At The Core is an innovative physiotherapy and wellbeing practice, which is designed to help patients find relief from pain and inflammation, especially associated with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. At the Core owner Julia Tisdale talks about the company’s advice and recommendations and what new clients might expect.
Q. Underlying your business is a passion for physical fitness, positive eating and good mental health. Can you explain how these things are interrelated?
At the Core was established with the ambition of helping people lead an active life for as long as possible, so with this in mind, positive lifestyle choices such as good nutrition and physical fitness support an active lifestyle, which in turn contributes to good mental health. There is a well established connection between being physically active and mental wellbeing.
One of the many conditions that can prevent people from being physically active in later life is osteoarthritis, which can cause joint discomfort and pain. The range of treatments we have curated At The Core – Physiotherapy, Nutrition Therapy, Soft Tissue Therapy and MBST Therapy – is designed to help patients be free of pain so that they can move freely and be more active.
The National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) recently published guidelines for GPs that recommend prescribing exercise for osteoarthritis.
Q. Tell us about the nutritional advice and recommendations you offer. And is it often part of a package of treatment and advice?
Everyone benefits from good nutrition, and we offer nutrition advice relating to sporting performance and in support of MBST Therapy. So yes, absolutely, we offer nutrition advice to any patient who wants to improve their diet plus nutrition advice relating to sporting objectives.
We do offer a special ‘Complete Anti-Inflammatory Package’ which includes MBST Therapy, Nutrition Advice and Rehabilitation. MBST Therapy is shown to reduce inflammation and pain associated with certain musculoskeletal conditions, so an anti-inflammatory diet which supports that is highly recommended if undergoing this type of treatment.
Q. Much of your work is about rehabilitation through physiotherapy, focused on those recovering from injury, living with a chronic condition, or wanting to build up and maintain strength and mobility. How many of your clients have a specific goal?
This varies hugely from one patient to another. Some patients come to us with a very specific goal of reducing pain and getting back to fitness – very commonly these patients want to get back to doing what they love such as playing golf, cycling or tennis.
Others come to us in so much pain that they can’t see past this, so the initial goal is to try and reduce the pain that they are living with.
Conditions range from osteoarthritis and joint pain, to intervertebral disc conditions. For patients who are recommended MBST Therapy as part of a physiotherapy treatment programme, we often find that they have a new lease of life by the end of treatment.
The MBST Therapy can rapidly reduce inflammation, helping to reduce pain and increase mobility. You can visibly see the difference in a patient’s confidence, and they are invigorated to eat more healthily and become more active for the first time in a long time. I love the positive impact that MBST Therapy can have on mental wellbeing as well as function.
Q. Are many of your clients referred to you through medical practitioners?
We often get private referrals for MBST Therapy from Orthopaedic Surgeon Jonathon Webb, who has seen first hand the positive effects MBST Therapy can have on arthritic knees. We also have referrals from other physiotherapists, other MBST clinics and increasingly from our own patients, who are sharing their success stories with friends and relatives.
We have recently partnered with King Edward’s School and have seen students, parents and staff through our work with the school, and our local advertising with The Bath Magazine and community events have also brought a number of new patients to us.
Q. What happens during a client’s first visit?
All patients must have an initial consultation with one of our experienced clinicians who will do a thorough assessment of their condition. The clinician will then advise the next steps, which might be further investigation and physiotherapy.
If a patient has learnt about MBST Therapy from a friend, they usually want the same treatment, but every patient has to be approved by a clinician first.
Q. If someone has a sports injury, what sort of recommendations might you pass on?
• Seek appropriate guidance – a physiotherapist is usually a better first port of call than a GP or A&E
• A responsible clinician will then refer on where appropriate and guide you through the recovery process
• The initial stages of injury management are understanding it so that no further damage is done, and then mapping out a way to progress back to where you want to be.
Q. What about clients with multiple health issues? Do you focus on one thing at a time?
It’s important to identify things that can be changed or controlled. Often getting one thing right will allow for motivation and momentum to be carried forward into other areas of life. Any changes need to match up to meaningful goals or the impetus to address them won’t exist.
Q. What is your advice to someone who wants to achieve an active life?
Firstly you need to know where you are and where you want to get to, so set goals and work backwards from them. Then don’t try to change too much at once. Small incremental changes will help to make new behaviours become habit. We recently discussed this very subject with a group who attended our Men’s Health Event. Our initial assessments are geared towards helping clients meet their desired outcomes, and we are about to launch men-only yoga classes and are considering pre-habilitation sessions to help patients prepare their bodies to return to fitness, whether that be a gym, a specific challenge or they simply need some structure and direction.
At the Core, Unit 3, The Foundry, Beehive Yard, Walcot Street, Bath | 01225 461205 | atthecore.health