Physiotherapy

Physiotherapists are experts in human movement. A thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology underpins the training in Physiotherapy, helping Physiotherapists to understand the causes of pain and injury and how best to treat them.
 
An initial consultation @OHP Clinics will include a detailed analysis of movement followed by specific testing of the joints, ligaments, nerves and muscles that may be involved. Following this assessment the Physiotherapist will explain to you the causes of your pain before discussing how best to manage the problem.
 
Confidence and trust in the practitioner is paramount in Physiotherapy and we will take time to ensure you understand the reasons behind why you may be experiencing pain and how we can help.
 
Treatments typically may involve joint mobilisation, spinal manipulation, myofascial release and massage. We may use acupuncture (dependent on the practitioner) and we also offer laser therapy via the MLS Class 4 therapeutic laser. It would be usual for you to be given relevant exercises and we often provide links to videos of the exercises to ensure you feel confident in knowing what to do.

Sports Injuries

“Love thy sport” – “to be a successful sports clinician it is essential to know and love sport and to be an advocate for physical activity” Brukner and Kahn, Clinical Sports Medicine, 3rd Ed. 2006.

The management of Sports Injuries requires particular expertise. Our personal experience and knowledge of many different sports lends an invaluable insight into the demands of sport and the mentality of athletes. Regardless of what level you may compete at, be it recreational or elite level, we recognise the importance of sport to the individual and the frustrations that come with being injured.

Our practitioners at Oliver Hughes Physiotherapy specialise in not only the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries but also in structured athletic rehabilitation – the key to lasting performance at an optimum level.

Our understanding of biomechanics, the study of mechanics in biological systems, enables us to identify why an athlete may be experiencing pain or dysfunction and how it can be addressed.
A biomechanical fault will often precede an injury and unless identified and corrected, an injury that has settled through rest and rehabilitation may then recur when training recommences.
 
Our practitioners at Oliver Hughes Physiotherapy take a holistic approach to injury. We not only treat and rehabilitate the injured structure, we address the wider issues that so often are the root of the problem.
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Post-operative Rehabilitation

Physiotherapy is often essential in post-operative rehabilitation to regain movement, strength and function. Surgical outcomes, particularly in the short term, are often significantly worse in those patients who do not have regular Physiotherapy after their operation.

A key feature of successful post-operative management is having realistic goals and expectations following any surgical procedure – our practitioner’s expertise can guide you through your rehabilitation so you know what you can do at each stage. This can be as simple as helping you progress from two walking sticks to one after a knee replacement or as complex as telling you when you are ready to sprint again after an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

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At Oliver Hughes Physiotherapy we routinely rehabilitate clients from the very early post-operative phase, often within days of the surgery, through to the end phases of the rehabilitation which may be months later. If you are an athlete it is vital that your rehabilitation programme is ‘sport specific’ – for example a swimmer has to rehabilitate in a very different way to a rugby player due to the demands of the sport. Our expertise in this field allows us to tailor a rehabilitation programme for you to ensure you recover your optimum performance as quickly, safely and effectively as possible.

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Foot and Ankle Specialist

Oliver Hughes Physiotherapy Clinics are delighted to offer appointments with Aaron Jones, Specialist Physiotherapist in Foot and Ankle. Aaron has a wealth of experience in all aspects of musculoskeletal physiotherapy, including within professional and semi-professional sport. Aaron now works as a clinical specialist in the area of foot and ankle, and when not practicing at our clinic he is the clinical lead for foot and ankle services for Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust.
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Pelvic Health Specialist

Oliver Hughes Physiotherapy Clinics are delighted to offer appointments with Kirsty Sturgeon, Specialist Physiotherapist in Pelvic Health.
Kirsty Sturgeon is a highly experienced specialist physiotherapist in the area of pelvic health. She sees men and women with a range of pelvic health issues, including bladder and bowel incontinence, sexual dysfunction, sexual pain, and pre and post-natal issues including rectus abdominus diastasis. In addition to her expertise in the field of pelvic health Kirsty is a McKenzie trained physiotherapist and regularly treats patients with back and neck problems. Kirsty’s clinics run on a Wednesday only due to her work as NHS clinical lead in Pelvic Health for Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust.
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Imaging and Injection Therapy

We now offer a diagnostic ultrasound service and guided steroid injections with Dr Nigel Rayner. Diagnostic ultrasound scans are used to assess a wide range of soft tissue problems such as rotator cuff injuries, muscular/tendon injuries and ligament sprains. They are a painless, non-invasive way of better understanding the causes of certain soft tissue injuries. If a steroid injection is indicated as the best management for the problem then this can be discussed and agreed on at the time with Nigel.

For details of the fees associated with diagnostic ultrasound scans and guided injections see the ‘appointment fees’ page.

Paediatric Orthopaedic Consultant

Oliver Hughes Physiotherapy Clinics are delighted to offer appointments with Mr Russell Hawkins, Paediatric Orthopaedic Consultant Surgeon.
 
Russell is a highly experienced orthopaedic consultant who specialises in seeing a wide variety of paediatric conditions including:
 
Normal variants (knock knees, bow legs, intoeing, flat feet, curly toes)
Hip and knee problems
Foot and ankle problems
Concerns about asymmetry or deformity
Gait abnormalities
Sports injuries
Post-traumatic injuries
 
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Specialist Hand Physiotherapist

@OHP Clinics offer appointments with Emma Scott, Cornwall’s leading Specialist Hand Physiotherapist.
 
Emma qualified as a Physiotherapist in 2003 with a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy from Oxford Brooks University. She then undertook her first NHS rotational job at Salisbury Odstock hospital, where one of her rotations was in Burns, Plastics and Hand injuries. This ignited an interest in Hand and Wrist injuries and conditions which has been her specialisation ever since.
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Vestibular Rehabilitation

In addition to sports injuries and rehabilitation expertise, Oliver’s niche clinical specialism is Vestibular Rehabilitation. Dizziness and balance disorders can be complex and are often a very distressing experience for the patient. For BPPV issues Oliver is well practiced in the Epley manoeuvre for posterior canalithiasis problems, as well as the manoeuvres for horizontal and anterior canalithiasis. Balance and dizziness disorders can arise from a number of other causes such as viral infections, head injuries, stroke or the complex ‘PPPD’ presentation. Many of these patients can be treated with various exercises and rehabilitation strategies. As debilitating as these presentations can be, the body has a remarkable way of adapting and relearning when given the appropriate stimulus.
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