Toolkit - Physiotherapy

My decision to invest in physiotherapy last year came about quite out of the blue. For a few years I had been following Hollie Grant (aka The Pilates PT ) online, and always admired her practical, non-aesthetic approach to pilates and fitness that really focuses on women’s capabilities, strength and functionality above the incredibly aesthetic-driven so-called #fitspo clutter on Instagram. Hollie launched a podcast called The Strong Woman last year and interviewed Vanessa Ford about her physiotherapy work, which is where I first heard of Ford Chancellor Wellness and The Back Plan. I decided to get in touch and at least make use of their free consultation and take it from there.  

My consultation with fellow co-founder Jenny Chancellor left me utterly convinced that I had found a programme that would really work for me, on all fronts – The Back Plan focuses on chronic back pain, increasing strength, mobility and function as well as management techniques and all from the comfort of my own home, using online consultations. Jenny was so thorough in taking me through a diagnostic session so that she could understand my medical background and the issues I wanted to work on that I was confident that I really didn’t need to be in the same room with her. She developed a programme for me that combined functional physiotherapy and pilates-based movements to begin building some core and leg strength.

Unlike conventional NHS physiotherapy that isolates one body part and focuses solely on treating that, she took into account the fact that, for example, one movement designed to support my leg, might put strain on my lower back and modified movements where possible. Ultimately I ended up with a plan that treated my body as a whole, which is sadly where I think NHS physiotherapy falls abysmally short of the mark. Particularly in patients with long-term conditions that may have had a ripple effect on bodies, affecting more than just the primary location of pain or injury, this is absolutely vital for recovery. She identified that pain in my right calf which I have consistently raised with a variety of physiotherapists and GPs for nearly a decade, was long-standing neural tension and a simple nerve glide exercise has helped ease this and keep it manageable. We also identified pain in my hip that began after my last operation in 2015 as bursitis – an inflammation in the bony prominence along the side of the hip, which is an attachment point for the tendons of muscles from the spine, hip and leg – all problem areas for me! Simple knowledge of how my body is responding to particular movements, positions etc and why is so empowering and I really wish it was knowledge I had gained sooner.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Over the last year I have seen amazing improvements on so many fronts, it almost feels miraculous! I’ve put a lot of hard work into making it this far and even though there have still been times when it has felt like one step forward, two steps back because of flare-ups, I still always felt like I was making progress in some way – even if it was just being able to more competently manage my flare-up with ‘active relaxations’ - my new favourite thing I think! 

In May last year we took a six-month break for me to continue working on my own, with a target set that by the time of our next consultation in November I would have completed one full aqua aerobics class. Now I’ll hold my hands up and say I still haven’t managed that: in July I had a major flare-up, which stalled my progress somewhat and I struggled to get into the pool to do water-based exercises as a stepping stone towards the aqua aerobics goal. Having said that, I still continued to see improvements in my walking, stamina and general pain levels, which I was more than happy with – as was Jenny when we spoke again in November. At this point she advised I look into joining a rehabilitation pilates class, to continue building on the strong foundation we have built together, and gave me permission to return to the gym. I had reached the point where I was so desperate to exercise I was actually craving it, fantasising about being in a gym – honestly! – so I have been thrilled to start re-introducing that too. 

If you have the means and are able to find a physiotherapist who truly understands the nature of your condition, its impact on your whole body, and can develop a programme that will support progress at the pace you need, I absolutely cannot recommend it enough. I have achieved and learned more in this last year than at possibly any other stage in my life with physiotherapy (other than the evergreen knowledge of knowing how to weight-bear as if trying not to crush a grape underfoot, as taught to me when I was about ten) and the results have been beyond worth it. 

*** This is not a sponsored post - I just wanted to share my experience of working with Jenny and the difference it has made to my quality of life ***