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

Core Stability for Back Pain

Treatments and management techniques for low back pain are very numerous and for most of them the evidence of effectiveness is either nil or not very great. Core stability comes into the category of a treatment which has some evidence for usefulness and for which there is ongoing scientific research. The spinal segments have a stabilising muscular system which keeps them in line with each other and prevent abnormal movement occurring between them which might cause problems. The three main muscle groups involved are the multifidus in the spine, the transversus abdominis in the abdomen and the pelvic floor.

Research has shown that these three groups work in concert and that if a back injury occurs then the multifidus muscles in the spine waste and do not recover spontaneously once the back pain has settled. However, working these core stability muscles at around 30 percent of their maximum capacity can restore the stabilising part of the spinal muscle group. Physiotherapists have researched this method and routinely prescribe core stability exercises for patients, understanding that good scientific evidence for longer term changes in spinal problems is not yet forthcoming. The technique is simple however, easily applied, reasonably logical and has few if any adverse side effects.

Function of the Upper Neck

The upper cervical spine is designed to hold the weight of the head and to facilitate the postural steadiness and positional changes required in our heads so we can communicate and gather the necessary information from our sensory organs. Most of our most important sensory organs are part of our heads so we need to have a stable and adaptable platform to gather accurate data so we can make accurate decisions. The upper neck vertebrae are wide to bear the forces of having a skull on top of the long column which is the neck. The deep and superficial muscles combine to allow long periods of relatively static posture to be maintained so we can keep our attention on something like a movie or the road when driving.

The position of the facet joints in the upper two vertebrae and the occiput are adapted particularly for rotation and much of the ability to turn our heads comes from these upper few joints. Turning the head is an extremely important function as it allows us to focus our eyesight on something to one side or another of us and to calculate whether it is a threat or an opportunity.