Physiotherapy to Treat Sports Injuries

By Steven Magill

Sports injury just like any injury obtained from other accidents can be absolutely tragic as well as traumatic. The physical and mental stress that are brought by the injury do not discriminate professional athletes from the amateur ones. The injury, if left untreated or not properly managed may actually affect and ultimately ruin the athlete's promising career. Athletes who are just starting to make a name for themselves in their sports event may find it rather difficult or even impossible to continue in that very physical and competitive field of endeavor. The possibility to incurring physical injuries is part of the risks taken by the athletes regardless of the sports event in which they compete. Knowing what should be done in case of injury is a must for each individual to remember. The good news is, aside from the modern medical technology, physiotherapy has recently been made available to treat specific sports injuries.

The physiotherapy treatment in the case of sports injuries is normally given after the assigned doctors are certain that the patient is already safe for such procedure. Prior to that, doctors may have taken x-rays to determine the gravity of the damage to the bones. If a fracture occurred, broken bones should be set first by keeping the injured part in a cast or a splint to secure it. This is necessary to avoid complications which might worsen the condition and hinder the healing of the bones. Once the cast or splint is removed, the physiotherapists will then begin with their work. Since the muscles were kept inactive for some time, it takes a lot of effort for both the patient and physiotherapist to bring it to its optimum condition.

The main task for the physiotherapist is to have the patient recover the strength that the injured part has lost. It may take several weeks or sometimes even months, depending on the severity of the injury and at the same time on the determination of the patient to hasten recovery. The patient will then be given an exercise regime targeting the particular area of injury. This is to gradually recondition the muscles and for it to regain the power that it possessed prior to the incident.

There are many kinds of physiotherapy techniques which are effective in treating sports injury. Exercise and manipulations, and the use of massage are just a few of these. Interestingly, swimming is also a very good physiotherapy treatment for people with sports injuries. This will create the necessary tension, but at the same time will not aggravate the situation. The treatment will continue until such time when the patient can already make use of the injured part of his body in its full capacity.

Physiotherapy to treat injuries caused by sports accidents may not be as easy as playing the sport itself. For somebody who has not used the injured part for a long time and who is used to physical activities, this can be very frustrating. Although the treatment would require much patience and tenacity, the therapist should encourage the client to exert more effort and determination, but at the same time remind him of the limits so as to avoid relapse.

Hence, going to a licensed physiotherapist is a good decision for those athletes who have incurred sports injury and who still want to be fully equipped to go back to the sporting world. Physiotherapy will bring the patient back into action.

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Physiotherapy and Stress Incontinence

By Ron Ayalon

Stress incontinence refers to involuntary and uncontrolled dribbling of urine when a person coughs, sneezes or laughs loudly (or performs any activity that increases intra-abdominal pressure and ultimately pressure within urinary bladder).

Under normal conditions, the urinary bladder can hold urine for extended periods until conditions are favorable and person voluntary relaxes the bladder sphincters to allow urinary flow; however, certain conditions can affect the stability of pelvic floor muscles that may affect primary position of urinary bladder within the pelvic cavity (ultimately affecting the patency of sphincters).

Any condition that can affect the stability or strength of pelvic floor muscles can lead to stress incontinence. Injury to the pelvic floor muscles decreases the strength of urinary bladder sphincters to maintain their patency in states of high abdominal pressure. This is 5 times more common in women as compared to men.

Pregnancy and vaginal delivery are the most common risk factors associated with this issue, especially multiple vaginal deliveries or a history of prolonged labor can lead to significant weakening or damage to pelvic floor muscles that may present soon after delivery or may take years to develop significant stress incontinence.

Other risk factors that increases the risk of stress incontinence includes occupations associated with lifting heavy weights like porters, chronic untreated cough, obesity, repeated straining during urination or bowel movement (for example with prostatic hyperplasia, long standing constipation or history of urinary stones) and menopause.

Stress incontinence is a common issue encountered mostly in middle-aged, elderly females, who are not ideal candidates for surgery because of the possible post-surgical complications or associated co-morbidities. Research data indicates that almost 20% of all women above 40 years of age have some degree of this issue. This can be a fairly embarrassing condition for most women and is generally under-reported.

Physiotherapy can manage stress incontinence and is perhaps the most helpful aid. Physiotherapy exercises helps in strengthening pelvic floor muscles thereby preventing stress incontinence and urinary accidents. If left untreated, stress incontinence may lead to repeated urinary tract infections, hampered social life, depression, mood issues, isolation due to embarrassing accidents and the risk of the prolapse of urinary bladder or uterus.

C. M. Castleden conducted a study on 19 female patients who reported moderate to significant stress incontinence. After just a brief period of regular physical therapy for 4 weeks, 14 of 19 patients report complete resolution of symptoms. Stress test conducted on these patients revealed no signs of dribbling or incontinence.

Klarskov conducted a comparative study on 50 women suffering from significant stress incontinence. The women were enrolled in two groups based on their preference for surgery or physiotherapy. Surgery was performed on the basis of primary nature of pathology, while 5 physiotherapy sessions/ week were advised to the other group. Results suggested that almost 42% women who underwent physiotherapy reported significant improvement in symptoms and refused for other forms of therapy.

There are a number of physiotherapy options that are reserved for patients presented with this condition; a few are the utilization of bio-feedback mechanisms and electric stimulation therapy for pelvic floor muscles to enhance the contractility, strength and stability to withstand increased abdominal pressure, pelvic floor exercises that can strengthen the pelvic fascia and tissue to provide better support to bladder and rectum against intra-abdominal pressure and bladder re-training program that may also require partial lifestyle changes to enhance the quality of results.

Physiotherapy exercises have long term benefits in managing and treating stress incontinence and are considered superior to surgical options, because weak pelvic floor is the primary pathology that leads to stress incontinence. If surgery is attempted, the symptoms may re-appear after a short interval. Weak pelvic floor is an established risk factor for the prolapse of the uterus, rectum and/ or urinary bladder.

Physiotherapy also helps in correcting the symptoms of the urge incontinence and fecal incontinence. Physical therapy is a cost- effective, simple and hazard-free method that allows women to improve their overall health without bearing the pain of surgery.

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Microdiscectomy Spine Surgery or Physiotherapy?

By Derick Ng

Located in our spine are intervertebral discs who acts as the cushioning system for the spine. It helps to balance the forces experience by the spine through actions like standing, jumping, lifting and sitting. It also helps to protect the vertebrae and brain by limiting the amount of movement allowed by each individual disc. Repeated actions over time can cause the disc to weaken and sudden impact or trauma can cause shearing of the discs, resulting in the semi-liquid substances to impinge onto the nerves, causing pain. When things get more serious, daily actions such as bowel and bladder control may not be possible and thus, surgery is often recommended by doctors. However, should you really consider surgery or other options like physiotherapy?

Microdiscectomy

During microdiscectomy, a small part of the bone is removed to create a space between the vertebrae which helps to relieve internal pressure, reduce pain and relieve neural impingement. As a small piece of bone is removed, it will not cause any instability issues with it. Neural impingement can cause pain in places such as the leg and after microdisectomy, an almost instant relief can be felt by the patient. As with all spine injury, there is a certain risk level. It is often the last resort as no surgery is 100% risk free. Unless patients suffer from bowel and bladder incontinence or other neural problems, doctors will not recommend surgery and will often suggest physiotherapy to try to find a solution to the problem. However, risk level is still generally low compared to other forms of surgery.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is one of the options doctors will recommend initially together with pain relief medication. Physiotherapy is non-invasive, relatively safe and helps to strengthen the muscles in the body. Through stabilisation and strengthening exercises, some patients are able to find relief and are able to continue to lead a good quality lifestyle without surgery. Strong muscles are able to help take on some of the burden from the spine and distribute the weight much more evenly, reducing the stresses placed on the spine and reducing pain. Even if surgery is required after physiotherapy, it helps to reduce the recovery time as physiotherapy helps to keep them in a tip top condition and with strong muscles and body functions, they are able to recover faster.

When you suffer from spinal pain, you should consider going for physiotherapy first. There is always a chance that you can recover and lead a pain free life without surgery. However, only when things start to become more serious should you consider surgery.

We introduce you Singapore Sports and Orthopaedics Clinic where professional help will be offered in the areas of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for all spine injuries and sports injuries.

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Physiotherapy for Home Based Workers

By Robert Maggard

Physiotherapy Tips for the Work at Home Dad

For a home based worker physiotherapy exercises are essential to help the body stay fit and healthy. With the growing population of individuals who work at home, finding alternative ways to keep an active lifestyle has become all the more important. Albeit home based work do have huge advantages, you cannot just sit in front of your desk or computer station all day. You do have to pay attention to your health as well. And since working at home provides you with adequate time to do other stuff, being busy is no longer a viable excuse to not do a little exercise.

Physiotherapy exercises are typically utilized by therapists to help people with problems related to motor functions and other physical conditions. People recovering from surgery, injuries and other disabilities are advised to undergo physiotherapy. However, there are specific physiotherapy exercises that are designed to prevent potential problems rather than alleviate or treat them. These types of exercises are perfect for home based workers since they are targeted at the neck, back, and leg region, areas where a person working in front a computer for long periods normally experience pain.

One form of back exercise that you can easily do at home is to lie on your back and alternately bring your knee towards your chest and hold it for at least ten seconds. It's quite a simple exercise, but it can effectively relieve pressure on your back and leg region. Standing up with both arms on the side while bending sideways, as if you are going to reach your left leg with your left hand, and your right leg with your right hand, is another form of stretching exercise that can do wonders for your back and sides.

To relieve stress in your neck, you can try moving your head from side to side and up and down repeatedly. While doing this form of neck exercise, make sure that you do not rush the movement to avoid injuries. Slow and steady is the key. When you turn your head to the left or to the right, or move it upward or downward, make it a point to hold each position for at least five seconds. This will help prevent neck pains that are frequently experienced by individuals who are in a seated position for long periods of time.

As a home based worker, physiotherapy exercises are crucial. That is, if you want to stay healthy and spend quality time with your loved ones.

Even people who work in an office from nine to five are required to do some kind of exercise that can somehow reduce some of the health risks that are associated with a sedentary lifestyle. The only difference between an office worker and a home based employee is the amount of free time available. Since you work at home, you can manage your free time more productively. You can set aside a few minutes of your time each day for physiotherapy exercise, while still having the time to do recreational activities.

Interesting tips, ideas and resources for work at home individuals. http://workathomedads.org/

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Frozen Shoulder Physiotherapy Exercises - 6 Reasons To Do Them

By Stephen Ramsey

You have been given a great program of frozen shoulder physiotherapy exercises. You need to do them every day. But some days, or maybe every day, you will not feel like doing them. You can tell yourself that exercise is boring and tedious and that your frozen shoulder will eventually recover on its own anyway. If you are having trouble motivating yourself to do the exercises you will need some reasons to do them. So here they are:

You Are Sick And Tired Of Being In Pain
Frozen shoulder hurts. How long have you been in pain? And can you remember what it feels like not to be in pain? If you're having difficulty remembering that's due to the brilliance of your mind. The mind is a strange creature whose job it is to protect us. And to that end, to make us feel better about our current situation, it won't let us remember exactly what it was like to be pain-free. But remind yourself what it was like to have no pain, and use that to motivate yourself to do the exercises.

To Avoid Surgery
Surgery should only be considered as a last resort. The alternatives are keyhole surgery to release the shoulder capsule or manipulation under general anesthetic. In the latter case the surgeon will manipulate your arm through a whole series of movements in order to break up the scar tissue. This movement would be impossible while you were awake because of the excruciating pain it would cause. After this you will need to have physiotherapy to help the shoulder recover. What I am trying to say is that even if you have surgery you will need physiotherapy anyway. so do the exercises now - and do your best to avoid that surgery.

To Improve Your General Health
Pain or injury in one part of the body affects the overall health of the body. Since you've had frozen shoulder your general health has suffered. Your posture will have changed to compensate for the shoulder pain. You will carry yourself differently. And you will have been using and straining other muscles in your body when trying to carry out everyday tasks. If you go to the gym you will have stopped doing those exercises which affect your shoulder. You will possibly have stopped doing any exercise at all. So do those frozen shoulder physiotherapy exercises to get your general health back to what it should be.

To Improve Your Mental Health
The body and mind are very closely linked. Pain and injury make you feel emotionally drained and can ultimately lead to depression. When so many of the things you took for granted become so difficult to do your mental health and self-esteem suffer. If you can't see the change in yourself ask those around you - and let them know it's OK to give you an honest answer.

To Give You Power Over Your Life
There is nothing quite like that feeling of helplessness. Your body isn't working properly. And if the frozen shoulder has appeared without any obvious cause you feel even more let down by your body. If you are having a course of physiotherapy this will help greatly with your recovery, but at the same time it can feel that other people have power over your body. Don't fight your body. Don't be annoyed with it. You and it are a team. You are on the same side. Adopt a positive approach - and doing the exercises will be that much easier. If your physiotherapist has given you exercises to do at home, for goodness sake do them. They have been given to you for a reason.

For The Other People Around You
I am sure that the people you live with, your family and your friends love you. And I am sure that they are very sympathetic towards your pain. They are kind when you ask them to help you to do something, and they tolerate your moaning and groaning. They listen patiently as you tell them how and where it hurts. But the truth is your incapacity and how you feel about yourself also affects them. So if you can't motivate yourself to do the exercises for yourself you can always try doing them for other people. Involve others and enlist their support.

If your physiotherapist has given you exercises to do at home make sure you do them. If he/she hasn't given you any ask for some. Or get hold of a program you can do at home. Concentrate on the reasons for doing them and adopt a positive attitude. This will help to motivate you. For a great program of exercises look at cureafrozenshoulder.com [http://www.cureafrozenshoulder.com] or for three basic exercises to start you off take a look at these frozen shoulder physiotherapy exercises.

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Why Is Physiotherapy Needed?

By Phillip Adams-Wright

Physiotherapy, also known as physical therapy, which is when a physiotherapist (physical therapist) evaluates, diagnoses, and treats a multitude of things such as diseases, disabilities, and disorders using a combination of massage, stretches, and pain relief. Physiotherapy is generally viewed as conventional medicine. If you have an injury that you are not able to treat yourself at home, you may need to go to a physiotherapist, but these days there are lots of effective products that are available to buy online should you have something as simple as a pulled muscle or stiff back.

A trip to the physiotherapist could be for the treatment of minor pains of the joints and muscles, or for something more serious such as rehabilitation, and it's useful to know that there are three types of physiotherapy:

• Musculoskeletal - which is the type in which your muscles, joints, or bones cause you pain. These pains could be from a work injury, arthritis, a sprain, etc.
• Cardiothoracic - is the type of physiotherapy for respiratory problems like asthma and chronic bronchitis.
• Neurological - is the type of physiotherapy which is to do with your mind. Examples include people who have had a stroke, have multiple sclerosis, or an injury to the head or spinal cord.

Physiotherapy is used to help ease the pain associated with joint discomforts, pains in your bones, conditions of the heart, lungs, mind, and conditions from childhood and due to old age. It is when the pain is severe that people need help and once a physiotherapist has gone through their assessment and can see that there is something that can be done to help, they will then use physiotherapy to help ease some of the pain the patient is feeling. The primary goal of physiotherapy is to restore normal body function. Physiotherapists do this by using different treatments, including exercising, eating right and massages.

Massage is the most common type of therapy because a lot of people use this as a general therapy, whether it is to treat sore muscles or simply to promote relaxation. Massage is used to relieve stress, stimulate blood circulation throughout the body, and to distribute fluids inside, and it can relieve headaches as well. Physical therapists have been around since 3000 BC and they continue to be used widely throughout the world to help people with their ailments.

Buy orthopaedic supports online to support injured muscles, or invest in one of the many available tens machines as an alternative way to treat severe or ongoing pain.

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What Is Physiotherapy and Is It Something You Should Consider for Your Pain?

By Sarah Bond

Whether due to trauma or repetitive motion, which over time can cause injury, the result is the same: pain and limited range of physical movement in that region of your body. The method you use for treatment is the focus of this article. We are human beings who dislike any deterioration in our health and most of us will look for the easiest and quickest means of relieving the discomfort. Against our better judgment, rather than seek the advice of a doctor, we open a bottle of something - generally speaking something that is available over the counter, in hopes of feeling normal and pain-free. While this is not the worst thing you can do, after all, many over the counter drugs contain an anti-inflammatory, which will assist in reducing the throbbing and swelling, depending upon the severity, you may need something more to encourage healthy tissue and/or muscle. If you are noticing that things are not improving, it is time to see what sort of rehabilitation physiotherapists can offer you. The last thing you want is something that is relatively simple to treat with physiotherapy becoming such a nuisance that you find yourself in constant pain or in need of surgery.

Trauma

If your pain is the result of sudden impact, perhaps a car accident or falling on an ice patch whilst walking, this is quickly identifiable. You experience trauma and whether it is immediate or does not occur for another two or three days, the site of the crash or blow swells and the discomfort is unbearable. Indeed, so much so, you are unable to ignore it. Quite often if you are unsuccessful in getting relief as quickly as you might like, you arrange a visit with your doctor who will suggest various forms of treatment, the most common of which is physiotherapy. This is excellent advice because quite frankly analgesics can only do so much. Although they do offer temporary relief, they are just that: temporary. Anything in pill form is designed to treat the symptoms, but to see any actual improvement in your overall health, if your doctor has suggested physiotherapy; you will see benefits that are not only immediate, but also permanent.

Repetitive Motion Disorder/Syndrome

What happens when one day, seemingly out of nowhere and for no discernible reason, you wake up with your wrists swollen or your knees aching or with a stiff elbow? Although you may not trace it to something specific, such as a fall or accident, you have pain and swelling that suggests you have some disability that must immediately be addressed. Indeed it was easy to reach into your highest cupboards the other day; today doing so causes you considerable agony. Maybe you found that when you work at the computer all day, as the majority of professionals do, over prolonged periods of time you notice that your wrists just hurt! An avid runner for many years, what used to give you relief from stress and be enjoyable is no longer either. "What happened?" you ask yourself.

When symptoms such as these cannot be traced back to a specific event, the likely culprit can often be a repetitive motion syndrome, such as carpel tunnel disorder or tendonitis. What has occurred in this instance is that with the continued motion of running, typing, playing tennis or something along these lines that is repeated numerous times throughout the day over a period of years has caused injury to that region of your body. Again, similar to a sudden impact injury, we are inclined to first self medicate with a pill and when this proves useless, we see a doctor. He or she will more often than not suggest you see a group of physiotherapists who will work wonders on your health and suggest a specific form of treatment to rid you of your disability.

What Can Physiotherapy Do For You?

Depending on the severity, your rehabilitation process may be slow or your results immediate. However they will be permanent and more importantly, have you avoiding surgery. Your physiotherapists will target the area with specific exercises whose purpose is to strengthen the muscles and tendons at the injury site. As an example, if you have carpel tunnel syndrome, the result of typing on the computer 8 hours a day, five days a week, your physiotherapists will both work to target the area, thus decrease the discomfort but also teach you new ways to type, to avoid future injury. Sometimes part of physiotherapy might be to teach you to move your arm, knew, elbow or other affected area to move in the opposite motion.

As an example, when your body is letting you know that it wants you to stop doing whatever is causing the pain, with exercises given to you by the physiotherapists, you will counter the discomfort by doing the opposite motion. This is just one of numerous exercises you that will benefit you in your rehabilitation and help restore you back to health.

The important thing to understand about doing anything physical is that it can result in injury, pain and sometimes disability. Treating the symptoms will only offer you temporary relief. Seeing physiotherapists will help get you started on a treatment program that will net you lasting and permanent results. As the expression goes, "Anything worth having is worth working toward", in this vein, please do not anticipate anything to be instant. Whether you are considering physiotherapy for trauma or a repetitive motion disorder, be patient, do the exercises that are prescribed to you and you'll soon reap the benefits that physiotherapy has to offer.

Choosing a physiotherapist to treat your condition is an important decision to make. Feel free to visit http://www.physiotherapistipswich.co.uk/ for more information and advice about the benefits of physiotherapy and finding a Physiotherapist in Ipswich in the UK.

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