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

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.

Wrist Fractures

The wrist is the most commonly injured part of the upper limb with fractures of the end of the radius and ulna making up three-quarters of all wrist injuries. The wrist bones can be injured in isolation but this is much less common. The frequency of these injuries and the importance of the hand to normal dexterous functioning means that the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of these injuries is vital for the best eventual outcome and limitation of any longer term disability. In the wrist bones the scaphoid is more vulnerable than most to injury and fracture, with between 60 and 70 percent of all wrist bones fractures.

Scaphoid fractures are difficult to see on x-ray and a number cannot be seen on typical x-ray investigation, meaning that this fracture can be easily missed. However, missing a scaphoid fracture can have serious consequences for the future of a person's wrist due to the particular anatomy of the bone. The scaphoid has a waist where most of the fractures occur and blood flow occurs from one end of the bone to the other. A fracture can cut off the blood supply to one end of the bone, causing the bone to die, a condition known as avascular necrosis.