Have you been told that your pain will not resolve and you can't return to the activities you enjoy? Our Physiotherapists and Osteopaths successfully treat people with chronic or complex pain, even if they have had lots of treatment elsewhere including seeing other physios, osteopaths, chiropractors, doctors and having had injections and operations. Check out our testimonials or google reviews to be inspired or book in now to see one of our specialists.
Chronic pain is a term banded around without people appreciating that it is not a diagnosis. The meaning of ‘chronic’ varies but really just means ‘long term pain.’ ‘Long term’ is defined as anything from 3 to 6 months or more. Chronic pain is NOT the same as ‘incurable pain’ but unfortunately the terms have become synonymous. That is why we prefer the term ‘complex pain.’ Just because someone has been experiencing pain for a long time it does not mean that it will not get better. What it does mean is that the treatments designed for acute or short term pain will not work. Or at least they will not work as quickly as they do for pain that has only been experienced for a short time. Basically the longer you have had your pain the longer it will take for it to get better and for you to return to doing the things you want to do.
For example, if you have had pain for six months, you will need to have physiotherapy for six months to a year to recover. If you have had pain for a year of more, you will be looking at a programme of up to eighteen to twenty four months. Unfortunately it is highly unlikely that your insurance company or the NHS will provide you with physiotherapy for this period of time and you will therefore need to pay for at least a proportion of it. The short term cost needs to be weighed up against the long term gain of being able to work and do the things you enjoy. You also need to consider that it may not be as costly as it sounds as long as you do all the things that the physio tells you to do (and not to do!) so that in effect you become your own physio and therefore do not need frequent appointments. In fact, I would recommend that you question the clinical reasoning of your physio if they ask you to have weekly appointments for more than about six weeks because after this time you should be becoming more independent and less reliant on hands on treatment. Hands on treatment will then only be appropriate during flare ups, and this should only be episodic. By the time a year is up your appointments should only be once every few weeks or months.
Please do get in touch if you would like further information or to speak to one of our experienced Physiotherapists or Osteopaths.
All of our videos are completely free and help to give a visual hints and tips.
View NowMild neck pain and/or tightness that comes on slowly is commonly due to the upper back rounding forwards and the chin pointing forwards and upwards, which increases muscle and nerve tension and may cause pins and needles or pain in the arms and hands. Sometimes, breathing becomes restricted due to...
Read MoreDisc injuries cover a whole spectrum of problems including disc degeneration, disc prolapse and a disc bulge, all in varying levels of severity. Minor injuries will feel like a localized ache over the spine; more severe injuries cause intense pain and immobility, with pain, pins and needles, numbness and/or weakness...
Read MoreThe unfortunate, but sometimes necessary stage for certain back conditions is surgery. We work with the top spine surgeons, so we know exactly who to guide you to, so be reassured that you will be in good hands. We will work closely with your Orthopaedic Consultant to ensure that you...
Read MoreWe often find that this is over diagnosed and that often the arm and hand pain (and weakness) is actually being caused by a tendinopathy that is fully treatable with physiotherapy. However, true carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by irritation of the median nerve that runs though the wrist joint...
Read MoreThe complexity of the neck, the amount we use it for day-to-day activities, the degree of strain we put it through during training and sports, and the fact that we often use it inefficiently through poor posture and insufficiently strong deep stability muscles, all this can lead to many different...
Read MoreOur feet take a pounding in our lives and wearing poor footwear, incorrect leg alignment, weaknesses further up the leg back and pelvis and inefficient sporting technique can increase the chance of developing problems in that part of the body. Foot posture changes with age, like the rest of your...
Read MorePlease click here to read how the shoulder works before reading the following. It is essential to reposition the shoulder joint correctly, which you must do under the guidance of a physiotherapist to make sure you dont do more damage. The most common incorrect position is the shoulderblade being held...
Read MorePlease read how the back works before reading the following. These are the muscles that are supposed to be worked in Pilates; however we have seen plenty of people who have been to lots of Pilates classes and have not been using these muscles at all! You really need an...
Read MorePlease read how the neck works before reading the following. The effect of gravity on the head is that it moves down and forwards, away from the body. As a result of the head being lowered it then has to be rotated upwards in order to look straight forwards not...
Read MoreThere are a variety of exercises that are great for your feet and ankles including: 1) Foot self-massage exercise 2) Eccentric calf strengthening 3) Foot muscles strengthening 4) Concentric calf strength and ankle instability exercise
Read MorePlease click here to read how the foot and ankle works before reading the following. Make sure you have your pain diagnosed properly by a physio, osteo or sports doctor to ensure that this exercise is appropriate.
Read MoreGet rid of your back pain or sciatica with advice...
As a Physiotherapist who runs a joint physiotherapy and osteopathy clinic I...
As a physiotherapist this is probably the most common question I get...
Don’t give up, even if treatment, including physiotherapy or osteopathy,...
Hover over the specific body parts and find out more
Use your mouse to hover over the dark grey dots and click through to the specific body parts to get advice about your injury.
We promise to never share your email address with anyone.