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

Patellar Dislocation

The patella is a small bone embedded in the tendon of the quadriceps muscle which is the main power muscle controlling the knee. The patella has two facets at a slight angle on its under surface which articulate with the femoral condyles, the large rounded ends of the thigh bone at the knee. The outside femoral condyles is slightly larger in a frontwards direction and helps act to hold the patella in place. Due to the angle of the thigh bone coming down from the hip and then joining the tibia which is horizontal there is a bowstring effect as the quadriceps muscle contracts, pulling the kneecap sideways.

If the person rotates their leg with their weight on the foot, the sideways force on the kneecap can be enough to force it outwards over the condyle ridge and off its joint surface completely. This is immediately extremely painful and if the person straightens their knee the patella usually relocates itself automatically. Because the tissues on the inside of the knee have been stretched and torn as the kneecap dislocated the knee is usually kept straight in a splint or plaster for a few weeks to allow this area to tighten up as it heals.

Rotator Cuff Tears

The rotator cuff is the stabilising group of muscles which maintain the precise relationship between the head of the arm bone and the shoulder socket. They travel from the shoulder blade and pass towards the head of the humerus, become more tendon like as they go until they insert into the bony protuberance on the outside of the humeral head, known as the greater tuberosity. Rotator cuff dysfunction is common and can be secondary to trauma but is much more commonly due to the effects of age. .Grey hair equals cuff tear. is a surgeon.s saying when an older person presents with shoulder pain.

The rotator cuff tendons change with time and may suffer from areas of reduced blood supply due to anatomical and impingement factors, increasing the likelihood of tears developing and reducing its ability to heal. Tears can vary from small splits in one tendon to huge tears in the whole of the tendon sheet of the combined rotator cuff with complete dysfunction of the shoulder complex. Pain can be considerable apart from the inability to raise the arm against gravity and sleep can be badly affected. Rotator cuff repair can be performed for most tears but the process is painful and takes many months to rehabilitate.