Your comments: 4 January 2017

Stroke survivors and rehab potential

I am a physiotherapist running a personal training/physiotherapy social enterprise in Edinburgh. This means that all of our profits go towards subsidising the cost of our stroke survivor training for those who have been discharged from the NHS but are still amenable to rehabilitation.

This summer we are planning a move into our own facility where I will have the capacity to help more stroke survivors during off-peak hours. From our work I will collect data and conduct research on sustainable behaviour change using a lifestyle intervention.

I am passionate about highlighting the importance of people's mindset in promoting post-traumatic growth among our survivors. I have hired a videographer who will track the progress of our stroke survivors over the next six months who have fantastic stories to share. I think the implications of sharing these stories are huge for helping others recover from debilitating conditions. I also believe that the social enterprise model could offer a new paradigm for physio and personal training companies to help a struggling NHS, through helping achieve preventive lifestyle interventions.

I am keen to increase awareness around our service as we are currently looking to take on two more stroke survivors. We would also like to celebrate the successes of our current stroke survivors in order to break down the commonly held perception that recovery after stroke is unlikely, or perhaps unrealistic, for many.

Stuart Maytham

For more information, vist www.healthbyscience.co.uk

Magnificent idea

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on treating low back pain is out, and getting plenty of airplay in the profession. See: www.csp.org.uk/node/1025502

This is all good news and from, my own perspective, I applaud the heavy emphasis on exercise programmes that is recommended. But as a profession I think we are only half way there with this ... these guidelines are specifically about the 'treatment' of low back pain, but we should be more proactive in our role in 'preventing' low back pain.

I think we could have a strong role in preventive exercise medicine and, with that in mind, I produced this slightly irreverent but researched and relevant public health video in my blog here: www.physical-solutions.co.uk

I think that the blog showcases how physios can present their 'extending' roles, with my own role being fairly eclectic and concerning many of the aspects of work I get involved in. Many of these are in some way outside 'traditional' physiotherapy (which probably doesn't exist).

This video is a bit of a 'call to arms' for other physios in that we could be challenging folks' perceptions of what and how we deliver our services.

Bob Wood