Southside Physiotherapy Clinic

Back-Neck Pain

Probably the most common condition seen by Chartered Physiotherapists in
Southside Physiotherapy Clinic is either back or neck pain. Spinal pain affects 85% of the population at some stage in their lives. Spinal pain can be extremely debilitating resulting in sleepless nights, loss of function, and curtailment of sport, absence from work etc.

At Southside Physiothearapy Clinic your Chartered Physiotherapist will:

Assess the problem
Identify the cause of your problem
Agree treatment goals
Set in place a treatment programme to reduce pain and restore mobility and function
Give postural advice
Advise on prevention of recurrence or long term management of an ongoing condition. This may include lifestyle changes, advice on lifting, advice of work postures, weight loss and exercise promotion etc
Advise you that your back or neck pain may highlight a BIOMECHANICAL problem
If deemed necessary refer you back to your GP, for further investigation.

Joint Pain

Complaints of pain in joints are very common. We take our joints for granted until they become inflamed, stiff and painful. This may be due to actual trauma eg twisting an ankle but more often than not, joints they become affected by repeated strain, poor posture and overuse. As a result there can be:

Pain
Inflammation
Stiffness
Muscle loss
Loss of function

At Southside Physiotherapy Clinic your Chartered Physiotherapist can help by:

Reducing your pain electrotherapy
Inflammation reduction
Restore movement
Advice on preventative measures to stop recurrence
Advise you on an appropriate exercise programme
Advice on posture and prevention of strain due to work conditions
Painful feet, knees, hips are often caused by a biomechanical problem i.e. the shape of your hips, knees and feet.
Provision of aids/splints

Sports Injuries - Muscle, Tendon and Ligament Injuries

You don't have to be an elite athlete to get a sports injury. At Southside Physiotherapy Clinic we see all types of muscle, tendon & ligament injuries. We can:

Assess, locate and treat the cause of your injury
Set goals with you to help you manage your injury
Set out a treatment programme
Set out an appropriate rehabilitation programme
Advise you on injury prevention
Biomechanical & postural assessment
Liaise with trainers & coaches and network with other professions involved in sports medicine i.e. sport medicine doctors, nutritionists, psychologists etc
Direct referral for non radiation based investigations i.e. MRI, Ultrasound etc

Repetitive strain Injury (RSI)

Ergonomics looks at optimising an individual's functional ability in a given work situation – simply, fitting the workplace to the individual and not the individual To the work place. By assessing an individual’s work station environment we can identify treat and prevent problems caused by improper desk arrangement repetitive strain injury, back and neck care and upper limb disorders. People often present with general conditions such as neck or back pain, repetitive strain Injuries of the upper limb, which on closer assessment are revealed to be aggravated by the working situation. At Southside Physiotherapy Clinic we can offer support by:

Assessing and diagnosing the cause/aggravating factors
Postural advice/correction
Exercise prescription to strengthen weak muscle groups and improve flexibility of tight structures
Advice on work station layout
Advice on stress reduction
Advice on suitable work station equipment and adaptation where necessary
Referral to a physiotherapist who will visit your workplace to assess and report on specific problems

Osteoporosis/Bone Health

Where osteoporosis exists the rate of bone loss is faster than bone regeneration resulting in a loss of bone density. It is scientifically proven that exercise can maintain, prevent and restore bone mass density. We design safe and effective strength training programmes for people with Osteoporosis, in combination with an overall programme of advice and management Osteoporosis is a silent epidemic which is increasing rapidly. Osteoporosis affects approximately 30% of women and 14% of men over the age of 50.
Signs and symptoms include:

Fracture of bones often following minimal trauma especially of the hip,
wrist or Vertebra in the spine
Back, neck or spinal pain
Postural changes eg Dowager’s hump, spinal deformity
Loss of height

Diagnosis is generally through DEXA scan but may be after an osteoporosis related fracture.
Management/treatment generally consists of a combination of the following:

Pain relief
Safe and appropriate individual exercise
Postural re-education
Balance training/falls prevention
Advice and education
Exercise is essential for bone health particularly weight bearing exercises eg.
Walking, jogging, dancing, weight training. Your physiotherapists have the expertise to advise you on an appropriate programme for you to follow and enjoy. See Pilates and Yoga.

Physiotherapy can be combined with all or some of the following:

Drug therapy
Calcium and Vitamin D supplements
Nutritional advice
Lifestyle changes eg smoking cessation

Rheumatology-Arthritis

Arthritis simply means inflammation of a joint due to wear and tear. Arthritis is a condition affecting a large number of the population in varying degrees. Its unpredictable and fluctuating nature can lead to difficulty in managing everyday activities. There are many different types of arthritis, some more severe than others eg osteoarthritis man be present in just one joint where a person may have rheumatoid arthritis in Many joints and as it is a systemic disease other organs such as the eyes may be affected. Physiotherapy can be of great assistance to arthritis sufferers by providing:
Pain relief in time of flare-up
Inflammation reduction
Exercise prescription to protect vulnerable joints
Advice on joint care and protection
Provision of aids such as splints, orthotics where indicted
Advice on independent management
Referral to allied health professionals eg; occupational therapists,
dieticians and medical specialists

Women's Health

Ante & post natal back care, pregnancy related musculoskeletal pain
Pelvic dysfunction is common in pregnancy. The pelvis may become very mobile due to hormonal changes. This in turn may affect the lumbar spine. The muscles attaching to the bones of the pelvis, the sacrum, the coccyx, the hips and the lumbar spine will become stressed as they try to compensate for the increased mobility and lack of stability. They tighten up often develop trigger points and become painful. Physiotherapy involves learning correct posture. This is vital to maintain balance between the pelvis and the spine. Manual therapy techniques help to realign the pelvis & lumbar spine. Individual exercise programmes help to normalize movement and strengthening core stability provides the pelvis with the stability it has lost.

Bladder / bowel incontinence /control
Physiotherapy involves rehabilitation and strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles, retraining of the reflexes of the bladder and bowel and learning correct voiding and defecation techniques. There are many forms of bladder dysfunction. If you suffer from any of the following we can help you.

Stress incontinence: an increase in abdominal pressure such as with a cough or running overcomes the closure pressure in the urethra and a leak occurs.
Urge incontinence: a strong urge to go to the toilet precedes the leak and there isn't enough time to get there.
Urgency: there are frequent strong urges to go to the toilet and they are difficult to control.
Frequency: in a 24 hour period, there is a need to go to the toilet more than 8 times.