Physiotherapy in Littlehampton

There are many reasons why patients come and visit the clinic. Some will originally visit us needing help with issues such as post-operative recovery, injury rehabilitation, frozen shoulder, hip pain or stiffness, knee pain, ankle pain, or arthritis, but once they are well again, many will keep coming back as the Physiotherapy care they receive makes them feel great and keeps them functioning at their best!

At the Littlehampton Natural Health Centre, we have many families visiting the clinic for regular treatments – this includes children, Mum, Dad, Grandma, and Grandad, everyone is welcome! 

We are passionate about sports! Not only do we see patients with sports injuries, but also lots of patients who understand how Physiotherapy can improve performance in their chosen sport. Many top athletes have Physiotherapists as part of their teams to help them to maintain their optimum function, injury recovery & improve performance. 

Physiotherapy is a mainstream healthcare profession that helps people from all walks of life.

We are a diverse team at Littlehampton Natural Health Centre, offering a fresh approach to health and well-being. We understand that one approach isn’t always what's needed and often a multi-disciplinary treatment plan can be more effective at achieving your long-term health aspirations.

Physiotherapist in Littlehampton (maternety leave currently)

Physiotherapist in Littlehampton
Sally graduated from Southampton University with a 1st class honors degree in Physiotherapy in 2009. Since then she has specialised in Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy with a particular interest in sports injuries and rehabilitation.

She previously spent 4 years as a physio for Worthing Rugby Club before moving to London to work as a senior MSK Physiotherapist in a substantial NHS department. Here she was involved in the running of the department which included many roles such as writing treatment protocols, providing teaching sessions for staff, and running education forums for local GPs. Sally has a wealth of experience in manual therapy, mobilisations, acupuncture, taping, exercise rehabilitation, and more, treating people of all ages from 10 to 90+ years old. 

Sally’s greatest aim is to teach patients how to look after their own bodies, helping them to function at their optimal level at all times. She believes in using a multifaceted approach, giving everyone an individualised treatment program that is unique to their needs and goals. 

Physiotherapist in Littlehampton

Ash's physiotherapy journey began with a Bachelor's degree from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in Bangalore, India. Following graduation, he worked for a year at a private clinic in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

In December 2023, Ash completed his Master of Science in Sports Medicine from the University of Central Lancashire. His particular interest lies in treating musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and sports injuries.

Ash is experienced in manual therapy, joint mobilization, taping, and exercise prescription to manage a diverse range of cases. He prioritises identifying the root cause of each patient's condition and develops personalised treatment plans that empower patients to address their issues and manage their own health.

If you are ready to start your journey back to health, you can book your First Physiotherapy Appointment in multiple ways. You can either call our friendly reception team on 01903 734373, or you can click the link below to go to our Online Booking page. The ability to book online isn't just available for new patients, this can also be used to book future Physiotherapy appointments, allowing you the flexibility to book appointments at your leisure and from anywhere. 

After booking your appointment, you will be sent 2 emails; the first will simply confirming your appointment is booked. The second will include a link where you can complete your New Patient Intake questionnaire, completing this prior to your appointment will allow your Physiotherapist to review the information before sitting down to consult with you. 

Book First Appointment    Call To Book - 01903734373

If it is your first time visiting the clinic, or if you haven’t seen us for a few years, we like to spend some time going through your current and previous health and lifestyle, catching up, and ensuring we have a full view of your history. Below are some of the details you will need to complete on your Online Intake Form, or will need to bring along to your New Patient Appointment.

• List of current medications and dosage
• Details of diagnosed conditions (including dates)
• Details of operations and other medical procedures (including dates)

If you are able to complete the Online Intake Form prior to the appointment, this will give your Physiotherapist enough time to review these details prior to your appointment. If not, your Physiotherapist will run through these with you at your appointment and have the opportunity to review them in-depth prior to your next appointment, more information about these initial appointments is discussed below.

Your Physiotherapy journey starts here... when you book your first appointment we will email you an online health questionnaire, helping your Physiotherapist to build a complete picture of who you are and why you are coming to see us. When you visit the clinic we will ask you to complete one more form, giving your Physiotherapist as much information about your symptoms and reason for visiting the clinic. 

Your Physiotherapist will then consult with you about your symptoms, how they started, and what makes them better or worse, discuss any previous treatment you have tried and ask some specific questions to help them determine their next course of action. Once your Physiotherapist is happy they have all of the information about you and your symptoms, they will then proceed with the physical examination. 

The physical examination will often start with an assessment of your range of motion, assessing which movements cause pain or are restricted, testing muscle strength, analysing your muscle tension and tone, and assessing your joint condition; helping your Physiotherapist to determine what is causing your loss of function and symptoms. Physiotherapists are experts in locating the cause of your symptoms and loss of function, using their trained hands to palpate your joints and muscles, and applying a combination of gentle and firm pressure where needed. They will also check for any areas of inflammation or swelling and if needed will perform more advanced physiological and neurological testing.

Following your examination, it may be necessary to refer you for further diagnostic testing to ensure it is both safe and appropriate to continue with care, however, this is on rare occasions when your Physiotherapist suspects there may be something else causing your issues. These further tests, if needed, will then help to form your Physiotherapists rationale for care and ensure you are getting the most appropriate care based on your condition. 

Once your Physiotherapist is happy they have all the necessary information to assess your case, they will discuss their initial findings, and if you are both happy they will proceed with your first treatment. This treatment is viewed as part of the examination, as once the Physiotherapist has located the soft tissue and joints which are causing your symptoms, they will then want to feel how your body, function, and symptoms respond to their initial treatment.

After your first treatment, your Physiotherapist will recommend a treatment plan aimed at rehabilitation, restoring your function, and addressing your symptoms.

Following your examination and first treatment, your Physiotherapist will then recommend the most appropriate treatment plan aimed at rehabilitation, restoring your function, and addressing your symptoms. These treatment plans are different for each patient and typically follow this rough structure;

Phase 1; the first phase of care is typically focused on restoring motion to areas of the body that your Physiotherapist has determined are most dysfunctional, restricted, or have the tightest muscles. This will often include specific at-home stretches and exercises to encourage and maintain optimal joint motion and start to rebuild strength between each of your Physiotherapy treatments. This first phase of care is typically the most intensive phase of care, lasting from 2 to 4 weeks and with treatments 1 to 2 times per week. The exact frequency and length of the first phase are determined on a case-by-case basis and personalised to your recovery plan.

Phase 2; following successful completion of the initial phase of care, you will then move into the second phase, which is focused on further increasing strength and stability to the areas most needed, most importantly the areas which have needed the most amount of work during the first phase, or the areas which are the weakest and most dysfunctional. These will complement the stretches and exercises given in the first phase, helping to increase muscular tone, strength, and stability. This second phase of care is typically at a lesser frequency of treatment, lasting from 2 to 8 weeks and with treatments every 1 to 2 weeks apart. The exact frequency and length of the second phase are determined by how you have responded to the first phase of care and personalised to your recovery plan.

Phase 3; by the end of the second phase of care, we would expect the majority of patients to be well on the path to recovery, experienciung increased flexibility, improved ability, feeling stronger and more stable, and overall experiencing higher levels of well-being. The third phase of care is different for each individual, we typically have two directions from this point; some patients will be discharged at this stage, with either your Physiotherapist or yourself feeling like they have achieved everything you wanted. For those not continuing treatment, we still suggest a continuation of regular stretching and strengthening exercises to maintain your progress. In some cases, a maintenance schedule of care can be recommended, aimed at maintaining your motion and function over a longer period of time. This can be important in cases where we have found evidence of joint degeneration or chronic injury, as these areas can be prone to stiffening and becoming dysfunctional far quicker, and can be harder to self-manage through only stretches and exercises. At the end of your second phase of care, your Physiotherapist will consult with you on all options, allowing you to make an informed decision on the best path forwards for yourself.

Physiotherapy treatment can involve many different forms of care. For the most part treatment centers around joint mobilisation, soft tissue release, stretch and exercise prescription, taping, ultrasound therapy, and joint manipulation aimed at restoring optimal function by increasing soft tissue flexibility, increasing motion, and decompressing your joints; allowing your body to heal and restore overall function. 

Patients visit Physiotherapists for many different reasons and with varied symptoms. Common reasons people visit Physiotherapists include (but are not limited to) feeling restricted in movement, pain or discomfort, injury, fall, post-operative rehabilitation, tight muscles, feeling imbalanced, and frozen shoulder, among many others. 

Physiotherapy isn’t only useful for acute or chronic conditions, Physiotherapists can also help prevent problems by pinpointing potential sources of pain before they develop further. Prevention is always better than the cure, so maintaining your body's movement is key to a healthy and mobile body in the long term.

Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is a wide-scope practice that includes joint mobilisation and manipulation, to help treat soft tissues and joint structures, increase range of motion, reduce pain, reduce soft tissue inflammation, relax the joint structures, encourage soft tissue repair and improve overall function.

Soft Tissue Therapy
Soft tissue therapy includes various massage and stretching techniques designed to release muscle tension, ease joint restriction, encourage normal joint motion, encourage better muscle activation, improve blood flow, help lymph drainage and allow the body to return to normal function.

Taping
Taping is a technique whereby a specialist tape is applied directly to the skin, helping to encourage and maintain a stable position of bones and muscles during joint and soft tissue recovery.

Acupuncture
Acupuncture can be a great help for releasing overly tight and sensitive muscles, especially when they are too tender for the pressure of the massage. Most will barely feel the needles but notice the difference almost immediately. Acupuncture is typically used alongside other soft tissue and manual therapies.

Exercise Rehabilitation
Sally has a wealth of varying rehabilitative stretches and exercises designed to help support your body back to normal function. She will offer you a personalised plan for your unique situation, giving you variations and increasing intensity as required throughout your recovery journey.   

Ultrasound Treatment 
Ultrasound treatment helps promote tissue healing and reduces inflammation at a cellular level. An ultrasound machine creates vibrational waves which when they enter the skin cause micro-vibrations in the cells, improving local blood flow, reducing inflammation, improving tissue healing, and reducing pain.

If you are unsure whether Physiotherapy is the right option for you, we would like to invite you to attend a FREE Assessment. This is an opportunity for you to come and consult with our Physiotherapist at NO charge. What does the FREE Assessment entail and how could it help you?

• Intake Form - prior to the appointment we are going to ask you to complete a new patient intake form, this will provide your Physiotherapist with your health and lifestyle background, allowing them to build a complete picture of your health. 
• Primary Complaint Form - this will be completed at the clinic before your appointment, this form focuses on your symptoms and reason for visiting the clinic. It will ask questions about where your symptoms are, what they feel like, when and how they started, and other relevant questions. 
• Consultation - this is where your Physiotherapist will discuss your symptoms, and ask leading questions which will help them to gain all relevant and required information to determine the best and most appropriate course of action. 
• Examination - after your Physiotherapist has all of the information they require, they will then perform a brief examination to assess your range of motion, muscle tension, and function and try to determine which areas are causing your symptoms. 
• Explanation of Findings - after your Physiotherapist has consulted with you and examined your body, they will then explain their initial findings and what they recommend next.

What is Physiotherapy? 

Ultrasound Therapy treatment helps promote tissue healing and reduces inflammation at a cellular level. An ultrasound machine creates vibrational waves which when they enter the skin cause micro-vibrations in the cells, improving local blood flow, reducing inflammation, improving tissue healing, and reducing pain.

For most patients manual care is just one part of the care plan, we also provide education, exercises, and stretches to empower you to help yourself!

If you’re unsure whether Physiotherapy is the right option for you please come in for a FREE Assessment. To book this FREE Assessment, please either call us at 01903 734373, or you can Book Online by either clicking the link below or following the steps on this page.

Book Your FREE Assessment Call To Book - 01903 734373

Look forward to seeing you soon!

- Littlehampton Natural Health Centre