What to expect


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Assessment

Once you make contact with us, we will usually have an informal chat on the phone to decide if Movement Physiotherapy can help. Following this an initial assessment is the next step.

A thorough assessment of you or your child will take place, either looking at specific issues which have been identified as areas of need, or a more global assessment to determine the key things which need to be addressed.

Initial assessment usually takes around 1.5 hours and can be followed up with a summary of findings and some ideas of the types of therapy input (see more detail below) and the frequency/duration of any follow-up sessions to address identified areas of need.

In order to achieve the greatest success with any input it is important to have clear, joint goals that everyone is working towards. In addition, seeing change in function and skills is a powerful motivator, so we use standardised outcome measures alongside photographs and videos to record and measure change. Even the littlest things deserve to be celebrated, so we like to make a big deal out of small changes!

 

Treatment / Therapy Types

At the heart of all our therapy sessions is helping individuals to optimise the quality of their movements. The emphasis is always on how well an individual performs, rather than how quickly or how much they achieve. This ensures that over the longer-term they have the greatest chance of developing the best function.

In order to achieve this we utilise a wide variety of physiotherapy treatments. The types of therapy and manage strategies which may be considered for you or your child includes:

  • The Bobath Approach / NDT

  • Conductive Education

  • Functional Skill Development

  • Pilates - both adult and paediatrics

  • Elastic Therapeutic Taping / Kinesiotaping

  • Strengthening and motor re-learning programmes

  • Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

  • Spinal Stimulation

  • Whole Body Vibration

  • Postural Management - including equipment provision and 24 hour assessment

  • Aquatic therapy / pool-based activities

  • Orthotic Review

As well as working within homes, schools, nurseries and care homes, sometimes we might want to take things outside and use natural terrain to help challenge areas of need such as mobility and balance. Other places that sessions can take place are soft play or your local park!

However, not all therapy sessions need to happen on dry land! We also offer pool-based therapy sessions either in local pools or specialist hydrotherapy pools. Aquatic therapy is a fantastic way of using the varied properties of water to help us work towards our therapy goals in a totally different way and can be immensely effective, fun and enjoyable for everyone involved!

We can also help with applications to Riding for the Disabled or other providers of therapeutic riding. This can be an amazingly effective means of positively contributing to therapy targets, and immensely enjoyable for the rider. We have good working relationships with several of the local RDA centres as well as private providers of hippotherapy.

The other part of therapy that is very important to consider is the intensity of sessions - the duration of each session and how frequently they occur. We discuss all the options with each family after assessment and will make recommendations, based upon the goals we are aiming to achieve, combined with both parties availability. For some families this may mean regular sessions, twice weekly, weekly, fortnight, whereas for others it may be a quarterly consultation. We aim to be as flexible as possible and you can vary the regularity at any point. In addition, we may advise that a short intensive block would work well in order to target a specific area of need.

 

Therapy that is fun & motivating

Therapy input needs to be fun and motivating regardless of your age! It also needs to be effective and bring about change. We therefore work very hard to make sure that tasks are enjoyable, and where appropriate carried out through play and activity.

Therapy isn’t usually about big expensive pieces of equipment. People often just need ideas of how to use the toys and everyday items that they already have in a different, or more inventive way. Ideas of inexpensive pieces of kit that may be helpful will be discussed.

We also bring a whole host of equipment and toys with us that we can use. Children often find toys which aren’t their own way more exciting! Imagination and innovation is the biggest skill required in keeping individuals - both old and young - motivated and interested so that they are active members of our therapy sessions.

If appropriate, at the end of each therapy session, we will leave you with key activities and tasks to try before our next session. Repetition is vital in creating new motor pathways. These can be written in a small notebook, to ensure that everyone involved is clear about the focus at any given time.

 

Home Practice

In order to bring about change in the way we move and achieve motor learning, repetition of tasks is vital. However it is also important that the tasks are appropriate for each individual to achieve the best possible quality of movement. Our aim is not to turn parents and carers in to physiotherapists - however in order to help them feel more in control of home practice, is is vital that individuals are clear about what the key aims are and what should be practiced, how often and using the best technique. 

We can provide rewards charts, written reminders, fun 'physio homework' sheets and many other paper documents to help motivate individuals. We are also happy to record video therapy programmes which can be sent out to individuals who perhaps live further away or are not seen as often, in order to help remind and motivate them of key tasks to be practices.