Sport Therapy & Pain Management
Most patients who visit their General Practitioner, with minor injuries such as strains, sprains, need referral to a physical therapist. Because of surgery budget restraints, patients are usually only referred after the pain has become chronic. Any painkillers prescribed have negative side effects, especially with long-term use. Patients are increasingly, self-funding their physical therapy treatments. Back-pain is the second most common reason, after respiratory disorders, that patients seek help from the health care system. Eighty-five per cent of people will be disabled by an attack of back-pain during their lives, and at any given time, 7% of the adult population will be suffering a bout of back-pain. According to 'The Therapy Directory', recent statistics show public demand is high for complementary and alternative therapies (CAM), with one in five people in the UK spending money on private treatments for a range of ailments. The most popular CAM therapies are deep tissue massage, reflexology and aromatherapy.