My journey as a private physiotherapist has been a fascinating one. During my time at Plym Physio I have seen many patients who have presented with a wide range of musculoskeletal problems. Initially, my focus was to treat the patient’s immediate concerns like their aching hip or painful shoulder. I would assess the injury and often provide hands on treatment as well as providing rehabilitation exercises and lifestyle changes. Whilst the treatment would offer relief and address the issue in hand, a few patients recovery started to make me question whether it was as ‘simple’ as that so I started to delve a bit deeper. I started to explore concepts such as patient’s movement patterns and support systems. I realised it was important that these underlying factors were addressed if I truly wanted to prevent patient’s symptoms from returning.

One such case that vividly illustrates this point involved a patient who presented with significant loss of movement in their right shoulder. Whilst the obvious focus might be the shoulder itself, my initial assessment led me to investigate her neck movement. On closer examination, I observed that she had some restriction to her cervical (neck) rotation to the right in comparison to the left which was likely to be causing compensatory movements in the shoulder, leading to pain and reduced range of movement.

Based on my assessment, I focused my initial treatment on improving the range of movement of her cervical spine. I employed gentle mobilisations and manual therapy techniques to address the restricted areas in her neck. In addition, I provided the patient with specific exercises to help mobilise and strengthen her neck and supporting musculature.

Lo and behold! The patient reported a significant reduction in shoulder pain and her range of motion had improved drastically. We also discussed the importance of good posture and ergonomic practices at work to prevent these issues. By addressing the underlying neck dysfunction, we were able to effectively alleviate shoulder pain and empower the patient to take control of their own well being.

Experience is starting to tell me that there is rarely a ‘straightforward’ problem and as much as I, and probably most patients, want to believe the magic wand approach of ‘3 quick hacks/5 best tips to cure..’ exist, everybody’s bodies are different, have different stresses and strains and fitness levels meaning no 2 people present the same or respond the same. We give our patients up to a full hour to examine and assess a problem and implement treatment to see what works for them. We have our own gym space to use mirrors, balls, weights and other gadgets to really start testing and challenging structures to enhance their capacity.

So if a personalised, tailored and specialised care package is what you’re after then look no further. Book online here or call 656340 to discuss your issues with me or another physio.