Physiotherapists in Henley On Thames treat many different conditions including the issues profiled below.

Osgood-Schlatter Disease

Osgood-Schlatter disease is a condition affecting the tibial tuberosity (bony lump just below the kneecap) in children around eight to thirteen years old. It typically affects around 20 percent of athletic children of these ages as compared to less than 5 percent of nonathletic children. It tends to coincide with spurts of growth and is three times more likely in boys rather than girls. In young children the tibial tuberosity or tibial tubercle is formed of cartilage and only ossifies into bone later and it is postulated that repeated traction applied to this area can cause minor fractures or inflammation. This leads to pain on vigorous activities where the quadriceps are involved.

Pain, tenderness and swelling typically develop over the tubercle, exacerbated by activity, but the condition is self-limiting and as the growth plate areas fuse into bone the condition gradually settles. As the athletic young person perform sport, the stresses cause minor fractures in the tendon insertion area, which then heals with bony repair. When this is repeated many times the tibial tubercle may become very prominent and give long term problems with functional activities such as kneeling. Limitation of the aggravating activity or short-term immobilisation is required until the inflammation settles.

Managing Acute Neck Pain

Most neck pain episodes which come on suddenly (acute neck pain) are managed by the sufferer independently and this is the best approach. The initial approach is to take some painkillers to reduce the pain levels to a more manageable state. Painkillers cannot abolish the pain completely, but simply allow the person to get moving and stay active in the early period rather than being forced to rest. It is quite safe to take the recommended painkillers, they don.t mask the pain so much that a person can damage themselves without knowing. It is important to take the drugs appropriately.

It is recommended to take the painkillers every four to six hours as advised in the instructions and to do this for several days, even if the person feels better now and then. Stopping taking them too soon means the pain flares up again at some point, inhibiting movement and recovery. Taking the painkillers regularly allows the build up of the drug levels in the blood which keeps the pain suppressed. People often stick it out until the pain becomes more severe but this is unhelpful as it is harder to relieve a pain than to prevent it developing.