A neurological condition can lead to a range of problems including weakness, significant muscle tightness (spasticity), stiffness, altered sensation, dizziness, pain, difficulty with thinking and memory, fatigue and reduced coordination or balance. All of these may change the way you move, manage your daily activities or communicate.
At the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery we offer range of specialised therapy services for patients with problems arising from conditions or injury affecting the brain, spinal cord and nerves. We are here to support you throughout your rehabilitation journey, whether as an inpatient, outpatient or within your own home (domiciliary therapy).
The neurological therapies team at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery is comprised of a team of highly specialist HCPC1-registered* therapists with extensive experience in treating people with a wide range of neurological and neurosurgical conditions.
*Health and Care Professionals Council
Martha Lipman
Martha is a highly specialist physiotherapist in neurosciences, with a decade of experience in physiotherapy and rehabilitation.
After being awarded a first class honours BSc in Physiotherapy, Martha worked at Bristol Royal Infirmary teaching hospital, before joining the therapy team at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in 2020.
Her experience includes stroke rehabilitation and rapid assessment, neurosurgical and neuromedical critical care, post neurosurgical recovery, spinal rehabilitation, complex neurological rehabilitation, upper limb rehabilitation, multiple sclerosis management, FES and orthotics, Parkinson’s, and spasticity management.
Martha’s work includes the use of specialist orthotic equipment and technologies, such as AFO orthoses, and functional electrical astimulation for upper and lower limbs to treat peripheral limb weakness. Martha is a clinical Pilates practitioner and loves entwining her clinical skills, elements of precision and Pilates training principles to create targeted individual rehabilitation plans for her patients.
She has a special interest in vestibular physiotherapy and treating balance impairments, and is also involved in cutting edge rehabilitation trials and research at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Alex Dungavel
With over a decade of experience in neurological and spinal rehabilitation, Alex Dungavel is an expert in the field of physiotherapy.
After earning a BSc in physiotherapy in 2014, Alex started working at University College Hospital before taking on a specialist role at the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery 8 years ago. During this time she also spent a year at the London Spinal Cord Injury Unit at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
Alex’s experience includes post-neurosurgical recovery, management of functional neurological symptoms, spinal rehabilitation, and neuromuscular condition management, such as cough augmentation. Her work includes innovative approaches to stroke rehabilitation and the use of cutting-edge technologies like Bioness, a wireless Functional Electrical Stimulation system designed to treat foot drop.
Alex has a special interest in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), and in 2024 Alex was invited to speak at the Roche SMA Forum, where she presented on jaw rehabilitation for individuals with SMA.
We offer a range of therapies to support you with your neurorehabilitation, including:
Physiotherapy - this involves assessing and treating any difficulties you may have with movement, balance and mobility, with the aim of improving your independence and quality of life. We may use approaches like exercise programmes, the provision of aids or splinting/orthotic devices or gait re-education to help you to return to a level of movement that will allow you to live as fully as possible.
Neurological physiotherapy can help you:
- Regain function you have lost
- Improve your independence in managing day-to-day tasks
- Gain strength and stamina
- Improve your control of your movements
- Move more efficiently, leaving you with more energy to do other things
- Improve your balance
- Get fit through cardiovascular exercise
- Become more flexible
- Improve your walking, be it speed, stability and/or distance.
Speech and language therapy (SLT) – this involves assessing and managing any communication, eating, drinking or swallowing difficulties.
- Communication problems may include difficulties in forming or finding words, processing language, reading and/or writing, or changes to your social communication skills. Our speech and language therapists can work closely with you and your family or carer, to directly target these problems. We are able to identify the most appropriate strategies for you and support you in improving your functional communication to maximise your quality of life.
- Swallowing problems (dysphagia) include difficulties in the physical process of eating and/or drinking. Our speech and language therapists can assess your swallow function and, if appropriate, offer you a targeted rehabilitation programme for your dysphagia. We can also offer support in identifying the best consistency of food or fluids for you and support you with using swallow strategies to facilitate safe and comfortable eating and drinking.
Occupational therapy – this involves assessing and treating your physical and cognitive function in daily activities, which may include activities like washing and dressing, using a computer or mobile phone, returning to work and fatigue management.
We can advise you about equipment to aid your day-to-day living, or adaptations to your home and carer support. Our aim is to improve your independence and quality of life.
All of our treatment programmes are personalised to help you to maximise your potential and return to independent living wherever possible.
We can offer inpatient therapy as part of your recovery from any neurological treatment you have at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Referrals to the inpatient therapy team can be made by your medical and nursing teams. We can then complete a therapy assessment with you and jointly agree a treatment plan, which will determine the amount and timing of your therapy sessions.
Once you have been discharged from our inpatient therapy team, our physiotherapy team are able to offer you private outpatient physiotherapy at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and also therapy at home within inner London boroughs.
We offer outpatient physiotherapy at The Queen Square Private Consulting Rooms. If you live within inner London zones 1-3, we are also able to offer home based assessment and treatment. If you live outside this area, please get in touch and we can see if we can help. We are also able to offer virtual consultations across the UK and internationally.
Outpatient appointments can be made by your consultant or GP, or you can self-refer.