PHYSIOTHERAPY
SERVICES
- INITIAL APPOINTMENT -
After booking an initial appointment, forms will be emailed to you for you to fill out to the best of your knowledge. This allows Iain to pre-read your notes before the appointment and also allows more time for the assessment and treatment portions of the appointment.
During the appointment, a subjective assessment will take place first. Which will consist basically of a chat, with more questions asked around the injury or condition, your job role, medical history etc. This time also allows you to fully express your condition, pain, and your goals.
From here an objective assessment will be carried out based on the information from the notes and subjective assessment. This may consist of; range of motion testing, muscle length and strength, joint and ligament stability, reflexes and sensation, nerve tests, palpation, and blood pressure testing.
These tests are designed to screen for specific signs and symptoms that may necessitate you seeing a medical doctor, along with aiding in the diagnosis of your pain or injury, which will allow us to determine the best treatment plan for you.
The treatment will be based on your consent, along with the severity, irritability and nature of the injury or condition. The main ethos of Lothian Health & Performance is to educate the client, putting them in the best place to make permanent positive change. You will be given as much or as little information as you wish on the condition, all with the best management strategy.
Understanding your condition allows you to take a direct and positive role in your recovery.
Rest assured we’re here to help you, not hurt you. And after leaving your initial appointment, not only should you feel better because someone has actually listened to you discuss your pain, but you’ll also be clearer about why you have your pain, and how to get on top of it.
Treatment will always involve:
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Manual therapy – dictated by your consent
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A bespoke exercise rehabilitation plan, to be carried out in either a home or gym setting and based on what you have available to you
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Education on lifestyle factors that may provide positive permanent change
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Treatment may involve:
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Advanced Spinal and Peripheral Joint Articulations
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Advanced Spinal and Peripheral Joint Manipulations
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Advanced Medical Acupuncture, including Electro-medical Acupuncture
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Advanced Sport & Remedial Massage
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Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation (IASTM)
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Rigid and/or Kinesiology Taping
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Cost of Appointments
Initial appointment - £50 (60 minutes)
- FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENT -
You’ll be happy to see that there is much less to read here.
A follow-up will follow a similar pattern to the initial appointment, in that we will chat through how you have been since we last saw each other, discussing the pain, condition and exercise plan. From there we will move into establishing outcome measures through a small segment of objective screening. Then it’s onto the treatment.
Entirely dependent on yourself, follow-up appointments are either 60, 45 or 30 minutes in duration.
Lastly, as mentioned before, our ethos is to help and educate you. Not have you stuck in a revolving door. By adopting a team approach to solving your issues you should hopefully be on your way to recovery after 2-4 appointments.
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Cost of Appointments
Follow-up appointments;
60 minutes - £50
45 minutes - £40
30 minutes - £30
- EXERCISE REHABILITATION -
At LHP, exercise rehabilitation is our main focus in being able to return you not just to full fitness or your chosen discipline, but making you more capable and adaptable than before the injury or condition occurred – which will aid in reducing your risk of re-injury.
For Iain, exercise rehabilitation is a passion which allows him to help educate and enhance his client’s physical capabilities. Injury management is a complex issue. Which requires knowledge of strength & conditioning principles, the rehabilitation process, and programming along with appropriate exercise selection with progressions and regressions.
After your initial consultation, a bespoke exercise rehabilitation program (ERP) will be made to your condition, goals, and what equipment you may or may not have available. A home-based ERP is just as if not more effective than a gym-based ERP.
- ADVANCED SPINAL AND PERIPHERAL JOINT ARTICULATIONS -
Osteopathic articulation uses low velocity (slow movement) and moderate amplitude (distance) to mobilise a joint through its full available range of motion, with the therapeutic goal of increasing the quality & quantity of movement, along with symptom modification.
It is a passive movement applied in a smooth rhythmical fashion, which gradually stretches contracted muscles and aids in maintaining the joint(s) normal function. It ensures that natural joint lubrication systems continue to function more effectively.
Amplitude, meaning distance travelled is equally important as the technique itself and should be great enough to generate movement but not cause pain. As the symptoms subside, the amplitude will be gradually increased, with you the patient providing feedback.
- ADVANCED SPINAL AND PERIPHERAL MANIPULATION -
Spinal & Peripheral Manipulation is a specialised form of manual therapy that uses a non-invasive ‘hands-on’ treatment approach to target MSK pain, intending to modify symptoms, reduce pain and the improve the quantity & quality of movement. The modality has proven to be a safe and effective treatment option for the management of various MSK disorders.
Manipulation is not a corrective modality, but more supportive. Its use, as with any modality is to temporarily encourage engagement in the exercise rehabilitation program, by allowing the patient to move with greater ease, less pain and improved confidence.
- ADVANCED MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE, INCLUDING ELECTRO-MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE -
Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of alternative medicine that involves inserting fine needles at certain points in the body for therapeutic effects. The two main approaches to acupuncture are Traditional Acupuncture and Western Medical Acupuncture.
Here at LHP, we practice Western Medical Acupuncture, which is also called Dry Needling. It involves the insertion of fine needles into areas of tension and trigger points to produce clinical effects. It primarily focuses on alleviating musculoskeletal pain and follows the principles of evidence-based medicine.
Sometimes within the clinic, we will also use electro-acupuncture (EA). This is not a new concept and has a long history of medical application. It is a modified form of acupuncture in which a small electrical current is passed between two points using a medical device. EA is used as an effective alternative and complimentary modality to treat acute and chronic pain.
- ADVANCED SPORTS AND REMEDIAL MASSAGE -
Soft tissue (skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments & fascia) mobilisation has many namesakes, of which sports & remedial massage are one. A sports massage is generally slightly more intense than what you would experience within a holistic setting (think Swedish or hot stone massage). A sports massage aims to reduce stress and tension, along with modification of pain symptoms.
Its application before, during or after exercise may enhance performance and aid in recovery. The treatment is not a ‘no pain no gain’ approach and will be tailored to the individual’s needs and consent. It is not designed to be strenuous and should be a beneficial and therapeutic experience.
- INSTRUMENT ASSISTED SOFT TISSUE MOBILISATION -
IASTM is a simple, non-invasive type of soft tissue massage (STM) that utilises rigid tools, which in our case are made of surgical grade stainless steel. It is carried out to provide a mobilising stimulus to the affected soft tissue structures, to facilitate the healing process.
The use of the tools, instead of the clinician’s hands is known to be more effective and beneficial than conventional (STM) therapies. It follows the same principles and rationale as conventional STM, and should not be used to cause excessive trauma.
- RIGID AND KINESIOLOGY TAPING -
Flexible coloured sports tape, also known as kinesiology tape (k-tape), was first seen during the 2008 Olympic Games and has since gained wide popularity amongst athletes and general populations.
Although there are some studies supporting the use of k-tape, the exact mechanisms of action are still unknown. This is also the case for most modalities! The tape can be applied in various fashions to aid proprioception, increase confidence of movement, assist lymphatic drainage and reduce bruising.
Taping techniques are used as an adjunct to treatment options along with primary interventions, such as exercise rehabilitation and assessment of lifestyle factors.
Rigid taping and strapping on the other hand have been used on the human body for over 100 years. Initially used by doctors to keep unstable joints in position.
Rigid taping is seen to work in 3 ways;
1. Reduced load on symptomatic tissues
2. Improve structure, function & stability around joints
3. Increase local sensory stimulation
Overall, rigid taping can be used to provide a preventative strategy to protect against further injury, restrict movement around painful joints, provide proprioceptive feedback, support lymphatic drainage, and enhance confidence in the use of the joint and return to activity or sport.