Exercise prescription commonly refers to the specific plan of fitness/ rehabilitation -related activities that are designed for a specified purpose, which is often developed by Physiotherapists. Exercise rehabilitation is an integral part of physiotherapy. Providing patients with tailor made and progressive exercise plans is the foundation to achieve the set goals and enhance recovery. It empowers people to help facilitate recovery, manage symptoms and prevent future problems. It is important that you try and complete the exercises you are provided as regularly as possible to help with your recovery. The exercises will complement the hands-on treatment and rehabilitation you receive whilst at our clinic. Rehabilitation exercises aim to return full function following injury through re-building muscle strength, endurance, power and improving overall flexibility and mobility. Following a clinical assessment, our Physiotherapist will recommend a home exercise programme designed specifically for you to meet your goals.

Further information on benefits of exercises can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-health-benefits/ https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/exercising-with-arthritis/why-is-exercise-important/

Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy is a specialised area of physiotherapy treating injuries and conditions which affect the muscles, joints, and soft tissues. Common musculoskeletal problems are ligament sprains, muscle strains, arthritis, post-fracture rehabilitation, joint pains etc. The therapy is aimed at restoring function, pain relief, optimising healing, and advice to prevent any future recurrence. Various treatments modalities will be used based on the assessments to achieve the treatment goals. Common modalities used include manual therapy, electrotherapy, taping, postural advice and tailor-made exercises.

Manual therapy

Manual therapy is a clinical approach based on skilled “hands on” therapy to decrease pain and improve the mobility of joints, soft tissues and nerves. Manual therapy can modulate pain relief, reduce joint stiffness, improve mobility and flexibility, help relaxation, and restore function. Joint-specific techniques are indicated when the motion impairment is caused by loss of the normal joint motion as a result of a reversible joint hypomobility. Joint manipulation and joint mobilization are manual therapy techniques, in which the physiotherapist uses their hands to evaluate, diagnose, and treat joints. Manual therapy could be used on soft tissues for similar therapeutic effects like massage, trigger point therapy, soft tissue releases etc.

There are several types of massage to name a few are sports massage and deep tissue massage.

Trigger Point Therapy refers to the treatment of myofascial trigger points (MTrP) or 'trigger points' (TrP) that are found in muscles and fascia. Myofascial trigger points are painful, tense areas that are found in muscles. MTrPs affect muscles and fascia. Trigger point therapy is a neuromuscular therapy designed to speed up recovery from injury, correct muscular imbalances and relieve pain. Trigger pointing is an effective technique that is used to treat trigger points and muscular knots. Trigger point therapy aims at deactivating the trigger points may use a combination of treatments, like stretching the muscle and then applying pressure to areas of muscle tightness or ‘knots’ by soft tissue techniques or dry needling. Myofascial release therapy is a hands-on technique used to manage myofascial pain. It is a type of gentle, constant massage that releases tightness and pain throughout your myofascial tissues. First, your Physiotherapist will locate trigger points, or knots, in your fascial tissues. Then, they’ll gently apply pressure until they feel the tension release.

The benefits of trigger point /Myofascial release therapy are.
Pain relief
Relieve muscle stiffness.
Improved blood circulation to the trigger zone
Improved range of motion and flexibility.

Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment. In Physiotherapy, the term electrotherapy can apply to a variety of treatments, including the use of electrical devices like TENS, Therapeutic Ultrasound, Interferential therapy for pain relief, tissue healing or stimulating the muscles fibres to activate. The main aim of electrotherapy use at the Accord Physiotherapy and Sports Injury clinic is to complement our hands-on approach and exercise prescription are as follows:

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy treatment (ESWT) is a clinically proven treatment available for patients presenting primarily with chronic tendon disorders. This is a successful second line treatment for patients who fail to respond to appropriate conservative management including physiotherapy. Shockwave is a procedure where sound waves of energy are passed through the skin to the injured part of the body using a special device. The shockwaves are mechanical and not electric and work by increasing blood flow to the injured area. This accelerates the body’s healing process. The ESWT application lasts about 5 minutes to deliver the shockwave energy and you must attend a minimum of 3 sessions over 3 consecutive weeks for best outcome.

A Preoperative Rehabilitation programme is designed by your physiotherapist to aid your body before surgery to improve the chances of a positive outcome and prepare you for the surgery. This includes an individualised tailored exercise program to build up the muscles ahead of an operation can have beneficial effects on postoperative recovery. Post-op rehabilitation is to help assist a speedy recovery by tailoring a structured rehabilitation plan. The benefits include better pain management, lesser complications, and faster recovery. Common orthopaedic surgeries include joint replacement surgeries, spinal procedures, arthroscopic and open repairs of the knee, hip, wrist, hand, elbow, shoulder, foot, and ankle. We believe “prehab is equally important to post rehab.”

Sports physiotherapy is a speciality within physiotherapy that is dedicated to the early diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries sustained in sports environments and injury prevention the assessment and treatment of injuries related to sports and exercise at all levels. Our treatment focus is to rehabilitate the injury and help you to return to sports as soon as possible. The modalities include hands-on treatment and rehabilitation. Common treatments in this specialist area include taping, strapping, sports massage, individualised tailored exercise prescription. Whether you are a beginner or a professional athlete we can help you!