Frozen shoulders generally occur between the ages of 40 and 60. The cause is not known but the capsule that surrounds the shoulder joint becomes inflamed, painful and gradually gets tighter. This stiffens the shoulder, hence reducing movement. As the condition continues, it becomes less painful, but the shoulder remains very stiff. It is thought that the stiffness eventually reduces, but this may take more than a year. Cortisone injections can help with the pain and stiffness in the earlier stages of frozen shoulder progression, called the freezing phase. Often do no completely resolve the problem. There are also operative procedures such as hydrodilatation/hydraulic arthrographic capsular distension/distension arthrography to loosen the shoulder joint capsule, which are more effective than a cortisone injection. Physiotherapy after these procedures is essential to improve joint range and strength. If you have a frozen shoulder, physiotherapy may not help without an injection or surgery, unless it has already moved from the painful and stiff stage and has started to loosen. If you are unsure if you have a frozen shoulder or not, book an appointment with e -physiotherapy Edinburgh.

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache and physiotherapy often helps to reudce and resolve these types of headaches. Tightness in the neck muscles, especially those that attach to the base of the back of the skull (occiput) or those muscles in the front of the neck (sternocliedomastoid muscle), can cause headaches. Stiffness in the facet joints of the cervical spine (neck) and tension in the muslces that move your jaw (temporomandibular joint) can also cause headaches. Cranial sutures (the mostly fused joints between the bones of your skull) can also cause headaches. Physiotherapy treatment will usually involve a combination of joint mobilisations, myofascial release, muscle energy techniques, acupuncture/dry needling, postural exercises, neck strengthening, relaxation, and craniosacral therapy. If you are having probles with headaches, book an appointment with e -physiotherapy Edinburgh.

Hip pain can be caused by a number of problems. Weakness in the hip extensor (Gluteus Maximus) muscles or hip abductors (Gluteus Minimus) and external rotators (Piriformis) can cause hip pain. This weakness can lead to gluteus medius and minimus tendinopathy (tendinitis). Treatment of this always involves strengthening the hip muscles and improving your balance (proprioception). It will often involve using extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) as this helps the tendons to heal, but some people find this is too painful, so instead ultrasound, interferential and acupuncture/dry needling can be helpful to reduce the pain, which will make your strengthening and proprioceptive exercises easier. Manual therapy such as joint mobilisations, myofascial release and muscle energy techniques can also help with your rehabilitation. Degenerative changes in the hip joint can cause hip pain. It is important to remember that many people have degenerative changes (arthritis) in their joints but do not have pain. It is thought that those people without pain have stronger and more flexible muscles around the joint. Associated with degeneration and weakness is hip bursitis. A bursa is a fluid filled sack that helps to separate your muscles tendons and bones, and reduce friction during movement. The inflammation and swelling can be reduced with treatments such as ulstrsound, interferential, laser therapy and acupuncture/dry needling. If this does not reduce the pain and swelling adequately, a consultant opinion and steroid injection may be requuired. Persistent hip pain that does not respond to physiotherapy should be seen by an orthopaedic surgeon for an opinion as there may be an internal hip joint problem that can be corrected surgically. Non-arthritic examples of this may be femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) or labral tears. Hip pain may be referred from the lumbar spine (lower back). It is important to be assessed by a physiotherapist to differentiate if your pain is from your hip or lower back. For other hip issues, the physiotherapy treatment will depend on what is causing the problem but may include muscle energy techniques on the pelvis, hip and lumbar spine, myofascial release, strengthening exercises, and proprioceptive exercises. If you are having hip pain, book an appointment with e -physiotherapy Edinburgh.

The Iliotibial Band (ITB) is a broad band of connective tissue down the outside of the thigh. The Tensor Fascia Latae, gluteus medius, gluteus maximus attach to the ITB helping to tighten the ITB and stabilise the knee during walking and running. If you have poor foot biomechanics, weak hip abductor muscles, torsion of your pelvis, poor proprioceptive control, or you increase your activity levels too quickly, you may develop pain in the ITB. It is a common problem in runners if they increase the distance they run too quickly, increase hill running or running pace. Treatment with a physiotherapist will usually involve deep tissue massage of the ITB, acupuncture/dry needling, strengthening of the hip abductor muscles, muscle energy techniques to balance the pelvis, proprioceptive (balance) exercises and assessment of your foot biomechanics to see if you need referral to a podiatrist for orthotic insoles. If you have ITB syndrome, book an appointment with e -physiotherapy Edinburgh.

Muscle tears can happen spontaneously, due to trauma or sport and leisure activites. The most common area for Spontaneous muscle tears is in the shoulder rotator cuff, especially as people get older. Calm muscle (gastrocnemius and soleus) tears are commonly caused during sports such as running or athletics. They can even happen with walking, more specifically hill walking where there is increased load on the calf muscle as you go up hill. If you have a large muscle tear, the muscle will swell and bruise quickly. In the more extremem examples in minutes. Less severe muscle tears may swell and bruise overmnight and less severe tears may not visibly swell or bruise. IOt is important to remember that a mild deep muscle tear may only show bruising a week after the injury as the blood makes its way more superficially. If you think you have torn a muscle, it is best to be assessed by a physiotherapist. The right treatment early can speed your recovery and have you back to your leisure and sporting activities. Larger tears may need a consultant opinion about a repair and this is especially true with shoulder rotator cuff tears. Calf tears may be more comfortable with a compression bandage and using crutches to reduce the load on the calf initially. Physiotherapists can use ultrasound, laser and interferential treatments to speed up your recovery by helping to reduce pain and swelling. Manual therapy a week or two after a muscle tear can help your muscle recover with more strength and flexibility. Progressive balance and strengthening exercises are needed to help prevent a recurrence and to improve the quality of the tear healing.

Weakness can occur in muscles after injury or gradually from postural & movement habits. Common muscles affected by weakness are: Deep neck flexors (Longus Capitis & Longus Colli) Shoulder rotator cuff muscles (Infraspinatus, Supraspinatus, Subscapularis), Scapula muscles (Serratus Anterior Spinal core muscles (Transversus Abdominis & Lumbar Multifidus) Hip abductors (Gluteus Minimus & Medius), Hip external rotators (Piriformis), Hip extensors (Gluteus Maximus) Ankle invertors and evertors (Peroneus Longus / Brevis / Tertius & Tibialis Posterior) Strengthening these weak muscles can be done in isolation or with more complex movements, depending on an analysis by your physiotherapist. Deep neck flexors and spinal core muscles are commonly activated in isolation initially and then progressed to being activated with other muscles and while during more complex movements, such as during sport. Fot this to be effective, the use of these muscles needs to carry over to your everyday activities or sporting activites that have been giving you pain. Strengthening should always include functional strengthening. This simply means strengthening muscles in the body positions that you get your pain or dysfunction in. So if you get pain while bending forwards, you need to practice activating muscles that have been weak while bending. If you have issues with pain during running, your rehabilitation/strengthening needs to be in standing and usually on one leg. This is to improve your proprioception, balance and strength. The exercises need to be progressed from simple, so you can learn to use the muscles that have been weak, to more complex or with a heavier load. A heavier load may be achieves by using a weight, standing on un unstable surface or loading your leg more quickly, such as hopping. Maintaining this improved strength and control can help to prevent reinjury too. If you are having problems with weakness in any part of your body, a physiotherapist can help to resolve this and get you back to full function and sport. This will take time, the same as if you are strengthening in the gym. Usually it can take a few months for your strength to be adequate to return to your activites and sports without pain.

FAQs Archive - Page 2 of 4 - e-physiotherapy Edinburgh

Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulders generally occur between the ages of 40 and 60. The cause is not known but the capsule that surrounds the shoulder joint becomes inflamed, painful and gradually gets tighter. This stiffens the shoulder, hence reducing movement. As the condition continues, it becomes less painful, but the shoulder remains very stiff. It is thought [...]

By John King|2024-12-15T09:29:05+00:00July 21st, 2014|Neck & Shoulders|0 Comments

Headaches

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache and physiotherapy often helps to reudce and resolve these types of headaches. Tightness in the neck muscles, especially those that attach to the base of the back of the skull (occiput) or those muscles in the front of the neck (sternocliedomastoid muscle), can cause headaches. Stiffness [...]

By John King|2025-03-09T08:44:47+00:00July 21st, 2014|Neck & Shoulders|0 Comments

Hip Pain

Hip pain can be caused by a number of problems. Weakness in the hip extensor (Gluteus Maximus) muscles or hip abductors (Gluteus Minimus) and external rotators (Piriformis) can cause hip pain. This weakness can lead to gluteus medius and minimus tendinopathy (tendinitis). Treatment of this always involves strengthening the hip muscles and improving your balance [...]

By John King|2025-03-09T09:11:54+00:00July 21st, 2014|Lower Limb|0 Comments

ITB syndrome

The Iliotibial Band (ITB) is a broad band of connective tissue down the outside of the thigh. The Tensor Fascia Latae, gluteus medius, gluteus maximus attach to the ITB helping to tighten the ITB and stabilise the knee during walking and running. If you have poor foot biomechanics, weak hip abductor muscles, torsion of your [...]

By John King|2025-01-19T11:15:13+00:00July 21st, 2014|Lower Limb|0 Comments

Knee Pain

By John King|2014-10-15T07:40:28+01:00July 21st, 2014|Lower Limb|0 Comments

Muscle Imbalances

By John King|2014-10-15T07:40:28+01:00July 21st, 2014|Lower Limb, Neck & Shoulders, Spinal, Upper Limb|0 Comments

Muscle Strains

By John King|2014-10-15T07:40:28+01:00July 21st, 2014|Lower Limb, Neck & Shoulders, Spinal, Upper Limb|0 Comments

Muscle Tears

Muscle tears can happen spontaneously, due to trauma or sport and leisure activites. The most common area for Spontaneous muscle tears is in the shoulder rotator cuff, especially as people get older. Calm muscle (gastrocnemius and soleus) tears are commonly caused during sports such as running or athletics. They can even happen with walking, more [...]

By John King|2024-12-29T11:38:05+00:00July 21st, 2014|Lower Limb, Neck & Shoulders, Spinal, Upper Limb|0 Comments

Muscle Weakness

Weakness can occur in muscles after injury or gradually from postural & movement habits. Common muscles affected by weakness are: Deep neck flexors (Longus Capitis & Longus Colli) Shoulder rotator cuff muscles (Infraspinatus, Supraspinatus, Subscapularis), Scapula muscles (Serratus Anterior Spinal core muscles (Transversus Abdominis & Lumbar Multifidus) Hip abductors (Gluteus Minimus & Medius), Hip external [...]

By John King|2024-12-21T08:34:23+00:00July 21st, 2014|Lower Limb, Neck & Shoulders, Spinal, Upper Limb|0 Comments

Orthopaedic Conditions or Post Orthopaedic Surgery

Joint replacements, fractures (with or without internal fixation), arthroscopy (key hole surgery), anterior cruciate ligament repair, knee meniscal repairs, shoulder rotator cuff repairs, and spinal surgery can all benefit from input from a physiotherapist. Gradually increasing the complexity of exercises post surgery can help you return to your activites of daily living (ADLs) and sport. [...]

By John King|2025-01-19T11:27:36+00:00July 21st, 2014|Lower Limb, Neck & Shoulders, Spinal, Upper Limb|0 Comments