Injury & Pain: Effective Recovery

Often neck pain is due to wear and tear of the joints which is the result of some form of injury or the result of postural problems. This is also often associated with muscle imbalance, with some muscles becoming tight and overactive whilst others become weak and long.

The neck is a complex structure made up of seven bones called vertebrae. These vertebrae are separated from each other by discs which are stabilised by joints and ligaments and moved by muscles. The neck supports the head and is a very mobile structure and because of this, it can be damaged easily. Injuries and postural problems are the most common causes of neck pain, however arthritis and degeneration can also cause neck pain.

Injury

Neck injuries can be a result of motor vehicle accidents, sports or occupational accidents. Damage may occur to vertebrae, joints, nerves, discs, ligaments and muscles. The most common neck injury is the acceleration/deceleration injury, better known as ‘whiplash’ where the head is thrown forward or backward.

Posture

Bad posture can cause neck pain. Ligaments are over-stretched, muscles become tired and the neck joints and nerves are put under pressure. Slouching your shoulders with your head pushed forward, sleeping with your head in an awkward position, or working with your head down for long periods, will all tend to cause or worsen neck pain.

SOS Physiotherapy is an approved health care provider under the NSW WorkCover scheme. Our team include trained staff to treat work injuries within a compensation environment in order to achieve a safe and stable return to work.

What to do if you have an injury at work:

• Your Employer will provide you with their details and their insurance company’s details. They will also provide you with a Workers Compensation form if necessary.
• Contact WorkCover immediately for serious injuries and if not life threatening within 7 days. Any injured worker off work for more than 7 days must see doctor and get a WorkCover Medical Certificate.
• You need to contact your company’s insurance company and you will need to provide them with details of your accident, your personal details, your company details, your treating doctor, and any other information they require.
• Finally your doctor will refer you to physiotherapy if appropriate, and you can then make an appointment with SOS Physiotherapy to begin your treatment and start on your road to recovery.

For more information on WorkCover go to: www.workcover.nsw.gov.au

What is patellofemoral pain?

Patellofemoral pain is a common condition experienced by people of all ages but especially by sports people. Pain is felt behind, over or near the sides of the kneecap, and sometimes at the back of the knee, and is aggravated by activities including walking, sitting, squatting, kneeling, jogging and ascending and descending stairs. The symptoms are often associated with audible clicking, creaking or grinding under the kneecap.

What causes the pain ?

At the patellofemoral joint, both the patella and femur are lined with a smooth form of cartilage called articular hyaline cartilage. When an imbalance between the muscles and other structures which control side-to-side movement of the kneecap occurs, even simple activities such as walking produce excessive patellar movement. This “maltracking” causes friction between the patella and the femur, irritates the hyaline cartilage, producing inflammation. Inflammation causes pain, swelling and eventually degeneration of the undersurface of the kneecap. If the problem is not addressed, arthritic changes may occur within the joint.

Causes of patella maltracking

The causes of patellar maltracking include tight muscles and connective tissue, especially on the outside of the knee and thigh, previous knee injuries, post surgical weakness, muscle weakness on the inside of the kneecap (“VMO weakness”), and poor lower limb biomechanics such as flat feet.

How SOS Physiotherapy can help?

• A number of successful treatment options are available.
• Initial treatment should be aimed at reducing pain and inflammation. This should commence immediately and involves resting the knee or avoiding activities that make the pain worse, and using ice or heat.
• Anti-inflammatory medication prescribed by your doctor may also assist.
• Physiotherapy treatment aims to reduce pain and prevent recurrence by correcting biomechanical faults which may be contributing to the problem.
• Treatment commonly consists of taping or bracing the knee cap into the correct position and retraining the muscles on the inside of the thigh to hold it there. Strengthening of the buttock muscles, stretching of tight structures on the outside of the knee, joint mobilisations, electrotherapy and correction of biomechanical abnormalities such as fallen foot arches, may be introduced to address the underlying biomechanical problems. A thorough examination to identify and correct the cause must first be performed before an individual treatment program is begun.
• Provided treatment is commenced prior to the onset of arthritic changes, conservative treatment has a high rate of success. Recovery time will largely depend on severity and may range from 2 weeks to 6 months. If the pain can be controlled with taping or bracing, exercise can be recommended at a fairly early stage.

WHAT IS SHOULDER INSTABILITY ?

Shoulder instability is a term used to describe excessive shoulder mobility or ‘laxity’, often brought about by traumatic events such as shoulder dislocation, but sometimes merely hereditary in nature. The shoulder joint becomes too loose, resulting in subluxation (partial dislocation) or complete, ongoing dislocations. Particularly common in females, the shoulder joint may return quickly to its normal position or may remain dislocated, requiring medical intervention. Instability may be a result of traumatic dislocation or a consequence of generalised joint laxity which may be hereditary. The latter is common in young individuals, particularly females.

SIGNS OF INSTABILITY

• Repetitive Subluxation or Dislocation.
• Pain in the shoulder and neck.
• Overactivity of the muscles between the neck and the shoulder (trapezius muscles).
• Headaches.
• Reluctance to move the arm into positions where it feels like the shoulder will “pop out”.

REHABILITATION OF AN UNSTABLE SHOULDER

Treatment aims to restore strength, endurance, proprioception (control and awareness) and co-ordination to the muscles around the shoulder. A person who has instability will require an individualised rehabilitation program. Stretching and strengthening aims to achieve balance and control of all shoulder muscles, preventing further dislocation and subluxation and secondary complications such as impingement of the rotator cuff tendon. Patients must allow at least six weeks before significant gains in stability may be achieved.

What is neck related (cervicogenic) headache ?

Neck Related or cervicogenic headache is the term used to describe a headache caused by an abnormality of the joints, muscles, connective tissue, discs or neural tissue (nerves) of the neck.

Headaches are a common problem affecting about two-thirds of the population. Because there are a variety of causes of headache, particularly in the case of ongoing pain it is important to rule out serious pathology and your practitioner may want to do further investigations. Some signs of more serious pathology include new or atypical headache, weight loss and fatigue, sudden severe headache, weakness or numbness of the arms or legs and hearing or visual disturbances.

CAUSES OF NECK RELATED HEADACHE

Pain felt over the eyes, temples or base of the skull may well be referred from the neck. Nerves which exit the neck and then travel into the head may become irritated and inflamed referring pain into regions the nerves supply. Reasons for nerve irritation include:

• Trauma such as whiplash damaging structures within the neck.
• Poor posture leading to muscle tightness and stretching of ligaments and nerves.
• Stress, which can increase muscle tension contributing to neck joint stiffness.
• Hypermobility or abnormally mobile joints resulting in increased muscle tone in order to maintain neck stability, enhancing susceptibility to headaches.SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
• Headache associated with neck pain or stiffness.
• Pain is typically felt at the back of the head but may also spread or be felt initially, at the front of the head or behind the eyes.
• Pain is often one-sided and described as a constant, dull ache, with tightness or gripping.
• Headache may be accompanied by dizziness or lightheadedness, nausea, visual disturbances and ringing in the ears.
• Headache may be precipitated by certain movements of the neck or holding the head in one position for a prolonged period of time.
• Headache lasts from hours to days.
• May be associated with stress.
• Headache may be eased by applying pressure at the top of the neck.

Some tips to prevent headaches

• Sit and stand up straight with the chin and the head in line with the shoulders.
• Always ensure that the lower back is supported whilst sitting.
• Avoid holding the head in one position for extended periods – especially looking up or down.
• Change position regularly and perform gentle neck stretches.
• Use relaxation techniques or heat packs to relieve tight muscles around the neck and shoulders.
• Use a contoured pillow that helps support your neck during the night

The back is a remarkable structure, a combination of human anatomy designed to not only be flexible, but to also provide strength and structure. When something goes wrong, back pain can take over our lives. Whether you have a muscle strain (the most common form of back pain) or a condition such as herniated disc, degenerated disc, osteoarthritis, or spinal stenosis, there are a wide range of treatments available.

Common Causes of Back Pain

Fortunately, most episodes of back pain will heal with time: approximately 50% of patients will feel relief from low back pain within two weeks, and approximately 90% within three months, regardless of the treatment.

The majority of episodes of acute low back pain are due to a muscular strain and these will usually resolve with time because muscles have a good blood supply to bring the necessary nutrients and proteins for healing to take place.
 

Back pain caused by lumbar spine problems

For patients with low back pain that lasts longer than three months, or patients with predominantly leg pain, a more specific and definable problem for the pain should be sought.

There are several very common causes of low back pain and leg pain.

Low Back Pain

Low Back Pain affects nearly two thirds of the population at some stage in their lives. There are many causes of back pain including disc problems, muscle strains, poor posture, arthritis, stress fractures and nerve irritation (e.g sciatica). Although our understanding of low back pain is limited in relation to the exact origin of the pain that is, perhaps the most common cause of low back pain is damage involving a facet joint and its associated ligaments and joint capsule. Low back pain is often divided into 3 categories: non-specific low back pain; low back pain with radiculopathy (sciatica); and low back pain due to spinal stenosis.

How SOS Physiotherapy can help you

SOS Physiotherapy can help by diagnosing your low back pain and providing treatment and advice to help you through the painful, acute stage of the pain. Exercise prescription and advice on staying active is also an effective treatment modality. We provide up-to-date, evidence-based treatment for back pain customised to your needs; indeed we only focus on techniques of proven effectiveness and the treatment options depend on the type of back pain you may be suffering from.

Through our thorough physical assessments we ensure that we recognise and treat the real cause of your problems in order to bring you lasting pain relief, not just temporary relief from your back pain. We also prescribe lumbo-pelvic or ‘core stability’ exercises to help stabilise and strengthen your back in order to minimise recurrence of pain or injury.

Don’t let a motor vehicle accident create problems in your life…

About 20 percent of people involved in rear-end collisions experience symptoms in the neck region.

Do you have whiplash from your motor vehicle accident?

People who experience whiplash may develop one or more of the following symptoms, usually within the first two days after the accident:

• Neck pain and stiffness
• Headaches
• Pain in the shoulder or between the shoulder blades
• Low back pain
• Pain or numbness in the arm and/or hand
• Dizziness
• Ringing in the ears or blurred vision
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering
• Irritability, sleep disturbances, fatigue

Diagnosis

Most whiplash injuries are due to damage to soft tissues such as the discs, muscles and ligaments. These cannot be seen on standard X-rays so your doctor may need to request an MRI.

How SOS Physiotherapy can help you

In the past whiplash injuries were often treated by splinting the neck in a soft collar. However research now clearly states that early movement and treatment within comfort leads to much faster and more complete recovery, and that’s where SOS Physiotherapy can help you.

In the first 24 hours gentle active movement is encouraged. Your doctor or physiotherapist may provide you with a series of exercises that you can do at home. An early return to work is encouraged, even if your doctor must prescribe some temporary modifications in your work situation.

SOS Physiotherapy has proven and effective treatments for whiplash injuries including relieving headaches, using hands-on techniques to restore normal movement and relieve pain, exercises to regain normal strength and length of muscles, and massage to reduce muscle tension. We will also discuss and advise you on your gradual return to normal activity, exercise and work. A major focus of the treatment of whiplash associated disorders is specific exercises designed to restore muscle control and support around the neck whilst also improving postural control and preventing unnecessary postural strain

Let SOS Physiotherapy’s experienced team of health professionals get you back to normal and stop a car crash creating problems for life.

Sports injuries are a common occurrence in everyones life, from weekend sports player to the seasoned professional!

SOS Physiotherapy offers effective, fast and through treatment that aims to  provide you with the service you need to get back in the game… as soon as possible.

The team at SOS Physiotherapy works with you to assure the real cause of your injury is corrected and that you are fully fit for your come-back and that the chance of future problems is minimised.

How SOS Physiotherapy can help you?

Our treatment interventions are evidence-based and have a strong focus on hands-on, manual therapy complemented by specific stretch and strengthening exercises and various eletrotherapeutic modalities where needed. Our therapists work with you and your team to help identify the cause of your problem be it poor technique, overuse or simply bad luck!

Treatments are progressed in a way to ensure you retain your fitness, promote adequate healing and minimise re-aggravation.  This step by step process ensures that the healing process is most effective and that the road to recovery is successful!

All our physiotherapists have experience in sports injuries with our services either have or are being utilised by local, elite and professional level sporting clubs such as the Canterbury Bulldogs Australian Rugby League Club, Newtown Jets Rugby League Club, Western Suburbs Rugby League Club, the NRL Wests Tigers, the NSW Country Origin team, the Earlwood Wanderers Soccer Club, the Arncliffe Scots Rugby League Club, the NSW and Australian OzTag Team and MMA Fighters!

SOS Physiotherapy… we are the team behind YOUR team!