MUSCULO-SKELETAL PHYSIOTHERAPY
Musculoskeletal physiotherapy is the management of acute and overuse injuries and impairments of the musculoskeletal system, with the primary goal of getting the patient back to being pain free with full function as soon as possible, as well as the ability to self-manage their issues going forward.
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WHAT'S INVOLVED IN A PHYSIO SESSION?
A comprehensive assessment and testing with a focus on patient individual goals Accurate diagnosis and prognosis/timeline identifying contributing factors Individualised rehabilitation program Manual treatments and taping Rehab progressions and graded return to normal activities A maintenance and injury prevention program
WHAT DOES A PHYSIO DO?
The key is to get the most accurate diagnosis possible, including how and why the injury or issue occurred, and what other internal factors contributed. A plan is then developed to progress you not only to fix the current issue, but to prevent it ever occurring again in the future.
A detailed rehab program is usually the most effective way to get this done. You will rehabilitate the injured area with mobility, stability and strengthening exercises. You will also address deficiencies and imbalances that may have contributed to the injury/pain/impairment with targeted corrective and rehab exercises.
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Manual treatment will play a significant role in your recovery, as an adjunct to, and to perfectly complement, your rehab program. Treatments will include soft tissue therapy (massage and trigger point therapy), as well as joint mobilisations, nerve sliding techniques, dry needling, joint manipulations, taping, PNF patterns and stretching. Our appointments are 45-60 minutes to allow time for adequate manual treatment of the area as well as rehabilitation in the gym. You will be guided back to your normal activities with careful progressions, based on tissue healing timeframes and achievement of certain progression criteria e.g. range of movement and strength testing results. You will eventually be fully cleared to return to your normal activities and exercise, and we will empower you to self-manage going forward with a maintenance program for ongoing injury prevention.
DRY NEEDLING
Dry needling utilises acupuncture needles to penetrate a muscle into a trigger point (basically a knotted section in a muscle belly), with the goal of eliminating the trigger point to restore normal muscle length and tension.
WHEN IS IT USED IN PHYSIO?
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Occasionally trigger point therapy with the hands is not as effective as desired, so we use a needle to penetrate deeper right into the heart of the issue.
Dry needling can also be used to unload and de-tension a generally tight muscle group, such as tight calves or hamstring, through deregulation of the neural system to cause muscle relaxation. Dry needling can also be used to stimulate a healing area, namely ligaments, which can promote blood flow and hence tissue healing.
Read our latest blog on Dry Needling!
