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

Physiotherapy for Femoral Shaft Fractures

Fractures of the femoral shaft in adults are overwhelmingly the result of considerable force such as a road accident or a fall from a height. Due to the force involved and the power of the surrounding muscles the bone ends often overlap, cutting into the soft tissues around them, and there is often a considerable amount of bleeding and pain. Initial treatment consists of pain control, maintaining the patient.s blood volume and applying some traction to the leg to bring the bones out towards their normal positioning. Treatment used to be skeletal traction for up to 12 weeks but this has been superseded by internal fixation with a nail down the femur to stabilise the fracture.

Initial physiotherapy concentrates on restoring the muscle activity to the quadriceps, often inhibited by the pain and direct injury, and regaining range of motion in the knee. Mobilisation with a physiotherapist is performed as soon as comfort allows and the patient is often permitted to partial weight bear with crutches as the fracture is typically stable with the fixation. Further physio treatment includes massage to the fractured area to disperse scar tissue forming in the area which could bind down the muscle and other soft tissues, limiting movement and strength.

Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome

The lumbar spine is a very complex structure made up of a large number of different anatomical structures, many of which can be sources of pain in different situations. One structure which is known to contribute to low back pain is the facet joint, the small synovial joint placed at each side of each disc level. The facet joints are made up of one facet from the vertebra above and one from the vertebra below, with a joint capsule lined with synovial membrane. The joint capsule is well supplied with nerve endings which could transmit pain. In normal backs the facet joints serve to control the movements permitted at the particular part of the spine in which they lie, but do not take large amounts of weight.

With degeneration of the discs the facet joints are pushed together more strongly and forced to take larger amounts of weight, leading to degenerative changes developing within them and then the transmission of pain. The facets are forced to take more weight than they are designed for. Patients with this syndrome particularly dislike extension of the spine which forces the facet joints together and elicits pain. Mobilisations and regular exercises can be helpful from a physio.