Physiotherapy (Coventry Musculoskeletal Service)

  • A clinical assessment and treatment service for adults with muscoloskeletal conditions, designed to support return to normal function and avoid unecessary hospital admissions.

  • Address: City of Coventry Health Centre, CV1 4FS

About this Service

Telephone number: 0300 200 0011
Referral Criteria:  Registered with Coventry GP via Central Booking Service

 
The team comprises of over 20 Physiotherapists with a wide ranging skill mix from Extended Scope Practitioners to Physiotherapy Assistants and Technical Instructors. This allows us to provide a high quality and broad ranging service. We regularly hold In-Service Training sessions to provide updates in recent Physiotherapy developments and review existing practice. 
 
All Physiotherapists working in the department are registered with the Health Professions Council and many belong to various interest groups such as The Acupuncture Association.

Physiotherapists are specialists in human movement and injury who work in partnership with patients, either on an individual basis or in groups, to restore function, maintain and promote independence and improve quality of life. We do this through a variety of means.

Treatments can consist of 'hands-on' treatment, exercise and complimentary techniques to promote healing, and we always strive to prevent problems recurring by giving advice and encouraging appropriate exercise and self-care
 
No treatments are used without obtaining patient consent.
 

Service Areas

 
Coventry Musculoskeletal Service is proud to provide two main service areas at the City of Coventry Health Centre site.
 
The first is Adult Physiotherapy which treats a range of problems stemming from muscles, nerves, bones and joints. This service consists of different teams of specialist Physiotherapists that have been brought together to provide a one stop service. We also offer gym and advice classes as an adjunct to our face to face appointments.
 
Our second service area is Women’s Health. This team works closely with the continence nurses to provide assessment and treatment of problems related to the bladder, bowel and pelvic floor. 
 


My Coventry Musculoskeletal Service Appointment

 
Your first appointment will be an assessment to identify how best we can help with your symptoms.  The length of this initial appointment will depend on the type of appointment you require, but can take up to 45 minutes for a full assessment. 
You will most likely be asked to undress the affected area of your body during your appointments so please make sure you are comfortable to do so and are wearing suitable clothing. You may want to bring a vest and shorts. Our therapists are a mix of male and female, so if you have a preference please let us know prior to attending for your appointment. Please understand however, that we might not be able to offer the same range of appointment times.
 
At the initial appointment you will be asked a detailed history of your current symptoms, your past medical history and whether you have had any tests such as an X-rays or MRI scans. If you want, you can bring the results of these and any other letters that your doctor may have sent you. If you are taking any medicines, please bring a list including details of dosage. We will also explore your personal thoughts and expectations on the problem and its treatment, to better tailor your treatment to your personal needs.
 
Following the initial assessment, your Physiotherapist will discuss and agree a treatment plan with you. This may include advice regarding the approximate number of treatments you need. There is no pre-determined number of treatments for a specific condition.
 
If it is felt that a course of Physiotherapy would help you, a follow up appointment will be arranged. Follow up appointments can last up to 25 minutes and here you will receive treatment as agreed with your Physiotherapist.

 

Treatments available

  • Exercise therapy
  • Manual therapy
  • Acupuncture
  • Injection therapy

 

Access Information

Exclusion Policy for Coventry Musculoskeletal Service

  • Unfortunately we do not accept consultant referrals for this service, unless that patient has had surgery out of area and has been registered at a Coventry GP
  • We are not able to accept referrals from GP’s outside of the Coventry area unless referred by Occupational Health for CWPT staff.
  • We do not assess or treat patients less than 16 years of age. These patients should be referred to Paediatric Physiotherapy.
  • We cannot accept referrals for patients currently under active assessment and treatment with a consultant for the same problem.
  • We cannot accept referrals for problems relating to surgery  performed within 12 months (this should be provided if needed by your consultant)
 

Missed appointments: Unable to attend (UTA)

Our current UTA policy is that you are allowed in exceptional circumstances, to re-arrange 1 new patient appointment and/or 1 follow up appointment.

Changes to appointments should be made at least one day in advance, unless due to unforeseen circumstances, in which case you should contact us as early as possible on the day of the appointment. If you do not rebook at the time of cancelling your appointment, you must call back within 5 working days to do so or you will automatically be discharged.
 
Unfortunately any attempts to re-arrange more than this will mean that you are automatically referred back to your GP.
 


Missed appointments: Did not attend (DNA)

Our current DNA policy is that if you do not attend an appointment you will be discharged back to your referring GP.  This is a strict policy. Please try to avoid missing appointments.

If you have been referred by your GP for the same problem after being discharged on two previous occasions for failing to attend your appointments, your third referral will not be accepted by the Physiotherapy department within 12 months of your latest discharge.

Support Organisations

Regulatory Organisations for Physiotherapy Health Professions Council
www.hpc-uk.org

Research Advice and Equipment Patient UK 
www.patient.co.uk

Coventry Mind
www.cwmind.org.uk

The Bladder & Bowel Foundation
www.bladderandbowelfoundation.org

Core Wellness
www.corewellness.com

Promocon
www.promocon.co.uk 

Physio Med 
www.physio-med.com

Verity Medical
www.veritymedical.co.uk

Shoulder Doc
www.shoulderdoc.co.uk

Arthritis Research uk 
www.arthritisresarchuk.org

Coventry Sports Centre (Fairfax street) and Moat House Leisure and Neighbourhood Centre 
www.coventrysports.co.uk

The Allan Higgs Centre, Xcel Leisure Centre, Centre AT7
www.covsf.com

 

Treatments

Exercise Therapy

Strengthening is used to help the healing process. It also helps to improve muscle performance and tendon strength by ensuring that soft tissues are strong enough to cope with everyday demands placed on them. It also conditions the body, protecting and enhancing the stability of a joint or joints. This can reduce the chance of an injury coming back.

At the Coventry Musculoskeletal Service we may offer exercise based treatment in our gym via one to one sessions or classes. One to one exercise sessions will be provided with a qualified technical instructor who will assist in your rehabilitation using an exercise based programme. Alternatively we offer a variety of classes including those for the lower back or knees if appropriate.

Your core muscles (the muscles that control the mid to lower part of your spine, pelvis and hips) assist in keeping your body in an ideal position during movement, allowing your limbs move efficiently. Research has shown the benefits of improving core stability for lower back and limb injuries to restore function for everyday activities. For this reason, exercises to strengthen core muscles are often included in rehabilitation.

Stretching involves taking the body’s muscles, tendons and ligaments to the end of their range of movement and holding for a short length of time. This helps the healing process and improves flexibility which means the body is able to adapt to a greater range of physical challenges experienced during work, sport and everyday life. This helps to reduce the risk of injury.

 

Manual Therapy

Mobilisation

Mobilisation is a technique in which a Physiotherapist passively moves your joint repeatedly with manual pressure.

Mobilisation aims to:

·         Improve the range of motion of the joint

·         Reduce  pain

 

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a form of therapy in which fine needles are inserted into specific points in the body to produce a therapeutic effect.  Evidence has shown it to be useful in treating pain caused by a variety of conditions and is now a widely accepted treatment within the NHS. 

There is increasing research evidence to support the pain relieving effects of acupuncture.  Although it does not work for everybody or every condition, good results are often achieved. Acupuncture is thought to increase the amount of your body’s own naturally occurring pain relieving chemicals. These same chemicals are released when performing aerobic exercise. This pain relief allows your body to start moving more freely, stimulating the healing process.

Acupuncture is not often described as a painful treatment.  A brief sharp sensation is usually felt as the needle penetrates the skin.  This is sometimes followed by a mild, heavy, dull ache.  This is called ‘De Qi’ (pronounced ‘day-chi’).  The sensation is unique to each individual. This sensation usually fades and your practitioner may give the needles some additional stimulation to restart the De Qi sensation.

The number of needles inserted ranges from one to a maximum of 10. These can be left in place for a few seconds or up to 30 minutes.

The needles be placed:

• In and around the painful area.                                            

• Away from the painful area                            

• On the opposite side of the body.                                                                    

This is because there is evidence that needling away from the painful area can be effective.                                                                                            

For further information please download our Acupuncutre Leaflet or visit the AACP website
 

Injection therapy

For some injuries, particularly chronic or overuse injuries, our specialist physiotherapists may give cortisone injections to reduce pain and inflammation if symptoms are preventing rehabilitation. Injections can help to speed up healing and recovery time. They are particularly useful for inflamed tendons, joints and surrounding tissue and are almost always followed up with a rehabilitation programme.

In certain cases it may be more useful to guide the injection using ultrasound guidance, particularly if a previous injection has not worked or the target is very small. In these cases the therapist with discuss this with you prior to the injection.

 

Other techniques

Soft tissue techniques like massage can help improve healing by increasing circulation in the local area and restore flexibility but are not generally helpful in ongoing/long term problems.   

Tapping involves applying athletic tape in various positions over joints and muscles to

·         reduce pain

·         aid or reduce certain muscles so they can function normally

·         aid posture

·         help rehabilitation

·         allow early return to activity 

Therapeutic musculoskeletal ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce mechanical energy similar to vibration. This can create heat and chemical changes in soft tissues which are thought to promote healing but are not generally helpful in ongoing/long term problems.