All musculoskeletal problems benefit from early, quality assessment and treatment. Our physiotherapists are highly experienced in clinical reasoning and all treatments offered are founded on strong clinical research.
We provide assessment and treatment for a wide variety of conditions including: 
• Muscle & joint pain
• Sports injuries
• Whiplash
• Neck pain
• Low back pain and sciatica
• Headache
• Rehabilitation following surgery and fracture
• Arthritic problems, such as osteoarthritis of the hip or knee
• Work related pain
Assessments and treatments are clinic based, but we are also able to perform domiciliary or work place visits where necessary. The cornerstone of treatment is based on a “hands on” manual therapy approach; reinforced through prescriptive exercise. Other modalities may also be combined.
Treatment modalities we may use include (click on each item for further information):
The benefits of general massage are well known and include an improvement in Massage is often used in treatment to ease muscle tightness and pain prior to joint mobilisation. Specific soft tissue techniques applied locally on injured tissue can ease pain and aid repair. Sports massage alone can be extremely helpful to prevent injuries in athletes, and aid recovery from training and competition.
circulation, reduction of muscle spasm and tension, increased lymphatic flow and drainage.
Joint mobilisation involves small oscillatory movements of individual joints. These are 
done to reduced joint stiffness and promote pain relief on movement. Manipulation utilises a high velocity thrust motion, it is a quick gentle procedure. Again it is used to restore joint motion and reduce pain. This type of manual hands on therapy is the cornerstone of our treatment approach. Mobilisation and manipulation can be applied to joints of the spine and extremities. It provides pain relief by triggering complex reflexes at spinal and brain levels that can have an immediate effect on reducing mechanical pain, muscle spasm and promoting correct muscle coordination.
Acupuncture is used by Physiotherapists, against a background of sound research and evidence, as a means of enhancing pain modulation via the stimulation of the brain and spinal cord to produce NATURAL pain relieving chemicals, such as endorphins; melatonin to promote sleep, serotonin to promote well being, to name but a few. These assist the body's healing process and offer pain relief as a precu Conventional Acupuncture involves the use of single use, pre-sterilised, disposable needles of varying widths, lengths and materials that pierce the skin at the Acupuncture points. The Physiotherapist will determine the locations of the Acupuncture points, based upon the assessment of the cause of the problem. A number of needles may be used at each treatment and these are typically left in position for some 20-30 minutes before being removed. Sometimes these point are also manually or electronically stimulated where appropriate. Trigger point Acupuncture may also be used to facilitate relaxation in specific muscles following trauma such as whiplash injury; for longer term unresolving muscle pain such as repetitive strain injury (RSI) or as a means to obtain increased muscle length in order to aid stretch and rehabilitation such as sports injuries . Here the needle is placed into the affected muscle until it is felt to relax under the needle and then removed. Trigger point needling is often much quicker and therefore does not require the 20-30 minute treatment time.
rsor for other manual or exercise therapy.
Electrotherapy treatments include the use of ultrasound, Interferential and TENS machines. Ultrasound is the therapeutic use of painless sound waves. When applied to the Interferential and TENS are forms of electrical stimulation. They can be used to provide pain relief by a method called pain gating where the stimulation of the TNS machine blocks the messages to the brain telling it the body is experiencing pain. It also encourages the brain to produce the body’s own natural pain relieving hormones, endorphins. Interferential can also create muscle contractions which can help in strengthening tissue and reduction of swelling. TENS is a battery powered unit which uses electrodes placed onto the skin, It is portable and can be worn underneath clothes all day. TENS may be loan to you for home use to compliment your treatment and can also be purchased from the clinic.
injured area it can improve circulation, reduces inflammation, mobilises scar tissue and thereby relieves pain. It is often used in conjunction with hands on treatment for conditions such as tennis elbow, sprained ligaments and acute soft tissue injuries.
Exercises are prescribed by the physiotherapists to underpin the treatments carried 
out within the clinic. Speed up rehabilitation and prevent recurrence. They are graded and progressive. Exercise goals would be established with your therapist to promote you to full recoverery. Due to the experience of our staff (many work in sports medicine at GB level) we are able to offer rehabilitation exercise to elite performance levels across a wide variety of sports. We also work closely with local personal trainers, and strength & conditioning coaches. Were requested we will liaise with club /team coaches and trainers to communicate goals and or activity restriction necessary.
Poor posture can play a part in a plethora of musculoskeletal issues on injuries. Poor posture may also delay recovery from a seeming unrelated injury. We can carry out a full postural screening to look for alterations from normal posture and muscle balance. Educate and advise on how to address this through exercise and ergonomics advice for work, driving and general daily activites.
An extension of this is offering simple ergonomic work station assessments. Working at computers and sitting at desks or in cars all day can cause postural spinal pain and repetitive strain injuries. A major factor of muscle strain and ache is fatigue. When muscles are under constant contraction they tire very quickly. In these slumped postures where the user generally leans forward the body becomes off-balance, joints and soft tissue is placed under strain.
We are happy to establish partnerships with local businesses to help them manage one of the causes of absence from work. Injuries at work lead to reduced productivity, increased staff absence and temporary or permanent disability. Every year 35% of the UK work force will complain of back pain and 17% from pains or problems in the extremities.
We are able to provide in-house ergonomic work station assessments to ensure your work force is sitting in the best possible position to ensure that all of these problems are minimalised and thereby reduce sick leave. We can also provide the convienience of on-site physiotherapy treatment services to reduce time the worker spends away from work.
Melanie Betts Physiotherapy has teamed up with Motus Training to offer comprehensive rehabilitation packages for those recovering from injuries, surgery or wishing to return to work following long term sickness. By working together in this way we are able to provide each patient with the best combination of treatment, therapy and exercise to and show a clear, safe and speedy path to recovery. A typical package may be 12 weeks beginning with a thorough assessment from one of our Chartered Physiotherapists. From the assessment a bespoke treatment plan is devised in conjunction with the Sports Therapists, Personal Trainers and Strength Coaches at Motus Training. Patients then attend 6 one-to-one rehab/training sessions with a member of the Motus Training Team at their purpose-built studio which is equipped with all the latest exercise equipment to help your rehabilitation. After 6 sessions you return to the Physiotherapist for re-evaluation to assess progress and design the next phase of your programme; 6 more rehabilitation sessions follow before your final appointment with the Physiotherapist.
To find out more about our rehabilitation packages please contact Melanie on 07703 012146 or email info@melaniebettsphysiotherapy.com
We are now able to offer Hydrotherapy at our clinic within the Wildmoor Spa & Healthclub. Restore motion: Gentle exercises in warm water will loosen tight soft tissue improving joint range of motion. Relaxation: The sedative warm water can soothe and relax. Pain Relief: Warm water can alleviate joint pain. Reduce Swelling: Water at different depths has different pressures. Changes of pressure helps assist blood-flow from the extremities back to the heart and improve circulation. Our hydrotherapy pool is utilised to provide treatment for: Post –operative rehabilitation after routine and specialist operations e.g. spinal surgery, hip/knee replacements, soft tissue reconstructive surgery. Orthopeadic/arthritic conditions e.g. osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Chronic low back pain Rehabilitation after fractures and other traumatic sports injury Pre-operative conditioning to improve joint movement & muscle strength prior to surgery.
The benefits of hydrotherapy exercise include:
Clinical hydrotherapy is increasingly seen as an important therapy in the treatment of many conditions. However there are few suitable pools in the area. Our pool is assessable to all ambulant patients with shallow steps and hand rail. We have full showering and changing facilities.
At MELANIE BETTS PHYSIOTHERAPY, our chartered physiotherapists will treat patients on a one-to-one basis. Patients do not need to be a swimmer or confident in water to be treated in the hydrotherapy pool. Treatment programmes will be developed specifically to meet individual needs, and will take into account level of mobility and confidence in the water.
This service provides for patients with issues specifically relating to Women's Health, ranging from Ante and post-natal care, The management of prolapse and incontinence problems - urgency, overactive bladder, stress and urge incontinence, Advice following gynaecological surgery Post breast surgery care and rehabilitation. Guaranteeing total privacy and confidentiality, we offer a one to one hour long consultation, with follow up appointments as required. The consultation includes a detailed explanation of the problem or condition that the patient is referring with, together with the use of teaching aids to facilitate the patient's comprehension of and insight into the condition. Our aim is to keep the patient fully informed about the rationale behind the treatment plan and what is required to tackle the issues that patients present with. It is our firm belief that the greater the patient's understanding of the problem and the techniques used to deal with the problem, the greater the likelihood will be of that patient's ability to deal with and manage the problem.
Radial shockwave therapy (R-SWT) is a modern and very effective method of treatment for musculoskeletal problems; particularly muscular pain, tendinopathy and calcific tendons and fascia. Shockwave therapy accelerates the self-healing properties of the body by passing a shock wave through the affected tissue. They improve circulation and tissue metabolism allowing damaged tissue to repair and regenerate, reducing pain and increasing mobility. An 80% improvement is usually reported in 3-5 sessions. Treatment sessions last between 5-10minutes depending on the condition being treated and in general 6-8 sessions will be needed at weekly intervals.Which conditions can be treated? Shoulder pain e.g Rotator cuff tears or calcification Tennis / golfers elbow Patella tendon ( jumpers knee) Achilles tendonitis Heel pain (plantafasciitis /heel spurs) Pseudoarthrosis ..and many more conditions Shockwave therapy is particularly useful on chronic injuries/problems that have been resilient to previous forms of therapy and treatment. It is a quick and effective treatment, and an alternative to last resort surgery
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