Physiotherapy
Our Services
Physiotherapy helps restore movement, reduce pain and improve function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. You can benefit from Physiotherapy at any time in your life -Physiotherapists maintain health for people of all ages, helping to encourage recovery from acute injuries such as a sprained ankle, to long term chronic pain conditions, such as knee arthritis. Physiotherapy is a science-based profession and takes a “whole person” approach to health and wellbeing, which includes the patient’s general lifestyle.
Here at Touchline Physio we have a wealth of experience in diagnosing illness and injuries, treating them effectively and safely, whilst always involving the patient at all stages of the process. All of our Physiotherapists are a minimum of 7 years qualified and have completed a Bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy. They are all licenced with the Health Care Professions Council who regulate our industry and ensure the highest standards of care across the profession. Our Physiotherapists are highly skilled at manual therapy, which can include soft tissue treatments, joint mobilisations and manipulations, electrotherapy such as ultrasound, and exercise prescription. Most injuries and painful conditions will usually benefit from some form of stretching or strengthening, enabling you to take an active part in your recovery, and more importantly, stay pain free for the future.
Shockwave Therapy
At Touchline Physio our experienced clinicians use shockwave therapy to treat many musculoskeletal conditions. Radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy or ESWT, uses acoustic pulses which are felt as a pulsing sensation on your skin. These intense pressure waves are clinically proven to stimulate metabolic reactions in injured tissue - this causes increased blood circulation, begins the healing process by stimulating stem cell activity, and reduces pain felt by nerve fibres.
Our clinicians will perform a full assessment of your condition and advise whether shockwave therapy is indicated as a treatment option for you. For some conditions it is recommended as a first-line treatment, for others it can be used as an adjunct to other treatment options. It has a wide evidence base and is used successfully to treat a range of musculoskeletal conditions including plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, greater trochanteric pain syndrome, calcaneal tendinopathies, shoulder tendon issues and muscular pathologies.
The treatment sessions only take 15 minutes and usually clients require 3-5 sessions after the initial assessment. If you are interested to find out more about shockwave and discover whether this might be an appropriate treatment for you, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Steroid Injections
Cortisone is an anti-inflammatory steroid that occurs naturally in the body. Steroid injections (aka Corticosteroid injections) are administered by highly trained healthcare professionals (such as clinical specialist physiotherapists) and use a small dose of synthetic cortisone to provide quick and effective relief of pain and stiffness which is being caused by inflammation, such as in arthritis, bursitis, tendinopathy and frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis). While injection therapy can provide significant relief for many, it isn’t always right for everyone. You will complete a full assessment with the physiotherapist to ensure that an injection is the most appropriate option for you.
The injection process is then quick and easy to perform within the clinic and you will be able to go home shortly after. You will also be given an individualised rehabilitation programme to enable the most effective recovery. While you may need to rest the joint for a few days following the injection, you will be able to do all normal activities of daily living. As well as assessment by your clinical specialist, you should also make sure that you feel that an injection is right for you and your circumstances. To help you in this, your physiotherapist will ensure that they have answered all questions you may have. Please note that steroid injections are currently only available at the Westerham clinic and you will need a full assessment before booking for the injection at a later date.
With steroid injections you should notice a benefit only a few days after your injection, but occasionally it can take some weeks. Some people feel completely pain free within a few hours. Unfortunately, this benefit often wears off after 3-4 months unless you persist with rehabilitation to address the initial causes of your symptoms. It might also be the case that the short-term benefits will help you live a more mobile pain-free life while you wait for joint surgery or other orthopaedic appointments. You should be aware, however, that while for the majority of people steroid injections provide fast and significant pain relief, results can vary and it is not always possible to predict who will respond best.
Sports Injury & Rehabilitation
At Touchline Physio, we understand that the road to recovery is very different for everyone. Each sport puts specific demands on the human body, whether it’s a golfers swing or a rugby tackle. Each athlete will have different goals and require sport specific training to return to their chosen sport. This must be done in a safe and effective manner, eliminating the chances of re-injury or recurring conditions.
During an assessment, we look at mechanism and severity of injury, along with any weakness that may be related to the root cause. Treatment is goal orientated and specific to your sport and will consist of hands-on manual therapy, therapeutic modalities such as ultrasound, kinesiology taping, sports massage, and of course graded exercise programs. Exercise programs will begin on day-one of your treatment and set at your level of ability and pain allowance. Exercises will continue under monitored supervision, leading to increased mobility, flexibility, strength, and stability, complementing your individual sport specific requirements/demands.
Injury prevention programs are also available, whereby we assess and treat any weakness or biomechanical changes that may lead to injury. This allows our athletes to thrive, improving personal best results and safely push their boundaries while remaining injury free.
Sports Massage
Sports massage has many beneficial effects and can be used pre-performance, post-performance, during training, or for rehabilitation. From elite athletes to recreational exercisers, it is a popular choice. Sports massage focuses on the soft tissues and muscles relevant to sport. Many different movements and techniques are used in sports massage. These movements and techniques are used to try to help the athlete’s body achieve maximum performance and physical conditioning with a decreased chance of injury or pain and a quicker recovery.
There are a multitude of benefits brought about by sports massage. Some of which are physiological, and some are psychological. These benefits are listed in our blog. All of our physiotherapists at Touchline Physio are qualified in sports massage and often use this as part of a treatment program. If you would like to know more about sports massage, please read my article on our journal page or contact the clinic, where we will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a tried and tested system of healthcare devised by the Chinese and other eastern cultures. It is now widely used and accepted all over the world.
At Touchline Physio we use Acupuncture to give pain relief, improve healing times and reduce stiffness. We use it as part of a treatment plan, not instead of traditional Physiotherapy, as we believe it is the combination of hands on therapy and Acupuncture that can give the best and fastest results. Acupuncture works to maintain the body’s equilibrium by focusing on all aspects of wellbeing; physical, mental and emotional states. According to traditional Chinese philosophy, our health is dependant on the body’s motivating energy moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of channels below the skin. This energy is known as ‘qi’. The flow of qi can be disturbed by any number of factors, such as grief, anxiety, anger, infections and trauma. When the qi is unbalanced, illness and pain can develop.
We use acupuncture in two main ways; one is to relax muscle and connective tissue, the other is to stimulate the body’s own healing response and restore natural balance by inserting the needles along the channels of energy called ‘meridians’.
Acupuncture needles are finer than needles used for injections and blood tests. When the needle is inserted, the sensation is often described as tingling or a dull ache. Acupuncture is very safe. The results of two independent surveys published in the British Medical Journal in 2001 concluded that the risk of serious adverse reaction to acupuncture is less than 1 in 10,000. The needles we use are single, sterile and disposable. Responses to treatment can sometimes include tiredness or mild dizziness and very occasionally minor bruising can occur. However, all such reactions are short lived.
You can get more information about acupuncture by visiting www.acupuncture.org.uk
Counselling (CBT)
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
CBT can help with depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, Eating Disorders, low self –esteem, childhood trauma and phobias. It may be necessary to explore childhood and adolescent experiences, however, the focus of the therapy will primarily be on the ‘here and now’ with an understanding of how childhood experiences may be affecting life now.
CBT aims to help the individual link their thoughts, feelings and behaviors and to establish any unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that may be keeping their problems going. CBT is a brief and goal focused therapy, which has a focus on tasks in-between sessions so that the individual can learn new more helpful behaviors, which will improve mood. Tasks in-between sessions, are likely to involve facing fears to test out their beliefs and predictions in certain situations.
The work in-between sessions will be decided in the session in a collaborative manner applying the rule that behavior change can take place in a small (or specific) and measurable way and the client will decide what behavior changes are achievable and realistic to them. The role that thinking has is fundamental as thoughts often maintaining symptoms. In a collaborative manner the client can learn new more adaptive ways of thinking about themselves, the world, and others, which will serve to lessen their distress and enhance their emotional well-being. CBT aims to provide clients with a set of tools or skills that they can apply to many problem situations and/or events in their life.