A department that helped me (Stoke Mandeville Hospital Physiotherapy Department)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Stoke Mandeville Hospital Physiotherapy Department
Date:	31/01/09 (302 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good team

Disadvantages: Had tro be in pain to go there

I have attended the physiotherapy outpatients department of Stoke Mandeville quite a lot of times. My visits are due to a problem with a tendon in my ankle.
I have been very impressed with the care and treatment I received there so thought I would tell my story.
Stoke Mandeville physic team treat a wide range of people with diffent problems that need physio therapy.

Several years ago I started to find it painful to walk to put pressure on the heel of my foot. My GP referred me to Stoke Mandeville physio department. I was also referred to a consultant in the orthopedic department too.

The treatment at the orthopedic department was for the same problem and I was given an operation. The treatment from the physios complimenting and supporting the treatment I had from the orthopedic consultant.

Fortunately I live and work not too far away from the hospital and was able to get there fairly easily. Stoke Mandeville hospital is about 3 miles from Aylesbury Buckinghamshire. There is a fairly regular bus service between the hospital and Aylesbury town. There is some parking at the hospital it can get quite full also you have to pay.

For the physio department leave the road from Aylesbury at the first entrance to the hospital main entrance .There are 4 entrances to the hospital .The physio department is situated in a low building on the left hand side just before you get to the turning circle at the main entrance to the hospital. There is a lot of building work going on in this area at the moment scaffolding and building equipment.

You can not easily park your car very near the physio rooms but a small ambulance bay is there so patients can be dropped of and picked up from there. The entrance for patients is off this ambulance bay into the reception.

In the reception you will find a desk where you check in there is usually someone on the desk. There is also a white board on the wall behind you if you are standing looking at the desk. On this board are the names of the physiotherapist and under their name patients can write their own name and the pysio therapists can see who is in the waiting room.


The waiting room is a small room off the reception this has several chairs and a small table with a pile of magazines on it so you can flick / read through them while waiting. On the walls are notices about various physiotherapy related things.
I have never been kept waiting long before being seen by the Physiotherapist. They keep to their time fairly well.

There are several treatment rooms where the physio might take you for treatment. I have been in a couple of them. One room was a room where I was seen on my own for laser treatment. The other room was a larger room with about 6 or it might have been 8 beds these beds are screened by curtains so that your treatment is private.

I have seen 3 of the physiotherapists fro treatment on my ankle. . Each one of them was good giving good care and treatment.
The first session with the physio is really an assessment and there were several questions I answered about my problem this enabled them to work out what physic treatment to give me.

I have attended many sessions with the physio therapist I shall describe some of the treatments I have experienced.

I was given some instructions on daily exercises to do with my feet and ankle was shown some massage strokes.
I was advised what type of shoes to wear and lots of general advice.

I received ultrasound therapy on my ankle. Ultra sound is used in many sports soft tissue injuries. . A small metal pad was placed on my heel and this vibrated and produced warmth in my injured foot. I did not feel much at all. This treatment is supposed to speed recovery.
In my case I noticed little difference.

I also received Laser therapy. This treatment was performed in treatment room on my own. I had to wear eye shield glasses while the pad with the light was moved over my ankle. I can't say I felt a lot while having this treatment it felt slightly warm.

I suffered with Achilles tendonitis on my right foot for about 4 years.
The exercises the physiotherapist gave me certainly helped. I think the laser treatment helped too. I felt it was making some improvement. Generally I think the combination of the operation which at first made little improvement and the therapies were what eventually helped me rid the pain in my right foot, June time last year my right foot was pain free .

About the same time my right foot felt better I felt pains in my left ankle and heel of my foot. I was finding it painful to put my foot down. I started doing the exercises that were recommended for my other foot and
I went straight to my doctor who requested that I get more appointments with the physio and the orthopedic consultants.

I saw the Physiotherapists again and have received several laser treatments however my foot was not responding and I no longer have consultations with the physiotherapist.
I saw the orthopedic consultant and am now waiting for an operation on my left foot. I am not expecting a miracle from this operation and once the wound has healed I shall request more physiotherapy if I am still in pain.
I expect a lot of the healing was due to the exercises I do and time for the injury to heal.
. Meanwhile I hobble along on the other foot in pain.
My general impression of the physiotherapy department was that the building and decor was in need of a little TLC. However with so little money in the health system this is not a priority.

I found the Physio team pleasant caring supportive and helpful. I noticed their manner with both elderly and children was good. They seemed to have time forpatients not rushed. I was happy to have the treatment and advice they gave. I felt positive about my treatment and that something was being done. I do the exercises and heed the advice as to foot ware that they gave me and U find this really helped.

So basically I am very positive about the physio department at Stoke Mandeville hospital

The link below might be useful to anyone who wants further info
http://www.buckinghamshirehospitals.nhs.uk/physio therapy.htm

Summary: The physio department at Stoke Mandevile hospital .