Oh, that Aching Pain!
At CGH’s new Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Clinic, our therapists specialising in spine,
back and joints care help patients relieve nagging pain in their bodies

With economic advancement comes a growing trend of lifestyle-related pains. Back pains, stiff necks and shoulder aches are common pains that we often hear and may have experienced personally at some point.

To meet the growing need for treatment for these phantom-like conditions, CGH has set up a new Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Clinic on 3 March 2008. The clinic is led by Principal Physiotherapist, Mr Tan Hai Yang, and Senior Physiotherapists, Mr Jason Choi and Mr Joseph Ye, who are all specially trained to deal with spine, back and joint pains.

“Typically, people who suffer from such pains fit certain profiles; they’re mostly teachers, housewives, airline crews, or just someone with a desk-bound job or living a sedentary lifestyle,” says Hai Yang.

The services offered here include advanced physiotherapy management using spinal manipulative techniques (joint mobilisation and manipulation), segmental trunk stability training with rehabilitative ultrasound imaging, and Pilates Core Stability training.

But get pass the mind-boggling names, the purpose of all these rehabilitative treatments is simply to help people relieve lingering back, spine and joints pains which can be disruptive to their personal and professional lives.

The trio, all armed with post-graduate qualifications, treats a wide range of conditions, but their special interest lies in treating spine conditions using advance musculoskeletal physiotherapy assessment and treatment skills. “This involves joint manipulation, Pilates, and motor and movement control exercises,” Hai Yang explains.

Their speciality in managing spine conditions has produced significant results as shown in a recent CPIP project by Joseph. The project showed that spine patients managed by the team achieved a recovery rate of 64 per cent in patients’ functions, which is very close to the international standard of 70 per cent. In addition, the senior physiotherapists’ team recorded a 20 per cent higher improvement rate in patients than junior physiotherapists.

Apart from spine treatments, the clinic also offers Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging (RUSI), a new service whose use in physiotherapy is one of a kind. CGH is the first among hospitals in Singapore to use RUSI for assessment of trunk muscles, an important muscle group that adds stability to the low back and reduces low back pain. At the Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Clinic, our physiotherapy specialists also use Pilates in conjunction with RUSI to enhance its effectiveness.

“Although ultrasound imaging is nothing revolutionary, having been used in other specialities such as O&G, its use in physiotherapy is,” says Hai Yang.