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

Physiotherapy and Falls

Falls are a problem at any age but particularly so in elderly due to the frequency and the severe potential problems which can result. The incidence of fractured neck of femur (fractured hips) in the elderly is considerable and carries significant risk of long term disability or death in people who are already frail and at the edge of independence. Falling is a complex problem which demands a multidisciplinary approach from health professionals to have any chance of success. As we get older our muscular, balance, joint, vision and hearing systems all change for the worse and reduce the speed and amount of information and postural change we are able to understand and accommodate at any time.

Physiotherapists assess and manage falls problems by assessing the medical history and present status of the patient, getting a social history from them and assessing their mental and physical status. The physio checks the patient's ability to see clearly and their awareness of the space around them which is impaired in many medical conditions. The patient is asked to get up and their balance reactions assessed, after which the physio will get them to walk to check for gait abnormalities or balance problems in dynamic activities such as gait.

Simple Neck and Shoulder Girdle Exercises

Slow performance of the exercises is important, taking up to five seconds to get to the end of each individual direction of movement. The neck should be moved in each of the standard directions which are: turning the head left and right; side flexing left and right (ear down to same shoulder with face facing forward); bending head forward and back; tucking the head in (a bit like a chicken). It is important to do each movement separately so the maximum range is obtained as the ends of the movement are where the value is in exercising.

Shoulder movements are useful as they may be stiff or the shoulder girdle may not be moving well, and shoulder movements stress the neck to some extent. Shrugging shoulders and rolling them backwards are an example of this movements as are circling of the arms either backwards or forwards. Once the movements are easy then some auto-resisted neck strengthening can be performed with the neck being held in place as one of the hands tries to push it out of position. Holding this for about ten seconds forces the muscles to work hard to maintain the neck position.