British Physiotherapists become the first in the world to gain medicine prescribing rights.

In the same way that nurses and pharmacist can, British physiotherapists are to soon have the rights to prescribe medicine to patients. Currently, physiotherapists can prescribe medication with the written permission of doctors. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy believe this change will improve patient care.

It is believed that being able to prescribe medicine for pain relief, neurological conditions such as a stroke and respiratory diseases such as asthma, would help improve the effectiveness of treatment.

This change will also relieve doctors from the burden of writing prescriptions from the recommendations of physiotherapists, who will now have full responsibility and accountability with their prescribing decisions. Physiotherapists have had the rights to be ‘supplementary subscribers’ since 2001, are well placed to take on the additional responsibility and training required to be independent prescriber's.

Not all physiotherapists would gain the right automatically, a training course would have to be completed and the individual physiotherapist would have to be approved. This move is aimed at the experienced and specialist practitioners mainly, there are 35,000 registered physiotherapists in the UK currently.

A full government review took place before it was decided to be a good idea, Health minister Lord Howe said: 'Physiotherapists are highly trained clinicians who play a vital role in ensuring patients receive integrated care that helps them recover after treatment or manage a long-term condition successfully.

'By introducing these changes, we aim to make the best use of their skills and allow patients to benefit from a faster and more effective service.'

The new legislation is expected to come into effect in April next year.

We believe this is due recognition of the highly skilled assessment and treatment that physiotherapists provide, which is the result of years of training and study. It is also testament to the trust placed in us by our patients and the respect the profession has garnered from the wider medical profession.

Free Lectures for Schools

At Quality For Life we have noticed that a lot of our patients are school teachers, who are all suffering from the same condition: back pain. As discussed in a previous blog post, back pain is a common complaint that can affect millions of people each year. It is a condition often associated with certain occupations, but one that can also be prevented through certain practices such as regular desk assessments for office workers. 

At Quality For Life we believe that sharing our knowledge with the community will help individuals to manage back pain if they are already suffering, or to help prevent back pain if the are yet to experience this condition. 

In particular, we are currently trying to work closely with schools in Gloucestershire to raise awareness about lower back pain and the benefits of physiotherapy for treating those who are suffering. 

The lecture is a great opportunity for school staff to receive information on physiotherapy, lower back pain, how to maintain a healthy back and learn about the anatomy of the spine.

All our physiotherapists are CRB checked and registered with the Health Professional Council and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

If this is something you feel your school would benefit from, we would love to hear from you and provide you with more information. Please contact us at admin@qualityforlife.co.uk 

Summer Sports!

As the sun shines, more and more of us will spend time outside, whether relaxing, socialising or exercising. Through the sunny season a lot more people take up physical activity or sport in order to get in shape for Summer. Although this is, of course, an excellent idea for health and well being, many people do not warm up before they exercise and in turn can develop a sporting injury. To ensure you get the most out of your Summer activity we thought we would provide you with our top tips for warming up:

1. Start by marching on the spot - Pump your arms up and down to match the rhythm of your steps. Make sure your elbows are bent and your fists soft, not clenched. This exercise helps to loosen the muscles in your arms and legs before stretching. It is recommended to march for at least 2 minutes.

2. Work on the muscles on your legs first. The following stretches are most affective for your calf muscles, your hips, your thighs and your hamstrings. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds on each side:

                       

3. Then move on to your upper body, again holding each stretch for 30 seconds on each side. 

 

4. Finally, end your warm up with a light jog for approximately 2 minutes. If you feel you need a longer warm up, you can also add in the following exercise:

- Heel digs: Place alternate heels to the front, keeping the front foot pointing up, and punch out with each heel dig. Keep a slight bend in the supporting leg. Aim for 60 Heel digs in 60 seconds. 

- Knee Lifts: Stand tall, bring up alternate knees to touch the opposite hand. Keep your abs tight and back straight. Keep a slight bend in the supporting leg. Aim for 30 knee lifts in 30 seconds. 

- Knee Bends: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands stretched out. Lower yourself no more than 10cm by bending your knees. Come up and repeat. Aim for 10 repetitions. 

For any further advice please do not hesitate to contact us at admin@qualityforlife.co.uk 

What do you know about back pain?

Last month we held a free community lecture event about back pain. Our lecture, conducted by lead physiotherapist Jaleel Mohammed, focused on the statistics of this common musculoskeletal condition, the symptoms and causes, red flags, and what can be done to help those who are suffering.

For those that missed out, we thought we would share with you the main points of our lecture:

Back Pain is very common amongst school teachers. The following points demonstrate how far fetching this condition is:

*        2.6 million people in the UK seek advice about back pain from their GP.

*        Nearly 40 per cent of school teachers took time off work because of work-related joint or back pain. (TES - 2011)

*        Only 1 in 10 report their discomfort to their school or nursery.

*        Self-reported MSD among school teachers ranges between 39% and 95%. (BMC 2011)

*        Nursery school teachers appear to be more likely to report suffering from low back pain.

*        Factors which affect your back:

*        Length of employment and

*        Awkward posture

*        The most prevalent body sites appear to be the back, neck and upper limbs.

Some of the Causes of Low back pain are:

*        Age: Wear & tear over time.

*        Personal fitness

*        Improper techniques at work / sports

*        Repetitive Twisting

*        Prolong Poor Posture

 Other  Facts:

·         Most (80-90%) patients with a new or recent acute disc herniation will improve without surgery.

·         Number of clinical studies indicate that herniated discs are not the major cause of pain.

·         In other recent studies, sequential MRI scans done at six month intervals have shown that disc herniation's more often than not are reabsorbed by the body.

·         The studies found that larger disc herniation's DO NOT correlate with a poor prognosis.

·         The decision to do surgery is based primarily on the physical exam, not the MRI or CT scan.

·         Worst looking disc herniation's on scans produce very little and sometimes no symptoms.

Did you learn anything new about back pain from our post? If you require any further information about back pain please email us at admin@qualityforlife.co.uk 

Welcome to our blog!

Hello all and welcome to the Quality for Life blogger page. This blog will be dedicated to keeping you up to date with our clinic news, providing tips and insights into common musculoskeletal conditions, and posting general articles about the benefits of physiotherapy for improving your health and well being. 

If you have any questions or would like further information on a specific topic please feel free to contact us via email at admin@qualityforlife.co.uk