Anand Sivayogam & Lee Char Ling, Directors, MoveFree Physiotherapy
Recovering from a major accident, or reeling from a life-changing disease diagnosis can be a complex, emotional, and winding journey. Especially for patients with injuries and elderly patients who had bone diseases and underwent orthopedic surgeries, the road to recovery often becomes bumpy or filled with detours and a range of emotional issues. This often leads to loss of mobility which largely interrupts their daily life and activities and impairs their quality of life. Thus, to help patients achieve pain-free movement and reinstate their physical abilities, coordination, and balance via a wide range of therapies, MoveFree Physiotherapy, a leading rehabilitation center in Singapore came into existence. Since its inception in 2019, MoveFree Physiotherapy has helped numerous patients relieve their pain.
It all started when two enthusiastic physiotherapists, who were working together for 7 years in a private hospital sensed the need to introduce a patient-specific, evidence-based and empathetic approach for more holistic healing. They started their 1st branch with just 3 staff in 2019, which has now grown to 3 branches with over 10 staff in 2022. Today, MoveFree Physiotherapy offers a wide array of services including pain management, injury management, sports physiotherapy, post-operative rehabilitation, neurological rehabilitation, and geriatric rehabilitation. Its highly experienced physiotherapists are trained to deliver effective treatments to achieve excellent outcomes for a multitude of acute and chronic conditions. “As per our motto, ‘move free, live happy’, we do not just treat the injury/pain, we craft an individualistic treatment plan to help patients attain their quality of life and bring them back to their fullest physical ability possible,” affirms Anand Sivayogam, the Director at MoveFree Physiotherapy.
Delivering Effective Treatments for a Multitude of Acute and Chronic Conditions
When it comes to pain, Movefree believes that one treatment approach won’t be a fit for all conditions and individuals and hence its therapists are specially trained to assess chronic pain and provide individualized treatment options. Movefree is also specialized in treating both acute and repetitive strain injuries. It has designed a special assessment tool to identify both causes and contributing factors of different sports injuries. Movefree understands that the true success of surgery highly depends on post-operative care. Thus, it assists patients in their post-operative care journey and helps them fully regain their strength, flexibility, and function. Its physiotherapists are familiar with the treatment protocols prescribed by most Orthopedic surgeons in Singapore. In addition, the organization also provides neurological rehabilitation for conditions like Parkinsons and stroke. While restorative rehabilitation is targeted to improve the strength, range of motion (ROM), functional performance, and endurance and to prevent falls or secondary complications of the Parkinsonism group, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) and Bobath concepts are used by the organization to promote recovery from stroke. As falls are one of the common causes of injuries among the elderly in Singapore, Movefree offers an intervention program to improve the balance of the elderly based on an accurate assessment of their deficits and personalized balance training as a part of its geriatric rehabilitation & fall prevention program.
Adopting a Collaborative and Patient-Centered Approach
Movefree’s physiotherapists are highly trained and qualified professionals committed to improving the quality of life of patients by making them move free of pain. The organization always strives to keep up with the current research findings while periodically updating its technology and assessment tools, such as a computerized gait analysis system to improve treatment outcomes. “Our teammates, from receptionists to therapists welcome our patients with warm hearts, listening ears, and empathy to firstly understand their condition. Then we carefully craft a treatment protocol to alleviate their symptoms,” opines Anand. As the session progresses, it tailors the treatment plans according to the needs of the individual, to ensure that they can return to their normal activities.
Keeping Empathy at the Core of its Operation
At Movefree, its dedicated team is keenly aware of the importance of empathy in the patient recovery process. Thus, its care delivery program is based on a deep understanding of patients’ pre-surgical, surgical, and post-op recovery needs, expectations, and potential anxieties. “It is critical to understand the patient’s problems from their point of view. Many times, pain is not only due to physical trauma, but it could be also enhanced by psychological factors, such as anxiety/stress.,” elucidates Anand.
The therapists at Movefree are well-equipped to identify the root cause of the problem and give the most appropriate patient-centered treatment. Apart from this, its multi-lingual communication ability enables it to make sure that its patients are well-educated about their treatment. It gives them the confidence to go about their activities without fear.
Aspire To Focus On Prevention Strategies
In the future, Movefree aims to focus on prevention strategies to complement its treatment. “We would like to reach out to different sectors of people, such as office workers, sports enthusiasts, and elderly people, and educate them on the common injuries that they might encounter in their daily lives. For example, desk-bound workers are prone to get neck pain and lower back pain, due to poor postures and ergonomics. We would like to educate them on what can be done to prevent such problems,” adds Anand.
Forging ahead, the organization also plans to collaborate in activities organized by the Singapore sports council/community sectors to spread awareness on physiotherapy treatments and prevention strategies. “We strive for all to move free, live happy,” asserts Anand on a concluding note.