Current Page: Latest News/FAQ Current Date & Time: © 2011 - PhysioActive Chartered Physiotherapy Clinic.           Designed and Hosted by Core Digital Treating Common Running Injuries As spring arrives and brings with it the excitement of The London Marathon, many runners, novices and veterans alike, will suffer from running injuries.  Below we explore a few common running injuries: Achilles tendinitis:  The Achilles tendon joins the 2 powerful calf muscles to the back of the heel bone.  Inflammation of the Achilles tendon can occur with changes to your running regime such as increasing hill training or increasing running speed.  Tight calf muscles, tight hamstrings or excessive pronation of the feet (rolling inwards) can all be contributing factors.  Rest, ice and anti-inflammatories can all help as initial treatments.  Physiotherapy such as ultrasound and acupuncture can reduce inflammation.  Stretching must be done gently, and it is wise to get your trainers checked, as these can also be a cause. Runner's Knee:  Also known as anterior knee pain or chondromalacia patella, this describes pain and inflammation to the front of the knee, 'under' the knee cap.  Common muscle imbalances around the knee and pelvis can cause the knee cap to be pulled out of the correct line of movement (mal-track).  Running can encourage hamstring and ITB tightness which can pull the knee cap laterally. Worn trainers and overpronation can also be causes.  A Physiotherapy assessment can identify the cause of your anterior knee pain and fastest route back to running! Low Back Pain:  There are many causes of Low back pain, but muscular strain is often the culprit of a running injury to the back.  Often there is an underlying problem such as muscle imbalances around the pelvis and 'core' eg. Weak deep abdominals and tight hamstrings and back muscles.  Rest, heat and gentle stretching exercises can all help.  Physiotherapy can help diagnose and treat both the acute and underlying problems. The staff and patients at PhysioActive wish owner, Physiotherapist Jules Tarrant, the very best of luck with running the London Marathon on Sunday 17th April.  Jules is raising money for The British Heart Foundation.  Any donations are gratefully received: www.virginmoneygiving.com/JulesTarrant  For further information please call Rachaela on 01903 787300 or Contact Us for details. HYDROTHERAPY WITH PHYSIOACTIVE Water has several beneficial effects two of which are termed buoyancy and the drag effect.  Buoyancy creates a weightless sensation, which allows greater and easier movement of stiff and painful joints that may also be surrounded by weak muscles.  The drag effect offers a resistance to movement, which is beneficial in strengthening those wasted muscles. Exercise in a warm water pool, known as hydrotherapy, has the additional benefits of relieving pain and aiding relaxation of tight muscles. Not only can exercise in water be an aid to general fitness but can help with many musculoskeletal problems, commonly osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, weakness following joint replacements, hip, knee and shoulder operations, along with improving balance and exercises to aid recovery from stroke.   Hydrotherapy is the use of warm water to help restore diminished function.   • The warmth of the water relaxes muscles and eases pain. • The buoyancy of the water creates a weightless sensation, which allows greater and easier movement of stiff and painful joints and weak muscles.  • Resistance of the water helps to strengthen those weaker muscles. Hydrotherapy can help with a wide range of musculoskeletal problems including arthritic joints, back pain, weakness or reduced movement following joint replacements, hip, knee and shoulder operations, It is also beneficial at improving balance and core stability. Your physiotherapist at Physioactive will be able to assess your suitability and refer you to hydrotherapy with Nicky Sykes, a physiotherapist trained in hydrotherapy. Contact Us for details. GET CONTROL OF YOUR BLADDER AND GET MORE OUT OF LIFE! The role of Women's Health Physiotherapy in the conservative management of incontinence and prolapse has recently embraced Ultra Sound Scanning. Caroline Gallehawk MCSP, our Women's Health Physiotherapist, has trained at postgradute level to work in this area, and is able to scan the bladder, lower abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.   Ultrasound scans of these areas help the Physiotherapist to see your individual problem areas and enables her to form a treatment plan unique to your needs.  This usually involves very specific exercises. As the patient, you are also able to see for yourself which muscles are not working properly, and this gives you a greater understanding of how to do your exercises. This ultrasound technique is therefore far more specific and successful in the treatment of urinary incontinence.   Women have specific health needs due to their anatomy, physiology and social role.  One such health need is help with incontinence.  So what does incontinence really mean?.  The international continence society defines urinary incontinence as 'The involuntary loss of urine, which is objectively demonstrable, and a social or hygienic problem.'  In other words for many women its is living with embarrassing leaks which disrupt life and undermine confidence.  It is believed that at least one in four women experience bladder control problems at some time in their lives.  Furthermore women are more than twice as likely to have urinary incontinence than men.   Studies have shown that 42% of pregnant women suffer urinary incontinence and that 38% or this group continued to do so at eight weeks post delivery.  However, it is not just pregnancy that precipitates urinary incontinence.  Many women without babies as well as elite athletes also suffer urinary incontinence.   If you are experiencing urinary incontinence you are by no means alone.  This previously "taboo" subject is now more openly acknowledged and discussed.  There is now more understanding and help available to women suffering bladder control problems.    So don't let embarrassment hold you back from seeking out information to help yourself, as well as professional help from our Chartered Women's Health Physiotherapist Caroline Gallehawk. Contact Us for details. BACK PAIN QUESTION: I have had back pain for many years now and have learned to put up with it.  It does not stop me doing my normal activities.  Can Physiotherapy help even after all this time? ANSWER: Even if your pain has been there for a number of weeks, months or even years, Physiotherapy can still help.  It really depends on the root cause of your pain.  Back pain can be due to many reasons, including dysfunction of the joints in the spine, muscle spasm or dysfunction of the joints of the sacrum.  The sacrum is the triangular shaped bone at the base of your spine which is the 'centre' of support of your pelvis and body.  If the sacrum is not moving correctly, it may 'unlock' during movements such as walking and sitting.  If your sacrum 'unlocks', instead of providing central support for your body, it does exactly the opposite and serves to destabilise your pelvis and can give you back, hip or indeed leg pain. This problem can be very successfully treated with manual therapy techniques (ie hands on) and an individually tailored specific exercise programme even years after onset of the pain. Any of these dysfunctions in the spine or sacrum can be caused by overuse, poor posture or trauma (ie. a fall), all of which may be treated with Physiotherapy. An assessment by a Physiotherapist at PhysioActive will determine what is causing your pain.  You will then recieve a tailored treatment plan specifically designed for treating the root cause of your pain. At PhysioActive, we offer a no obligation free 10 minute consultation to determine if Physiotherapy treatment can help you.  Contact Us for details. LEG PAIN Lots of people come to see Physiotherapists complaining of leg pain.  Most of the time, this pain is to do with how they move. Over time these movement dysfunctions can lead to all sorts of 'wear and tear' type problems that can be easily reduced if you check out the following points: 1. When you stand still do your toes point directly forward or do they point outwards more? If you imagine you are standing on a clock face, ideally the toes should be pointing between 12 & 1 o'clock. 2. When you do a little knee bend, do your knees roll inwards towards one another?   If so, when you do a small knee bend does your foot roll inwards too? Imagine a line between the middle of your knee cap that falls down to the floor.  Ideally when you do a small knee bend this line should fall between your big toe and the toe next door. If, when correcting your alignment as described you get pain in your knees or leg or find it hard to correct you may need to see a Physiotherapist at PhysioActive.  If your foot still rolls in you might need to see a Podiatrist, like Philippa Reeves at PhysioActive to give you advice about insoles. We have free 10 minute consultations available with a Chartered Physiotherapist at PhysioActive so that we can see if Physiotherapy/Podiatry may help you. Contact Us for details. THE "FIT MUM" PROGRAMME AT PHYSIOACTIVE. Parenthood is an exciting and tiring time for a new mum.  After birth it is natural that you will want to give your baby lots of attention.  Even so it is important to take a little time for yourself.  Although you can not return to full pre- pregnancy fitness immediately, there is a lot you can do to help get yourself back into shape. WHAT IS "THE FIT MUM" PROGRAMME? Pregnancy and delivery, whether by caesarean section or vaginally, has an impact on the pelvis and abdominals.  The "Fit Mum" programme is postnatal rehabilitation under the instruction of a women's health physiotherapist.  WHAT DOES THE "FITMUM" PROGRAMME INVOLVE? • It provides you with a safe and effective instructional exercise programme to: • help movement and body awareness in the early days after delivery. • "restore" your body following pregnancy. • help prevent problems such as prolapse, back pain and incontinence. • target abdominal rehabilitation including Rectus diastasis and post caesarean section. • target pelvic floor rehabilitation. TO FIND OUT MORE. Contact Caroline Gallehawk MCSP our women's health physiotherapist at Physioactive on 01903 787 300.  Caroline can give you more information on the telephone or with a free 15 min consultation. Contact Us for details. KNUCKLE JOINT PAIN Question:  'I have pain in the base of my thumb, and have noticed the knuckle joint is becoming enlarged. The pain becomes worse when the weather is cold and or if I have been using my hands a lot. What can I do about it?'   Answer:  You may well have Osteoarthritis (OA) in your thumb knuckle joint (the Proximal Carpal Phalangeal (PCP) joint.) OA is caused by wear and tear of the joint  usually through overuse and the aging process and this leads to the joint becoming larger and more painful. There are many things that may help:   1. Rest from the aggravating activity. 2. Anti-inflammatory medicine such as Ibuprofen or Neurofen (see yourGP/Pharmacist for advice) 3. Heat. (A wheat pack is ideal as it can mould to the shape of the hand). 4. Physiotherapy.  This may include a warn wax hand bath, gentle mobilisations of the joint, acupuncture and/or ultrasound. 5. In severe cases replacement of the joint can be performed.   Here at Physioactive we can assess your painful joint to determine the best way forward to reduce your pain ad improve functional movement. Contact Us for details. WATER BASED EXERCISE Exercise in water can be very useful in regaining normal movements after injury to the body and to help strengthen the muscles that may have become wasted through under use and immobilisation.   There are several ways that you can benefit from exercising in water, from treading water to playing waterpolo, but more commonly swimming, aquarobics or hydrotherapy (Physiotherapy in warm water).   Water has several beneficial effects two of which are termed buoyancy and the drag effect.  Buoyancy creates a weightless sensation which allows greater and easier movement of stiff and painful joints that may also be surrounded by weak muscles.  The drag effect offers a resistance to movement which is beneficial in strengthening those wasted muscles.   Exercise in a warm water pool, known as hydrotherapy, has the additional benefits of relieving pain and aiding relaxation of tight muscles.   Not only can exercise in water be an aid to general fitness but can help with many musculoskeletal problems. Commonly these include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, weakness following joint replacements, hip, knee and shoulder operations, along with improving balance and exercises to aid recovery from stroke.   It is important to seek advice from your GP or Physiotherapist before embarking on a water based exercise programme.  Water, particularly when warm, can have an effect on cardiovascular and renal function. It is also important to pace exercises as it is very easy to 'overdo' exercise in water due to the feeling of weightlessness and free movement.    Other factors to consider include safety for yourself - leave at least an hour after eating before exercising, do not drink alcohol, and make sure you remain in your depth if you are an unconfident swimmer.   At   Physioactive we can offer advice on the appropriate level of exercise and devise a water based exercise programme specific to your problem. Contact Us for details. PILATES: The real truth and benefits for back pain sufferers   Pilates has been taught by Physiotherapists for years, and is highly regarded as one of the many effective treatment/ exercise techniques that we use to help patients with back pain. However, Physiotherapists up and down the country have been recently defending Pilates after an article was published in The Times newspaper entitled 'The Core Stability Myth' - An article that has been widely criticised for being misinformed and inaccurate.   In the article it was suggested that the pursuit of a strong core through Pilates is not only unhelpful for people with back pain, but can make back pain worse - an opinion that many Physiotherapists including Glenn Withers (Director of The APPI - Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute) and myself, Claire Yuill at PhysioActive (Physiotherapist and Pilates teacher of 12 years) have strongly disagreed with, having helped hundreds of patients over the years using the Pilates technique. On closer inspection the core exercises that the Journalist (Peta Bee) described aren't actually Pilates at all, giving a very misguided argument.  In Pilates the deep lower abdominals are engaged with the pelvic floor to increase spinal stability (as scientific research shows), while continuing to breathe.  However the article talks about the more general sucking the stomach in (abdominal bracing using rectus abdominis -the 6 pack muscle) which drops the pelvic floor and can cause the exerciser to hold their breath (a technique that does not help to support the back). Physiotherapists at PhysioActive have completed additional training by the APPI, to expertly teach each individual patient, a tailored Pilates program, that can be encompassed within their regular Physiotherapy treatments.   The many benefits of Pilates can include: • Improved posture and body alignment • Decreased stresses and strains on joints • Increased flexibility and mobility • and most importantly…. A decrease in back pain! If you are not sure if Physiotherapy will help you, we do offer a free 10 minute consultation to discuss your pain. Contact Us for details. MUSCLE STIFFNESS As the days get longer it's that time of year again when we dust off the lawn mower, throw open the windows and give the garden and house a good spring clean. The problem is, for most with sedentary jobs, and a decrease in activity over the winter, this sudden increase in activity can lead to new aches and pains. After such exertions over a weekend we often see several patients on a Monday morning complaining of painful backs or necks. Most of these "shocks to the system" can be prevented with a couple of simple stretches and are not to cause concern. Two favourite stretches for stiff lower backs are simple 'hugging' and 'knee rolling' exercises. 1. The 'hugging' exercise is as follows: Gently bring your knees up towards your chest and hold for approximately 5 seconds.  Slowly take your feet back to the floor with your knees still bent.  Repeat up to 10 times 3 times daily. 2. The 'knee rolling' exercise is as follows: Lie on your back. Bend one knee up towards your chest and hold this knee with the opposite hand.  Slowly take this knee across your body as far as comfortable towards the opposite hip.  Hold approximately 5 seconds.  Repeat up to 10 times 3 times daily. Done first thing, once or twice after gardening, for example, and then before you go to bed, they can help to reduce the stiffness and pain often associated with these symptoms. Done regularly, particularly through the winter, they will help to keep the "wolf from the door" next year.  If your symptoms persist you would be well advised to see one of our Chartered Physiotherapists at PhysioActive for a formal assessment and treatment. If you are not sure if Physiotherapy will help you, we do offer a free 10 minute consultation to discuss your pain. Contact Us for details. SPORTSMASSAGE: Boost circulation with massage   The art of massage is centuries old and a well-established means of enhancing recovery. It works by increasing and stimulating circulation, both blood and lymphatic fluids, and by identifying and addressing specific tight spots and restricted areas in the muscles.   There are many kinds of massage.  Many of these can benefit, but sports or remedial massage is particularly helpful for injury prevention and aids recovery after exercise. Sports/remedial massage equally relieves tight muscles encountered in the stressful world we find ourselves in through deep tissue massage.   The benefits of Sports/Remedial Massage: 1. Helps to promote relaxation 2. Helps to increase circulation 3. Helps to breakdown scar tissue 4. Helps to increase flexibility & range of movement 5. Helps to reduce tension & relives tired/aching muscles 6. Helps to avoid potential injuries     Here at PhysioActive we offer Sports/Remedial massage with our Chartered Physiotherapists and Nigel Barnett Registered Sports/Massage Therapist. Contact Us for details. PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR AFTER CHILDBIRTH.   CAROLINE GALLEHAWK MCSP .   Having a child produces amazing changes in the body.  The body changes with pregnancy , at delivery and after childbirth.   Some of these changes in pregnancy include: - changes to the position of bones to accommodate the growing foetus. - stretching and lengthening of the abdominal muscles. - changes to posture and the body's centre of gravity due to growth of the abdomen. - in later pregnancy the baby 's position creates pressure on the diaphragm producing changes in   breathing patterns. - inhibition of the proper function of the deep postural muscles and pelvic floor muscles due to low back , pelvic and hip pain.   With delivery, whether vaginal or by caesarean section, the body undergoes many physical changes including: - with vaginal delivery the pelvic floor muscles are stretched.  It can also affect the nerves supplying    the pelvic floor muscles. - the pelvic floor muscles can tear which may lead to the need for an episotomy.  This can cause scar   tissue. - the pelvic bones and joints can be traumatised. - Caesarean section creates trauma to the abdominal wall and scarring.   Bearing this in mind it is no wonder that a woman's body  doesn't feel the same as it did before childbirth. Overstretched abdominal and pelvic floor muscles don't provide the support they once did.  Hormonal changes, breast feeding and baby care activities all contribute to changes in the structure of tissues within the musculoskeletal system.  These lead to less controlled movement and often compensation appears in functional and postural activities.  On top of this carrying and feeding the child are often done in awkward positions leading to further compensation.    If left unaddressed these compensations can lead to: - incontinence. - prolapse of  bladder, uterus, rectum. - hip osteoarthritis. - degenerative disc disease. - neck, back, pelvic pain.     Women's health physiotherapists are specifically trained to understand these many changes and the structural issues following delivery.  They have the skills and treatment techniques to deal with problems that may arise during pregnancy and/or afterwards.  Women's health physiotherapists have good expertise in prescribing  pelvic floor exercise and abdominal rehabilitation following pregnancy.    Women's health physiotherapy will enable the woman to not only address specific issues but also reduce compensation strategies and get the body back to optimal function.  This not only increases confidence but also empowers the woman to have control over her body once more.   Our Women's Health Physiotherapist Caroline Gallehawk will be pleased to talk to you if you are concerned any of the above affects you. Contact Us for details. FOOT PAIN Question: I have recently developed quite a severe pain under my heel. It is very painful when I get out of bed in the morning, and usually hurts again once I have rested. What could the cause of this be?   One of the most common foot disorders relating to the heel is called Plantar Fasciitis. Heel pain constitutes 15% of all adult foot complaints requiring professional care. Plantar Fasciitis usually comes on gradually with pain and a burning sensation and the causative factors vary widely. They may include jobs that require prolonged standing (over 8 hours a day on hard surfaces), obesity, structural problems within the foot and trauma as well as others. The pain is usually worse first thing in the morning, reducing after walking, but returning after prolonged activity. Pain can also follow long periods of rest in the daytime.  In mild cases, the pain may only occur after exercise such as running. The majority of people presenting with Plantar Fasciitis will respond to conservative care. The management of Plantar Fasciitis is varied, but may include stretching and strengthening exercises, insoles and occasionally surgery.   At Physioactive we offer a Podiatrist/ Chiropodist and Chartered Physiotherapists who would be able to treat and advise on this problem Contact Us for details. & Recognised by ALL Leading Private Medical Insurers