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

Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder is a somewhat mysterious condition which afflicts people mostly in their middle years and can give high levels of pain and disability which can last over several years. Onset of frozen shoulder is typically sudden and may follow a minor shoulder injury or even a tweak on some unaccustomed movement which may not seem relevant. The initial phase is of steadily increasing pain which can be very severe and badly interfere with sleep. During this phase the shoulder is very difficult to move and the patient needs strong analgesia to get some rest and function normally.

Once the acutely painful period has passed the shoulder begins to lose range of movement, particularly lateral rotation, the ability to rotate the upper arm bone outwards. As the pain gradually reduces slowly the stiffness of the shoulder increases until the arm is just very stiff without much in the way of pain. Overall the process can last two years or more until the shoulder loosens up although full range of motion may never be recovered. On examination lateral rotation and elevation will be severely limited and the patient will often lift the whole shoulder girdle in an attempt to raise the arm.

Medial Ligament Sprain

The knee is one of the largest joints in the body and is exposed to high levels of force as the large leg muscles move the body around at speed. As it does not having interlocking surfaces to give it stability it must rely on ligaments to perform that job. The medial collateral ligament is a wide band which travels across the inside of the knee from above downwards, preventing the knee joint from opening on the inside and collapsing. If a force is applied strongly to the outside of the knee, in a tackle by someone moving quickly, the knee is pushed hard into a knock knee position and the inside of the joint opens, spraining or rupturing the medial ligament.

Symptoms of a medial ligament sprain are immediate pain, swelling of the knee and if severe a feeling that the knee is unstable. Mild sprains are treated using a knee brace for a week or two and working at regaining joint movement and function as soon as possible. Severe sprains or ruptures may need immobilisation for 4-6 weeks in a plaster of Paris. Careful assessment is important as cartilage injury or anterior cruciate ligament injury can accompany this condition.