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

Physiotherapy for Acute Neck Pain

Some physiotherapists perform manipulations on patients with acute neck pain and the evidence supports manipulation as a useful treatment for acute neck pain in that it reduces the time of pain and disability. A few sessions of this kind of treatment should kick start the process of improvement and long term treatment with manipulation is not recommended. Mobilisation techniques, a less forceful form of manipulation, are frequently employed by physiotherapists as part of a treatment programme which might include massage and exercises. Massage is used less often now but can be useful to reduce muscle spasm and give a feeling of release to the soft tissues.

Physiotherapists or other therapy practitioners may employ other treatment techniques such as electrical therapy, acupuncture or other more alternative treatments. While individuals may claim these help them it is not clear whether they are useful and improvement should be clear after a short course of treatment, with extended treatment again not recommended. Physios will give advice to reduce aggravating activities, pace things to prevent overdoing and progress as quickly as possible towards normal. Treatment is intended to get the process of recovery started and reduce the likelihood of the patient adopting habits which will hinder their recovery.

Hip Dislocation

The hip is one of the largest and strongest joints in the body, being a deep ball and socket joint with powerful ligaments holding it all together. This means that dislocation is rare and only occurs in the event of significantly violent events such as motor vehicle crashes. In an accident the thigh may be forced into a position where the hip is levered out of its socket, tearing its surrounding ligaments and remaining out of socket. This causes extreme pain and patients have to be anaesthetised to relocate the joint. Treatment is complicated by the potential threat to the blood supply to the head of the femur.

Dislocation can also occur centrally, where the head of the femur is driven through the socket, fracturing it and ending up inside the pelvis. This injury usually needs internal fixation and significant time non weight bearing until the fractures heal. Normal dislocations are also treated with a period of non weight bearing to ensure the blood supply to the head of the femur, which was disrupted by the dislocation, restores itself. Once weight bearing is allowed the physiotherapist can instruct the patient in normal gait and exercises to restore the strength of the hip muscles.