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

The Curves of the Spine

A quick look at anyone's spine from the side clearly indicates that the spine is not a dead straight structure but has a series of curve. There are four spinal curves, the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral. The neck curve begins to develop when the young child starts to try and lift the head up to look around, while the lumbar curve may be secondary to an upright gait. During walking the curves vary in regular amounts and this may be so that the spine can absorb and release energy, allowing the curves to be increased and decreased rather than the spine just suffers compression. This makes the curve system a form of shock absorber.

During the gait cycles the large muscles of the abdomen and back are working hard to stop large changes in the spinal curves occurring as this would adversely affect stability, and it is these tendons that the energy is stored which would otherwise just be applied to the spine. Walking involves jarring up and down movements which could be harmful if they were transmitted up through the spine and arrived at the head. These forces are lessened by the absorption of forces which the curves provide.

Physiotherapy and Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is a troublesome and often chronic pain condition which affects the tendon and bone junctions of the forearm muscles near the elbow. It appears to be a tendinopathy, in other words a degenerative condition of the tendon rather than an inflammatory one. Pain can come on after an overuse of the arms such as a lot of painting, cleaning windows, gardening or racket sports. Elbow pain can be very disabling as it affects everything the person does with their arms and can limit employment and leisure activities. Physiotherapy examination starts with the history of the condition and what uses the patient makes of their arms in their job or at home.

Treatment involves reducing the aggravating stresses on the tendons by changing the way or frequency of activities and by applying an epicondylitis clasp around the forearm which may be helpful by realigning the angles of pull of the forearm muscles away from the painful areas. Deep transverse frictions can be applied by the physio to the painful area and they may also apply ultrasound to the area to reduce inflammation and scarring. Stretches and eccentric movements can be performed to reduce the pain.