Physiotherapists in Oxfordshire treat many different conditions including the condition profiled below.

Hand Injuries - Diagnosis

The diagnosis of most hand injuries is not difficult as the damage is usually readily apparent to the examiner. There will typically be a history of trauma and this should be carefully attended to as it may give clues to a more complex injury than first appears. Bruising and swelling are very typical signs apparent on initial inspection, with pain a common and often localising feature. There may be an obvious deformity if the joints are dislocated or bones fractures with displacement, the patient will have lost the ability to grip firmly and there may be reduced range of movement in the fingers and thumb.

Examination starts with a visual examination of the hand which guides the doctor as to further required tests and investigations. The doctor will palpate the hand systematically to look for areas of particular pain or abnormal movement which would point to an underlying injury. The ranges of movement of the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand is assessed and recorded, with the tendon actions tested in turn to search out any tendon involvement. Circulatory function will be checked to exclude blood vessel damage. Investigations will routinely include x-rays to look for fractures, dislocations or embedded objects such as glass.

Falls and Healthy Bones

Falling in adults is an important matter with involvement of around 30% of people over sixty-five years old and half of those over eighty-five years. There are significant risks to falling for elderly people, with many much older people dying and or suffering loss of mobility or other problems. Ninety percent of hip fractures are caused by falling and this comes with a very high cost both personally and financially. Only twenty percent of people who fracture their hip recover well enough to attain their previous level of functional abilities which includes walking. There may be many reasons for a person falling and the evidence for the many interventions proposed being effective is not very good.

Physiotherapists prescribe exercise programmes as part of their main arsenal of skills, with good evidence that well designed programmes which include training balance and strength can be effective at reducing falls in the community. Patient access to assessment and treatment by a physiotherapist is however variable in the UK, with hip fracture patients likely to receive this (due to admission to hospital) but patients with non-hip fractures are much less likely to receive this even when admitted. Physios have a much greater role in this matter which they have not taken up.

Physiotherapists in Oxfordshire have contributed some of the many articles on this site such as the one extracted below.

It is not common for the quadriceps tendon to rupture and when it does it mostly presents in those older than 40 years. Certain diseases and previously existing degeneration in the knee extensor apparatus makes this condition more likely to occur. A rupture on one side is the most common occurrence and bilateral ruptures indicate there are very likely to be underlying causative factors. Patellar tendon ruptures are less frequent than ruptures of the quads tendon and present in younger people under 40. It is important to make an early diagnosis of this problem and operate as soon as possible afterwards as delay makes the outcomes poorer.The typical mechanism of injury is for the damage to occur during a rapid contraction of the quadriceps whilst it is lengthening and with the foot on the ground. Falls, direct blows to the knee, cuts and lacerations are all possible causes. Since normal tendons have been shown not to typically rupture and that the quadriceps can rupture after relatively ...

more Rupture of the Quadriceps Tendon