Physiotherapy clinic in Cheltenham
we treat the individual, not just the injury
How much physiotherapy do i need
This is the most frequent question we hear in the clinic, although there is no definitive answer there are many factors that determine the time an individual takes to heal. Injuries are usually categorised into minor, chronic, or soft tissues. Minor injuries are usually resolved in 3 sessions, soft tissue injuries may require treatment for up to 8 weeks, and chronic pain or post-surgical rehabilitation can take months of physio sessions.
There really isn't a on-size fits all solution, the number of sessions you need depends on your condition, lifestyle factors such as smoking or poor diet, and also your age can play a role. But the most significant factor in the length of your treatment is you. Apart from treatment sessions your physiotherapist will provide you with exercises, stretches etc., to do at home and the more committed you are to doing your "homework" the faster your recovery is likely to be.
The physiotherapy process allows us to better understand your lifestyle, challenges, and aspirations. This allows us to create a customized roadmap that considers your specific injury and what you want to achieve after recovery. Whether you’ve pulled a muscle exercising, just come out of surgery, or managing chronic pain, our personalized approach, described below, ensures that you get the best possible treatment and outcome.
physiotherapy assessment
We’re among the most thorough physiotherapists that we know, which is why you’ll get a detailed 45-minute physiotherapy assessment as part of your first treatment. This includes:
- taking important information about your medical history
- performing tests and measurements to assess your condition
- identifying functional limitations you may have
- explaining what is behind your pain or discomfort
- designing a treatment plan so that you know what to expect and how long it will take
- providing advice on the things that you can do yourself
- commencing treatment in this first session to speed up your recovery
physiotherapy appointment
What happens in a physiotherapy session depends on your injury and it's severity. This could be a combination of manual therapy, modern instrument-base soft tissue mobilisation, acupuncture, massage, exercise and gym work to suit your specific needs, for example:
- Manual therapy is helpful to relieve pain and stiffness, improve blood circulation to promote healing, drain excess fluid, improve movement and promote relaxation.
- Instrument-based soft tissue manipulation is used to treat patients who may fail to respond well to other forms of physiotherapy. It stimulates cell regeneration, reducing pain and promoting healing.
- Acupuncture is used to stimulate nerves that reduce pain and increase blood circulation in the injured area.
- We use our hands to apply a variety of massage depths and pressures to break up muscle knots (adhesions) and restore muscle flexibility and function.
Benefits of Physiotherapy
- No side effects: Physiotherapy is a safe and effective with no known side effects. Unlike medication or surgery, it does not carry the risk of complications or adverse reactions.
- Reduce risk of further injury: By using targeted exercises, physiotherapy can help you strengthen the muscles in your back, improving your stability and reduce the risk of future injuries.
- Avoiding surgery: By using non-invasive techniques we can target the underlying cause, and this can help you avoid more invasive treatments such as surgery.
- Improved function: Back pain can make it difficult to do everyday tasks, such as bending over or even sitting. Physiotherapy can get you back doing your everyday tasks again.
- Improved posture: Poor posture can contribute to and worsen back pain. We can help you improve your posture with exercises and stretches that target the muscles that support your spine.
- Improved range of motion: Specific exercises and stretches will help improve your motion, supporting you to move more freely.
- Eliminating or reducing pain:
Exercises and techniques such as soft tissue mobilisation, acupuncture and shockwave therapy can help reduce pain due to arthritis, tendonitis, muscle strain/sprain, and much more.
- Manage age related injuries: Certain age related injuries such as rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, osteoporosis, knee replacement, neck pain, back pain etc., can easily be treated by physiotherapy.
- Improved overall health: Physiotherapy can improve your overall health and wellbeing by enabling you to increase your physical activity whilst reducing any pain and discomfort.
- Maintenance: After you have finished your treatment a physiotherapy based maintenance plan could help you keep the gains you have achieved during recovery, and help prevent injury reoccurrence.
next step - Rehabilitation
Physiotherapy treatment can help kickstart your recovery, but it's a quality rehabilitation program (rehab) that will get you back to feeling 100% again. Our on-site gym, bespoke equipment and pilates expertise enable us to design a recovery plan to support you through your journey back to health.
We work with you to complete specific exercises to ensure you’re using the correct activities and techniques for your condition or injury. Thorough guidance and videos will enable you to continue your exercises at home, ensuring you’re using the right posture and techniques to fast-track your recovery.
Honest communication
We’ll maintain open communication with you about your progress and, at the end of each session, discuss and agree plans for your care. We’ll be honest about how long we anticipate recovery to take. And if we feel an onwards referral to a specialist consultant or surgeon is necessary for scans or x-rays, we’ll facilitate this process.
Efficient diary management
Our technologies make it easy for you to keep track of appointments and plans. You’ll receive reminders about up-coming sessions. Plus patients tell us that they love the inclusion of diaries within their exercises to keep track of and be reminded about what they need to do next.
Choose Straight Back Physio
We have a strong network of word-of-mouth referrals in place from local GP’s, running clubs, rugby clubs and gyms. This is how we’ve established our reputation as the go-to clinic for the fit active and sporty type of person who is looking to recover from pain or injury.
Book now
At Straight Back Physio we believe in giving our patients the opportunity to engage and explain their injury history, lifestyle etc. to our physiotherapists therefore each new patient is given 45minutes on their first appointment with follow ups being 30 minutes in length.
Recover faster, our chartered physios can usually get you back to redoing the activities you can't do now within 4 to 8 sessions.
We understand that some people may want to find out a bit more about the cost before they book an appointment at our physiotherapy clinic. Our unique save as you recover packages can save you up to 20% on the cost of a single session.
Insured
We can either work directly with your insurance company or provide receipts for patients who use cash based plans so you can reclaim your costs.
Not Covered by Insurance
If you want see the best physiotherapist near you then book an appointment in our Cheltenham physiotherapy clinic on a self referral basis, no need to see your GP.
Why Choose Us
No other local physiotherapy clinic can offer you the same level of physiotherapy and rehabilitation as we can due to our experience and our in-house gym facilities. You’ll get the full benefits of physiotherapy from exactly the right combination of interventions to get you on your route to recovery.