How to deal with aches and niggles with a new exercise programme. It's all about adaption.
Did you start a new exercise program as one of your New Year’s resolutions? How’s your body holding up? If you’ve increased the amount of activity you do or are trying something new, you might start to get a few niggles. Here’s how we can help you with your recovery.
Physiotherapy exercises get a bad press
If you’ve ever gone to see a physiotherapist only to be handed a sheet of exercises to do at home, we understand that you might feel disheartened. You don’t feel supported, get frustrated and stop doing your exercises. Exercises have an unfair reputation as they can work if they’re tailored to you. We see a lot of videos with exercises to get rid of hip pain or other niggles. You might find one that works for you, but blanket options are hit-and-miss. A targeted approach works far better.
We’ll give you exercises tailored to you
We give our patients guided recommendations for exercises based on who they are rather than what condition they have. Everyone’s different. A runner training for a marathon has different needs from a mum of small children or someone who’s just had a hip replacement. We’ll give you exercises based on your needs, what will fit into your life and what you want to achieve. Our patients pay us for our skills, but it’s a partnership between patient and therapist.
Come back for advice
If you get home from a treatment session with a sheet of exercises, you might look at the sheet and struggle to understand what those pictures mean. We use a treatment portal where you can watch videos demonstrating each recommended exercise. There’s also a chat function so you can ask for feedback. You can ask questions about the exercises or if you’re concerned about any pain you experience while doing a specific movement. We can offer feedback on what’s expected, whether discomfort is a sign you’ve done enough, and what t may be cause for concern. When you come for your next session, we can watch you do the exercise and check that you’re doing it correctly.
Any rehab is a partnership between therapist and client.
If you’re wondering how long your recovery will take, ask us. Your recovery is specific to you, but the exercises should start helping in a couple of weeks if you focus on quality rather than quantity. Let us know if that doesn’t happen, and we can try a different approach.
The benefits of a tailored recovery program
We offer person-centred treatment. We’ll assess you and see how you move, particularly when you come for sports therapy. Sometimes, we’ll ask patients to get on a treadmill so we can see how they walk or run. We use evidence-based treatment to design a program where everything works together. That includes exercise, but the whole program could also consist of massage, manipulation, heat and cold. Please ask if you aren’t sure what a particular exercise or treatment is for.
Are you starting a new exercise program?
If you’re starting a new exercise program or training for an event, we can assess you to help you reach your goals. You could have taken up climbing, been training for a marathon, or just wanted to keep up with your children. Our running coach can look at your shape and form to help you run efficiently and minimise your injury risk. If you get a few niggles we can help you to head them off at the pass so they don’t develop into a more severe issue.
Conclusion
If you’re headed to social media for advice on your aches and pains, you might be lucky and find something that works for you. However, in the long term, advice from a physiotherapist or sports therapist can give you the tailored support you need.