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Ankle
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Arthritis
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There are two basic types of arthritis: osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Osteoarthritis
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Osteoarthritis is a description of the wear and tear that occurs in joints. Given enough years all joints would eventually become somewhat arthritic, but in certain people certain joints develop premature arthritic changes. This usually occurs in areas where the cartilage is unevenly stressed, the areas that are under most high load will wear down faster e.g. people with poor posture will wear down parts of their spines prematurely. The cartilage that lines the bones within the joints will wear down, leading to loss of space between the joint surfaces. This causes pain and loss of range of movement in many instances. It is not reversible, and will degenerate with time. The symptoms are best treated with movement; exercise e.g. swimming, physiotherapy and strengthening of the muscles which support the joint. The pain is relieved by anti-inflammatories, and ice or heat, depending on what feels best for the joint. If the loss of function, and the pain are severe enough, then joint replacement is considered, but this will be a last resort.
- Rheumatoid arthritis
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Rheumatoid arthritis describes a generalized systemic illness. This affects many joints of the body and many other systems as well. It occurs in stages; an active stage, in which there is an immune reaction, which causes severe inflammation, pain and damage in the joint cartilage of several joints. This stage will be followed by a remission stage in which the joint will settle down, but the damage will remain, and will be seen in the form of deformities, stiffness and muscle wasting. This type of arthritis needs to be properly diagnosed and treated with medication ( various strong anti-inflammatories as well as other substances have been found to be effective). It is usually picked up with a blood test. Movement and exercise in the non- active stage are necessary, to maintain function. There are many different forms of rheumatoid arthritis…. E.g. gout, ankylosing spondylitis, among others.
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Back injuries
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Back pain
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Symptoms can include: Pain referred down your leg, pins and needles anywhere down the leg, Sacroiliitis. We will accurately assess and diagnose the cause of your backache, and treat you based on our findings. We may use movement, mobilization, massage, exercise, traction, electrotherapy or many other modalities, to relieve your symptoms. . Backache could result from many causes: a disc injury, a ligament sprain, among other things, and very unusually, a muscle strain.
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Elbow (including tennis elbow)
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Also known as Golfer's elbow. These very common conditions are the result of a damaged tendon (that which joins the muscle to the bone), either on the inside or the outside of the elbow. They are very effectively treated with physio and acupuncture, but only if seen early. So if you suffer from one of these conditions do not leave it to get really bad before you have it seen to. It is sometimes necessary to treat the neck as well in order to clear the pain in the elbow.more
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Fibromyalgia
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Tenderness, and chronic spasm, in muscles , usually around the spine and shoulders, that lead to the layers of tissues becoming "stuck" down and bound to one another. This leads to dull gnawing type of pain and to loss of mobility in these areas and may lead to a creaking feeling in the tissues with movement, eg shoulder rolling. This type of pain will be worse in times of stress and fatigue, and may also respond to weather changes, being more symptomatic in cold and damp conditions.
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Foot
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Lower leg, ankle and foot conditions. including: Achille's tendonitis, other foot conditions. These injuries we very effectively treat with physiotherapy and specialized rehabilitation. A biomechanical assessment is part of the treatment, to eliminate any intrinsic cause for the injury. The services of a podiatrist may be called upon and we could recommend experts in the field, for their opinion should it be necessary.more
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Headaches
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There are many causes for headaches, but a very large percentage come from the neck, and are therefore able to be treated by physio. Any headache that occurs more than about twice per year, is unlikely to be a true migraine no matter how severe it is and how nauseous it makes you feel, or how many black spots you get in front of your eyes. This is good news because it means it is treatable with physio', unlike a true migraine which can not be cured, only relieved with drugs. Let us assess you and ascertain the cause of your headaches, and take them away for you. (see also Neck)more
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Hip problems
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Knee sprains
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These include: Cruciate ligament sprains, post- surgical -repair rehabilitation, medial or lateral collateral ligament sprains, cartilage (meniscus) damage, knee cap problems (CMP), ITBFS (iliotibial band friction syndrome), Runner's knee. All these are very regularly seen conditions, all of which we treat using exercise therapy, electrotherapy, acupuncture, mobilization, and other modalities. Some conditions require the intervention of an orthopedic surgeon as well, and we have connection with top knee surgeons, who we recommend. more
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Lower back problems
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Lower leg
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Muscle tears
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Any muscle in the body can tear, and has the ability to heal itself, with a scar. However carefully directed physio will ensure that the scar is not too bulky causing problems and pain, and is not too short, limiting function, and heals as fast as possible, with as little loss of muscle strength as possible. An acute tear (one that has just happened), is best treated immediately.
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Neck pain
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Postural Syndrome
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We address this condition using careful assessment of what structures are limiting correction, stretching of those structures which are shortened and strengthening those structures which are weak, and therefore disabling the person from standing better. Education of how to stand correctly is only a small part of the treatment we use, it is more important to make the range of movement needed for good posture available, and then to make the strength required available.
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Rib pain or chest pain
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This pain could result from any of the ribs, their muscles, the vertebrae of the thoracic spine, or any of the other muscles of the chest region, and are all able to be treated by physiotherapy, if properly diagnosed, and seen early.
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Shoulder and shoulder blade pain
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Shoulder pain including: Rotator cuff tendonitis, frozen shoulder, muscle tears. Early diagnosis is important. Most conditions are effectively and quickly cleared with the correct treatment and proper rehabilitation or strengthening of the appropriate muscles. The longer these problems exist however, the more difficult to treat, and the more muscle imbalances will set in. So do consult us early.
Shoulder blade pain. Can include: Upper back pain, sharp pain with breathing or coughing. These pains may either come from the neck being referred, or may come from the upper back joints. These pains are also able to be treated with physio.more
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Sports injuries
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Look for information under the specific part of the body, e.g. ankle, shoulder etc.
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Wrist and hand complaints
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There are numerous conditions that can lead to pain in the wrist or hand. We would need to assess each individual muscle, tendon and joint and there are many in order to ascertain which structure was responsible for the pain or discomfort you were experiencing. Excepting fractures, dislocations or other bone complaints, physio should be able to help most soft tissue injuries of the wrist or hand. 'Carpal tunnel syndrome', if it is actually an entrapped nerve, would not respond to physio, but would require surgery. This condition is frequently misdiagnosed, and is often in fact a neck condition that is referring the symptoms down the nerve into the hand. Therefore before having surgery it is worth your while to have us do a physio assessment to ensure that it is not a neck condition that would respond to physiotherapy( otherwise the surgery will be ineffective!)
More conditions will be added soon.
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