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

Spinal Posture

Spinal posture can mean two main things, one being the shape and orientation of the curves in the spine and two being the angle that the whole spine is aligned to the vertical. The minimum of muscle activity occurs when the trunk is balanced directly above the pelvis and any deviation from this requires muscle activity to increase to maintain position. As the main moving muscles of the spine are orientated lengthways like the spine itself, when they contract they generate significant compression forces through the spine. Contraction of these muscles in easy standing or sitting still generates forces through the lumbar spine that are twice the body weight above the area.

In sitting it makes little difference to the degree of muscle activity whether the lumbar spine is held arched to some degree (lumbar lordosis) or flexed (bent), the key point is whether the spine is vertically aligned or not. So leaning back with a lordosis or forwards with a flexed spine both generate high muscle forces, whilst sitting upright in either posture does not. Sitting positions all flex the lumbar spine, with the lower two lumbar levels being significantly flexed in these postures, even to the maximum of their movement.

Hand Injuries - Acute Management

Most injuries, apart from the most minor, benefit from being seen and assessed by a doctor as a relatively minor dysfunction in the hand can cause long term functional disability. Initial management of a hand injury should be to control any bleeding by applying gauze or a clean cloth to the wound and putting some pressure on it. In a closed injury (i.e. no wound) then ice can be applied to the damaged area to reduce inflammation and pain. Jewellery such as rings needs to be immediately removed as hand swelling can be very dramatic, rendering easy removal later impossible.

Once in the Emergency Department the doctor will x-ray the hand routinely and may inject the nerve at the wrist level or at the base of one of the fingers to numb the hand or the finger so that they can examine the area without too much pain. Wounds will be cleaned if they are dirty and then closed by stitching or a related method, with antibiotics prescribed to prevent infection developing. Splinting is often used to immobilise the hand in a specific position to prevent further injury or maintain anatomical integrity. A referral to a hand specialist or a plastic surgeon is typically written and pain control medication will be encouraged for a few days.