Individual Rehabilitation

Identifying the original injury

Injuries often involve pain and the presence of pain often leads to muscle, cartilage, tendon, and or ligament weakness due to a decrease in activity levels and inhibition and compensation of surrounding soft tissues near to the injury site. Depending on how long the symptoms of the injury have been present can be indicative of the severity of resulting weakness and compensation which can also lead to symptoms being felt in areas further away from the original injury.

For example, a painful hip can lead to weakness in the surrounding muscles of the hip or the weak muscles may have even been the cause of the pain but this in turn can lead to symptoms being felt in the lower back and/or knee joint as the body tries to cope and compensate for the painful hip.

We create a personal rehabilitation plan for you

At Total Care Physio, we will diagnose the problem and also importantly investigate the cause of the symptoms and identify any compensatory mechanisms the body may have been using as well. We will ask you what actions provoke your symptoms, then watch, if  possible, as you demonstrate those actions to ascertain how effective the body is moving to complete those tasks.  For example if you are experiencing low back pain when you try to pick something off the floor, this may be compromised by stiffness in the hip joints thereby asking your lower back to take more of the load. Part of your individual rehabilitation will be to improve the way your body is moving to complete daily tasks required and assist your body to achieve the movement with success.

Our aim is to encourage more effective movement patterns, improve your fitness and strength, as required, to enable you to move again with ease and confidence. We will devise a home exercise program to suit your needs. This may include mat based exercises, weight bearing exercises , sport specific exercises and or using various equipment such as weights, resistance bands, gym balls or foam rollers.  We may include self-massage tools and or supportive bracing depending on your stage of recovery.  We will print or email your personal rehabilitation plan so you have a detailed program to follow along your path of recovery.  Your rehabilitation plan will also be revised, adjusted and or progressed during your physiotherapy appointments to maximise your potential and effectiveness.