Treatments
What is a neurological condition?
Neurological problems can arise from damage to the nervous system.
The system is made up of the brain and spinal cord, radiating out to our peripheral nerves and muscles.
Damage to this system can happen as a result of disease or injury.
What is neurological physiotherapy?
Neurological Physiotherapy is an approach to treatment for individuals who have movement problems, usually caused by neurological conditions or events.
It is, however, not limited to these and can be applied to most movement challenges.
Who is a neurological physiotherapist?
A neurological physiotherapist will have had post graduate training to specialise in neurological treatments and management.
This training should continue throughout their professional life, with constant improvement and updating of knowledge.
A neurological physio will have knowledge about how our nervous system functions to produce both normal and abnormal movement.
They will have techniques, management advice and activities to help movement change towards being more normal.
Movement which can be used easily and efficiently in everyday life, if possible.
What Will treatment involve?
Most of the treatments with Balance Neuro Physiotherapy will occur in your own home. We will, however, often meet people in the gym, out in a public area, swimming or at work.
Your treatment will involve some activities with the physiotherapist, you will have activities to practise to reinforce each treatment session and also enhance your posture, strength and mobility.
Such as:
- Practice of functional tasks
- Core stability improvement
- Strengthening exercises and activities
- Mobilisation of soft tissues and joints
- Gait reeducation and practice
- Balance exercises
- Postural re-education and management
- Practising functional activities
- Improving your exercise tolerance and overall fitness levels
- Practicing to improve your confidence.
How will they assess me?
A neurological physio will have specialist skills in the analysis of movement.
They will achieve this by observing, palpation and feeling how an individual may move. Following an assessment of movement, a plan should be discussed and agreed.
This will be aimed at improving movement and posture.
Hopefully improving how an individual may manage and cope with daily life.
It is highly likely that an activity plan will need to be undertaken by the individual/ carer in between physio contacts in order to change movement.
The neuro physio will have specialist handling skills to make movement easier, helping to make it possible to have the best possible function, independence and quality of life.
A neuro physio should also be aware of, and may assist with, families and carers for the individual being assessed.
They will be aware of possible carer stresses, and may be able to risk assess, advise and delegate certain activities or modifications to make life easier.
A neuro physio will also be interested in how an individual manages to function in certain environments and at different times of the day.
Neuro physios are also able to treat other joint or movement problems arising from repetitive strain, sports injury, postural problems, and other origins.
They will apply their expertise in movement analysis, their knowledge of postural control, muscle function and joint mobilisation to improve the overall function of an individual.
What is a Vestibular condition?
A vestibular condition can occur when there is a problem with the vestibular system, a tiny complex of tubes and specialised cells that sit at the level of your ears on either side and detect movement, so your brain knows where the body is in space and whether it is moving and in what direction. They sit next to the hearing system, the cochlea. Damage can occur for all sorts of reasons and for many vestibular problems physiotherapy is the most effective treatment. This can sometimes be a very quick treatment such as a manoeuvre to reposition tiny crystals which become dislodged in a condition called BPPV or longer physiotherapy treatments as part of Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VTR).
What is vestibular rehabilitation?
Vestibular rehabilitation is an exercise-based program, designed by a specially-trained vestibular physical therapist, to improve balance and reduce problems related to dizziness. Dizziness is described in many ways, for example, feelings of unsteadiness; wooziness (swimming feeling in head); light-headedness; feelings of passing out; sensations of moving; spinning floating; swaying; tilting or whirling (sensations known as vertigo). Dizziness, imbalance and vertigo can have various causes for example: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis causing vestibular hypofunction, Meniere's disease, vestibular migraine and persistent postural perceptual disorder (PPPD).
