Treatment at Apex Clinic has been life changing!
For 66-year-old Patricia Bell from Dundonald, life was a struggle. Back and leg pain was having a devastating impact on her life. Desperate to get some relief she visited, Apex Clinic, Belfast. Here, Patricia describes how the clinic’s unique regime of specialist manual physiotherapy treatment, called The Nelson Spinal ApproachTM alleviated her back and leg pain, meaning that she could finally get her life back on track.
Patricia, when did your back and leg pain begin?
I had been suffering with back and leg pain for several years. It was suspected that I had fibromyalgia due to the range of debilitating symptoms which I had. I also had a combination of arthritis and deterioration of my hips. After some investigation my GP thought I could have polymyalgia rheumatica which caused me a lot of pain, stiffness and restricted movement.
How did the pain affect your life?
I was virtually housebound and relied on a walking stick. I couldn’t walk for more than 20 yards and carrying out daily tasks such as home maintenance, walking or gardening would flare up my pain. Holidays and days out with family meant later enforced bed rest until I recovered. My GP was very attentive and prescribed strong painkillers but this didn’t get to the root cause of my pain. In 2018 I had double hip replacement surgery which helped my hip joints however I continued to have pain in my thighs and back. I was having awful flare ups where I would be in terrible pain.
What led you to Apex Clinic?
Physio was recommended to me by my doctor but over the Covid-19 period I was unable to access any physiotherapy treatment. This made me feel more stressed, I couldn’t get out of the house and my pain got worse. At the beginning of 2021, my husband phoned several physiotherapy clinics to enquire about getting some physio to try to help me but Apex Clinic were the only ones who actually understood my condition completely.
How has your life changed since having treatment?
I started with 2 sessions per week and I felt some improvement within a few days. I was then able to start with short walks on level ground which I was able to build up over time. A course of physio treatment followed over the next 2-3 months, and I’m now able to walk for 2 miles and I absolutely love walking around local shorelines and Castle Espie. The improvement in my mental health and well-being has been wonderful now that I have my freedom back and I am able to walk outside. As I continued to improve, my treatments were tailored to my needs reducing to weekly, then fortnightly and I am now seeing my Specialist Physiotherapist once every 4 weeks for maintenance. I still have ‘flare ups’ of my condition but they are not as severe, and I know that I can obtain treatment at Apex Clinic whenever I need it.
What advice would you offer someone with back and leg pain?
I would wholeheartedly recommend a consultation at Apex Clinic with one of their Specialist Physiotherapists, just phone them and arrange an appointment. My Specialist Physiotherapist has changed my life and I have found all the staff at Apex to be professional, friendly and approachable. I have recommended them to my friends who have also benefited from their treatment.
To book an appointment at Apex Clinic, call 028 9048 4153. No GP referral is necessary.