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

Examination of the Injured Wrist

Initial examination of a person with a wrist injury involves visual inspection of the wrist compare to the other one, as some people have relatively abnormal wrist structure and limited movements. Bruising and swelling may be present as may be one of the typical deformities due to fractures of the distal forearm bones. Palpation of the bony anatomy systematically allows a closer determination of the location of any acute injury such as a fracture. The typical deformity of a Colles fracture is the so-called .dinner fork. deformity where the end of the wrist is angled upwards and the fingers form the prongs of the fork.

In the Smith fracture where the end of the wrist is pushed downwards the deformity is known as a .garden spade. deformity. It is important to examine the remainder of the upper limb including the shoulder, elbow and wrist to exclude other injuries or fractures, with the patient's report of where they have pain a very useful guide. The patency of the arterial systems in the forearm and arm are also assessed as vascular damage can occur from fracture fragments. The three nerves which pass down the arm and supply the feeling and muscles of the hand should also assessed for damage.

Physiotherapy and TENS

TENS or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is a technique of treatment used for pain conditions of various kinds. A small, battery powered device is used to generate the signals which pass down wires to electrodes which adhere to the patient.s skin, with the frequency of the signals and their duration and repetition rates all adjustable. Electrodes, with four at least being best, can be placed around the areas of pain or along the specific nerve tracts which relate to the pain condition in a trial and error manner until the best technique for the patient is found.

TENS works on the idea of sending signals down the main sensory nerves in the painful area and when these signals reach the spinal cord they act as inhibitory factors on the transmission of pain in the spinal cord. The effect is similar to rubbing the damaged area when we bump ourselves hard on something. It reduces the pain and if we stop we will feel the pain come flooding back. Around 30 percent of people find TENS helpful for a variety of pain conditions. TENS is also used in labour as a non-drug alternative for pain relief in childbirth.