We are all aware sports participation promotes physical and mental health, however it can also lead to many sport-related musculoskeletal injuries. These injuries can either creep up on us over time (chronic) or happen suddenly during sport (acute).

Whether you take part in sport for competition or fitness, you don’t want to be sidelined with an injury. Being suspect to an injury can prevent participation and activities of everyday living.

To keep injuries at bay, we have provided you with 12 tips for preventing sports injuries. 

1. Always make time for rest days 

While some may think, the more you train, the quicker you progress, this is a common misconception. Rest is an important component of proper training allowing time for tissues to repair. Overuse of muscles, tendons and ligaments creates constant state of inflammation in the body increasing the likelihood of injury. 

2. Strengthening exercises.  

Strength training promotes growth in muscles, tendons and ligaments – these soft tissues are commonly suspect to sports injuries. Strengthening relevant tissue surrounding the joint can improve performance and reduce any chance of injury. 

3. Always ensure correct form/technique is used

You should always be aware of posture and movement during sport and exercise. Improper form may cause you to target unintended muscle groups and can leave you further away from your fitness goal. 

4. Warm up 

Warm muscles are less susceptible to injury. Carrying out a light warm up prior to sport participation increases the blood flow and body temperature – overall reducing the risk. 

5. Cool down 

A cool down is just as important as a warm up, allowing heart rate and blood pressure to gradually return to that of pre-exercise. 

6. Make sure to use protective equipment 

Professional or amateur, protective equipment should be worn to prevent against impact, whether that may be a helmet to prevent concussion or shin pads to minimise rapid contact. 

7. Don’t play through the pain 

Pain indicates there isn’t something quite right, pay attention to the warning sides and seek advice from a healthcare professional. 

8. Stretch

Improving flexibility through stretching is an important factor to improving physical performance consequently reducing the risk of injury within sport. 

9. Nutrition

Eating a well-balanced diet should be first line of defence when it comes to preventing injury: Carbohydrates provide energy and replenish glycogen stores to keep you going, protein helps repair and promote growth to muscle tissue and not to forget the fat; which are essential in the inflammatory process. 

10. Hydration 

Staying hydrated throughout sport is important to ensure efficient circulation, keeping joints lubricated and regulating body temperature. Dehydration can hinder sports performance and increases the risk of sustaining an injury. 

11. Know your capability 

When you push yourself too hard during training or  train too many times without rest days, this can cause our bodies to become tired and weak, increasing the risk of injury.

12. Know the rules of the game

Knowing the rules of the game not only helps prevents injury against yourself but also against other players. 

So that’s our top 12 tips for preventing sports injuries. Want to know more then get in touch with one of our team.

The first question most people ask following an assessment of their injury is how long will it take to get back to normal: in other words, how long with physiotherapy take to work. 

The truth is that there is no single answer to this question since each person is different and there are several variables that influence the type and duration of treatment.

When you first see your Physiotherapist, you should be having a conversation about your goals, and what you would consider a successful round of treatment. Now, if your injury is not due to an accident or one off incident then it is potentially due to your biomechanics (how your body moves due to muscle and joints length, strength, and coordination). 

Your Physiotherapist should be able to describe to you three things: what tissue is giving you the pain; what mechanics got you into this situation; and what the two of you can do about it.  

Factors that affect treatment time length:

• The part of the body affected
  
• Individual’s healing rate
  
• The extent of the injury
  
• Compliance with physiotherapy and exercise program
  
• Other current and past health conditions
  
• Occupation/hobbies/activities
  

Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t seeing the results you want immediately. Physical therapy isn’t an overnight cure; it’s a process that involves a lot of hard work. 

So how long does Physiotherapy take to work? The answer is that the length of treatment is different for everyone, and it is nearly impossible to predict exactly how long it may take for an individual to make a full recovery.

In some cases a full recovery may not be possible. You may never reach the same level of ability that you had before the injury. But the goal of physical therapy is to help you achieve the maximum ability possible.

The longer someone waits before going to Physiotherapy, the longer the course of care may have to be due to worsening tissue health and worsening movement pattern.

Here at Total Restore Physiotherapy we look forward to helping you make faster progress toward your physical therapy goals.

Get in touch

If you are suffering from any pain or injuries and need advice/treatment or not sure how long Physiotherapy will take to work then give us a call on 0161 8333008 and make an appointment with one of our Physiotherapists. We are located in the city centre in the Royal Exchange Building just off St Ann’s Square.

We are delighted to announce that we have been making plans to open our clinic once again.  We will continue to operate a virtual first service, however for those who require a face-to-face appointment, we have created this guide to equip you with all the information that you may need prior to your attendance during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The safety of our patients and our staff must remain our upmost priority. In addition to the following measures and precautions we have taken detailed below, we will closely follow the guidance we have been given by the government and specialist bodies to help limit any risks. Please take the time to carefully read the information contained in this guide which provides details on our ‘new normal’ at the clinic, changes to our booking and appointment procedures, in addition to what we require from you. We understand there is a wealth of information to take in, however we would appreciate it if you could take the time to read this once to help us to keep you all safe and well. We cannot wait to welcome you back and get you back to your best!

Our 3 Principles for re-opening – Hygiene, Confidence and Communication

1. Hygiene – All reasonable infection prevention and control measures are in place and compliant with Public Health England guidelines
2. Confidence – Patients, staff and general public can have confidence of Total Restore Physio’s ongoing strong commitment to ensure all safety measures are in place and followed at all times
3. Communication – Total Restore Physio will be forthcoming with communication to patients, staff and general public at all times – via website updates, newsletters, direct communication with all patients booking to attend and on-site information from staff.
   

Since lockdown Total Restore Physio have been busy preparing for the re-opening of our clinic to ensure patients and staff can return to our clinic with confidence. We have been preparing thorough risk assessments for every aspect of our clinic environment and the patient journey to ensure we provide the cleanest and safest environment possible. We have been in contact with industry experts to ensure that our infection prevention and control measures along with PPE (personal protective equipment) not only complies with current guidelines and protocols, but also to minimise any risks of transmission of COVID-19 during treatment sessions. We will continue to follow the guidelines set out by the government and NHS England and respond to any changes to ensure we comply with all the necessary social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols. Please see Appendix 1 providing full details of the additional measures at the clinic which have been implemented and the measures which we also need to ask of you when you attend your appointment.

Now lets’ get to the most important part, getting you booked back in! 

Should you require/ prefer a face to face Physiotherapy appointment, please follow the steps below:

1. Book online at our website www.totalrestore.co.uk via the ‘Book Now’ button, or contact us by telephone on 0161 8333 008/ 07497 146161 or email info@totalrestore.co.uk.
2. For new injuries/ conditions (whether you are a new or existing patient), please select FACE TO FACE Initial Physiotherapy Assessment. For a follow up appointment for an injury/ condition that you have previously already attended and been assessed for, please select FACE TO FACE Follow up Physiotherapy
3. Following your booking, you will receive a confirmation email and text. The email will also contain a link to this guide again. Please ensure that you read the information provided in Appendix 1 regarding the measures we have taken, and also the small requests we ask of you which is greatly appreciated to protect the safety of everyone when you attend the clinic.
4. Additionally, you will receive a second email with our new COVID-19 face to face Physiotherapy Consent form, which you must review and complete digitally at your earliest convenience and prior to your appointment.
5. You will receive a telephone call from your Physiotherapist within 48 hours of your booking. This will be to complete a short clinical triage and screening tool to ensure that the decision for a face to face appointment is assessed and agreed between patient and physiotherapist.
6. You will receive payment details digitally which must be paid prior to your appointment. Our fee structure and cancellation policy will be provided to you separately.
7. The directions and address to the clinic are as follows: Suites 539-540 Manchester Royal Exchange Offices, Old Bank Street, St Ann’s Square, Manchester M2 7DD. The entrance to the Royal Exchange Offices is located on Old Bank Street which is a side street off St Ann’s Square. The entrance is adjacent to Annie’s tearoom.
8. On arrival at the clinic please press 539 and the bell symbol and we will allow you entry into the building. Please do not enter the building without being buzzed in by ourselves.

See you there!

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Appendix 1

MEASURES AND PRECAUTIONS TAKEN BY TOTAL RESTORE PHYSIOTHERAPY CLINIC DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

1. Face to face appointments will only be offered to patients where effective treatment cannot reasonably be carried out remotely – patients will receive telephone screening consultation
   
2. Our clinic has undergone a deep clean and we have arrangements in situ for regular deep cleans. The level and frequency of this has been significantly increased.
   
3. All contact points are thoroughly cleaned after every patient e.g. door handles, treatment plinth, chair armrests, clinical equipment, desks. We use industry recommended virucidal disinfectant cleaning products to minimise the risk of contamination.
   
4. All staff and patients will be temperature checked on entering the clinic and advised not to enter if their temperature is greater than 37.8
   
5. All staff will be wearing all necessary PPE (personal protective equipment) including masks, gloves and aprons.  If there is any chance of ‘splash back’ from bodily fluids e.g. during acupuncture or manual therapy, your clinician will wear a visor or eye protection. Our PPE is disposed into clinical waste bags after each patient and collected by a specialist clinical waste service. Clinical waste is kept separate to general waste bins.
   
6. Any additional materials in contact with patients are disposed of after each patient e.g. plinth covers and rolls. Towels and pillows will only be in use if they are thoroughly covered with disposable couch/plinth roll and will not come into contact with the patient’s clothing or skin.
   
7. As always, our staff adhere to strict hand washing prior to and after each patient contact. Additionally, hand sanitiser is readily available for both staff and patients to use.
   
8. As a small clinic, we have ensured that our staff do not room share and therefore have their own designated treatment room for patients.
   
9. Until further notice, our waiting room will not be in use. Patients will be directed immediately into the treatment room on arrival to their appointment. Appointment times are organised to ensure that patients are entering and leaving the clinic at staggered intervals and in isolation.
   
10. Staff are advised not to attend the clinic if they are displaying possible signs of COVID-19 or if they should be self-isolating under current government guidelines.
    
11. We will be operating a significantly reduced service to minimise the number of patients and staff in the clinic per daily session. Additionally, plentiful time is scheduled after each patient appointment for deep surface cleaning using virucidal disinfectant, change of PPE and ventilation.
    
12. We can guarantee you these measures will not affect your standard of care, however, please note that direct contact time may be less than usual to ensure that we are minimising risks where possible.
    
13. We have attempted to reduce time spent with contact tasks by automating certain administrative tasks e.g. digital consent forms, remote communications and contactless digital payments.
    
14. We have increased our communication, introduced telephone triage and screening prior to face to face appointments and updated our consent forms to reflect COVID-19 and NHS Contact Tracing guidance, to minimise risks and optimise safety for patients.
    
15. We have liaised with Manchester Royal Exchange thoroughly due to our clinic being situated in a shared building. A separate risk assessment and social distancing measures have been implemented in the communal areas of the building including hand sanitiser stations, lift usage restrictions, enhanced cleaning regimes emphasising attention to touchpoints, improved visual cueing and signage in the building, strict personal hygiene of all staff.
    

MEASURES WE NEED ALL PATIENTS TO ADHERE TO WHEN ATTENDING TOTAL RESTORE PHYSIOTHERAPY CLINIC FOR FACE TO FACE APPOINTMENTS

1. All patients must wear a face covering when attending Physiotherapy face to face appointments.
   
2. Patients are advised not to attend the clinic if they are displaying possible signs of COVID-19 or if they should be self-isolating under current government guidelines. You will be asked to sign a COVID-19 consent form and undergo a telephone screening/triage to ensure that it is safe and appropriate for you to attend the clinic prior to your appointment.
   
3. On arrival at the clinic, please press 539 at the intercom and wait to be buzzed in for your appointment. Please do not enter the building by tailgating.
   
4. Please ensure to arrive to your appointment on time and no more than 5 minutes early to allow sufficient deep cleaning time between appointments and due to the waiting room not currently being in use. Patients arriving more than 10  minutes late will not be able to be seen, as we are unable to overrun with appointment times and we require sufficient time to maintain our standard of care to you.
   
5. Please use the hand sanitiser available in the communal areas, provided by Manchester Royal Exchange.
   
6. Please do not allow more than 2 people in the elevators at one time.
   
7. On arrival at the clinic, please use the toilet facilities located immediately past the clinic on the right side of the corridor to wash your hands using the hand wash provided.
   
8. You will then be guided into the treatment room by your Physiotherapist and asked to use the hand sanitiser. Your temperature will also be checked using a contactless thermometer. Please do not utilise the waiting room.
   
9. Please bring your own towel for comfort if you so wish. Bring appropriate clothing to change into. For example, for lower back and leg injuries we suggest that you bring a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.
   
10. You will be asked to use the hand sanitiser on completion of your treatment prior to exiting the building.
    
11. Please adhere to the 2 m social distancing rule within the communal areas of the building.
    
12. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
    
13. If you need to cough or sneeze, please cover your nose or mouth with a tissue or into your elbow.
    
14. During an unplanned fire evacuation, your Physiotherapist will chaperone you safely out of the building.
    

Total Restore Physiotherapy is a BUPA approved physio clinic. We also have well established relationships with other private medical insurance companies, like AXA and Aviva, so that prospective patients can be easily referred to us. Equally, if you have private medical insurance set up and want to be treated at Total Restore, then simply email us on info@totalrestore.co.uk or call us on 0161 8333 008 supplying the following:

• Policy/Membership number
  
• Authorisation Code
  
• Number of sessions authorised
  

We are:

• BUPA approved physio – BUPA stands for British international healthcare provisioning and multi-insurance group, with its origins and headquarters in the United Kingdom, but now serving 32 million customers in 190 countries.                                          
• AXA approved physio – AXA is a French multinational insurance firm headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris that engages in global insurance, investment management, and other financial services.
  

• AVIVA approved physio – Aviva is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
  

• VITALITY HEALTH approved physio – VitalityHealth and VitalityLife are owned by their parent company, Discovery Holdings, a global insurance organisation that covers over 5 million people worldwide.

• HEALTH SHIELD approved physio –  started in 1877, steaming ahead with over 340,000 customers and their families benefiting from their health and wellbeing services.

• Work cash plans e.g. medicash.
  

Terms and Conditions

Please note that you will only be funded by your insurance company for treatment costs over and above your excess level. If your insurance company rejects any invoices due to excess being required, then you will be liable to make payment for these appointments directly to us. 

Any further details or questions please email us on info@totalrestore.co.uk or give us a call on 0161 833 3008.

Head here to see our transparent pricing for physio treatment in Manchester.