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Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is an established and dynamic profession that uses a range of skills and treatment techniques to help restore movement and function within the body. It aids and accelerates the body’s natural healing processes and helps to reduce pain. It is science-based and progressive in its approach; at its core is the exercise of clinical judgement and informed interpretation. All Chartered Physiotherapists are strictly regulated by the guidelines set down by their professional body, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).

Physiotherapists see human movement as central to health and wellbeing and are trained to identify movement dysfunction and maximise a patient’s potential through education, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

Physiotherapists use a flexible and holistic approach towards meeting the needs of their clients. They work in partnership with clients, respecting their autonomy.

Physiotherapy £47.50 per session


Physiotherapy at Lochaber Clinic is provided by Jacqui Parfitt of Lochaber Physiotherapy and Ruth Sunderland.

Jacqui is an experienced and well regarded state registered and chartered physiotherapist. She qualified in 1989 and has a wealth of experience in both the NHS and the private sector. She has undertaken extensive postgraduate training including courses on the use of acupuncture and a Masters degree in Sports Medicine, enabling her to develop expertise in the treatment of musculo skeletal conditions.

Ruth qualified in Physiotherapy from The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen in 2009. She first worked in Raigmore Hospital before moving to Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban, Edinburgh Community Stroke Service, Lothian Weight Management Service and then Mid Argyll Hospital in Lochgilphead. Over the years she has developed a particular interest in chronic chest conditions and weight management. Her main drive for physiotherapy is breaking down barriers for her patients to exercise, be that pain, weight, balance, body-image or just not knowing where to start.

Physiotherapy can help many conditions including

• Arthritis
• Ankle instability
• Back and Neck Pain
• Knee injuries
• Whiplash Associated Disorders
• Muscle, tendon and ligament injuries, sports injuries
• Joint pains
• Joint sprains
• Sciatica
• Repetitive Strains
• Shoulder problems such as frozen shoulder and shoulder impingement
• Following orthopaedic surgery (such as joint replacement)
• Following fractures
• And many more…. If you are unsure if physiotherapy can help please get in touch to discuss your particular circumstances and we can advise whether physiotherapy is appropriate.

How Does Physiotherapy Treatment Help?

Physiotherapy uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social well-being, taking account of variations in health status.

During your initial consultation a full assessment will be carried out. Your Physiotherapist will take a detailed history of your condition plus any relevant medical information and carry out a physical assessment to determine the clinical diagnosis of your problem. From the information gained during this assessment the physiotherapist will formulate, in partnership with you, a treatment plan aimed at reducing pain and restoring movement and function to as near normal as possible. Treatment may include massage to reduce tension in the soft tissues, mobilisations to help joints move more freely, advice on changing your posture during certain tasks (to prevent strain being placed on an area), exercises to improve strength, flexibility and coordination, acupuncture and electrotherapy to help reduce pain and promote healing. Everyone is different and treatments are individually designed and therefore vary from person to person.

Wherever possible the physiotherapist aims to make sure you not only regain full fitness but that you learn how to prevent future problems through effective, realistic self-management specifically tailored to your needs and abilities. Physiotherapists have the scope to advise and provide for your long term preventative program.

In some conditions full recovery may not be possible. In these conditions physiotherapy can help maximise your potential and advise on long term management.

Physiotherapy Techniques

Exercise Programmes: - These are tailored to your individual needs and designed to improve strength, movement and coordination as well as improve position and functioning of joints- what you need will depend on the problems identified. The programme will be designed according to your individual needs; taking into account any other medical issues which may influence your ability to exercise. Manual Therapy:- This is “ hands on “ therapy and includes massage to relax muscles, reduce muscle tension, aid scar tissue healing, improve circulation, reduce pain, joint mobilisations in order to improve movement in a joint and help it move better, stretching to improve flexibility of muscles, prevent adhesions developing following injury and promote healthy alignment of soft tissues.

Electrotherapy:-This is the use of electrical energy to promote healing and alleviate pain. Ultrasound is the transmission of energy via sound waves which creates increased activity in the cells and promotes healing TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and is used for pain relief. TENS machines are small portable devices which many people with chronic pain purchase to use at home. We are able to instruct you on the use of TENS and can loan you a TENS machine to trial.

Acupuncture:- This is an ancient healing technique stemming from Eastern-Medicine philosophy, which is now well researched by Western-Medicine practitioners and its’ use is widely accepted. Jacqui Parfitt practices ”Western style” acupuncture to promote healing and provide pain relief in musculoskeletal conditions. See our acupuncture page for further information.

Redressing Muscle Imbalances:- Jacqui can look for areas of your body which have tightness, weakness or where movement control is poor. She then gives a comprehensive set of exercises alongside advice to help redress this. This can help solve “niggly” injuries, can help to improve sports performance and can help reduce and prevent pain on or during activity.

Advice:- Physiotherapists diagnose the cause of problems. This can be due to injury to a single structure, due to more complex problems involving multiple structures, due to disease , or due to postural and movement imbalances. Physiotherapists will give you advice on the cause of pain, how best to manage your current symptoms and how to redress things (such as your office desk) which may be contributing to your symptoms. The advice can help you to adjust what you are doing to allow the injury to recover, may help to prevent the problem from recurring and may help to teach you to manage your symptoms.

Physiotherapy Training and Registration

Physiotherapy training in the UK is a degree based course which includes 1000 hours of practical placement experience; all physiotherapists who complete their qualification have undertaken a large amount of practical training as well as academic study. Previously physiotherapy was studied as a graduate diploma qualification; this course also included the same 1000 hours practical work placement experience. Physiotherapists who have completed the degree course, and who previously completed the graduate diploma course, are entitled to call themselves chartered physiotherapists.

A chartered physiotherapist is a qualified member of their professional body, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy provides all its members with professional liability insurance, so by choosing a chartered physiotherapist you can be confident they hold insurance and are committed to providing high quality treatment

State Registration:- All physiotherapists in the UK have to (by law) be registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC). This is a condition of using the title ‘physiotherapist’ or ‘physical therapist’, claiming to be an active member of the profession, and practicing physiotherapy anywhere in the UK, whether in the NHS, privately or in other sectors.

The HCPC’s role is to protect the public. It does this by setting standards for registration as a health and care professional and keeping a register of individuals who meet these standards. HCPC standards relate to registrants’ education, professional knowledge and skills, behaviour (conduct, performance and ethics) and health. The HCPC register is open to the public so that individuals and employers can check whether a physiotherapist (or other health and care professional) holds registration.

To gain HCPC registration, physiotherapists are required to demonstrate that they meet the HCPC’s Standards of Proficiency for the profession. For physiotherapists who qualify in the UK, this is measured through their successful completion of a qualifying (pre-registration) physiotherapy education programme approved by the HCPC such as a degree or graduate diploma in physiotherapy.

To remain on the HCPC register, physiotherapists have to continue to meet the regulator’s standards, going through a re-registration process every two years.

Within re-registration, the HCPC Standards for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) are implemented. In this way, physiotherapists are required to demonstrate that they are undertaking activity to ensure that they remain up-to-date within their scope of practice. Physiotherapists continue to develop their knowledge and skills and keep up to date with new innovations and ideas through many forums such as post graduate training courses, reading articles in journals, formal training and discussion with peers and other health care professionals.

Jacqui Parfitt and Ruth Sunderland are both chartered and state registered. Jacqui's state registration number (HCPC number ) is PH41195 and Ruth's is PH91244.