Physiotherapy

Pain is rarely loudest where it began. A knee that hurts on stairs is often a hip that stopped contributing; a neck that stiffens by mid-afternoon is often a thoracic spine that stopped rotating months earlier. Treating the site of the symptom gives relief that lasts days. Treating what is loading it is what makes the relief hold.

So assessment comes first, and it is not a formality. Range of motion is measured rather than estimated, the joints above and below the complaint are examined, and where symptoms travel, the nerve is screened. You are told what was found, what is causing it, what can be changed and what cannot — before any treatment is recommended.

Treatment itself is manual: mobilisation of the segments that have stopped moving, soft-tissue and myofascial work through what has been compensating, trigger point release, and electrotherapy or G5 deep-tissue work where an area needs opening up before hands can get into it. Every course is paired with a home programme, because the hours between appointments are where most of the change actually happens.

The same clinician assesses you, treats you and discharges you. At discharge the original tests are repeated, so improvement is a number you can see rather than an impression.