What we treat
Bolton Physio offer a wide variety of physiotherapy treatments for various musculoskeletal and neurological conditions. Your physiotherapist will conduct a thorough initial assessment during your first visit to collect a detailed background and understanding of your problem.
Your physiotherapist will also give you an estimated number of sessions required depending on your individual needs and set goals. Treatment is usually a combination of methods and techniques to ensure you receive the most effective service.
Treatment at Bolton Physio includes:
- Individual Exercise Plans
- Manipulation
- Massage
- Exercises for Balance
- Acupuncture
- Pain Management
- Fracture Treatment
- Falls prevention
- Paediatric physiotherapy
- Electrotherapy
- Taping
- Postural alignment work
- Post-surgery Rehabilitation
- Sports Injury Rehabilitation
- Vestibular Rehabilitation
Individual Exercise Plans
Individual exercise plans are personalised programmes consisting of strengthening, mobilising and stretching exercises for rehabilitation. Your physiotherapist will devise a specific programme for you depending on your condition and stage of rehabilitation.
Personal exercise programmes bring many benefits such as:
- Accelerating healing processes
- Stimulating blood flow to affected areas
- Improving general circulation
- Restoring your confidence
- Increasing muscle strength
- Helping with your balance and co-ordination
Manipulation
Manipulation is one of the most common forms of hands on treatment used by musculoskeletal physiotherapists.
Manipulation is a controlled passive movement performed by your physiotherapist helps to lubricate the joint, aid range of movement and relax muscle spasm.
Mobilisation techniques are specifically used when a joint is stiff or painful and different degrees of movement and force are used to ease these symptoms.
Massage
Massage is a hands-on treatment approach used to mobilise soft tissues and stimulate blood flow to specific areas in order to accelerate the healing process. Massage can also be used for improving well-being as a form of relaxation. Massage treatment is always adapted to suit the individual; it can be deep or superficial, depending on the individual problem and pain level.
Benefits of massage include:
- Decreasing pain levels
- Reducing and eradicating muscle tension/ knots
- Deep relaxation and improved well being
- Increasing blood flow to the area
- Speeding up healing
- Draining toxins and strengthening the immune system
Our physiotherapists can show you self-massage techniques for therapeutic and relaxation benefits, to be carried out alongside other forms of treatment.
Exercises for balance
Exercises for balance are an important method of treatment used by our physiotherapists, especially for improving walking and preventing falls. Your balance ability can have an effect on a number of functional activities throughout your day including walking, standing, reaching and changing direction. Good balance keeps you at low risk from injury by ensuring your body reacts quickly to changes in the environment.
Reasons for poor balance include:
- Injury/ trauma
- Muscle weakness
- Neurological disorders
- Age related conditions such as Arthritis
- Cardiovascular conditions
Our physiotherapists aim to improve your balance by tailoring an exercise programme to meet your individual needs. You may also require and equipment and adaptations assessment at home.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a treatment which involves inserting fine needles into certain points of the body, aiming to restore the flow of energy channels.
Research suggests that the stimulation of nerve and muscle fibres which releases endorphins, the natural pain relieving chemicals in the brain, which helps to accelerate the healing process. Our physiotherapists are specially trained in acupuncture, and it is usually combined with other treatments such as manual therapy.
Acupuncture can help treat the following conditions:
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Pain
- Muscle & joint problems
- Arthritis
- Sports injuries
Response rates for acupuncture vary, and research shows conflicting results. However it is still a common physiotherapy treatment used, especially when conventional treatment hasnt worked.
Pain management
Pain management is a method taught by your physiotherapist by using various techniques to reduce your pain levels on a day to day basis. Pain can be a severely limiting factor and can stop you doing the things you enjoy, affecting your general mood and well-being.
Your physiotherapist will put a pain management programme in place tailored to suit you and achieve your goals. The treatment for pain management includes:
- Ice/ heat therapy
- Pacing activity
- Relaxation and meditation
- Electrotherapy
- Change in position
- Goal setting
Fracture treatment
When you have a fracture (break in a bone) it must be realigned by open or closed reduction to ensure it heals correctly. Physiotherapy should begin as soon as the fracture is immobilised and after the fracture has healed to regain baseline function.
Our physiotherapists help you get back to normal function as quickly as possible by:
- Maintaining and then improving muscle strength
- Maintaining and then restoring your full range of movement
- Encouraging and then progressing weight bearing
- Reducing levels of pain and eliminating swelling
- Sports specific exercise rehabilitation
Falls Prevention
Falls prevention consists of ten home based sessions over a period of five months. It begins with an initial assessment and home safety assessment before beginning various different exercises aimed at increasing balance and strength. It also includes gait re-education, exercise progression and a full report at the end of the five month period.
The Falls Prevention Programme is suitable for the following people:
- Those with reduced muscle strength for any reason
- Those with a history of fall
- Those who have a fear of falling
- Those who would like to improve their mobility
- Those who would like to increase their independence and general well being
Paediatric physiotherapy
Paediatric physiotherapy is for those aged 0-18 years with musculoskeletal conditions (affecting the joints/muscles) and neurological conditions (affecting the brain and/or spinal cord). Our specialist physiotherapists focus treatment on increasing strength, balance and range of movement to ensure maximum independence and potential.
Physiotherapy treatment includes:
- Stretching programmes
- Play activity and games
- Exercises to work on improving muscular strength
- Balance and co-ordination training
- Functional practice
Electrotherapy
Electrotherapy is used by physiotherapists to accelerate the healing process. Our physiotherapists are trained in using electrotherapy equipment for various musculoskeletal conditions.
Different types of electrotherapy include:
- Ultrasound
- Pulsed Short-Wave Diathermy
- Interferential Stimulation
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
- Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
All of the above types of electrotherapy are safe and work slightly differently to increase the speed of recovery of certain conditions.
Taping
Our physiotherapists use taping to aid your recovery or as a form of injury prevention. Taping or strapping gives support to the affected joint, especially during sports. Your physiotherapist will teach you how to do this yourself between sessions.
Benefits of taping include:
- Facilitates and encourages normal movement
- Reduction in pain
- Increase in confidence
- Protection of injured soft tissues during activity
Postural alignment work
Postural alignment is the correction of the spinal position to take stress off overloaded muscles, soft tissues, joints and surrounding structures. Postural training is an individualised treatment requiring an assessment to identify the cause of the problem. Your physiotherapist will give you postural education, advice and exercises to realign the spinal position.
When stress is reduced on the spine and surrounding structures it benefits the whole body.
Benefits include:
- Reduction in pain levels
- Increased muscle strength
- Improving joint integrity and mobility
- Better position
- Greater functional ability
Post-surgery Rehabilitation
Post-surgery rehabilitation involves restoration of strength, movement, co-ordination and mobility following a surgical procedure. Trauma to soft tissues causes pain and inflammation which restricts activity.
Types of surgery may include:
- Orthopaedic surgery
- Cardiac surgery
- Neurological surgery
- Abdominal surgery
Physiotherapy should commence in hospital and continue at home until you have regained or reached your maximum potential.
Physiotherapy for post-surgical rehabilitation includes:
- Exercise to strengthen weakened muscles
- Pain management programme
- Mobilising stiff joints and stretching muscles to regain full range of movement
- Chest clearance
- Postural education
- Balance and co-ordination exercises
- Mobility practice
Sports Injury Rehabilitation
Sports injury rehabilitation is a form of treatment following sporting injuries to get you back to full fitness and sport as quickly as possible. A sports injury rehabilitation programme is always tailor made as physiotherapy techniques will vary depending type and location of injury.
Sports injuries may include:
- Soft tissue trauma
- Fracture
- Tennis/ Golfers elbow
- Frozen shoulder
- Ligament sprains
- Muscle tears
- Knee pain
Sports rehabilitation is required to break down scar tissue and increase circulation to promote healing. Other benefits include:
- Regaining full range of movement
- Maintaining fitness levels during the healing process
- Maintaining muscle strength
- Removing chemicals at the affected site
- Speeding up recovery and returning to your sport
Vestibular Rehabilitation
Vestibular rehabilitation is commonly used to treat dizziness and vertigo. Your physiotherapist will devise an exercise programme designed to compensate for inner ear deficits which cause dizziness and vertigo. Your exercise programme will help improve your balance ability to prevent falls and help you focus in different situations such as busy environments or change in light. An initial assessment will be carried out by your physiotherapist during your first visit to determine whether vestibular rehabilitation is right for you.
Conditions which may benefit from vestibular rehabilitation include:
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
- Perilymph fistula
- Menieres disease