be recommended to improve your general health and mobility, and to strengthen specific parts of your body
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manual therapy – where the physiotherapist uses their hands to help relieve pain and stiffness, and to encourage better movement of the body
This is not an exhaustive list and feel free to take a look at our treatments page for the exact treatments that we focus on.
Movement and exercise
Physiotherapists often advise movement and exercise to help improve mobility and function. This might include:
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exercises to improve movement and strength in a specific area of the body – these often need to be repeated regularly for a set period of time
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activities that involve moving your entire body, such as swimming or walking – these could help if you're recovering from an operation or injury affecting your movement
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exercises carried out in warm, shallow water (hydrotherapy or aquatic therapy) – the water can help relax and support the muscles and joints, while providing resistance to help you gradually strengthen
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advice and exercise tips to help you increase or maintain your physical activity – advice will be given on the importance of keeping active, and how to do this in a safe, effective method
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providing mobility aids – such as crutches or a walking stick to help you move around
Your physiotherapist may also recommend exercises that you can continue doing to help you manage pain in the longer term or reduce the danger of injuring yourself again.
Manual therapy
Manual therapy is a method where a physiotherapist uses hands to manipulate, mobilise and massage tissues.
This can help provide:
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relief of pain and stiffness
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improvement to blood circulation
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help to drain fluid more efficiently from parts of the body
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improvements in the movement of different parts of the body
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relaxation
Manual therapy can be used to treat specific issues, such as back problems or pain, but may also be useful for a range of conditions that don't affect the bones, joints or muscles.
E.g. massage may increase quality of life for some people with serious or longer-term conditions by lowering levels of anxiousness and raising sleep quality. Manual techniques are also used to help specific lung conditions.