Physiotherapy and Acupuncture Clinic, Petersfield

25/01/2023

A very kind testimonial from a recent patient:

Over the last few years I have been receiving treatment from Louise for discomfort caused by arthritic knees, with a view to getting the leg muscles into a better condition prior to a knee replacement operation.
Louise introduced me to exercises which I have persevered with and they have been really helpful in reducing knee pain, to the extent that I now feel a lot more mobile- and I experience less pain. And I have not had the knee replaced.

I am very grateful to Louise for her encouragement and for the time she has spent with me, she has always been optimistic and insisted that in time my knee pain could and would get better- and I am happy to confirm that this is what has happened.
I would most sincerely recommend Louise to anyone seeking a patient, encouraging and effective physiotherapist- thank you Louise!

27/06/2021

I’ve just finished the second weekend of Peter O’Sullivans course on Cognitive Functional Therapy for persistent low back pain. It’s been a fantastic learning experience and I am very lucky to have been able to attend such a great course by a brilliant man who has done such a lot of research into pain and has helped a huge amount of people in pain. Here is some information about low back pain from a podcast by Peter O’Sullivan and his team:

https://bodylogic.physio/podcast/episode-4-ten-scientific-facts-about-low-back-pain/

On episode 4 empowered beyond pain, we discuss ten scientific facts about lower back pain. Join in as we discuss this very important topic.

12/06/2021

I’m really enjoying attending the brilliant Peter O’Sullivan’s course on Cognitive Functional Therapy this weekend (and in two weeks too)! And doing it over zoom is working extremely well - he is in Australia and usually comes once a year to do the course in London but this was rescheduled from last year. There is lots of information on his work out there, here are a couple of examples if interested:

http://www.pain-ed.com/public/patient-stories-2/

https://youtu.be/5bCzajs5VZk

Development of a new approach to managing back pain, called Cognitive Functional Therapy, has helped Professor Peter O’Sullivan achieve success that’s now al...

21/02/2021

Since reading Matthew Walkers book ‘Why We Sleep’ in 2018 I have been much more aware of the massive importance of sleep in pretty much all areas of our life including recovery from injury and pain, and I’d really recommend listening to this podcast if you haven’t (or have) read the book...

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/70-why-sleep-is-most-important-pillar-health-professor/id1333552422?i=1000444124353

‎Show Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Ep #70 Why Sleep is the Most Important Pillar of Health with Professor Matthew Walker - 10 Jul 2019

27/01/2021

Feeling glad and grateful to have received the first Covid vaccine on Sunday.

23/12/2020

Merry Christmas to you all 🎄😷🎉!
I (we) hope you manage to enjoy your different Christmas’s this year and look forward to a better 2021🎊🎈!
Physiotherapy clinics are still allowed to open in Tier 4 - as mentioned in previous posts we are wearing full PPE (mask, apron, visor and gloves), all patients need to wear a mask and sanitise their hands on arriving and leaving, full cleaning and airing is done between every patient and 2 metre distance is maintained when possible, along with the first part of the assessment being done by telephone to reduce the face to face contact time.

01/11/2020

November 1st Update - As it stands currently Physiotherapy clinics are allowed to remain open during lockdown with all the correct procedures in place as detailed in the last post below on 23rd June. These include:
- initial remote triage where a virtual appointment can be requested if preferred
- all patients to hand sanitise on arrival and before departure from face to face appointments
- wearing of appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment), which means I as the physiotherapist will continue to wear a mask, apron, gloves and visor, and all patients attending must wear a mask;
- cleaning and airing of the clinic between every patient;
- two metre distancing when possible.
- a telephone appointment for all new patients before they attend the clinic which includes taking past and current medical history, Coronavirus screening, coronavirus risk assessment and a current symptom assessment (this cuts down the face to face time of the initial appointment to help reduce the risk).
If you have any questions please contact the clinic via phone call or text on 07789882074, or email louisehammond@physiotherapypetersfield.co.uk

23/06/2020

June 23rd - COVID - 19 Update

I am very happy to be able to say I am back open for face to face appointments under certain circumstances, or alternatively virtual or video appointments are also offered.

As physiotherapists we are regulated and need to follow the current guidelines for dealing with the pandemic in order to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus. These require that we triage remotely, including screening, discussion of patient preference, and consider a virtual approach. If the patients needs are able to be met by a virtual, video or telephone consultation, this is recommended as is risk free, and is available at a reduced price. If they are not able to be met by virtual means, then we need to risk assess each individual patient before offering a face to face appointment. This involves discussion of which risk category you are in (ie who is at higher risk from coronavirus), ie high risk, moderate risk or other. We will also screen for COVID-19 symptoms at the time and on arrival for the appointment.

On arrival for each appointment and on leaving, hands must be sanitised (alcohol gel is available or hand washing if preferred). During a face to face appointment I will wear PPE along with Public Health England Guidelines - disposable gloves, apron and a mask; and please can any patients attending wear a mask to each appointment. Where possible a 2 metre distance will be kept between patient and physiotherapist (ie during questions and discussions) because research shows that this reduces the risk of transmission. It is important to be aware that the close contact required for face to face treatment is not risk free, hence the infection prevention and control measures that must be taken. Between each patient extra time is given to allow for cleaning and airing of the room.

24/03/2020

A bit of light relief...here is the newest member of staff (and the only one!) finally out of his / her box after 3 months hibernation. Anyone who knows me knows how bad I am at making decisions, so would anyone please like to help me choose a name? I thought I could put my favourite 3 in a box and pick one at random 😀! I tried a couple of looks in case it helps...

So here he / she is...any ideas?

24/03/2020

As some of you already know, in light of the terrifying news at the moment I have decided to suspend my clinics and will review the situation in a couple of weeks. The most important thing is for us to all do our best to stop the spread of this virus. I am sorry and sad to do this but would like to let you know that I intend to run video consultations from home for anyone who would like this service, at a reduced cost of £27.00 for an initial consultation - 1 hour; and £22.00 for follow-up sessions.

Whilst there will be no manual therapy or acupuncture possible, I will be able to give advice and education on pain management, teach exercises and progress them, discuss strategies to improve self management and try to help as best as I can remotely. I will be contacting anyone who currently has an appointment booked in on the day of the appointment to discuss what they would like to do.

With my very best wishes,

Louise

Louise Hammond
Chartered Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist

23/05/2019

I have heard from a few sources recently that researchers have not proven that ‘good’ posture causes back pain, so this is an interesting article...

Physiotherapists at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton-on-Tees concluded that some slouching can ‘provide a valuable alternative to upright sitting’ in patients with lower-back pain.

24/03/2019

I’m feeling inspired after attending another great Women’s Health Acupuncture course yesterday with the hugely knowledgable Justine Munur!

08/03/2019

I have been meaning to talk about attending this course since I went on it in January - it was such an interesting, informative course and I found it very useful. Greg Lehman came over from Canada to host the course, he is incredibly knowledgeable on both biomechanics and pain science. This course particularly addressed when biomechanics and posture matter when dealing with painful conditions, incorporating a great deal of recent research into these areas. He has also written a book which he published on his website and is available to download for free - Recovery Strategies Pain Guidebook, which I will try to include the link to:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57260f1fd51cd4d1168668ab/t/590dca266b8f5b01a7f97ceb/1494075961206/recovery+strategies+pain+guidebook+2017.pdf

13/02/2019

Sorry for overload today but this ties in with the earlier post about back pain. We now know that degenerative changes are normal in our joints - on a recent course Greg Lehman likened it to wrinkles on the inside - wrinkles don’t hurt, they are just normal signs of aging.

A message to take forward into the New Year? Thank you for the great visual

13/02/2019

This is really important - particularly when recovering from a painful episode! And not just relating to running...

💥 Pain during Rehab 💥

Compliance may drop if a pain experience convinces your patient they are 'doing it wrong' 😞

Let them know the "accepted & expected pain response to exercise" 💡

Great image by Tom Goom, follow him here ➡ RunningPhysio

13/02/2019

An interesting read - in the last few years evidence has shown that degenerative changes such as disc bulges are seen on scans of people with no pain. We know that back pain is a normal part of life and that taking steps such as living a healthier lifestyle, ensuring you get enough sleep, trying to reduce stress and to exercise can all make a big difference to pain (of almost any type).

Back pain treatment costs more than cancer and diabetes treatment combined - across the world it places a huge burden on people and societies. However, most of these costs are usually r

06/02/2019

This article is well worth reading and the message is very similar to that given on a brilliant course that I went on last month with Greg Lehman which I will put some information on here about shortly:
https://www.bettermovement.org/blog/2014/does-bad-posture-cause-back-pain

The idea that posture causes pain has intuitive appeal, and is advocated by numerous experts. But is it supported by evidence? And should you spend time trying to analyze your own posture and correct deviations from what is considered optimal?

23/01/2019

This is an interesting study on carpal tunnel syndrome and acupuncture’s effect on the brain:

Acupuncture is an ancient medical practice, but new research shows it has the ability to remap our brains and reduce the symptoms of chronic pain.