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

Ice Treatment and Physiotherapy

Ice and other cold treatments are important techniques in the armoury of physiotherapists and useful for a wide range of conditions. The major use of cold therapy or cryotherapy is to reduce and control inflammation and swelling in recent or acute injuries to the musculoskeletal system. In the first few days after injury heat will increase the metabolic rate and may aggravate the injury while cold will do the opposite and also provide some pain relief. Pain relief is important as a reduction in pain is not only pleasant for the patient but allows them to move the part and contract the muscles more effectively, beginning rehabilitation of the area.

Ice should not be directly applied to the skin, especially if packs from a freezer are used, as this may cause an ice burn which is a form of skin damage. Patients are assessed by the physiotherapist for safety and a layer of wet material is placed inbetween the skin and the ice pack. The skin is checked at intervals to make sure it is not reacting badly to the cold and the treatment time may be up to twenty minutes. Compression may be more important than cold and often they are combined.

Physiotherapy for Fractures of the Humeral Head and Neck

Fractures of the upper part of the upper arm, the neck or head of the humerus, are common in older people who have fallen onto the arm but can occur in younger people who fall hard on the upper arm. The surgeon determines if the fracture is stable and not likely to require intervention. Physiotherapy checks difficulties with the hand, wrist and elbow and gives instruction in maintaining the ranges of motion of these joints. The ranges of the shoulder joint can be maintained in more stable fractures by the performance of pendular exercises, where the patient leans on their good hand and bends over at the waist, allowing the arm to hang forward like a pendulum and to swing back and forward gently as instructed.

At around three weeks from fracture the exercises are progressed to active assisted movements where the other arm is used to bring the arm up into flexion, and usually before six weeks the arm can be raised actively on its own to begin to restore strength into the shoulder muscles. Rotatory movement behind the back and behind the neck are also practiced to restore the vital rotation movements of the shoulder.