Physiotherapists in Richmond 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.

Sciatica - Physiotherapy Examination

Sciatica is also known as nerve root pain, nerve root irritation, nerve root entrapment and slipped disc pain in the leg. True sciatica occurs when one of the nerve roots exiting the spinal canal is compromised, usually by a disc protrusion. The pain is typically severe, radiates down the leg beyond the knee, is worse in the lower leg or foot, has a surging quality and is worse with sitting or bending and better lying down. Physiotherapy examination starts with a history of the pain location and aggravating or easing factors and what were the precipitating factors for the pain problem.

The physio will examine the patient carefully as it is easy to aggravate the pain. Muscle power (as able), sensibility and reflexes will be tested to check the conduction of the nerve root involved and this should fit in with the area of pain reported. With the patient lying supine the affected leg will be raised with the leg straight to stretch the nerve and evaluate any changes in the pain reported. This neural tension test must provoke the typical pain to be positive. Palpation of the patient's spine may be performed in prone to evaluate the mobility or stiffness of the spinal segments.