EVIDENCE BASED GUIDELINES
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CLINICAL EXCELLENCE
Research and evidence based practice is the cornerstone for the different manual therapies provided.
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There is a lot of research that shows the benefits for the use of physiotherapy. Government guidelines have been created that recommend physiotherapy and other manual techniques for many of the musculoskeletal disorders.
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The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health. NICE guidance is developed using the expertise of the NHS and the wider healthcare community, including healthcare and other professionals, patients, service users and carers[1], the academic world and the healthcare industry.
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https://www.nice.org.uk/process/pmg6/chapter/introduction
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NICE guidelines recommend physiotherapy for many specific conditions. The following is a small sample of conditions with links to the NICE guidelines in which physiotherapy is recommended as part of the overall treatment plans.
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Tennis elbow - https://cks.nice.org.uk/tennis-elbow#!scenario
Sprains and strains -https://cks.nice.org.uk/sprains-and-strains#!scenario
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Plantar Fascititis - https://cks.nice.org.uk/plantar-fasciitis#!scenario
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Knee pain - https://cks.nice.org.uk/knee-pain-assessment#!scenario
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Low back pain - https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/nice-publishes-updated-advice-on-treating-low-back-pain
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Neck Pain - https://cks.nice.org.uk/neck-pain-non-specific#!scenario
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Shoulder pain - https://cks.nice.org.uk/shoulder-pain
Musculoskeletal pain - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5480856/
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Chronic pain - http://www.csp.org.uk/publications/physiotherapy-works-chronic-pain
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EVIDENCE FOR PHYSIOTHERAPY
There is plenty of evidence based on research that shows how effective physiotherapy is for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. The following is a small example of evidence that shows how manual treatments and exercise provided during physiotherapy can be of benefit.
​Exercise and Rehabilitation Programmes
Exercise and rehabilitation has been proven to be helpful for recovery of various conditions.​ Exercise is currently recommended for:
Arthritis
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg177/chapter/1
Recommendations#non-pharmacological-management-2
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Shoulder impingement
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Ligament tears
http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2016/08/18/bjsports-2015-095898.short?rss=1
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As well as recovering from injuries, physiotherapy can also be used to try and help prevent them.
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Ligament Injuries:
The guidelines form NICE recommend exercise programmes for sprains will reduce the chance of them re occurring - https://cks.nice.org.uk/sprains-and-strains#!scenario
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'Proprioception-balance and plyometric-agility training reduce the ACL-injury risk'.
http://exss.unc.edu/files/2013/01/padua_2006_att.pdf
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Spinal Injuries:
Spinal stabilization exercises have been shown to decrease pain, disability, and risk for the recurrence after a first episode of back pain
Core stabilising exercises have been proven to help iin the prevention of injuries -https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3806175/
There have been many studies that have looked at the effects of posture on pain.
Cramer et al (2018) studied postural awareness and it’s relation to pain and concluded that ‘ Self-reported postural awareness is associated with clinical symptoms in chronic pain patients and that ‘improvements in postural awareness are longitudinally associated with reduced pain in patients with spinal/shoulder pain’
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Smythe & Jivanjee (2021) concluded that it is difficult to say what a ‘good’ posture or ‘poor ‘ posture are, but they also reported that ‘Posture is almost certainly associated with pain and morbidity’. However, they suggested that it ‘is likely to be a much weaker association than previously thought’. They also report though that ‘In cases of clear pathology and/or specific context for the presenting patient, specific postural advice may be necessary to reduce tissue load, compression and sensitivity and to reduce ‘postural fear’
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Ting et al (2008) looked at the relationship between FHP and the severity and disability of patients with neck pain. They concluded that ‘The craniovertebral angle in subjects with neck pain is significantly smaller than that in normal subjects’ and that ‘Patients with small CV angle have a greater forward head posture and greater disability’
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A systematic review was carried out on the relationship between FHP and neck pain by Mahmood et al (2019) . They concluded that ‘head posture was significantly correlated with neck pain measurements in adults’.
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Another study by Ha et al (2011) investigated the effects of scapula repositioning on people with neck pain who had a posture with downward scapular rotation. They found that correcting the scapula position significantly improved cervical range of movement, pain and cervical joint position error.
EVIDENCE FOR SPORTS MASSAGE
As well as for physiotherapy, there has been a lot of scientific research that supports the benefits of sports massage. The following is a small sample of research proving that manual therapy techniques are beneficial, and even vital for the recovery and prevention of injuries.
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According to a Cochrane review on massage therapy for chronic lower back pain featuring 13 clinical trials, massage might be beneficial for patients with acute and chronic low-back pain, especially when combined with other holistic exercises and education. Some evidence suggests that acupuncture massage (acupressure) can be even more effective than classic/Swedish massage for lowering back pain.
NICE guidelines suggest a course of manual therapy for lower back pain including manipulation, mobilisation and massage www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg88
A study carried out by Orgai looked at the effects of a type of massage technique called petrissage following intensive cycling. ​​ The results showed that those who received the massage between bouts of cycling and incresed recovery from muscles stiffness and lower limb fatigue. Overll, the power during cuycling was also enhanced in those who recieved the massage. ​
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Ogai, Effects of Petrissage Massage on fatigue and exercise performance following intesive pedalling. BJSM 2008; 42: 534-538
The NHS lists physiotherapy and massage as a treatment for sports injuries www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Sports-injuries/Pages/treatment.aspx
British cycling in March 2015 points out that amateurs may find a monthly soft tissue massage can be useful as ‘a body MOT’ and help identify potential concerns www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/article/izn20150303-All-Cycling-Massage-0
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Sports massage was included as a core medical service at the Olympics in 1996 and most major teams throughout the world now employ specific massage therapists.