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

Severe Arm Pain and Physiotherapy

Neck pain is very common but, like sciatica in the leg, severe arm pain is uncommon but distressing for the sufferer. Nerve root conditions are caused typically by compression or inflammation from a disc protrusion near to the nerve exit in the spinal column or by bony encroachment on the same areas in older people. Patients complain of severe pain in the arm, often worse below the elbow and into the hand, with a surging quality which is very unpleasant. Typically patients are not able to sleep with this so appear tired and miserable due to the loss of sleep and constant severe pain.

Physiotherapy management starts with a careful assessment of the neck and arm but this may be severely limited by the severity of the pain and the irritability, the ease by which the condition can be stirred up by minimal input. Initial treatment is aimed at pain relief with analgesia, restriction of aggravating activities and a collar at night to restrict neck movements. Once the pain begins to settle the patient is encouraged to start gentle exercises or the physiotherapist performs mobilisation techniques to put mechanical stresses through the joint to start the process of restoring the area's capacity to cope with stress.

Total Shoulder Replacement

Shoulder replacement is less commonly performed than replacement of the hip or knee but remains a very useful treatment for a variety of shoulder conditions. Osteoarthritis is much less common in the shoulder than in the knee or hip so replacement is more frequently performed for arthritic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and for painful conditions secondary to trauma such as fractures or rotator cuff dysfunction. Replacing the shoulder is a different matter from the main weight bearing joints of the lower limbs which can be thought of as .hard tissue joints.

The shoulder is more of a .soft tissue joint. in that the orientation and sufficiency of the soft tissues are what allows the joint to function properly. Typically the socket is replaced by a plastic socket component and the humeral head by a metal component which has a stem down the humeral shaft. The correct positioning of the humeral head in relation to the soft tissues such as the rotator cuff tendons is vital as if this is not correct then the joint surfaces may be fine but the shoulder will not function correctly. Patients are routinely referred to physiotherapy, initially for range of motion and later for strengthening and functional work.