Other conditions

Platinum Physiotherapy commonly treat other conditions such as:

• Arthritis Pain
• Fractures
• Ligament Injuries
• Pre & Post Op Rehab
• Pulled muscle
• Road Traffic Accidents
• Sports Injuries

Arthritis Pain

Osteoarthritis causes joints to become inflamed and painful. This pain often leads to secondary weakness in the muscles surrounding a joint. Inflammation, pain and weakness can be helped by physiotherapy whether it is acute or chronic.

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. OA is caused by general ‘wear and tear’ on joint cartilage, causing pain and joint inflammation. OA most commonly affects people who are middle-aged or older. OA can range from very mild to severe. It generally affects the hands and the large weight bearing joints such as the knees, hips, feet and the back. To have a certain degree of OA can almost be considered a normal part of ageing. A common misunderstanding is that OA is always a progressive and serious disease.

What are the symptoms/effects of osteoarthritis?

The severity of symptoms varies. Typical symptoms are pain, stiffness, and reduced range of movement at the joint. The stiffness tends to be worse first thing in the morning but usually eases as the days goes on. Swelling and inflammation of an affected joint can sometimes occur.

Other factors that indicate osteoarthritis are:

• An affected joint tends to look a little larger than normal. This is due to overgrowth of the bone next to damaged cartilage and sometimes swelling.
• You may have reduced mobility if a knee or hip is badly affected.
• No symptoms may occur. Quite a number of people have X-ray changes that indicate some degree of OA but have no symptoms. The opposite can also be true. That is, you may have quite severe symptoms but with only minor changes seen on the X-ray.

Physiotherapy for Osteoarthritis 

Treatment at Platinum Physiothrapy will reduce pain and stiffness, improve range of movement and strength, and help you manage your symptoms so you can remain as active as possible.

A thorough assessment will identify your main problems and a rehabilitation program will be developed tailored to you to maximise your physical function.

We use a combination of electrotherapy, gentle mobilisation and exercises to reduce pain and inflammation.

Your physiotherapist will also prescribe a personal exercise programme to help protect the inflamed joints against further damage and strengthen the appropriate muscles around them whilst maintaining range of movement.

Other treatment techniques for osteoarthritis may include:

• Advice on how to balance activity with rest and choosing activities that do not aggravate your pain
• Advice on how to manage your flare-ups
• Heat therapy to reduce pain and stiffness
• Soft tissue massage to relieve tight muscles
• Hydrotherapy to stretch and strengthen muscles and to maximise mobility
• Gait re-education
• Advice about walking aids

Physiotherapy treatment will ensure you reach your maximum physical potential and continue with your hobbies and everyday activities to the best of your ability.
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Fractures

Following a fracture a person may be kept immobilised in a cast or splint for a few weeks to allow time for the bone to heal properly. Physiotherapy is important following immobilisation in order to:

• Restore pain free range of movement
• Improve muscle strength
• Improve muscle length
• Enhance ability with everyday function

Physiotherapy for fractures

Your physiotherapist at Platinum Physiotherapy will initially assess the affected limb considering pain, swelling and bruising. Your physiotherapist will then look at your range of movement and muscle strength. Physiotherapy will help speed up your recovery by reducing pain and improving physical function. Physiotherapy treatment may include:

Passive and active movement to restore muscle bulk, length and strength surrounding the fracture site. As the fracture heals your physiotherapist will progress to movements with resistance and end-range stretching

Structured exercise program to restore muscle length and balance and enhance functional ability.

Joint mobilisation to improve and restore range of movement of the affected joints once the fracture has healed.

Soft tissue massage to reduce pain, restore muscle length and release trigger points that occur within muscles following splinting or casting

Heat and Electrotherapy to relieve stiffness within soft tissues following prolonged immobilisation.

Functional education which may include gait re-education if your fracture requires the use of gait aids such as crutches to promote optimal healing and safety

Advice on the any other equipment or adaptations

Physiotherapy will enhance your recovery and ensure you continue to make significant improvement in range of movement, muscle strength and everyday function. Your physiotherapist will also ensure that you return back to your normal activities with confidence and success.
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Ligament Injuries

Ligaments are made of very strong fibres. Their function is to hold a joint in its correct position particularly during movement and exercise. Ligaments have limited flexibility and as a consequence some or all of their fibres can tear if they are subjected to an excessive force. This injury is often referred to as a ligament ‘sprain’.

What causes ligament injuries? 

Ligament injuries can have many causes, including falls and sudden twisting of joints or blows to joints that are common in sports like football, basketball and running.

What are the symptoms/effects of ligament injuries?

A torn ligament can be very painful. It usually causes localised swelling, heat and ultimately bruising. It may be too painful to weight bear through the affected joint and additionally the joint may feel quite unstable. The sooner this injury is diagnosed and treated the more quickly and completely it will heal.

Physiotherapy for ligament injuries

Physiotherapy treatment at Platinum Physiotherapy will reduce swelling and pain, regain range of movement and strength and get you back to your hobbies and everyday activities as quickly as possible.

Your physiotherapist will initially assess the extent of your injury in order to develop a structured treatment program which may include:

• Ice and ultrasound in the initial stages to reduce swelling and prevent stiffness.
• Advice about special support or strapping to protect the muscles and joints while your injury is healing.
• Gentle massage to relieve pain and tension
• Stretching to lengthen tight muscles
• Joint mobilisation to regain full range of movement
• Muscle strengthening exercises
• Balance training
• Advice on injury prevention

Your treatment programme will be tailored to you and constantly reviewed to ensure that you return to your optimal strength and flexibility. Platinum Physiotherapy take particular care to ensure that the affected ligaments regain strength throughout their full range of movement and that they are well controlled during exercise.

Physiotherapy treatment will ensure you achieve your maximum potential and reduce the risk of injury reoccurrence.
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Pre & Post Op Rehab

At Platinum Physiotherapy our specialised physiotherapists provide comprehensive rehabilitation for people pre- and post-surgery.

Success of surgery depends a lot on what happens in the preoperative and postoperative stages. It is important to maximise the surgery by doing exercises that help to stabilise, mobilise and protect the area.

Your physiotherapist will guide you through the stages of your rehabilitation and assist in monitoring your progress, setting your goals, and providing appropriate treatment to maximise your recovery potential.

Your physiotherapist will also inform you of how you can help your own recovery, and what should be avoided. You will be provided with a specific rehabilitation program, to get you back to your full level of activity and/or sport as quickly as possible.

Typical conditions treated include:

• Knee
• Anterior & Posterior Cruciate Ligament reconstructions
• Patella realignment
• Post Arthroscopy – cartilage tears
• Shoulder
• Rotator cuff repairs
• Stabilisations following reoccurring dislocations
• Fractures
• Spinal Injuries
• Discectomy
• Laminectomy
• Spinal Fusions
• Joint Replacements
• Knee
• Hip
• Groins
• Repairs
• Ankle
• Achilles tendon repairs
• Lateral ligament repairs
• Foot surgery
• Ankle Arthroscopy

Our experienced physiotherapists will tailor your rehabilitation program to your needs and lifestyle, to ensure you make the best possible recovery and prevent the injury from re-occurring.

Success of surgery depends a lot on what happens in the postoperative stages. It is important to maximise the surgery by doing exercises that help to stabilise, mobilise and protect the area. Your consultant may also recommend you have some sort of pre-operative intervention, if this is the case Platinum Physiotherapy will be happy to design and carry it out.

We will be able to guide you through these stages of rehabilitation. We can assist in monitoring your progress, setting your goals, and providing appropriate treatment to maximise your recovery potential. We can also inform you of how you can help your own recovery, and what should be avoided. You will be provided a specific rehabilitation program, and we aim to back to your full levels of activity and/or sport as quickly as possible.
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Pulled muscle

What is a pulled muscle?

A pulled muscle or muscle strain occurs when a muscle is stretched too far causing small tears within the muscle, leading to inflammation and pain.

What causes a pulled muscle?

A pulled muscle is caused by a sudden, uncoordinated movement during sporting activities such as sprinting, jumping or kicking. During these activities the muscle is forcibly stretched beyond its limits and the muscle tissue tears.

What are the symptoms effects of a pulled muscle?

A pulled muscle will initially cause pain which will affect physical function such as standing, walking and climbing the stairs. People may also experience swelling, redness and bruising depending on the extent of the injury.

Physiotherapy for a pulled muscle

A person with a pulled muscle will benefit from physiotherapy treatment. Your physiotherapist at Platinum Physiotherapy will conduct a thorough physical examination to assess your current functional ability and develop a treatment programme which will be centred on:

• Reducing pain
• Reducing swelling
• Improving range of movement
• Improving muscle strength
• Improving balance
• Facilitating recovery

Physiotherapy treatment will be suited to you, to enhance your recovery and return to sport. A personalised treatment program will be developed which may include:

• Pain management including anti-inflammatories and ICE
• Ultrasound to accelerate healing
• Gradual muscle stretching to regain pain free range of movement as soon as possible
• Soft tissue massage to relieve pain and stiffness
• Muscle strengthening exercises
• Aerobic exercises
• Functional retraining tailored to everyday activities and sport
• Advice on graded return to activity
• Preventing re-injury

Your physiotherapist will also provide support and advice on how to return to normal physical activity as soon as possible and reduce the likelihood of re-injury. You will also be set short and long term goals to ensure that you get the most out of your treatment and continue to make long term improvements.
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Road Traffic Accidents

Road traffic accidents are a common cause of musculoskeletal injury. These injuries are caused by both direct trauma and, in the case of ‘whiplash’, the acceleration / deceleration associated with a road traffic accident.

These injuries are often very debilitating and require early assessment and treatment by a physiotherapist. Any area of the body can be injured and the severity is often dependent on the size and direction of the impact received. Common conditions caused by road traffic accidents are:

• Whiplash
• Back pain
• Thoracic (chest) pain
• Shoulder pain
• Knee pain
• TMJ (jaw) pain

Physiotherapy for Road Traffic Accidents 

Physiotherapy treatment will reduce pain and stiffness and promote healing so you can get back to your everyday activities and hobbies as soon as possible.

It is important to commence physiotherapy shortly after your accident for the best possible results.

Your physiotherapist at Platinum Physiotherapy will initially take a thorough history and make a full examination to establish the cause of your condition and the best way to help relieve your symptoms and facilitate recovery.

Physiotherapy treatment will depend on your symptoms following your road traffic accident but may include:

• Heat therapy to reduce pain
• Ultra sound
• Soft tissue massage to ease pain and stiffness
• Stretching to lengthen tight muscles
• Acupuncture
• Joint mobilisation to regain range of movement
• Trigger point therapy
• Muscle strengthening once pain has settled to support and stabilize the surrounding joints

Your rehabilitation program will be tailored to your needs and lifestyle to ensure you get the most out of your treatment and make significant short and long term progress.
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Sports Injuries

Our experienced physiotherapists at Platinum Physiotherapy treat all types of sports injuries, ranging from ACL tears in the knee to simple sprains of the ankle or joint separations of the shoulder. Whether you have an ongoing problem from an old injury or you have just hurt yourself, we can help.

Our specialised physiotherapists will accurately assess your problem and provide you with the rehabilitation that you need in order to return to your sport as soon as possible. Early recovery and active rehabilitation are important goals in the treatment of sports injuries; our clinic is equipped with a large gym and the appropriate tools to help you achieve these goals.

Running injuries

Common problems seen in runners which can be effectively treated with physiotherapy are:

• Achillies Tendonitis
• Knee pain
• Shin Splints
• Plantar fasciitus
• Low Back Pain
• Ankle Sprain

Running injuries are assessed using a combination of:

• Full gait analysis
• Full biomechanical assessment
• Assessment of core stability and muscle imbalance

The aim is to find the cause of the problem and not just treat the injury itself. This will give you a positive long term outcome and help prevent further injuries.

Ski Injuries

Our chartered physiotherapists at Platinum Physiotherapy are able to assess and treat all skiing injuries which may include:

• Knee
• ACL injury
• PCL injury
• Neck and Shoulder
• Fractured Clavicle
• Rotator Cuff Injury
• Shoulder Dislocation
• Whiplash
• Hand and Wrist
• Colles fracture of the wrist
• Broken finger
• Dislocated finger
• Back
• Back Strain
• Low Back Pain
• Disc prolapse

It is important that commence physiotherapy shortly after your skiing injury to regain full range of movement and muscles strength as soon as possible and to prevent re-injury.

Physiotherapy for Sports injuries

Whether you are an elite athlete or simply enjoy recreational sport and activity, we will fully assess your problem. From there your physiotherapist will devise a treatment programme to allow you to maximise your potential and facilitate your return to sport

Early diagnosis and treatment of any sports related injury, from strains to sprains, will help to minimise damage and achieve the best results.

Physiotherapy treatment will depend on your individual injury and current symptoms but may include:

• Pain management including anti-inflammatories and ICE
• Ultrasound to accelerate healing
• Gradual muscle stretching to regain pain free range of movement as soon as possible
• Soft tissue massage to relieve pain and stiffness
• Muscle strengthening exercises
• Aerobic exercises
• Functional retraining tailored to everyday activities and sport
• Advice on graded return to activity
• Preventing re-injury

Once the acute stage of the injury has been treated, a rehabilitation programme is essential to ensure the quickest recovery and return to sporting activity.

Your physiotherapist will enable you to retrain the specific skills required for your sport or activity, as well as ensuring you condition yourself to reduce the chance of the same injury in the future.

Injury Prevention

Our physiotherapists at Platinum Physiotherapy are experienced in treating all levels of athletes from recreational to elite levels. Our physiotherapists can offer advice on fitness and training if you are planning to embark on a strenuous sporting activity (e.g. skiing or running). This can help to improve the body’s condition and reduce the risk of injury. Please keep the following prevention tips in mind as they will help you reduce your injury risk:

• Participate in a conditioning program especially for your abdominals and glutes to build muscle strength and stability
• Do stretching exercises daily
• Always wear properly fitting shoes
• Nourish your muscles by eating a well-balanced diet
• Warm up before any sports activity, including practice
• Use or wear protective equipment appropriate for that sport

Whether your sport is soccer, hockey, basketball or golf, after you have properly healed, we ensure that you receive the appropriate exercises and drills to prevent a re-occurrence and enhance your performance so that you can return to your sport in top notch shape.
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