Physio recruiting as appointments treble
A Solihull physiotherapy clinic is reporting a three-fold increase in appointments over the past year as people in pain seek hands-on treatment.
Urban Body is growing its team to cater for the increased demand for its services, which focus mainly on helping patients recover from back, shoulder and knee pain.
A new massage therapist is joining later this month and physios are being urged to apply so that more appointments can be offered as soon as possible.
The surge in bookings comes after the latest NHS figures indicate that nearly five million people in England are awaiting routine operations and procedures - with experts predicting it could take up to three years to clear the backlog caused by surgery cancellations during the pandemic.
Urban Body 's specialist therapist, Dylan Quinn, said: “We 're seeing increasing numbers of patients who haven 't been able to access hands on treatment on the NHS because of the understandable need for social distancing, particularly during the lockdowns.
“This has resulted in relatively minor problems getting worse and unfortunately we are seeing the ramifications of this on a daily basis.
“We 're keen to hear from fully qualified physios to help our patients fully recover, enabling them to return to an active lifestyle and achieve their physical goals. Our ethos is to diagnose and solve the root of the problem, because painkillers provide a window of opportunity to improve mobility rather than a long term solution. ”
Stephen Bates, from Sheldon, added: “I was in a bad way with back and heel pain and the doctors were prescribing strong painkillers.
“I didn 't actually need pain relief once my physio had diagnosed the issue, sorted me out with some bespoke orthotic insoles and given me some specific exercises. Dylan 's input has made a great deal of a difference to my life, I 'm back in the gym now and the service was impressive. ”
Urban Body 's physiotherapy and rehabilitation clinic is at the West Warwickshire Sports Club in Olton, and the team has more than doubled since the beginning of the pandemic.
All staff have received coronavirus vaccines and face-to-face appointments are being offered, with masks being worn at all times.
Urban Body offers free assessments to new patients. For more information click here.