Conditions Treated
We've got you covered, from head to toe
Here at Functional Physiotherapy and Pilates, Jo and Catherine will work in collaboration with you to help you reach your full potential and to help you live and move well.
Our completely personalised experience will move you as quickly as possible from pain to recovery, then recovery to strength, and strength to wellness.
Tension-type headaches can co-exist with other headache disorders so if you are unsure about the nature of your headaches, a thorough assessment to rule out other possible causes of your headaches may be key to the management of them. Many of the triggers for tension headaches and ways in which they are relieved are linked to postural positions and work environments. Sitting for prolonged periods in any posture can begin to cause issues, but there is a correlation between poor neck posture and tension-type headaches. A forward head posture can cause muscle tightness and imbalances that can contribute to your headaches, physiotherapy can therefore help treat and prevent tension-type headaches by:
1. Addressing these postural imbalances.
2. Providing a strengthening programme for weaker muscles.
3. Providing stretches and soft tissue release for tight muscles.
4. Joint mobilisation and manipulation for stiffness in the neck.
5. DSE workstation assessment or advice.
Neck pain can range from being a slight nuisance to debilitating. It can prevent you from doing what you want to do, whether that be your general daily activities, work, exercise, or sports.
Neck pain can come on gradually, often due to repetitive poor sitting postures at work, at home, or when driving, poor chair ergonomics, poor sleeping patterns, or even repetitive neck movements during sports or activity.
Neck pain can also come on after a specific incident, such as turning your head too quickly, lifting a heavy object, or a whiplash injury sustained from a traffic accident, a fall, or during a sport or activity.
The most common sources of neck pain are either a slipped disc, muscular tension, wear and tear of the joints in your cervical spine, a muscular strain, a ligament sprain, or a pinched nerve.
The shoulder is an amazingly complex joint with the greatest range of motion of all joints in the body.
Unfortunately, we do tend to ask an awful lot of our shoulders and sometimes, we can develop injuries and pain.
The most common disorders include rotator cuff problems, impingement syndrome, frozen shoulder, AC joint issues, and referred pain from the neck or upper spine.
We use our shoulders so much in so many normal daily activities that problems in this area can lead to significant problems with simple activities such as brushing our hair, dressing, or reaching over our heads.
Like the shoulder, the elbow is crucial for most daily activities, especially for people who work with their hands, such as builders, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters. Most of us will associate elbow pain with sports such as tennis (tennis elbow) or golf (golfer’s elbow) but other repetitive activities like using a paintbrush or screwdriver may lead to either of these conditions too.
As mentioned above, a common elbow condition is tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) which is pain over the outside or lateral part of the elbow.
Another common one is golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis) which is pain over the inner or medial part of the elbow.
The complexity of the structures surrounding the spine means that there are many potential causes of back pain. Some common causes and conditions associated with back pain are: Disc problems, nerve root impingement – sciatica or femoral nerve pain, facet joint pain/syndrome, scoliosis, muscular or ligament strain.
These causes and conditions are often interlinked so it is important to be thoroughly assessed to see which structures are causing your pain and stiffness so that we can get you moving more freely and with less pain.
The wrist and hand are an enormously complex system of joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. Our hands provide us with our main sensory receptors to navigate the world through touch and allow us to react to danger by having nerve endings that quickly reach the brain should we touch hot or cold.
The complex nature of the wrist and hand and the many intricate movements we make with them can lead to problems such as RSI (repetitive strain injury), carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, osteoarthritis, De Quervain’s Syndrome, and Dupytron’s contracture.
Pain in the hip is very common and can have a huge impact on our quality of life with reduced ability to walk, climb stairs, get up from a chair, and general mobility problems.
As one of the largest weight-bearing joints in our bodies, it undergoes huge pressures throughout our lives and is commonly associated with wear and tear or osteoarthritis.
Another common problem with the hip is trochanteric bursitis syndrome which is inflammation of a fluid-filled sac between the skin and muscles on the outside of your hip.
We can also develop referred pain in the hip, usually from the lower back, sacroiliac joint, groin, hamstrings, or hip flexors.
The knee is quite a complicated hinge joint that sustains huge forces during all weight-bearing activities. It has two thick pads of cartilage called menisci that act as shock absorbers and help stabilise the joint. There are also strong ligaments that control the joint from moving too far forward and back or too far from side to side.
Knee ligament injuries can lead to joint instability, accelerating the wear and tear that leads to knee osteoarthritis. Conversely, knee arthritis can cause joint instability, which puts more strain on ligaments and increases the risk of ligament injuries.
The ankle and foot are comprised of many joints, ligaments, and muscles. Together they bear all of our weight and as such can develop a variety of conditions.
These are common ones:
Achilles Tendinopathy
Plantar fasciitis
Ankle sprain
Calf strain or tear
Morton’s neuroma
Metatarsalgia
Should you have surgery such as a hip or knee replacement, have any mobility issues following an injury or maybe you’re finding it difficult with certain activities at home, we can help.
We can visit you in your own home if getting to the clinic is not possible and assess you for your post-op rehabilitation, mobility issues or mobility aids.
These assessments will need to be made by emailing or phoning us directly where we can chat through your condition or needs and arrange a home visit.
