Low back & sciatica
Pain that bites when you bend, sit through a meeting or get out of the car. We screen for nerve involvement before anything gets loaded.
Assessment · Hands-on treatment · Rehab
We find out what the pain is doing, then we train it out
Open Lumen is a physiotherapy clinic for people who want a reason behind every exercise. One hour to assess properly, hands-on work where it helps, and a written plan with the markers you progress against.
60-minute first visit
Enough time to test the joint properly instead of guessing from a description of the pain.
No referral needed
Come straight to us. We write to your GP or surgical team only when you ask us to.
What we treat
Find the description that sounds like your week
These are the presentations we see most. Read the detail rather than the label — it is usually closer to how the problem actually behaves.
Neck, jaw & headaches
Desk-shaped stiffness, one-sided headaches that build through the afternoon, and jaw tension you notice first thing in the morning.
Shoulder & elbow
Reaching overhead hurts, lying on that side wakes you, or grip gives out on doors and kettles. Usually a loading problem, not a rest problem.
Knee & hip rebuild
Post-ACL work, an irritable meniscus, hip pinching at depth, and the unglamorous route back to full squats and stairs two at a time.
Running & load injuries
Shin, calf, achilles or heel pain that arrives at a predictable distance. We look at your mileage pattern as closely as your calf strength.
Post-op & post-fracture
Staged rehab after repair, replacement or time in a boot or sling, kept in step with the protocol your surgical team has set.
Your first visit
What the first hour actually involves
No mystery and no upselling. Here is the sequence every new patient goes through, and what you walk out holding.
Before you arrive
Tell us in the booking note when the pain started and what reliably makes it worse. Wear or bring shorts and a vest top — we need to watch the joint move.
Assessment
History first, then a movement screen: range, strength, control and the one or two tests that reproduce your pain so we can measure it again later.
Treatment, same day
Manual work, dry needling or taping where it genuinely helps, then two or three exercises rehearsed with you until the technique holds.
The written plan
Your stages, the markers that let you progress, what to expect week by week, and an honest estimate of how many sessions it should take.
How treatment runs
Screen it, then build the capacity back
Screening, not guesswork
We test movement under load rather than treating whatever is tender. That means your first session produces numbers — degrees, repetitions, and the distance before symptoms begin.
- Range and control compared side to side
- Strength tested at the angle that actually hurts
- Nerve screening where symptoms travel
- A repeatable marker test to re-check each visit
Capacity, not just comfort
Pain settling is the first milestone, not the finish line. The back half of every plan rebuilds the tissue tolerance that made the problem possible in the first place.
- Progressive loading with written targets
- Two or three exercises at a time, never a long list
- Return-to-sport or return-to-work criteria agreed up front
- A maintenance block once you are discharged
Sessions
Appointment types and how long they take
Pick the one that fits. If you choose wrong, we will tell you at the start and adjust rather than rush.
Initial assessment
Full history, movement screen, first treatment and the written plan. The starting point for every new problem.
60 minFollow-up treatment
Re-test your marker, hands-on work where it is still useful, and the next progression of your exercises.
40 minRehab gym session
Coached loading in the gym with a clinician on the floor. Best once pain is settled and technique is the limiting factor.
45 minRunning gait review
Treadmill filming, cadence and footstrike notes, calf and hip strength testing, plus a reworked weekly mileage plan.
60 minPost-operative block
A staged series booked in advance so the schedule matches your surgical protocol instead of whatever slots are left.
StagedAppointments run to time, so we start on the hour and finish on the hour. If you are running late, come anyway — we will use what is left of the slot well.
Clinicians
Two physiotherapists, different specialisms
Tell us what is going on and we will put you with the right one. Both work across the week, including early mornings.
Mara Vellis
Lead physiotherapist
Mara works mostly with spines and post-operative knees. She is deliberate about explaining what a test showed before suggesting what to do about it, and she will happily write to your surgical team.
- Focus
- Lumbar and cervical pain, post-ACL and knee replacement rehab, persistent pain
- In clinic
- Monday to Thursday, from 07:30
Ivo Trahn
Physiotherapist & rehab lead
Ivo runs the rehab gym and the gait reviews. He is the one to see if your injury is tied to training load, and he is blunt about how long tendons take to respond.
- Focus
- Running and tendon injuries, shoulder loading, return-to-sport testing
- In clinic
- Tuesday to Saturday, gym sessions on Saturday mornings
Visiting
Hours and the practical details
- Monday – Thursday
- 07:30 – 19:30
- Friday
- 07:30 – 16:00
- Saturday
- 08:00 – 13:00, rehab gym only
- Sunday
- Closed
-
Getting in
Step-free entrance with a lift to the treatment rooms. Tell us in your booking note if you are arriving on crutches or in a boot and we will meet you at the door.
-
What to bring
Shorts and a vest top, trainers if your problem shows up when you run, and any scan report or surgical letter you already have.
-
Insurance and paperwork
We complete claim forms and progress reports the same day, and we will send a copy to your GP, consultant or coach whenever you ask us to.
-
Changing plans
Move or cancel up to 12 hours before your appointment at no cost. Early-morning slots are in demand, so the earlier you tell us, the better.
Questions
The things people ask before booking
Do I need a referral from my GP?
No. Physiotherapy is direct access here, so you can book an assessment yourself. If your insurer requires a referral before they will fund treatment, check with them first — and if we think you need a scan or a medical opinion, we will say so and write the letter.
How many sessions will I need?
You will get an honest estimate at the end of the first visit, once we have seen how the problem behaves. Simple joint irritations often settle in three or four sessions. Tendon problems and post-operative rehab are measured in months, and we would rather tell you that on day one.
Will treatment hurt?
Some tests have to reproduce your pain, otherwise we are not measuring anything useful — but you decide how far that goes, and we stop when you say stop. Hands-on work should feel firm rather than sharp, and mild soreness for a day afterwards is normal.
What should I wear?
Shorts for anything below the waist and a vest top for shoulders, neck or back. There is a changing room with showers if you are coming straight from work or training.
Can you work alongside my surgeon or coach?
Yes, and it usually makes the plan better. Bring the protocol or training schedule you have been given and we will build around it, then send progress notes back so everyone is working from the same timeline.
Do you offer dry needling, and is it extra?
We use dry needling when the assessment suggests it will help, and it is included in the session rather than charged separately. It is always optional, and plenty of plans never need it.
I am pregnant or managing another condition — can you still treat me?
In most cases yes. Tell us about pregnancy, recent surgery, blood pressure or heart conditions, diabetes, or anything you take medication for in your booking note. It changes how we test and load, not whether we can help.
Book an assessment
Tell us what is going on
Send the short version and we will come back with the next suitable times. The more specific you are about what makes the pain worse, the better we can match you to the right clinician.
- We reply with real appointment options, not a callback promise
- Early-morning and post-work slots are released each week
- Not sure which session you need? Say so and we will advise