Acupuncture

Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine needles through your skin at various points on your body. Traditional Chinese medicine explains Acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy or life force believed to flow through pathways in your body. By inserting needles into specific points along these meridians, Acupuncture practitioners believe that your energy flow will re-balance.

Our experienced Physiotherapists are trained in Acupuncture and will treat within the Western Medicine framework, using Acupuncture alongside other Physiotherapy techniques to relieve pain and reduce muscle tension or even spasm. Contrary to what many might believe, Acupuncture is not painful and people can find it very relaxing. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective for calming and even improving sleep.

Breathing Assessment and Retraining

Breathing well is the foundation to good health, wellbeing and movement. Most of us don’t think about breathing – it's just something we do every day, automatically. But when it goes wrong it can have a significant effect on your mental and physical health. Breathing pattern disorders or disordered breathing refers to when someone breathes at a rate that is too fast, or with too much use of their upper chest. Symptoms can be varied but may include headaches, light headedness, muscle aches or tingling in the fingers or toes.

Your Physiotherapist is trained to diagnose these conditions and can help empower you to overcome them. Treatment consists of education and simple exercises to retrain your breathing pattern. This can help to relieve these symptoms. Treatment can also be used to help to achieve more optimal performance in sport and exercise.

Falls Prevention

If you’ve recently had a fall, are worried about potentially falling or are less mobile than you would like to be, we have a falls prevention programme which is led by Physiotherapists and is designed to improve mobility and reduce the risk of falls. The programme includes an initial assessment followed by a six-week exercise class programme to increase your strength, balance and agility. The classes are group classes and exercises are tailored to individual needs and abilities. After you complete the programme, our Physiotherapists can talk to your GP about your needs and provide them with an update. You also have the option to continue the classes to further improve and work towards other goals.

Vestibular Rehabilitation

The vestibular system is made of the vestibular apparatus (the inner ear) and the brain. Together they are responsible for enabling us to maintain a steady gaze, maintain our balance, and prevent dizziness. Issues with the vestibular system can arise after injuries (like concussion or whiplash), infection or stroke.

 Vestibular Rehabilitation is an exercise-based treatment programme that is designed to address the various problems caused by the vestibular system, and ultimately improve balance and reduce problems related to dizziness, vertigo, light headedness, and motion sensitivity. Our trained Vestibular Therapists can complete a full specialised assessment, determine the cause of your symptoms, and provide an individualised treatment plan.

Pain Management

For some people pain is ongoing and debilitating. A pain service starts with a team approach to tailor individual programmes to help clients manage persistent pain. Through assessment the team will work with you to identify what you want to achieve, and from there create a plan of treatment services to achieve this.

The programme can have input from any of the following:

• Physiotherapist
• Occupational Therapist
• Dietitian
• Pain Doctor
• Social Worker
• Counsellor
• Psychologist
• Pharmacist