Physiotherapists in Newton Le Willows treat many different conditions including the issues profiled below.

Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is a troublesome pain condition affecting the outer part of the forearm around the elbow. It is common is people who do repetitive forearm activities in work or hobbies and while it mostly occurs in people who do not play tennis, it can occur in tennis players too. In the acute stage tennis elbow can be very disabling as it interferes significantly with the function of the arm and hand and can produce high levels of pain. A more gradual onset of pain over the outer part of the elbow may be more common, with difficulty gripping and holding objects or performing repeated actions.

Physiotherapy examination consists of palpating the musculotendinous junction of the extensor muscles of the forearm for tenderness and pain, testing resisted forearm extension and the ability to grip strongly. An abnormality of the tendon, a tendinosis, is thought to contribute to the pain of this condition. Physiotherapy treatment consists of reducing the stresses by activity modification and use of an epicondylitis brace, ultrasound, deep frictions and eccentric exercises to the forearm extensors. Local injections of corticosteroid or even a surgical tendon release can be used in difficult cases.

Neck Posture

The head is a large and heavy object balanced on top of a slender column of bone and ligaments which is known as the neck. Postural neck pain is very common as our mainly sedentary lifestyles mean that we spend long periods in one position often with our necks held in less than optimal postures. Gravity pushes us down all the time and the neck tends to move forward as the lower neck flexes for us to look down at books or computers. As our head is now looking downwards we don't want to look at the floor all the time so we tilt the head back up, extending the upper neck.

This position, when held long term, can lead to the head stuck forward posture and a .dowager's hump., a prominent bony area at the base of the back of the neck. This can lead to neck strain both at the top and bottom of the neck, causing neck and shoulder pain lower down and neck and head pain higher up. The head forward posture forces the neck muscles and the upper trapezius to work harder than normal to hold the head up in its abnormal position.