Whether you have hurt yourself at home, at work or on the sporting field, our physiotherapists will help you recover faster and minimise your chance of re-injury.

We focus on getting you back doing the things that you want to do as fast and safely as possible, and making sure that you achieve lasting freedom from pain, not just temporary relief. Your physiotherapist will identify and correct the underlying cause of your problems in order to prevent re-injury.

Physiotherapy treatment will aim to reduce pain, restore function and reduce the likelihood of the pain recurring. Back pain affects about 90% of adults at some time in their lives, and about 67% of adults experience neck pain. Before treatment can begin, your back or neck pain must be properly evaluated. Back or neck pain is a symptom, not a disease. That means that the pain is a sign that the back is not working properly.Therefore, once we have reduced the pain and inflammation, our physiotherapists can help to retrain the muscles in your back to work properly, without pain. This retraining is often achieved through the use of Clinical Pilates.

What to do when you have an episode of back pain:

Do not rest unless you have to!

• Rest is not a treatment for low back pain and can lead to stiffness, weakness, loss of fitness, and disability.
• Keep as active as you can.
• Pace your activities do normal daily activities but cut them up into small blocks of time that you can easily manage. Increase activities by fixed increments and stick to what you plan, not to how your back pain feels.
• Take adequate pain‐killing medication. Medication should be taken in fixed doses at fixed times, and not when you feel like it or the pain gets too bad. Drugs used need to be discussed with your doctor or pharmacist.

Headaches affect 2/3 of the population.The most common cause of chronic headaches is pain originating from the upper part of the neck associated with poor posture and / or resulting muscle imbalances. These headaches can cause pain symptoms in the eye area, front, side and back of the head. These often have associated symptoms such as dizziness and nausea. Having physiotherapy and massage can help to treat and prevent headaches.

Physiotherapists are able to manage a wide range of joint and muscle problems:

• Osteoarthritis,
• Rheumatoid arthritis

These are both forms of joint degeneration. Physiotherapists are able to assist you to improve strength and range of motion, as well as maintain your functional ability, minimising the negative physical effects of arthritis.

Physiotherapists are also able to treat various forms of tendonitis such as:

• Tennis elbow,
• Golfers elbow,
• Frozen shoulder,
• Achilles tendonitis.

With proper management, these injuries should not prevent you from returning to your chosen activities.

• Heel pain.

This is a very common problem that can be very persistent unless the underlying causes are addressed. Physiotherapists are perfectly trained to find the risk factors appropriate to your situation and manage them appropriately.

Physiotherapists are able to assist with the non invasive management of respiratory problems such as asthma, acute chest infections, COPD (Chronicobstructive pulmonary disease) and Cystic Fibrosis.

After surgery, especially joint reconstruction or replacement surgery, joints soften and become stiff, muscles waste, due to pain disuse and immobilisation, and there is general pain and inflammation in the area. With all surgery it is essential to get back to normal activities as soon as possible, however with specific joint surgeries this can be difficult without the assistance of physiotherapy. We are able to guide you safely back to your normal work, sports and leisure activities by:

• Controlling inflammation,
• Restoring normal movement,
• Progressing to advanced strengthening and stretching with functional exercise,
• Using techniques like Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage to assist in the bodies ability to repair.

Treatment in neurological conditions is typically based upon exercises to restore motor function after stroke, paralysis or other traumatic brain injuries. Through attempting to overcome motor deficits and improve motor patterns, resulting in increased functional ability and independence.

Both men and women suffer a degree of incontinence during their lifetime,particularly after childbirth and menopause. Research has shown physiotherapy to be effective in treating incontinence in 80% of cases, with cure rates equal to surgery. People with SUI typically leak urine when coughing, sneezing or during physical activities, causing significant physical and emotional impact. Individually prescribed pelvic re-education exercises help bladder problems, minimise prolepses’and enhance sexual fulfillment, making life much better. Apart from exercises, we also offer advise regarding bladder calming and training protocols, which help you hold on when you need to go,management of persistent bed wetting, management of bowel problems, and pelvic pain.

• Osteoporosis: physiotherapists can assist you in preventing / minimising the progression of osteoporosis through the prescription of specific exercises. At Avalon Physiotherapy and Clinical Pilates we use Clinical Pilates and the innovative Whole Body Vibration equipment to assist with this.
  
• Mastitis: Blocked ducts will often settle within 24-48 hours with no treatment, however if the blockage persists physiotherapy can help within a couple of sessions.
• Sinus: Physiotherapy treatment may be used to alleviate blocked sinuses, encouraging drainage and healing of the inflamed sinus membrane.
• Haematoma: Physiotherapy may be used to aid in the breakdown of haematoma, in order to speed up the healing process.

Physiotherapy is a first contact, autonomous, client-focused health profession dedicated to:

• Improving and maintaining functional independence and physical performance,
• Preventing and managing pain, physical impairments, disabilities and limits to
• Participation, and promoting fitness, health and wellness.