Posts Tagged ‘Physiotherapy’

Physiotherapy and Back Exercises

The cost of low back pain to society is very great, with high financial costs in terms of lost income, lost production and time off work and the costs of medical and physiotherapy and other treatments. This is apart from the personal consequences of the loss of one’s work or job role, loss of the ability to do normal activities and the pain itself. Many back pain treatments have been developed, most of which do not have high levels of effectiveness, and much is down to self management. An exercise programme has been shown to be an important aspect of this and this includes stability work, gym or aerobic exercise and lumbar and pelvic ranges of movement.

Joint ranges of movement are not obvious to most of us but are vital to our ability to perform day to day activities. The shoulder is an important example of a highly functional joint which allows us to place our hands in front of our vision so we can perform precise actions. To do this it has a very large range of movement, allowing us to put our arms behind the back, behind the neck and right above the head. A joint can change due to illness or injury with various effects from loss of joint movement, looseness of the ligaments or damage to the joint surfaces themselves. Read more…

Ankle Sprain Physiotherapy Treatment

Sprained ankles are very common and repeated sprains can lead to a swollen, painful ankle, problems walking on rough ground and the risk of re-injury. The physiotherapist begins with asking: How did the injury occur? Was there a high level of force involved? What happened afterwards – could the patient walk or did they go to hospital? Was there an x-ray?

The amount of pain the patient suffered after the injury is extremely important and if the level of pain is very high or if it doesn’t settle, there might be a fracture. Pain should settle with time and if not the physio will refer the patient back to the orthopaedic doctor. The areas of pain should match the mechanism of injury, indicate which structures might be injured and should be tested by the physiotherapist later. Read more…

Shoulder Rotator Cuff Disease – Physiotherapy

The rotator cuff is a musculotendinous cuff which surrounds the humeral head and through which the shoulder stabilising and movement muscles exert their forces onto the shoulder. The cuff enables us to put our shoulder through a very large range of motion, the greatest range of any joint in the body, for the purpose of putting our hands in functional positions. The shoulder\’s function is to allow our hands to be put in useful positions within our visual field so we can perform the intricate activities that define being human to a degree.

As the muscles approach their insertions on the humeral head they become more and more fibrous until they become wholly tendinous. Many bodily tendons are cylindrical and long but the shoulder tendons are flatter structures which coalesce over the top of the humeral head. The rotator cuff has a relatively poor blood supply and little or no ability to heal and with time and physical stresses tears appear which are often painful but not always so. Rotator cuff tears are a major part of a shoulder surgeon\’s work and rotator cuff surgery is common, complex and demands detailed physiotherapy follow up for successful outcomes. Read more…

Treating Lumbar Spinal Pain by Physiotherapy

Low back pain is very common and most people have some experience of a back pain episode at some time of life. Attendances at physiotherapy clinics for low back pain are very high so physios have a variety of assessment and treatment techniques to manage spinal pain and improve patients’ function.

A serious medical condition such as cancer or infection is a very uncommon cause of back pain, but several medical problems can present this way and physiotherapists need to be aware of this so they can refer the patient on to the appropriate doctor. The physio will ask about past medical history (cancer, arthritis, diabetes, epilepsy), any loss of weight or appetite, bladder and bowel control, feeling unwell, sleep disturbance and worse pain when lying down to sleep. Read more…

Physiotherapy – Joint Position Sense

The human sensory system is designed to give us the information we need to manage the challenges of the world. We take in vast amounts of information every minute of the day, much of it not relevant, the brain deciding what is important and what is not. We are familiar with vision, hearing and touch and consciously and unconsciously use the incoming information to guide our actions and responses in daily life. However, there are two more sensory input systems, related to the others, which are vital to normal functioning. These are the sensory feedback we get from our bodies and the joint position sense.

Profound loss of sensory input is more common than we think as it happens every time we get a numb, dead feeling arm when we wake up. When I woke up with my arm completely numb I moved if off my chest grumpily twice until I began to understand, by feeling the arm gradually from the elbow up, that it was my own arm I was trying to get rid of. The loss of sensibility was so great that as far as I was concerned the arm did not exist and therefore must have belonged to someone else. Without our sensory input we are limited in our abilities. Read more…

Handling and Physiotherapy Management of Lacerated Achilles Tendon

Physiotherapy and Medical Treatment of Achilles Tendon Rupture
by Jonathan Blood-Smyth

The largest and the strongest tendon in the body is the Achilles tendon in the distal posterior calf. Typical patients with Achilles tendon rupture are men in good health from 30-50 years old and who have not suffered major injuries or any kind of difficulty with the leg before. Rupture occurs typically in people who have not been recently active and who may indulge in infrequent physical activity such as playing weekend sport, players known as “weekend warriors”. Read more…

Physiotherapy Advice For Tennis Players

Tennis is enjoyed by people of all ages and with more and more indoor courts springing up around the country it’s no longer confined to the summer months. Whether you play tennis competitively or just for fun and exercise, there are a few important things to follow to keep you in good health and free from injury. Physiotherapy has long been associated with physical movement and well-being and it can educate you in these matters. Here are a few things to consider.
First up, if you are new to the game it’s worth a visit to the GP before you pick up a racquet. Any existing conditions or physical problems should be assessed by a medical doctor to ensure your body is going to be able to cope with a higher level of activity. If you already have an injury, visit a physiotherapist to help get you back into a good physical state and then ask them for advice about exercises that can help you prepare for tennis. Read more…

BUPA Puts Pressure on Physiotherapy

BUPA’s introduction of its recent tender process has caused anger and grave concern amongst private physiotherapists. BUPA is the largest private medical insurer in the UK and has been reviewing orthopaedic services recently, now moving on to the reported inequalities in private physiotherapy services. BUPA’s intentions are stated to be to look at the alleged inequalities in quality, cost and customer service in physiotherapy provision across the country. Six thousand physiotherapists have been effectively requested to enter a price competition to be allocated BUPA patients.

BUPA has asked physiotherapists and practices to complete the online tender process by Friday 24th April, covering information about customer services, quality, the practice and the base prices they can offer. Only if approved will they be granted the status of BUPA Approved Physiotherapy Provider. BUPA stated wish is to provide their customers with proven quality physiotherapy at a fair price and close to where they live. There is also a drive to standardise the length of sessions albeit with consideration of clinical variables and to set sessional benchmark rates. Read more…

Tmj Physiotherapy – The Importance Of Physiotherapy

Tmj Physiotherapy

If pain is a problem subsequently physiotherapy is the solution. Study and experiences confirm that physiotherapy has kept on a exceptionally effective tool against pains and injuries ranging out of less significant to major. Hence the prescription of physiotherapy can never be a wrong one in situation of curing pain or injury. Tmj Physiotherapy

In case when a joint complication is to be dealt with by the help of physiotherapy, a physiotherapist may twist or fold the limbs having infirmities into positions which are not usually posed i.e. contortion may be the part of physiotherapeutic treatment. Read more…

Physiotherapy Q & A: Four Things To Know Before Your First Physiotherapy Visit

If you have never been to see a physiotherapist, you may be a little unsure or uneasy about what to expect during your initial visit. Your age, extent of pain and preferred treatment procedure may have a direct bearing on the type of physiotherapy you can expect to receive. Your course of treatment really depends on the age and intensity of the your injury.

Below is a short overview of what you will encounter on your initial visit to the physiotherapist:

Should I speak with a physician before setting up time with a physiotherapist? Read more…