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

Patellofemoral Pain

The patellofemoral joint is a frequent source of pain and disability and a difficult problem to treat successfully. The patella has two large facets on it.s under surface which are angled in respect to each other. They match the groove between the femoral condyles where the patella lies and moves upwards and downwards as the knee bends and straightens. As the quadriceps, the main thigh muscle, contracts to push us up from a chair, go up stairs or walk uphill, the patella acts like a pulley to increase the forces the muscle is able to exert. High levels of force are developed between the patellar and femoral joint surfaces.

The patella surfaces are lined with articular cartilage, a firm and very slippery material which ensures friction free movement of many of our major joints, even under load. With time this can soften and develop small fissures, making the patellar surface sensitive to loads being applied. If there is also a muscle imbalance or other abnormality which allows the patella to track in its groove a little towards the outside, this can also worsen pain. Degenerative changes can progress to osteoarthritis and cause disabling symptoms due to difficulties with stairs and gait.

Dangers of Alternative Medicines

A recent case at the Old Bailey has highlighted the fact that there is no such thing as a safe and natural medicine, as all such treatments come with potential risks. A Chinese Medicine practitioner has recently pleaded guilty to selling a banned substance to a person who has subsequently developed cancer and kidney failure. The medication was promoted as .safe and natural. and taken over a period of five years, exposing the patient to concentrations of aristolochic acid which is now a banned substance and should have only been provided under prescription anyhow at the time.

Chinese medicines have been routinely shown to contain significant levels of unwanted substances such as heavy metals and this case highlights the lack of regulation of this part of alternative medicine. Other areas of health practice with lower risks than some alternative treatments are heavily regulated in the UK but alternative practitioners are still able to prescribe drug treatments without the necessary knowledge and protocols to ensure their practice is safe. The actions of this particular drug in the body are not well understood, making its use with the uncertainty and unknown risks not matched by the more trivial reasons for using it.