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

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Sprain (ACL)

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee joint which stabilise the joint against inappropriate movement in all directions. The ACL crosses the joint from above to below and prevents the tibia (shin bone) from slipping forwards under the condyles of the femur or thigh bone. It is a very strong ligament and very important for knee stability in activities and sports. It is most commonly injured in non-contact situations when the person is changing direction quickly such as in cutting or side-stepping in sport but can also be injured in tackles and other interactions involving another person.

Many people who have had an ACL injury report that they heard their knee go .pop. at the time, accompanied by a severe pain and an inability to weight bear on the limb. The knee typically swells up very quickly, within minutes or hours, as it fills with blood from the injury due to the rupture of the blood vessels in the ligament. Initial treatment is to splint the knee and perhaps remove some of the blood from the joint by a needle. Due to the risk of arthritis developing, the main treatment is almost always surgical reconstruction of the ligament.

Pes Cavus

This condition is also known as high instep or high arch and is a type of foot anatomy where the medial longitudinal arch (arch on the inner side of the foot) is significantly greater than normal. This is the opposite foot deformity to flat foot and may be without symptoms. However the limiting of weight bearing stresses to the heel and the metatarsal heads may put excessive stresses on the ball of the foot, causing calluses to form and a painful front foot problem. This can also go with hammer toes where the toes are flexed up in a clawed manner and take no part in contacting the ground in gait.

Pes cavus may cause difficulties in selecting suitable footwear as the height of the foot in the midfoot region is so much greater than normal, and some people may need insoles to support the arch and allow effective and painless walking. Pes cavus can be hereditary or can be secondary to a neurological or neuromuscular condition. Treatment is usually conservative such as physiotherapy for strengthening and stretching and the provision of custom insoles as surgery to treat foot pain of this cause is unpredictable in outcome.