Lower back pain is one of the most common injuries you are likely to encounter. The vast majority of lower back pain episodes resolve within 6 weeks with the appropriate amount of rest and rehabilitation. A thorough assessment of the lumbar spine, pelvis and hips is essential when finding the driver of the problem. A combination of manual therapy (massage, dry needling etc) and movement can significantly reduce pain and improve function.

Many foot injuries such as plantar fasciitis and neuromas, are a direct result of poor foot mobility. The foot is a complex part of the body with 26 bones and 33 joints. These joints need to be able to move optimally for the foot to function to the best of it’s ability. Restoring optimal movement back into the foot, can have a profound impact on a whole host of foot problems.

Muscle strains and tears are common sporting injuries and need to be managed appropriately from an early stage. Diagnosing the severity of the injury is an important aspect of the process, as this will determine the duration of rest needed, as well as what rehabilitation exercises to prescribe. Muscle injuries, such as a hamstring strain, need to be managed all the way through to the persons return to sport, which should include sport specific drills such as sprinting and kicking.

These 3 areas are closely linked and need to be assessed independently and as a unit. It is common for people who work on a computer daily to experience pain or discomfort in these areas. Finding the root cause of the pain will allow for accurate treatment and a more specific home exercise program. Manual therapy for neck pain has been shown to be very effective at reducing pain and restoring range of motion and function.

Physiotherapy is an essential and crucial part of the post operative rehabilitation process. Total knee replacement, total hip replacement, rotator cuff repair, ACL repair are just some of the post operative procedures that Centered Physiotherapy rehabilitates. Early mobilisation and restoring optimal joint range of motion as well as re training optimal movements patterns such as walking, are key to long term success after surgery.

An important part of rehabilitating running injuries is addressing movement or biomechanical issues. This starts with a comprehensive assessment of the foot, then observing how the load is transferred from the foot to the knee and then the hip and spine. Sub optimal biomechanics are often the primary cause of foot, knee and hip pain. Overtraining, poor sleep and nutrition are factors that need to be reviewed. Many runners do not add strength sessions to their training, which is key to staying injury free.

The hip is part of the lumbo-sacral-hip complex as these 3 areas are right beside each other and lots of the same muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves all serve the 3 regions. The resting position of the pelvis and how the pelvis moves in space has a direct impact on how well the hip will function. A progressive hip strengthening program is a key component for rehabilitation chronic hip pain. The program will target deep hit rotational muscles as well as the larger gluteal muscles.