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Treatments

Soft Tissue Mobilisations

Soft tissue therapy

Soft tissue therapy is the mobilization/manipulation of your tendons, ligaments, fascia, skin, fat, muscles, fibrous tissues, nerves, blood vessels, synovial membranes, and connective tissue. It goes under many names, but most of us know it as massage.

Your muscles function by increasing their tension and contracting, then relaxing. They get shorter in length when they contract. They may contract voluntarily ie. when carrying out a movement or involuntarily as in response to pain or your body trying to protect itself.

Pain, muscle weakness, a restricted range of motion, and a misalignment of the skeletal system can potentially occur if the muscle loses it’s mobility. This may be to do with the formation of scar tissue/adhesions following injury, or if the muscle is unable to relax sufficiently (for a variety of reasons) or there has been a prolonged lack of lengthening movements to that area. However, there are instances when a muscle will ‘tense’ in response to an underlying problem. Assessment and treatment of soft tissue problems is not just simply massaging ‘knots’ and ‘tension’ away, it is looking at the ‘big picture’. We want to know how the problem has developed and what appropriate action to take. For some, it may be that an urgent scan/xray/medical opinion is needed and massage is the last thing they need. It is more important to know when not to treat. It is also essential that the practitioner has an in depth knowledge of anatomy and knowledge regarding how much pressure it is safe to use in a particular area. We have found that musculoskeletal problems respond better to a combined approach. We use acupuncture/dry needling/electro-acupuncture to address pain and muscle spasm from a neural (nerve) perspective. Blending together an array of soft tissue skills to address the soft tissue interfaces we find is beneficial used in conjunction with other therapies we offer. In our whole body approach to addressing a problem we also need to factor in exercises, posture, biomechanics, muscle patterning and imbalances, pathology, injuries and lifestyle.

Types of soft tissue therapy we use –

  • Myofascial release
  • Trigger point therapy
  • Sports massage
  • Deep tissue massage
  • Connective tissue massage
  • Positional release
  • Deep transeverse frictions

Soft tissue injury (STI) is a general term for injuries to the connective tissue. They may take the form of bursitis, tendonosis, sprains, strains and contusions. Following an acute injury a RICE (now changed to POLICE acronym) is advised – see link http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/46/4/220.extract

References –

  1. Kumar, Beaton, Hughes. The effectiveness of massage therapy for the treatment of nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review of systematic reviews. International Journal of General Medicine 2013.6:733–741
  2. Piper, Shearer, Côté, Wong, Yu, Varatharajan, Southerst, Randhawa, Sutton, Stupar, Nordin, Mior, Van der Velde, Taylor-Vaisey. The effectiveness of soft-tissue therapy for the management of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries of the upper and lower extremities: A systematic review by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury management (OPTIMa) collaboration. Manual Therapy 2016. 21:18-34
  3. Schleip R, Findley T, Chaitow L, Huijing P. Fascia: the tensional network of the human body: the science an clinical applications in manual and movement therapy. Elsevier, Edinburgh 2012.
  4. Simons DG. Review of enigmatic MTrPs as a common cause of enigmatic musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. J of Electromyography and Kinesiology 2004. 14(1): 95-107

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our services

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is the assessment and treatment of problems and injuries that affect muscles, joints, nerves and soft tissues.

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Sports Therapy

Sports Therapy is the assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. Treatment may involve exercise prescription, advice, hands-on therapy, electrotherapy and taping.

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Manipulations

Graded manipulations of the spine or other joints to restore movement, relieve pain and aid postural correction.

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Soft Tissue Mobilisations

Myofascial release, trigger point massage, deep transverse frictions, muscle energy techniques, positional release, cupping and massage.

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Sports Massage

Deep massage tailored to your needs for injury prevention, therapeutic benefits and pre and post events.

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Acupuncture

Dry needling and electroacupuncture for relief of pain and muscle spasm. Sterile disposable needles are used.

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Pilates

One to one sessions available with a Chartered Physiotherapist or Pilates instructor in our private studio.

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Injury Rehabilitation

One to one personal training tailored to your individual requirements for pre/post op and injury rehabilitation

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Podiatry

Biomechanical assessment of the foot and lower limb. Treatment may include exercises, strapping, manipulation and insoles.

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Psychotherapy/Hypnotherapy

The use of both Psychotherapeutic Counselling and Clinical Hypnotherapy for a wide range of issues.

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What our clients say about us

  • Over the last 10 years I have consistently referred patients to the team at Physiocure. The bespoke treatment Anna and Louise offer patients is ideal for the complex hip patients we have in the practice.

    Jon Conroy BSc.MSc.MB.ChB. FRCS (Tr & Orth) Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

  • Anna and Louise at Physiocure have been treating patients from the Yorkshire Knee Clinic for over 15 years with excellent results. Together with their team of highly professional colleagues, they are able to provide comprehensive assessment, treatment and rehabilitation for our patients.

    Nick London, MA MD (Cantab) FRCS (Tr & Orth) Specialist Knee Surgeon The Yorkshire Knee Clinic, Harrogate, Leeds

  • I have worked with Louise and all the team at Physiocure for a number of years. Both herself and Anna run an excellent practice combining up-to-date knowledge, a wealth of experience and a highly motivated team.

    Professor Max Fehily, Consultant Hip Surgeon, Manchester Hip Clinic

  • I have worked with Anna and Louise for many years now and found them to be exceptional physiotherapists. They have successfully treated many of my more complex shoulder patients, as well as athletes.

    Lennard Funk, BSc MSc FRCS(Tr&Orth) FFSEM(UK), Shoulder Surgeon, Wrightington Hospital

  • I travelled 5 hours by car from my home in Sussex for two days of intensive sessions with many different people in the Physiocure team. I can say without any reservation that not only was it more than worth the trip, but that I would and will do it again, because the care, concern, dedication and professionalism of everyone I encountered at Physiocure was absolutely outstanding.

    Camilla Black, Sussex

Latest News

Anna Higo, Director of Physiocure wins Ehlers Danlos UK Community Champion Award

EDS UK Community Champion Awards!

"2023 has brought more nominations for Community Champions within the EDS and HSD community. In this issue we highlight our most recent recipient who has both gone above and beyond in either raising awareness, promoting and disseminating education on the syndromes, supporting people with EDS or other significant contributions such as adaptations and inclusivity. The awards also celebrate innovative products which make a difference to the lives of people with EDS or HSD.


Congratulations to Anna at Physiocure on being recognised as an EDS UK Community Champion! The award was presented to Anna by Lisa, our West Yorkshire volunteer along with Sally, a Leeds member who was one of the people who nominated Anna for the award."

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Physiocure News - January 2023

The Physiocure Team, in collaboration with Coventry University have had a new paper published titled - 'The value of Dynamic Elastomeric Fabric Orthoses in the management of a complex Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome patient: a case report.’

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Specialist Services

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