Clinical Therapies

The Theraflex machine is designed to treat any area of the spine below the neck, for example, between the shoulder blades, right down to the bottom of our back. It is able to deliver spinal manipulation in higher volumes than the human hand can produce, making this the new go-to for spinal and lower back issues.

As Theraflex treatment has become such a specialist service (Physiofusion are currently only 1 of 2 places in all of the North West to offer this service), patients have found it very hard to access – not to mention the service requiring expensive equipment and highly trained clinicians to practice it.

Back pain is THE most common complaint seen in clinical practice; 97% of these cases being mechanical in nature (Chien and Bajwa, 2008). By this we mean that our pain comes from our anatomy, such as joints, discs, ligaments or muscles. Physiotherapists often utilise manual joint mobilisation techniques to treat mechanical spinal disorders and increase flexibility and alignment.

Theraflex treatment is essentially a ‘mechanical mobiliser’, which stimulates and stretches in a higher volume than the human hand. It uses a set of pistons which have been set to a specific depth and produce mobilisations at individual sections of the spine, at significantly higher speeds and quantities than possible in a standard ‘hands-on’ session.

If you are undergoing treatment using just the Theraflex alone, most clients generally require around five sessions. This is, on average, the usual number of sessions needed to achieve ‘normalisation’ of spinal mobility, however, this can vary depending on the severity.

Theraflex is often used as part of a physiotherapist’s treatment package for an injury too, helping maintain spinal issues following injury, such as a disc bulge or sciatica. As well as this, it is used to help manage chronic conditions, such as spinal wear and tear/degeneration and longstanding disc issues. This means it can be utilised after recovery to maintain all of the progress made by you and your physiotherapist, as well as prevent recurrence of flares and the stiffening from living with a long-term condition that cannot be cured.

Following our first session, it is completely normal for us to experience symptoms of feeling sore for a few days. It is important to remember that the sole purpose of the treatment is to loosen up joints that likely have been stiff for quite some time. Ice can be used to prevent any bruising or soreness, however, our therapist should be able to gauge the amount of pressure needed, so that any muscle soreness should feel similar to that of a “tough” workout, and no worse.

The Theraflex treatment is now available at Physiofusion’s Burnley Clinic. Appointments last 30 minutes, though your first session may take a little longer in order to allow our therapist to assess your specific issues and tailor the Theraflex’s settings accordingly.

If you wish to know more about this service, you can speak directly to our experts using our FREE online service, here.

Call 01282 453 110 today to book your appointment.