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

Joint Position Sense (JPS)

Joint position sense, also called proprioception, is the ability of the brain to sense the positions of the joints and segments of the body and the degree of muscle contraction being exerted at any point in time. It is a precise sense and we rely on it to move about accurately, with loss of the JPS causing us significant difficulties. The brain relies on the incoming information from the muscles, ligaments and joints to understand where the body is and thereby to plan what the next movement requires in terms of direction and muscle activity.

Loss of any degree of proprioception causes the person significant problems with understanding where they are and how to perform the next movement safely and successfully. It is much more disabling than a loss of muscle power alone and requires that they pay much more visual attention to their position and the outcomes of each new attempted movement. Physiotherapists work routinely with people with proprioceptive loss to restore this sense after operation or stroke. Gym exercises prescribed by physios include standing on a wobble board and performing activities such as bouncing and catching a ball against a wall. Restoration of JPS is vital before return to sport.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Sprain (ACL)

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee joint which stabilise the joint against inappropriate movement in all directions. The ACL crosses the joint from above to below and prevents the tibia (shin bone) from slipping forwards under the condyles of the femur or thigh bone. It is a very strong ligament and very important for knee stability in activities and sports. It is most commonly injured in non-contact situations when the person is changing direction quickly such as in cutting or side-stepping in sport but can also be injured in tackles and other interactions involving another person.

Many people who have had an ACL injury report that they heard their knee go .pop. at the time, accompanied by a severe pain and an inability to weight bear on the limb. The knee typically swells up very quickly, within minutes or hours, as it fills with blood from the injury due to the rupture of the blood vessels in the ligament. Initial treatment is to splint the knee and perhaps remove some of the blood from the joint by a needle. Due to the risk of arthritis developing, the main treatment is almost always surgical reconstruction of the ligament.