Physiotherapists in Bath treat many different conditions including the issues profiled below.

Stretching and Tightness

We all have a genetically determined stretchiness or tightness to our connective tissues, the skin, tendons, ligaments and discs which are made up of collagen. It is partly the make up of collagen and partly the length of our tendons and ligaments which determine how bendy or tight we are. Mostly the length of our soft tissues is not very important as we are able to function normally with what we have got, but in some cases such as injury or pain conditions the tightness or laxness of our tissues can become an issue. In low back and neck pain syndromes certain structures can become tight and others slack, leading to imbalances in the muscular and joint systems.

Physiotherapists use stretching routinely to correct these imbalances and teach their patients very specific and controlled programmes. For stretching to be effective the action must be taken to the point of tightness, pushed a little further into the resistance and held for 15 seconds or more steadily. Bouncing should be avoided as this does not stretch well and can cause injury. Stretching should feel uncomfortable in the target tissues but not greatly painful and any discomfort should settle quickly once the stretch is removed.

Osgood-Schlatter Disease

Osgood-Schlatter disease is a condition affecting the tibial tuberosity (bony lump just below the kneecap) in children around eight to thirteen years old. It typically affects around 20 percent of athletic children of these ages as compared to less than 5 percent of nonathletic children. It tends to coincide with spurts of growth and is three times more likely in boys rather than girls. In young children the tibial tuberosity or tibial tubercle is formed of cartilage and only ossifies into bone later and it is postulated that repeated traction applied to this area can cause minor fractures or inflammation. This leads to pain on vigorous activities where the quadriceps are involved.

Pain, tenderness and swelling typically develop over the tubercle, exacerbated by activity, but the condition is self-limiting and as the growth plate areas fuse into bone the condition gradually settles. As the athletic young person perform sport, the stresses cause minor fractures in the tendon insertion area, which then heals with bony repair. When this is repeated many times the tibial tubercle may become very prominent and give long term problems with functional activities such as kneeling. Limitation of the aggravating activity or short-term immobilisation is required until the inflammation settles.