Yesterday I had a new client come to my treatment room for help with a bicep injury.  He was recommended to come to me by his personal trainer.

He had already seen a physiotherapist for a couple of treatments and didn't think it was getting to the cause of the problem.  The physio had him booked in for a course of treatments.

And here is my problem, during his 'treatments' by the physio, the physio hadn't actually put his hands on him or felt around the area to 'see / feel' what was going on.  His treatment had been the magic ultrasound wand to promote healing.

It's difficult to promote healing, if you don't know what the problem is.

The physio had taken his word for the fact that he had a bicep injury and waved the magic wand in the general area.

On testing, bizarrely by actually touching the area, I found that it wasn't actually his bicep that was the problem but his forearm.  There were a few other factors involved that had led to his forearm muscle being overworked, we established this via NeuroKinetic Testing.

He left, feeling much better.  A huge reduction in pain and knowledge that he is on the right path to getting back to full strength.

Unfortunately, this isn't uncommon.  

My problem isn't actually with physio's.  My entry in to the world of injury management was via a fantastic physio who taught me so much.  We worked really closely together, her doing the therapy, me doing the corrective exercise.  When she moved on, it led me to look into becoming a therapist.

My problem is with therapists and trainers who don't actually update their knowledge and those that are happy to keep taking money, when there has been no improvement in the injury.  I met a chiropractor recently who saw up to 60 patients per day, a click and pay kind of set up, I was horrified.

We work closely with other sports therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and physio's that have similar approaches to our own, meaning that they look at the whole body rather than just the issue you have gone in with.  It tells us so much more.  The aim is always to get our clients back to full health as quickly as possible.

If you are seeing a therapist of any type to help you with an injury, it's pretty important that they actually touch the area and take an assessment of your whole body.

The painful bit is rarely the cause of the problem outside of impact type injuries.  

If you don't feel like you are getting better after a couple of sessions, seek a different therapist and go on recommendations.

Work with experts in their field, they may cost more initially but you will save money in the long run because you won't need as many sessions.  

If you need advice ask an expert rather than Facebook.  Facebook is great for keeping in contact with friends and family but pretty pony for diagnosing injuries and offering treatments.  Hands on will always win, you may have to pay but being pain-free is worth it.

I have seen some people be diagnosed with all sorts of injuries and given treatment plans via there Facebook wall by people who have had 'that' injury themselves.  They have gone on to become more injured by following poor advice that they want to hear rather than actually seeing somebody who can help.

You have one body, don't be tight when it needs a little support to get over an injury.