Since the clinic – heads up! – began 20 years ago we have always focused on quality of movement not just quantity of movement.
We often see people who have just got moving as best they can and have become heavily reliant on walking aids such as three-pronged walking stick or tripod. We work together so they can improve their stability and confidence in walking so that they might be able to use a high pole or walking stick which offers less support but may allow a more symmetrical walking pattern.
We are so fortunate to be able to give the time to work very specifically with people on whatever they want to work towards. Often people are fundamentally weak following a stay in hospital and may be de-conditioned and generally unfit. We work to strengthen weak muscles and help them to activate better and more often the correct muscles in the right sequence for a task. We sometimes also work with local personal trainers, who provide specific fitness training under our guidance.
We treat people in their gym, office and really anywhere that is relevant to the person with the neurological condition.
What we do with people in treatment sessions is very important, however, as important is what people do outside treatment and we invariably give people exercises and activities to practice between sessions. Every home programme is specifically designed for the person who has had a stroke or has a neurological condition. We hand write all our exercises and recommendations.
In our neurological physiotherapy treatment sessions we always discuss and devise the things we ask people to do with them so that they understand what they are doing and why they are doing it.
Monitoring and progressing the exercises people are doing between treatment sessions is an integral part of treatment.
Helping people to develop a routine of regular exercise and feel the benefit of the habit of doing appropriate exercise is a very satisfying part of our job. We use photographs, videos, handwritten exercises, tick boxes and stick men to illustrate our home programmes. Each programme is individual and we always check that people are doing the exercises correctly and that they are appropriate and working for them.
As I read the other day, “If you don’t find time for exercise, you’ll have to find time for illness”. 20 years ago I started heads up! a private stroke and neurological physiotherapy practice in order to be able to give people the individual treatment and the time, personal attention and continuity of input to allow everybody to explore their full potential for recovery. To find out more about what we do and how we can help please just get in touch.
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