Flight Sergeant Andrew Lyes developed a neck and back strain while on operations in Iraq.
The helicopter crew member is on a three-week intensive rehabilitation programme at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire.
The base is home to one of 15 Regional Rehabilitation Units (RRUs) in the UK and Germany treating service personnel with muscle, bone and joint injuries.
“The injury can be painful depending on the amount of flying we do,” says Flight Sergeant Lyes, 35. “If we have a period of not flying the pain goes away. It doesn’t completely go, because an injury has occurred, but it’s greatly reduced.”
He says the staff keep everyone motivated and focused on getting better. “The professional attitude of the physios and the remedial instructors is very good. Their sole focus is on getting you back to full fitness,” he says.
While RAF Halton has treated many service personnel who were injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, most injuries treated at RRUs are sports and training related.
Tailored courses
Leading the treatment is a team of military and civilian physiotherapists and specially trained fitness instructors, known as remedial instructors.
The full-time courses are tightly structured, starting at 9am and finishing at 3pm daily. They combine individual rehabilitation with group-led sessions.
The day begins with cardiovascular exercises followed by one-to-one sessions to focus on the patient’s specific injuries. This is followed by group activities.
Afternoons are devoted to general circuit training, walking or swimming exercises and team games.
“Rehabilitation is tailored to suit the individual and their job,” says unit commander Major Vinny Gallagher.
“Rehabilitation in this setting promotes team spirit and morale, makes a group work well together and motivates the individual.”
While many service personnel who have been injured in Iraq and Afghanistan receive treatment at RAF Halton, the majority of injuries treated at RRUs are sports and training related.
RRUs were set up to provide quick and easy access to rehabilitation for the military with the aim of returning servicemen and women to active duty as soon as possible.
The centre, which caters for 20,000 military personnel in a catchment area between west London and the Welsh border, treats 500 patients a year.
Facilities include a spacious gym equipped with the latest exercise apparatus (cross trainers, cycling machines, mini-trampolines, exercise balls, treadmills and resistance machines) and a 33-metre swimming pool.
Fast recovery
RRUs have been shown to reduce the number of patients requiring surgery.
This kind of non-invasive treatment reduces the risks associated with surgery and promotes faster recovery.
However, surgery may be necessary, and funding is available to allow patients who require simple mechanical surgery to receive it promptly.
After surgery, which might involve removing scar tissue from the knee, repairing anterior cruciate ligament damage or shoulder stabilisation, patients are sent for rehabilitation at an RRU.
“Our target for surgical patients is to get them fit for duties within six to nine months of their operation,” says Major Gallagher.
Most patients are referred to an RRU by their military GP if the injury is considered too complex for a GP or local health services to treat.
The sports doctors and imaging equipment at RRUs mean expert diagnosis for injuries can be provided. If the injury can't be treated at the RRU, the patient can be referred to the Ministry of Defence's rehabilitation unit at Headley Court in Surrey.
The development of the RRUs has allowed Headley Court to focus on the more complex rehabilitation cases.
Close to home
The idea of RRUs is to treat injured service personnel more quickly and closer to their military units and homes.
“The patients’ sole duty during their time at the RRU is rehabilitation,” says Major Gallagher. “This protected period allows them to concentrate on getting back to full fitness during their three weeks' stay, without any distractions.”
A junior technician, who can't be named for operational reasons, says the full-time rehabilitation has made a real difference to the speed of his recovery.
“Before, I was getting an hour a week with the physio and then going back to work,” he says.
“You try and do a lot in your own time, but there’s no way that can compare with what a physio can do. A physio is trained and you see them regularly. They can help you improve so much better than you can on your own.”
The provision of rehabilitation is being extended to operational theatres such as Afghanistan so that service personnel can be treated close to their unit.
“Delivering first-class rehabilitation on the frontline means the injured soldier can return to service much quicker than if he or she had to return home,” says Major Gallagher.
This means, in future, patients such as Flight Sergeant Lyes can be treated without being separated from colleagues on the frontline.
