PHYSIOTHERAPY & MASSAGE THERAPY CLINIC BASED IN HARROW, NORTHWOOD AND ACROSS GREATER LONDON

  • I broke my ankle and since they took the cast off. I can barely move my foot and ankle. Is this common?
    Your experience is very common and we have designed rehabilitation programmes to help you with your mobility and building muscle strength so if you follow them your ankle should return to its pre-injury condition. What you describe arose because of your foot and leg being immobilised within the cast. The muscle fibres shortened and the injury to the bone and surrounding tissue may have changed the way the soft tissue (muscles and tendons) work and move. Be patient and comply to your structured rehab programme and everything should be fine.
  • Why is my achilles tendon really sore after playing tennis?
    Achilles tendon problems are especially common in people who take part in sports. Tendon problems account for almost 30 percent of al running injuries and 40 percent of all tennis injuries. Tendon pain is not restricted to the sporting arena it can even be caused from change of shoes, shoe heal height or incorrect walking technique. Ageing can also cause the tissues in the tendon to break down or degenerate causing a chronic problem which is referred to as tendonosis, which means inflammation of the tendon. We can find ways to relieve the pain and most people we see with chronic tendon problems do resume their normal activities. Reduction in activity is usually advised to give the body time to heal and for the time being you should only take part in activities that don't put strain on the injuried tendon. It may be that you would benefit a course of physio and from a orthotic to reduce the strain on your tendon.
  • How can I exercise when my back hurts and I am feeling so tired?
    You may not feel like exercising especially if your back is hurting but a properly designed exercise regime has been proven to be beneficial for both problems: back pain and fatigue! Exercise is a great stress reliever and has many, many other health benefits too. So keeping up a daily exercise habit will benefit your back and much more!

    Research shows over and over that exercise helps to reduce low back pain (LBP). Positive results are reported when exercise is done correctly and on a regular basis. In our experience patients with chronic LBP who exercise have better function with less pain than lose who don't exercise at all.

    If your pain continues to return despite regular physical activity and exercise, you may need some specific type of exercise such as core training to stabilise the trunk and spine. We can help you with specific exercises you can follow everyday at home, which will make all the difference.
  • Can you do anything to prevent Osteoporosis?
    We can't prevent it from occurring but we can do a lot to slow down the process. At about the age of 25, you hit peak bone mass. As an adult, you can help maintain this peak bone mass by staying active and eating a diet with enough calories, calcium and vitamin D. Maintaining this bone mass, unfortunately, gets more difficult as we get older. In women, the loss of oestrogen at menopause can cause the bones to lose density very rapidly. It is not common knowledge that Osteoporosis also affect 1in 12 men.

    As people are living longer bone fractures caused by osteoporosis have become very prevalent. Half of all bone fractures are related to osteoporosis. Sadly the statistics show that a person with a hip fracture has 20 percent chance of dying within six months as a result of fracture. The exercises we prescribe will particularly focus on activities that help to increase the strength in your bone, as well as exercises that help to maintain your balance. We will educate you on proper posture, teach you safe ways of moving and lifting, and to provide you with exercises you can do at home to help reduce a decline in bone density and prevent fractures.
  • What's the best way to treat a frozen shoulder?
    We see many people especially between the ages of 40-60 years of age who have developed a case of shoulder pain and stiffness. If your condition is caught early on hopefully it will respond well to physiotherapy and turned around without the need for surgery. The first step is to reduce pain and interrupt the inflammatory cycle. Then keeping full shoulder and scapular (shoulder blade) motion is a priority. This can be done with modalities such as electrical stimulation, joint mobilisation and gentle stretching techniques which are used to encourage the joint to slide and glide smoothly and to prevent scar tissue from forming.
  • How long will it take my hamstring injury to heal?
    This is will depend on the severity of the injury. Hamstring tears range from grade one injuries which are simple muscle pulls that do not result in much damage to the the tissues. Grade two injuries are partial tears and grade three injuries which are complete rupture of the muscle. Incomplete or improper healing makes re-injury much more likely so it's very important to treat and rehabilitate your hamstring injury correctly and not return to full activity too soon.

    Although every patient recovers at a different rate, as a general rule, for minor muscle pulls, you may need two to four weeks to safely get back to your activities. For more severe muscle tears, you may need rehabilitation for two or three months, with complete healing possibly taking up to four to six months. The good news is that most hamstring injuries get better with the correct treatment and rehabilitation.