Back in 2011, I was a mum of two, leading a busy life looking after a 2.5-year old and a 6-month old baby without any help or family support. It didn’t leave much time for exercise, and soon I developed severe pain in my neck and right shoulder and additionally, experienced the sensation of pins and needles. But it was the numbness in my right arm that particularly frightened me. The pain made breastfeeding, carrying the kids and other household chores difficult and at times impossible to do. I didn’t wait long and saw a doctor who referred me to Steps & Providence for physiotherapy treatment. And I am glad he did.
I received a lot of manual treatment which helped significantly to reduce the pain. It was complemented by electrotherapy, neck traction (stretching my spine) and floor exercises, which had a smoothening effect on the treated muscles; hence I never had sore muscles. After a period of intense and very regular treatment, Joan would start to phase it out as soon as I was pain-free and regained my range of movement. Based on her advice, I started Pilates which I have done ever since. It worked out perfectly, because I stayed pain-free and coped well. Throughout the three months of treatment I felt in very good hands. Joan kept me very well informed and showed great flexibility in making appointments and even looked after my little one during our sessions. I would not have known what to do otherwise because I had no one to look after my baby during that time.
Since I left Joan’s clinic, I have managed to stay pain-free and feel that I am able to look after myself. Thanks to Steps & Providence, I am more aware of what makes my muscles tensed up and what to do now. Exercise has become a big part of my life and strengthening my whole muscle tonus through Pilates and Fitness Training has prevented any further incidents. I am now a mother of three without any problems.
The additional advantage of having Joan is that she is a trained Childbirth Educator. I had a refresher antenatal session with her, with special attention given to pregnancy-related back care tips. My post-natal recovery has been really great and I am now back on my pre-natal fitness routine.
I would very much recommend Steps & Providence to anyone who is looking for a very professional and personal physiotherapeutic treatment.
Note: Testimonials from patients are not or only slightly edited for originality purposes.