teodora nacheva – Octopus Clinic

Unresolved Injury Free Consultations

teodora nacheva — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 11:10:00 +0000

Would you like to find out how you or a loved one can recover from your unresolved injury or pain?

We would like to restore your hope for recovery, so part of the launch of our Unresolved Injury Clinic this week, we are offering free phone consultations with our specialist physiotherapists and osteopaths.

You can read inspiring testimonials from people who have recovered with us from previously unresolved injuries here.

Get on the road to recovery and start 2023 in a better place. Email info@octopusclinic.com or call 02075838288 now.

We look forward to speaking to you soon.

The Octopus Clinic Team

02075838288

The post Unresolved Injury Free Consultations appeared first on Octopus Clinic.

Restoring Hope – Testimonials

teodora nacheva — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 11:00:00 +0000

We have put together some testimonials that should restore hope for recovery, hope that you are able to get back to doing the things you enjoy and hope that you can be the person you want to be.

We have a team of physiotherapists and osteopaths who specialise in the treatment of unresolved injuries and persistent pain and it would be our pleasure to enable you to recover.

To enable you to start 2023 with hope we are launching our Unresolved Injury Clinic the week beginning 21st November 2022. During the week we are offering free phone consultations to anyone who has an unresolved injury or pain that would like to discuss self help strategies and how our physiotherapists can help. To find out other free events during our Unresolved Injuries week please click here.

Octopus clinic has restored my faith in online physiotherapy after treatment with other physios that left my painful (sciatic nerve related) morning hobbles unchanged for months. I was blown away by the depth of knowledge behind treatments and I’m now back to long runs without pain that I never imagined would be possible without intervention. The only regression I saw was when I lapsed in my exercises. This is the most I’ve been reassured during treatment and held to account for my exercise. Thanks for restoring a massive part of my life.
Raph Keymer

Wonderful, dedicated and knowledgeable specialists. After 3 previous physios, Octopus was the first clinic that actually helped me get rid of knee aches and shin splints from running. Highly recommended!
Alex P

I have been suffering from knee pain for nearly 10 months. I have seen two consultants and a number of physios. Nobody was able to accurately identify the issue or help with my pain management. After a steroid injection, I was recommended Reform by the consultant and I could not be more grateful for this recommendation. Robyn was wonderful. She was clear about the recovery and action plan from the beginning, setting me attainable goals and useful ways for me to monitor my own progress between sessions. She would quiz me in every session to make sure that I understood why each exercise was necessary and how this would benefit my recovery and the outcome. My knee is almost back to normal and I just know that I could not have done this without Robyn’s help. I am leaving the area but I will definitely make sure I travel to see Robyn if I need help in the future.

I suffered for almost a year with Achillies problems.. saw physios, podiatrist, osteopaths, soft tissue therapists and had shock therapy.. not of them collectively resolved my issues.
By chance I saw a video posted by Lucy which really resonated with me. The first tip was ‘do not stretch a tendon’.. when in fact, everyone else I saw said the opposite. I contacted her and asked why she was different! Lucy was confident she could fix me, and all my treatment was over WhatsApp, I didn’t even have to go into clinic. It seemed crazy but by this point I had nothing to lose.. I had maybe 4 sessions with her. The first was an hour where she looked at my posture, history, had me doing some movements etc so she could look for imbalances. She gave me very basic treatment plans, and I could message her any queries that I had. We checked in maybe once a month and within a few weeks I was comfortable running and more importantly for me, I felt confident I wasn’t going to do any more damage. Lucy listens, gives solid advice and manageable exercises. I am back running and in full training for the London Marathon. I honestly can’t recommend Lucy enough.
Maxine Chadderton

This time last year I could barely get out of bed and move without pain killers and I was planning on running an Ultra Marathon…! I asked Lucy for help to get me to the start line. As part of my training I worked with Lucy to fix a back problem I have suffered with for the best part of 25 years. Lucy was just incredible, her knowledge of the musculoskeletal anatomy is just outstanding. She hardly laid a hand on me, importantly she taught me to reconnect to my body and gave me the tools and exercises to help myself. I had a few set backs but Lucy was always there to get me back on track. I have been to so many physios/ osteos etc with little success. It’s not too bigger claim to say that the treatment I got from Lucy has changed my life – I now live without constant pain…and I completed the Ultra Marathon! Thank you Lucy, you are just awesome!
Tee Barnes

I went to see Ian after suffering with lower back and severe hip pain for over six months. I was unable to tie up my shoes or sleep through the night. After only a few visits I was more or less pain free and after a couple of months I went on a walking holiday which would have been unthinkable earlier in the year. I really recommend Ian, he is friendly, explains everything clearly, is professional and excellent at his job. Thank you!
Claire Patey

I saw Marni for an old injury on my shoulder as well back issues as a result of my work. Marni was professional, approachable and gave practical advise for my treatment plan. She was very quick in responding to any further queries I had via email and also used her Women’s Health experience to provide me with changes that will benefit me long term. Highly recommend. The workplace itself was clean and hygienic.
Priya Handa

When I was referred to Lucy I had given up hope of treating my hip pain caused by excessive cycling (having had two steroid injections and seen three consultants and two physios). Thankfully Lucy didn’t give up so easily and promised that, although it would take some time, she was confident I could be pain free and get back on my bike. She treated me through online consultations, supported by video tutorials for my exercises, and I am over the moon that I am now biking again and have just signed up to my first cycling trip. I would never have considered treatment only online before but it worked really well.
Lucy was brilliant throughout my treatment – she was interested in my wider health and wellbeing and was always so encouraging and easy to talk to. She is supported by an excellent team so I knew that if she wasn’t available there were other experts I could see.
I am extremely grateful to her for all that she has done for me and can’t recommend her, and Octopus Clinic, enough.
Sara Billington

I cannot recommend Robyn enough! At the start of my physio journey I had a lot of pain, and after several sessions I’m now pain free and also have learnt a number of strategies that I can use myself to prevent or treat the pain in the future. Robyn was great at finding the crux of the problem, being incredibly supportive and treating me with both physio and Pilates-led exercises. Plus she’s lovely and I will miss seeing her on a regular basis!

I am very grateful to the physio Lucy at the Octopus Clinic. She helped me to understand how the brain and nervous system process pain and how one can break the cycle of chronic pain. I was struggling to do many everyday things before working with Lucy but – although still experiencing some level of discomfort and pain – I am now able to do all the things I need to do and live my life largely as normal, including taking care of my child. Lucy was very encouraging and supportive throughout. Big thank you 🙂
Stephane Thomson

I was referred to Lucy after suffering from tendinitis in my hip for more than two years and having previously seen multiple Physio’s and doctors with little success. Lucy had a really refreshing approach to treatment focusing on my biomechanics and getting to the cause of the problem. Within a matter of weeks I was noticing improvements and was soon able to return to running and playing sports. Lucy was amazing, is really knowledgable and has helped me so much. The online videos are great too. 5* would not hesitate to recommend!
Claire Philipson

Robyn has helped me to resolve an injury which I haven’t been able to fully recover from for years. Other physios have provided short term fixes to my back injury mainly via massage but ultimately the same problem has reoccurred. Robyn has differed by:
1) spent time assessing what causes the injury in the way I move and run
2) built a program to strengthen specific muscles and improve mobility
3) motivated me to achieve goals via a specific program.
The course of physio has been challenging but rewarding. Heavy focus on prevention over a cure and she has allowed me to take ownership of recovery through a program whilst providing expert support and guidance. I have a better understanding of my physiology and awareness of what causes injury and how to best manage it. It’s been great fun working with Robyn and I can’t thank her enough.

I was referred to Lucy with trochanteric bursitis which was restricting the flexibility of my left hip. Having seen numerous physios in the past, I was slightly sceptical but I have been truly amazed at how quickly Lucy was able to dramatically improve my range of motion, through hands on physio, a series of exercises and a bit of acupuncture, and help me both with what has been up until now a very challenging yoga posture as well as improve my running style drastically. 5 stars!
Rowan Edwards

I went to see Robyn initially after having back issues for 3-4 months which I thought would go away, but gradually got worse resulting in me waking up one day in intense pain. It took me about 30 minutes to stand up into a crooked position, I could not stand up straight and was in a bit of a panic! I just googled local physio and am so thankful that I found Robyn. I was possibly in the wort physical state in my life, feeling really low and depressed like this might be it for the rest of my life! My first meeting with Robyn was an initial assessment, she took a great deal of time to talk to me, listen, and look me over to understand exactly what was going on. I immediately had absolute confidence in her obvious expertise in her field and knew if I followed exactly what she said, I would recover. Over four months and about 8-10 visits I can say, not only that I am fully recovered, but actually in better physical shape than I have been for over ten years or so. Robyn has taught me to be more mindful of my body and how to look after it to avoid further issues. She created a bespoke exercise plan for me which was available through an app where she would upload what I needed to do so it was really easy. She gave me advice on what painkillers to ask my GP for (neuropathies painkillers, which I had never heard of and no one had ever mentioned before) and then kept tabs on how much I was taking and advised when to start coming off the painkillers. I am truly thankful for all the work she has done, I was in a really bad place thinking that I would have issues for the rest of my life and can write this today feeling like I am 18 again!

Lucy is a wonderful holistic physio! She’s amazing at problem solving complex chronic problems and creating a plan to get you back to full health again!
Helen Cranny

Robyn is amazing! She has been so motivational over the past six months. Not only has my physical function and fitness returned quicker than I expected, her approach has really helped me focus mentally. She’s a very skilled professional.

Very attentive care. Not only was I cured of my long term knee issues I was taught the reason why and how to prevent for the future. Would definitely recommend.

You can call us on 02075838288 to have a conversation with one of lead physiotherapist who can explain how we can help you recover. Alternatively you can book online or email info@octopusclinic.com.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

The Octopus Clinic Team

The post Restoring Hope – Testimonials appeared first on Octopus Clinic.

Unresolved Injury Clinic – Restoring Hope

teodora nacheva — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 11:14:00 +0000

Do you, a colleague, or a loved one have an unresolved injury or persistent pain that is having an effect on your/their ability to do the things you/they love? Has it been going on for a while despite seeing various physios, osteopaths, chiropractors, and doctors? At Octopus Clinic we have a specialist team dedicated to treating people with injuries and pain that have not responded to treatment elsewhere. We know that feeling like no one understands what is going on can be frustrating and lead to a decline in hope for recovery. We also know that we can restore hope from the very first consultation and that people go on to regain the aspects of their life and identity that have been restricted or, in some cases, completely put on hold.

You can read many case studies in the words of these people in some of our 300+ google reviews or read some of them on our: Restoring Hope Testimonials page.

We are launching our Unresolved Pain Clinic on 21st November 2022 so that you, your colleagues, or loved ones can start 2023 with hope restored. We will be running free taster sessions, virtual events, blogs on the science of recovery, opportunities to meet the team, and self-help videos from 21st November 2022. We will be sharing the timetable of events at the end of this week so please keep an eye out on social media or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

In the meantime, if you have any questions and would like to speak to one of our unresolved injury specialists please get in touch with Lead Physiotherapist Lucy Macdonald info@octopusclinic.com.

Alternatively, you can email info@octopusclinic.com to book or book online.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

The Octopus Clinic Team

The post Unresolved Injury Clinic – Restoring Hope appeared first on Octopus Clinic.

A place of care

teodora nacheva — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 10:47:00 +0000

As a physiotherapist specialising in unresolved injures and persistent pain I would love to hear what ‘a place of care’ means to you – how the term makes you feel and what visions, stories or words it conjures up.

I was tasked with writing for five minutes on this topic when I attended a workshop on ‘narrative medicine’ this morning held by ‘Le Pub Scientifique’ a fabulous bunch of physiotherapists, osteopaths and other healthcare professionals with a special interest in persistent pain.

When I wrote it I had no intention on sharing it on social media but I thought it might be a good way of opening up the topic for discussion, so please do let me know your thoughts and how you’d define ‘a place of care.’ I chose ‘My treatment room’ but there could be many many different integrations. It feels quite vulnerable (not least because I’d the bad grammar) and self indulgent to do this but here goes…

My treatment room

A place where people come for answers. They are vulnerable and want to feel safe. A place that is calm and supportive and where relationships are built on trust and understanding. Where fear subsides, confidence grows and hope is nurtured. A treatment room could hold bad memories and therefore start as a place of fear or confusion but soon becomes a place of safety and connection. My treatment room holds laughter and tears because emotion is given space to be accepted. It is a place where I feel calm. It feels like the place I should be, where things makes sense in an otherwise confusing world.

Please do share your thoughts and feelings, I’ll be really interested to hear from you.

All the best,

Lucy Macdonald

info@octopusclinic.com

The post A place of care appeared first on Octopus Clinic.

Empathy burnout, boundaries and clinical efficacy

teodora nacheva — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 18:16:17 +0000

As a physiotherapist working with people with persistent pain and unresolved injures, ensuring that my empathy antennae are on full beam is very important. I work with people whose lives have been thrown upside down by pain and the restrictions that come with it and, although I absolutely love my job, there are times when it can be mentally and emotionally tiring. I believe that the best things in life often involve hard work but I also have to be careful not to end up with empathy burnout, and that’s where boundaries come in… or so I thought.

I got thinking about all this after a recent persistent pain workshop with the fabulous ‘Pub Scientifique.’ We spent time exploring the importance of constantly questioning our own perspectives, biases and assumptions when trying to understand a persons experience of their pain.

This topic is right up my street and fitted nicely into my comfort zone. The bit about ‘showing up’ as an individual and not hiding behind my professional title/knowledge was less comfortable and I’d be interested to hear your perspective on this.

In the first decade of my career I was regularly advised to set boundaries with my patients, in the form of an imaginary barrier. This was supposed to benefit of my patients and save me from empathy burn out. In fact, whenever I tried to do this, to my confusion, it achieved the opposite. I felt I was a less effective clinician and was more exhausted.

I think creating boundaries in this way could inhibit patients from sharing their full experience and therefore prevent useful information being communicated that could be used to make their treatment plan more effective. It also hindered my ability to be empathetic and prevented me from enjoying the freedom and comfort that comes with being authentic.

I believe boundaries are essential in all healthy relationships, whether professional or personal. It’s taken me a long time to get there but finally I think I’m realising that boundaries should be created for each individual therapeutic relationship.

Going forwards I’m going to consider boundaries not in terms of ‘me clinician’ ‘you patient’ and instead in terms of ‘me individual’ ‘you individual.’ I have a sneaking suspicion this is going to make me a more effective clinician and reduce empathy burnout.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this too. If you are a clinician then is it something you’ve always done without thinking about it or do you also find setting boundaries challenging? If you are not a clinician how does all this resonate with you? I’d love to know.

All the best,

Lucy Macdonald

info@octopusclinic.com

The post Empathy burnout, boundaries and clinical efficacy appeared first on Octopus Clinic.

Wonderful witches

teodora nacheva — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 14:34:46 +0000

As a female physio it’s not hard to feel affinity with the wonderful women who practiced the medicine of their time and were labelled witches.

I’ve had the great pleasure of working with a many exceptional clinicians who I would consider to be the very best modern day witches. Women who follow the latest scientific research, hone the essential skill of empathy, are driven by a purpose to help humanity and still have a sense of humour at the end of it all.

So this little blog is to say thank you to all of you for your support, guidance, inspiration and for making our wacky world a better place.

Last but not least I’d like to thank my colleague and friend Marni Cochrane. We’ve been through a lot in the ten years we’ve worked together at Octopus Clinic, I respect her deeply as a clinician and as a person and am incredibly grateful for her loyalty and dedication over the years, not to mention her silly sense of humour… dressing up pumpkins in the clinic today for example was wonderfully cacklesome.

Happy halloween folks.

Lucy Macdonald

The post Wonderful witches appeared first on Octopus Clinic.

Video: blister management, foam rolling, stretches and post-marathon recovery

teodora nacheva — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 13:20:00 +0000

What should I be doing to recover from my marathon?

In this video, physiotherapist Lucy Macdonald explains what you can do to recover from your marathon. She discusses blister management, foam rolling, nutrition and the best stretches you can do.

She also refers to this video which goes into recovery in more detail: https://youtu.be/r6fudRw-RHw

Join our online community for all the latest advice and exercises

Come and join us on our growing Facebook community for all the latest videos and news on how to stay healthy over the next few months. Just find the page ‘Octopus Clinic’ and click on the like button.

Get in contact

You can contact Lucy directly on info@octopusclinic.com, via this website (where you can also find lots of free running exercise videos) and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

You can book an appointment online here, email info@octopusclinic.com or call 020 7583 8288.

The post Video: blister management, foam rolling, stretches and post-marathon recovery appeared first on Octopus Clinic.

Osteopathy for neck pain

teodora nacheva — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 09:24:00 +0000

Many people are unsure of the difference between physiotherapy and osteopathy and quite rightly so, because all the best physios and all the best osteopaths will treat your neck pain with a combination of hands-on techniques and the best stretches and exercises to relieve your neck pain.

As a physio, you may think I could be biased towards physiotherapy, but I have had the pleasure of working with the best osteopaths here at Octopus Clinic and I can assure you that I would not hesitate to recommend my friends and family to them. I will try and unpack why I think they are the best osteopaths in London.

They have calm confidence and when they describe what the problem is and what they are going to do to solve the problem it makes total sense
When they put their hands on they hit the right balance of being firm but not at all painful which immediately puts you at ease. They are often described as having ‘magic hands.’
They give advice and self-management techniques so that you can maintain the improvements at home
They give clear guidance on when things should be fully recovered
They teach exercises to gain strength to reduce the risk of the problem recurring

If you would like to read osteopath David Canevero’s bio you can click here.

If you want to find out more about what makes a good physiotherapist you can click here.

I would love to hear your opinion on what makes the best osteopath, physiotherapist, chiropractor or sports therapist in the comments below.

If you or a loved one has a painful or injured neck, you can book online now, email info@octopusclinic.com or call 02075838288.

See you soon 🙂

The Octopus Clinic Team

Book: Online bookings

Email info@octopusclinic.com

Call 02075838288.

The post Osteopathy for neck pain appeared first on Octopus Clinic.

Physio can help you to stop wasting time in pain and get your life back on track.

teodora nacheva — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 14:34:00 +0000

As a Physiotherapist specialising in enabling recovery in people who have had pain for a long time (AKA ’chronic’ or ‘persistent’ pain) I know that time spent in pain can feel like a terrible loss to the individual who is unable to live their life to the full. Relationships are affected, the ability to work can be impeded, and the ability to exercise, carry out hobbies or sports is restricted. Its a harsh but potentially motivating truth, that although we cannot get time back, we can decide to do everything within our control to address the pain that is swallowing our precious time so that we can live the life the life we want.

Teaching you the many components of what that ’everything’ involves is what my job entails and can be summarised by ‘multiple techniques for retraining the body and the brain.’ Luckily for me theres lots of research showing what techniques work best and I translate these things to make them effective for achieving your goals ranging from building tendon resilience with loading exercises or working on your understanding of the difference between ’good pain’ and ’bad pain.’

An example of this is a someone who has recently messaged me say she is happily trekking her way around Europe with a backpack. When I first met her she was unable to go for a 10 minute walk without being in agony and certainly could not lift anything off the floor never mind carry a backpack up and down mountains. Her journey from living a life defined by pain to living the pain free life she wanted was not an easy one. There were flareups and there were doubts (her not me!) but she persevered with the advice and guidance that I gave her and she got where she wanted to be.

I have countless examples like this which, as you can imagine, is why I love my job so much.

If you would like to learn more about recovering from pain then please do drop me an email. Many people I see have seen many other medical and health professionals before me so I know a quick chat can go a long way to reassuring you its worth giving your pain recovery another chance.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Lucy Macdonald

Physiotherapist

info@octopusclinic.com

02075838288

The post Physio can help you to stop wasting time in pain and get your life back on track. appeared first on Octopus Clinic.

Should I see an NHS physiotherapist or a private physio near me? Who’s the best physio out there?

teodora nacheva — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 14:40:00 +0000

Before I answer that question head on, I’d like to dispel a few myths about that makes someone ‘the best physio.’ Here is a list of things that do not mean someone is a good physio (and equally these things do not make bad physios, they are just not the quality assurance many people presume.)

Having worked for elite sports teams or celebrities
Having the title ‘specialist’ or any variation on that theme
Having a decent social media following
Being based in Harley Street (or equivalents)
Having lots of post-grad qualifications
Being the picture of fitness and health
Having attended a specific university
Belittling other physios/healthcare professionals on social media
Having been qualified a long time
Being massively into sport
Having the gift of the gab
Being recommended by your medical insurance company
Having access to fancy equipment

So now that I’ve got that off my chest, what’s the answer? Well, quite simply, the most important answer is the physio that helps you get better. This may sound pretty facetious but it shocks me how many people see physiotherapists/osteopaths/chiropractors repetitively with no positive outcome.

In the initial session your physiotherapist (or osteopath or chiropractor) should indicate how many sessions you will need over what period of time and the milestones along the way. In other words, we’d expect you to be 30% better after ‘x’ amount of time, 70% better after ‘y’ amount of time and return to running/judo/other sport after ‘z’ number of days/weeks/months. Then, if you are not achieving the milestones you can discuss with your physio whether there’s a good reason for this or whether it’s time to have a second opinion from another physiotherapist who can give a fresh perspective.

It really doesn’t matter if they work for the NHS or in private practice, whether you see them face to face or for virtual physio, you just need to make sure that you don’t just keep going back to your physio if you are not getting better. Please don’t be afraid to ask for a second opinion.

I’m aware I’ve still not answered the question how do you find the best physio for your condition in the first place?! If you can afford to see someone in private practice you have far more options of course, but there are specialist physios within the NHS who will step in if your case is complex or unusual, so don’t be afraid to ask. Privately the best thing to do is a combination of:

Read the information about them in their bio and see if it resonates with you
Have recommendations from trusted health care professionals
Have recommendations from friends and find out why they recommend them.
Read their reviews
Read this article where I go into more detail about what to look out for: https://www.octopusclinic.com/good-physio-vs-bad-physio-can-tell/

I hope that’s helpful. It goes without saying, that if you want to find the best physiotherapists ever, you need to come and see us at Octopus Clinic.

See you soon. 🙂

02075838288

info@octopusclinic.com

The post Should I see an NHS physiotherapist or a private physio near me? Who’s the best physio out there? appeared first on Octopus Clinic.