Musculoskeletal problems can be quite distressing and debilitating. Conditions such acute low back and neck pain, shoulder issues, ankle and knee sprains, or pain during movement, can stop you from exercising, training your sport or even from carrying on with your life. 

 

Those conditions often present with associated muscle dysfunction, spasm/pain and joint stiffness or reduction in the normal range of motion. 

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MANUAL THERAPY

 

With the use of manual therapy techniques such as Mobilisation With Movement (MWM), soft tissue massage (STM), joint manipulation (manipulative physiotherapy), we can help restore joint mobility and reduce pain, allowing more effective exercise therapy and hasten your rehabilitation process.

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Manual therapy sometimes offers only short-term benefits, unfortunately we see people having manual therapy treatment for years without getting anywhere with their treatment. The problem lies in the lack of active intervention (exercise), not in manual therapy.

 

Manual therapy can be a part of the treatment with a goal of reducing pain with movement and restore joint mobility, that way will be easier to commence and stick to your exercise program.

 

EXERCISE/TENDINOPATHY

 

Exercising benefits the whole musculoskeletal system and reduces pain, this is a very important part of all physiotherapy treatment. You should never go home from a physiotherapy session without clear goals been set, a better understanding of your condition and a home exercise program with a progression.

 

Some pathologies such as tendinopathy often don't benefit from manual therapy, therefore a different approach is required, a progressive loading program to increase tendon fitness and capacity is the go-to treatment.

 

Tip: Stay away from corticosteroid injections, they have been proven ineffective for most tendinopathy. In doubt book an assessment with your physiotherapist for the best treatment for YOUR condition. 

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CHRONIC PAIN

 

Pain can be quite scary and distressing. When we are young, we learn that pain is a "warning sign", a "sign of threat", "danger" and it should be avoided. However, chronic pain (more than 3 months), can be due to adaptative changes in your brain, such as central sensitisation.

 

Central sensitisation means that your brain doesn't trust you to do a specific movement or use a specific body part during a specific task, for example, bending forward = pain in the low back.

 

Due to pain, and with the lack of use, your muscles, tendon, joint, get deconditioned and the brain starts to see a very light exercise such as lifting your arm up or going upstairs as excessive, hence signals you: "threat", "pain". This is a way the brain has to to make you stop doing some movements that "could" harm you, trying to protect you. 

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Understanding YOUR pain will help you gauge how safe is for you to exercise, how much pain you can experience during exercise without aggravating your injury. That way you can keep your home exercise program up and going and give one more step towards recovery. 

 

MY APPROACH 

 

Manual therapy, taping, exercise, they all have a role to play as long as goals are made clear, your trust your physio and your treatment is focusing on getting YOU better and back to where you want to be.