Physiotherapists in Newcastle Upon Tyne treat many different conditions including the issues profiled below.

Physiotherapy for Acute Neck Pain

Some physiotherapists perform manipulations on patients with acute neck pain and the evidence supports manipulation as a useful treatment for acute neck pain in that it reduces the time of pain and disability. A few sessions of this kind of treatment should kick start the process of improvement and long term treatment with manipulation is not recommended. Mobilisation techniques, a less forceful form of manipulation, are frequently employed by physiotherapists as part of a treatment programme which might include massage and exercises. Massage is used less often now but can be useful to reduce muscle spasm and give a feeling of release to the soft tissues.

Physiotherapists or other therapy practitioners may employ other treatment techniques such as electrical therapy, acupuncture or other more alternative treatments. While individuals may claim these help them it is not clear whether they are useful and improvement should be clear after a short course of treatment, with extended treatment again not recommended. Physios will give advice to reduce aggravating activities, pace things to prevent overdoing and progress as quickly as possible towards normal. Treatment is intended to get the process of recovery started and reduce the likelihood of the patient adopting habits which will hinder their recovery.

Fitness

Fitness means different things depending on what we define as the characteristics of being fit, and typically includes a number of physical states and abilities. Aerobic fitness is the ability to maintain an activity (such as jogging) for twenty minutes or more whilst keeping one.s heart rate between 60 and 80% of maximum. We have to be aerobically fit to perform repetitive work moving our bodies about such as in running, swimming or cycling and these activities, along with fast walking, can be used to increase fitness. Muscular fitness is the ability to muscle to exert force against resistance and divides into the abilities of strength and endurance.

Muscular fitness can be trained against resistance in the gym and this kind of training needs to be undertaken to some degree even by those who almost exclusively wish to be fitter in the aerobic sense. It can be argued that two more things need to be added to make ultimate fitness in a person, stretching and core stability. Stretching can be performed after an activity to maintain muscle length but should be avoided before as it may increase the likelihood of injury. Evidence for stretching being therapeutically useful is not very good.