Contact us
Medway
0300 123 3444
Who we are
Neurological physiotherapy is a type of physiotherapy which specialises in the treatment and management of people aged over 18 who have a neurological condition resulting from damage to their brain, spinal cord, muscles or nerves.
This is a clinic based service and so we cannot treat or visit patients in their own home.
What we do
Conditions we can help with:
- multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- neuropathies like Guillian-Barre syndrome (GBS) or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
- a previous stroke/cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
- a previous head injury
- spinal cord injury or spinal conditions
- Charcot Marie Tooth
- muscular dystrophy
- adult cerebral palsy
- Bell’s palsy (facial palsy)
- Huntington’s Disease
- Motor Neurone Disease
- other neurological conditions.
What does an assessment involve?
Depending upon the symptoms you present with, your assessment will involve the neurological physiotherapist looking at any of the following:
- cognition and perception
- vision
- muscle tightness
- joint stiffness
- muscle strength
- altered sensation including pain
- proprioception (joint position and movement)
- co-ordination
- posture and balance
- walking and other functional movements.
You will benefit from wearing loose comfortable clothes or bringing shorts or a vest top if you know the physiotherapist may need to look at the affected area, for example, your knee or shoulder joint.
Your assessment may take up to one hour. This is usually made up by some time asking questions about your diagnosis, symptoms you have, taking a short medical history (so please bring a list of your current medication) and discussing what your expectations of physiotherapy are, before looking at the areas identified above.
What will treatment include?
Depending on your individual needs, treatment may include:
- advice, education and promotion of self-management
- hands-on neurological physiotherapy treatment, for example, soft tissue release/joint mobilisations and facilitation of normal movement patterns
- strengthening programme
- coordination exercises
- postural awareness and retraining
- balance work
- spasticity management
- sensory retraining
- pain management
- functional task retraining including walking
- teaching your carers techniques for moving or positioning
- group exercise therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s patients.
How does neurological physiotherapy work?
Physiotherapy works differently for each individual and lots of things can affect how well it works, such as:
- where your nervous system is damaged
- how much your nervous system is damaged
- what other medical problems you have
- what medication you are on
- your fitness and activity levels before your neurological problem
- family and carer support
- your understanding and motivation.
How to access the service
You can be referred to the service by your GP, consultant, specialist nurse or other health care professional.
Useful links
- Stroke Association
0845 3033 100 - Multiple Sclerosis Society
0808 800 8000 - Headway – The Brain Injury Association
0808 800 2244 - Muscular Dystrophy UK
0800 652 6352 - Parkinson’s UK
0800 800 0303 - Motor Neurone Disease Association
08457 626262 - Guillan-Barre Syndrome
0800 374 8030