Physiotherapy

Qualified physiotherapist and APPI Pilates instructor currently running private physiotherapy and 1:1 Pilates appointments in Motherby, face to face Pilates classes in Bampton and Penruddock and online Pilates sessions.

Physiotherapy

'Physiotherapists help people affected by injury, illness or disability through movement and exercise, manual therapy, education and advice. They maintain health for people of all ages, helping patients to manage pain and prevent disease'

(CSP, 2018).

Having worked in a variety of environments, from hospital wards and intensive care, to visiting people in their homes in the community, to outpatient departments, and an intensive residential rehabilitation centre, the one thing that I am sure of is that there is no 'one way' to treat a person. Everybody's experience is different, and therefore treatment needs to be highly individualised to meet the needs and lifestyle of each person.

My physiotherapy specialism is in musculoskeletal and rehabilitation physiotherapy. I myself have a huge passion for exercise in the great outdoors and therefore a clear understanding for the need to be 'fit for purpose', rather than just acceptable. I have a great deal of experience in treating all joints and rehabilitating people recovering from both injury and illness back to very high levels of function.

Your first appointment

Your first appointment with me will include an in-depth assessment to work out why you are having problems, and how to help you to move forward. You will leave the first appointment with some advice and I will suggest whether further treatment would be beneficial to you.

I work out of my clinic at home. I have both a clinic room as well as a gym that I use if I am doing a lot of exercise based work with a client.

Working in partnership with you

I will only work with you if I believe that I can help you, and I will only continue to work with you for as long as I can see a clinical improvement. Following a full assessment, I can offer you lots of advice and I regularly do a variety of manual therapies to facilitate your improvement. However, from my experience, it is only by doing guided exercises correctly and making long-term changes to our habits and postures that will attain the long-standing benefits that people seek. I therefore very much like to think that I work together with my clients, not 'on' my clients, in order to achieve their goals.

Exercise therapy

Probably the most important aspect to rehabilitating any musculoskeletal problem is addressing your biomechanical imbalances and altered postures and improving them by doing the correct exercises. These may be short term correction exercises or long term lifestyle changes. I will ensure that you have an exercise package that is appropriate for you for the time that you have available within your life. Appropriate exercise is the best route to a long term positive change.

Soft tissue therapy

I will regularly use soft tissue therapy to complement the exercise, to facilitate a quicker change. The methods I use are generally very gentle techniques and they include:

Myofascial release, which uses gentle sustained pressure to reduce tension and pain
Massage, which is sometimes the soft tissue therapy of choice for warming muscles up, alleviating pain and getting fresh blood flow to a region
Cupping, which is an ancient therapy using suction. It can loosen and encourage blood flow to a muscle, which can be very effective in alleviating pain.

Manual therapy

As a physiotherapist I regularly use manual therapy when it is indicated. Alongside soft tissue therapy, other methods I use include:

Muscle energy techniques: these use your body to work for you with a little help from me
Mobilisations: people often think of their spines being 'manipulated'. Actually physiotherapists rarely manipulate, but we do mobilise. Mobilisations are used as a treatment for many of our joints, to increase joint movement and to decrease pain.

1:1 Pilates

If you have been advised to do Pilates but don't know where to start, or you are in the early stages of recovery and want some help before attending a class, or you would like to ensure that you are doing your exercises correctly, or you would like a package tailored to yourself, I can offer the appropriate level of Pilates uniquely suited to you.
I originally trained as an Instructor through the APPI (Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute) in 2014, but I regularly update my knowledge and skills on courses and the Pilates conference. I then incorporate alternative concepts from different Pilates bodies into my practice to complement my original training. Most recently I have been on courses with MK Pilates.
I have specialist Pilates training in ante and postnatal Pilates, Pilates for those with hyper mobility and Pilates for runners and cyclists.

Testimonials

"Amazing results after only a few sessions, in a friendly and relaxed treatment room. The treatment techniques are personalised and explained in detail, which helps you to understand your body and its limitations. I have gone from painkillers four times a day to none at all. I can now bend to put my socks on and am back to cycling pain free! I haven't been able to do either for a very long time. I cannot recommend Alexis highly enough"

"Hill walking and climbing are so important to me and so, is a good physiotherapist. Alexis is very knowledgeable, she thinks around a problem and she is really thorough. That is what makes a difference".

"Alexis treated me for back pain after seeing many physios and consultants to no avail. She took a very open-minded approach, looking at my whole posture and lifestyle and gave me a series of Pilates exercises to do at home as well as manual treatment. She has helped me recover from being in constant pain during exams, to being able to sit again for long periods of time without discomfort. I have felt like she has put a considerable amount of effort and expertise, even outside of my appointments, into thinking about solutions. She has helped me to rethink the way I move every day and she really cares about my health and improvement"

"I can thoroughly recommend Alexis as a highly competent and experienced qualified physiotherapist and Pilates instructor. With a history of severe chronic lower back pain, Alexis introduced me to a routine of simple exercises which have achieved a dramatic reduction in the severity of my problem"

"I initially contacted Alexis after years of trouble with my back. Having had surgery and injections into my spine over a number of years, I still experienced pain on a daily basis and nothing seemed to help.

On my first visit, Alexis spent a long time carrying out a full examination not only of my back, but my whole body (something that had never happened at other physios I had visited). She carried out a number of procedures and fully explained what she was doing, why she was doing it and how it would help. She also gave me some exercises to do at home.

Over the next few days the difference in my back was remarkable – the pain was drastically reduced and my family even commented that I was walking better!

I continue to have regular visits to Alexis as I really feel that the ongoing treatment and advise she gives continues to help with my back recovery. I’m even tempted to join in her Pilates classes now"