Services
What is Acupuncture?
Western medical acupuncture is the use of acupuncture after a proper medical diagnosis. It is based on scientific evidence that shows the treatment can stimulate nerves under the skin and in muscle tissue. This results in the body producing pain-relieving substances, such as endorphins.
It is likely these substances are responsible for any beneficial effects seen with this form of acupuncture. The needles may be inserted just under the skin, or deeper so they reach muscle tissue.
Once the needles are in place, they may be left in position for a length of time lasting from a few minutes up to around 30 minutes. You may feel a tingling or a dull ache when the needles are inserted. You should not experience any significant pain and most patients find it a calming, relaxing experience.
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Shockwave Therapy
ESWT (Extracorporeal shockwave therapy) is a relatively new treatment option that has emerged for patients with chronic tendon/connective tissue pain. The shock waves are abrupt, high amplitude pulses of mechanical energy, similar to soundwaves. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy focuses shockwaves onto and into the body and is currently being used to treat a wide range of conditions, including:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Calcific tendonitis
- Tennis/Golfer’s elbow
- Achilles tendinopathy
The effectiveness of the treatment modality for specific conditions has been reviewed and accepted by NICE (UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). Shockwave therapy causes microtrauma to the tissue causing the chronic problems, initiating a healing response from the body.
This healing response causes blood vessels to form and nutrients to be delivered to the area affected by the treatment. In basic terms, the shockwaves cause microtrauma, which stimulate the body’s repair functions, relieving pain. Shockwave therapy can be really useful in enabling earlier return to sport for athletes.
Shockwave therapy is non-invasive. It’s not a surgical option, so it doesn’t require any cutting and it isn’t a medical pill or injection, which can have side effects. The chronic issues that the therapy treats are difficult to treat any other way and surgery carries the risk of complications, such as infection or further pain.
Treatment can take as little as 10 minutes, usually once or twice per week for 4 – 8 sessions in total, depending on the condition being treated. Using shockwave therapy has little complications that we know of. Contact us today if you would like to find out more.
Electrotherapy
Using specialised devices designed to deliver customised levels of electrical stimulation to your body's nerves, muscles, or tendons, trained physiotherapists can harness the power of electrotherapy to promote treat injuries, promote healing, and offer pain relief.
Electrotherapy treats chronic pain, musculoskeletal injuries, muscle wasting, and nerve pain by using targeted and controlled electrical stimulation.
Electrotherapy is a gentle and non-invasive modality that works by stimulating nerves and muscles through the surface of the skin.
Though it varies based on which device your practitioner uses, electrotherapy is thought to work in a variety of ways:
- Send out electrical impulses that block or interfere with the body's pain signals, leading to reduced pain.
- Help release endorphins (chemical messengers) that naturally decrease pain in the body.
- Stimulate muscle tissue to contract to reduce atrophy.
- Improve circulation and stimulate healing.
- Stimulate cells which reduce inflammation, promote collagen production, and inhibit pain.
Rehabilitation Plans
A rehabilitation plan is an individual guide created by your physiotherapist, based on an assessment of your needs. It aims to help you recover and return to work or education, and do daily activities. These plans often include a variety of treatment modalities, support, advice and home based exercises to improve strength and mobility. We work with you to formulate goals based on what is important to you, and regularly evaluate your progress.
Joint And Soft Tissue Mobilisations
Mobilisation is a hands-on manual therapy designed to restore joint movement, power, and range of motion. The therapist gently encourages joint motion by passive movement within or to the limit of the normal range of motion of that joint. The therapist's movement of the joint is very precise. The overall goal of mobilization is to restore normal joint function including the surrounding soft tissue (muscle, ligaments, fascia).
Myofascial release, or soft tissue mobilisation, is a therapy used to release tension stored in the fascia. Fascia are sheets of fibrous tissue that encase and support muscles. Fascia also covers joints capsules and ligaments. Following trauma, the fascia and muscles may shorten, resulting in restricted joint movement and blood flow. The techniques used in myofascial release break up fascial adhesions and relax muscle tension, helping to normalise physical motion within the joint capsule.
