Physiotherapy FAQ: Your Questions Answered

Back pain can come from several places, including stiffness in the small joints of your spine, tension in the back or buttock muscles (often from long periods of sitting), irritated nerve pathways, or problems in your neck, mid-back, pelvis or hips. Finding the root cause of your pain is the first step.

Yes. Back pain often comes with sciatica, which can cause pain down one leg, numbness or pins and needles, and weakness in the leg. Your physiotherapist will check for this at your assessment.

Back pain is one of the most common problems we see. We start with a thorough assessment to find the cause. Our first aim is to ease your pain and get you moving again, with a care plan made for you.

Common causes include stiffness in the small joints of the spine, tension in the neck muscles (often from stress or posture), irritated nerve pathways in the neck, and problems lower down the spine, such as in the mid or lower back.

Even a small change in posture, usually with the head moving forwards, greatly increases the strain through your neck and shoulders. It’s one of the first things we look at when treatment starts.

Yes. Neck pain can come with headaches, and some people also notice visual disturbances, difficulty concentrating or dizziness. Let your physiotherapist know about any of these at your assessment.

We treat overuse injuries and stress fractures, muscle tears, tendon and ligament sprains, knee, ankle and foot injuries, shoulder injuries, tennis elbow, and hand and wrist pain.

Your first appointment follows our usual Initial Consultation. We’ll ask about your sport and may ask you to show us some basic movements, then talk you through what we find and your care plan.

Usually, yes. Treatment often combines hands-on techniques in the clinic with an exercise programme you can do at home or at the gym. The aim is to get you back to full physical activity.

Often, yes. Long-standing pain can still improve with the right plan. We’ll assess you, explain what we find and tell you honestly how we think we can help.

We work at a level you’re comfortable with. Some exercises may feel like hard work or cause mild, short-lived soreness, and we’ll always explain what to expect and adjust things if needed.

It depends on you and your pain. After your Initial Consultation, we’ll give you a personalised care plan with an honest idea of how many sessions to expect.

No. We’re a private clinic, so you can book directly with us online or by calling 01252 449458.

We can help you manage fibromyalgia with gentle, graded exercise, pacing and advice that fits how you feel day to day. You can read more in our fibromyalgia article.

For most long-standing pain, gentle movement helps more than complete rest. The key is finding the right amount for you, and that’s exactly what we’ll work out together.

Physiotherapy can help when headaches are linked to your neck, for example from stiff joints in the spine, tight neck muscles or posture. There’s no quick fix, so we focus on finding the root cause.

When your head moves forward, even slightly, the strain through your neck and shoulders goes up a lot. This is one of the first areas we focus on when treatment starts.

If your headaches are new, severe or getting worse, or come with other symptoms that worry you, see your GP first. For headaches linked to neck pain and stiffness, we can assess you and explain what’s going on.

Common causes include osteoarthritis, ligament sprains and tears, irritation between the kneecap and thigh bone, fractures around the knee, and problems coming from the foot, hip or pelvis.

Not necessarily. Knee pain does become more common with age, but it’s often written off as wear and tear when something can be done about it. Young people get knee pain too, sometimes starting during growth spurts.

Several conditions can cause knee pain, so we start by finding the root cause at your Initial Consultation, then build a care plan around it.

Common causes include osteoarthritis, tendinitis, inflammation and swelling in the hip joint, an inflamed ligament in the thigh (often from too much running), and problems around the knees or feet.

Yes. Hip problems are often linked to the knees, lower back or pelvis, which is why we assess more than just your hip.

Yes. We see many clients with long-standing hip and groin pain. A thorough assessment comes first, so we can plan treatment around the real cause.

Sciatica describes symptoms such as pain down one leg, numbness or pins and needles, and loss of strength in the leg. It often comes with back pain and usually involves irritated nerve pathways in the back.

Get urgent medical help by calling 999 or going to A&E if you have sciatica on both sides, numbness around your bottom or genitals, or problems controlling your bladder or bowels. These signs are rare. For everyday sciatica, we can assess you and help ease the pain.

Several conditions can cause back pain and sciatica, so getting an accurate diagnosis comes first. We then create a treatment plan to manage the condition and reduce your pain.

The shoulder is one of the most complicated joints in the body, and its shallow socket, a bit like a golf ball balanced on a tee, makes it naturally less stable.

The most common cause is impingement, where a muscle, tendon, ligament or nerve gets squeezed within the shoulder joint. Other causes include dislocations or fractures from falls or sport, and long-term conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis.

Many conditions can cause shoulder pain, so we start with a thorough examination of your shoulder, then plan treatment for your specific problem.

Common causes include repetitive movements of the wrist and arm, sports such as tennis and golf, weight lifting, osteoarthritis, and strained or inflamed tendons and ligaments. Elbow pain can also come from the neck or shoulder.

No. We see elbow pain from many sports, hobbies and everyday activities that involve repetitive strain.

Yes. Alongside treatment in the clinic, we show you rehabilitation exercises to help relieve your elbow pain at home.

Common causes include osteoarthritis, tendinitis, joint inflammation, sprains and fractures, and nerve problems such as sciatica. Foot and ankle pain can also come from the hips or lower back.

Yes. When your feet and ankles don’t work properly, it can change the way you walk and lead to pain in your legs, hips and back.

Yes. We explain what’s going on and show you exercises you can do at home as part of your care plan.

Yes. Your jaw is a joint like any other, and hands-on treatment, targeted exercises and advice can ease pain, stiffness and clicking. We’ll assess you and tell you honestly how we think we can help.

It often plays a big part. Stress can make you clench or grind without noticing, which loads the jaw joint and muscles. We help you spot those habits and give you simple ways to release the tension.

They can. Jaw, neck and face muscles are closely linked, so jaw tension often comes with headaches or neck pain. We assess them together. You can also read about our headache treatment.

No. We’re a private clinic, so you can book directly with us online or by calling 01252 449458. If we think you need a dental or medical check, we’ll tell you.

Honestly, it can. Most people come to us once their jaw pain has built up and the muscles are very tight, so releasing them can be uncomfortable in the short term, and occasionally leaves some tenderness or bruising. That short-term discomfort is often what gives the biggest release and the best results. We’ll always explain what we’re doing, check in with you as we go and work at a level you can manage.

For jaw treatment, shorter is better. Around 30 minutes of work on the jaw itself is usually plenty, because the area is so sensitive, and we wouldn’t recommend booking an hour of jaw-only treatment. If your neck, shoulders or posture are playing a part, which they often are, we’ll use extra time on those instead, so your session fits what you need.

It depends on you and your jaw. After your Initial Consultation, we’ll give you a personalised care plan with an honest idea of how many sessions to expect.