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

Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder is a somewhat mysterious condition which afflicts people mostly in their middle years and can give high levels of pain and disability which can last over several years. Onset of frozen shoulder is typically sudden and may follow a minor shoulder injury or even a tweak on some unaccustomed movement which may not seem relevant. The initial phase is of steadily increasing pain which can be very severe and badly interfere with sleep. During this phase the shoulder is very difficult to move and the patient needs strong analgesia to get some rest and function normally.

Once the acutely painful period has passed the shoulder begins to lose range of movement, particularly lateral rotation, the ability to rotate the upper arm bone outwards. As the pain gradually reduces slowly the stiffness of the shoulder increases until the arm is just very stiff without much in the way of pain. Overall the process can last two years or more until the shoulder loosens up although full range of motion may never be recovered. On examination lateral rotation and elevation will be severely limited and the patient will often lift the whole shoulder girdle in an attempt to raise the arm.

Examination of the Injured Wrist

Initial examination of a person with a wrist injury involves visual inspection of the wrist compare to the other one, as some people have relatively abnormal wrist structure and limited movements. Bruising and swelling may be present as may be one of the typical deformities due to fractures of the distal forearm bones. Palpation of the bony anatomy systematically allows a closer determination of the location of any acute injury such as a fracture. The typical deformity of a Colles fracture is the so-called .dinner fork. deformity where the end of the wrist is angled upwards and the fingers form the prongs of the fork.

In the Smith fracture where the end of the wrist is pushed downwards the deformity is known as a .garden spade. deformity. It is important to examine the remainder of the upper limb including the shoulder, elbow and wrist to exclude other injuries or fractures, with the patient's report of where they have pain a very useful guide. The patency of the arterial systems in the forearm and arm are also assessed as vascular damage can occur from fracture fragments. The three nerves which pass down the arm and supply the feeling and muscles of the hand should also assessed for damage.