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

Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pain

The use of spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain syndromes is taking an increasing part in the management of these complex and difficult problems. Scientific work support the usefulness of this therapy in the pain due to poor circulation in the legs, angina and neuropathic pain. SCS is a technological intervention and chronic pain is a multidimensional problem including physical and psychological aspects which bear on the likely success of the treatment. SCS aims to stimulate the large sensory nerves in the spinal cord which interfere with the transmission of pain towards the brain along the small pain nerves and it also has affects on the circulation although the exact mechanisms of action are not known.

When used to treat neuropathic pain the treatment can be given intermittently as then the pain relief may last for some hours afterwards, indicating that the stimulate causes changes in the nerve transmissions which can last for some time. SCS may also alter the behaviour of heart nerves and by various mechanisms reduce the pain of angina. Apart from the effects on circulatory problems there is good evidence for effectiveness in nerve root problems and complex regional pain syndrome.

Intervertebral Discs and Ageing

Ageing starts early in the discs and proceeds through life. Initially a loss of proteoglycan occurs, and as these chemicals attract and hold water into the centre of the discs, a degree of loss of hydration steadily occurs. The collagenous tissues lose some of their suppleness and resistance, becoming more brittle and more likely to suffer injury. As the discs have no central blood supply and rely on nutrition and oxygen diffusing in, a limitation of this process will accelerate the degenerative process going on in the disc centres. The tops and bottoms of the vertebrae, the endplates, are cartilage but can become calcified, further reducing supplies to the nucleus inside.

The outer part of the disc, the annulus, has layers of collagen material and these thicken and can develop defects. Overall the central disc material becomes drier, fibrosed and stiffer with a smaller volume as it loses water, throwing compressive forces onto the back of the disc annulus. The annulus becomes both stiffer and weaker with age, the increased stiffness perhaps offset by the increase in defects in the disc wall with time. Studies of discs have shown that they do not generally decrease in height with age.