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

Physiotherapy for Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is an increasingly common condition, mostly but not exclusively occurring in women after the menopause when hormonal changes mean the bone density drops steadily with time. Those women who have good bone density to start with and whose density does not drop at a high rate may never reach the risky category. If osteoporosis is present then the incidence of fractures is higher, with vertebral body fractures and fractured neck of femur being the most common, both requiring intervention and causing distress and expense. Physiotherapists are involved in the assessment and management of people with low bone density.

Physios assess patients for their lifestyle, refer them for dietary advice if appropriate, generally advise on management, warn against inappropriate functional activities and prescribe exercise routines to maintain independence and maximise bone health. Physios may advise that lumbar flexion to pick up weights is inappropriate as the front aspects of the vertebral bodies are vulnerable in this activity to crush fractures. General and weight bearing exercises are taught as weight bearing stimulates bone maintenance and growth due to the jarring involved. Swimming and cycling are good aerobic exercise methods but do not have the bone stimulating effect of walking or doing exercises in a gym.

Slipped Disc

Slipped disc is the term used in normal speech to describe a severe back problem, particularly one which involves severe leg pain. However, it is a misnomer in that the disc is unable to slip anywhere so a slipped disc indicates a different kind of pathology. The disc outer covering (annulus fibrosus) is made up of multiple overlapping levels of tough material which encloses a more gel-like interior (nucleus pulposus). With time the layers of the annulus can become fewer or split along certain lines, leading in some cases to the material of the nucleus protruding to the outside of the disc.

This protrusion of part of internal gel through the outer layers of the disc is the so-called slipped disc, known more technically as a disc prolapse or disc protrusion. The protrusion may aggravate the nearby nerve root by compressing it or chemically irritating it, leading to pain in the part of the body supplied by that nerve. The commonest syndrome is sciatica, a severe leg pain usually below the knee which is caused by pressure on the one the lower lumbar nerves. Most attacks of sciatica resolve on their own but if not then discectomy is a highly successful operation.