3rd June 19
We have been busy at the clinic over the past few weeks, and due to the amount of bank holidays we have had, have been doing our best to get everyone in!
As part of our commitment to ensure we are at the forefront of our profession, Paul and I went to an industry exhibition last week to see if there was anything new out there that could help our patients.
Firstly, what was clear is that we are covering most bases! I have compiled a list of the top 5 current trends in Physiotherapy and healthcare:
1/ Shockwave is still king for tendons
First things first, I am happy to report that Shockwave Therapy is still the gold-standard treatment for tendons! There was a lot of people presenting on Shockwave and its use in regenerating tendon tissue. There are a few more brands popping up – such is the popularity of it. However, our machine, the EMS SwissDolorclast is still the best on the market. This is the only machine that has been shown to work in studies. Click below to read more about it:
[maxbutton id=”1″ url=”https://www.carterandgeorge.co.uk/shockwave/” text=”What is Shockwave?” ]
2/ Vibration therapy is cool again!
You would have heard of PowerPlate and Vibrogym about 5-10 years ago. We know that vibration is great for soft tissue healing and promoting blood supply to muscles. The problem has always been that you had to go to the a gym who had one of the machines. What has been encouraging, is that vibration has now become portable! Brands such as Theragun and MyoMaster have developed hand held devices that can be used in clinic. We have been using Theragun (which is the device used by professional athletes across the world) for about 4 months now and have been getting great results!
3/ Technology is making training – smart!
Smart training, or AI led training, has been growing quickly in the last few years. Judging by the amount of companies exhibiting this technology, this is going to become huge soon. How does it work? You perform 2-3 exercises on an exercise machine. The software then works out an exact training programme based on your scores, with progressions, regressions and specific range of movements all accounted for. Not one for now – but definitely one for the future!
4/ Recovery – from the air?
We have known about the benefits of altitude training for a long time, and sports stars swear by using oxygen chambers as a way of improving their recovery. Well it appears that CO2 and Oxygen pods are making their way to the mainstream. Liverpool FC are known advocates of Oxygen tents, and some of their players sleep in them at night. Whereas CO2 pods can increase blood vessel dilation (and therefore circulation), which can be a great recovery tool. I believe we are a few years away from where this will be mainstream (now it is only used by the most elite athletes) but one to keep an eye on.
5/ Is Laser Therapy making a comeback?
One of the most interesting things we saw at the exhibition was the huge surge in people pushing Laser Therapy. To give you some context, when I became a Physio, this was a treatment that was going out of fashion. However, it has clearly made a resurgence! Speaking to some of the experts, it appears we have now developed a way to increase the power of the laser, without compromising on safety. It was previously used for slow healing fractures and acute soft tissue healing. It is something we are investigating whether or not it would be useful for our patients.
Have you used laser? Or would you be interested in it? I would be keen to know your thoughts, beliefs, worries etc?
Prediction: CBD Oil will be big!
And finally, I want to make a prediction. One of the biggest growing supplements in the world is CBD Oil. If you haven’t heard of it, it is a legal, non-prescriptive, non-hallucinogenic compound from the Cannabis plant. It has been shown to improve sleep, aid recovery and reduce anxiety – to name just a few benefits. Many of our patients have been using it, but it seems the medical profession are now getting on board too. Keep an eye out for this…
So there are the top 5 trends in healthcare and Physio right now!
It was reassuring to know we are still covering most bases, but we are always keen to hear back from you too. Is there anything you have tried or have heard of that we are missing? We want to stay at the forefront of our industry. So please do shout out and help us if you have any ideas!
Want to check out some of these things in action? Come and say Hi at the brand new Carter & George Hitchin Physiotherapy Clinic!