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

Bunions

Bunions is the term given to problems which occur with the joint of the big toe as it meets the foot, the first metatarsophalangeal joint or MTP joint. Problems with this joint may be familial with some inherited tendency but can also be do to poor foot use such as ill fitting footwear. Signs may start with an increased prominence at the inner border of the foot as the big toe drifts slightly towards the outside of the foot, eventually leading to rubbing of the prominence on the shoe in walking. Progression may occur as the deformity becomes worse and the joint itself becomes painful, with the big toe compressing the second toe and perhaps overriding or under riding it.

A highly arthritic joint can be very disabling, severely restrict the ability to walk very far and cause huge problems in choosing suitable footwear. Initial physiotherapy treatment can be provision of insoles, mobilisation techniques, gait correction, provision of walking aids and moderation of aggravating activities. More severe problems can be treated by joint injection, shaving of the joint surgically, removal of the joint to leave a fibrous union, fusion of the joint (arthrodesis) or replacement of the joint with a prosthesis.

Forward Bending Actions Which Can Injure The Spine

In normal circumstances people bend their lumbar spines by 80-100% of the available movement when they bend over to the floor to pick things up. Adding an awkward movement such as to one side increases the stretch on the facet joint of the other side. This indicates that it is easy to get to the maximum bend limit of the lower spine by doing something easy like reaching down to the feet to put on shoes. Long periods of remaining flexed, such as sitting for a long car journey, forces the ligaments to relax, decreasing the protective muscular mechanisms and increasing the chances of suffering a disc prolapse.

If the muscles get tired by repetitive actions of lifting or bending over then their protective care of the spine is also diminished. In the anatomical examination of spines after death there has been shown to be a 20% incidence of rupture of the ligaments which connect the spines of the individual vertebrae at the back. As these ligaments are fully stretched when the spine is fully bent it is likely that bending injuries due to too much flexion of the spine are very common as people are suddenly forced into bend by an accidental movement.