INFORMATION

Being less protected than the rest of the spine, the neck can be vulnerable to the injury and disorders that produce pain and restrict motion.

INFORMATION

ROTATOR CUFF TENDINITIS OR FROZEN SHOULDER

The shoulder joint is a ‘ball and socket’ joint and requires the muscles and ligaments surrounding it to be strong and flexible to provide stability and motion. The main muscles are called the ‘rotator cuff’ muscles.

Frozen shoulder and Rotator Cuff tendinits are common conditions treated by Physiotherapists in Singapore. Our team of highly qualified and experienced Singapore physiotherapists can assess your shoulder and use specialised methods of physiotherapy treatment to reduce the pain and improve shoulder movement.

INFORMATION

Lower backpain is one of the most common problems in our society. Almost every person will have at least one episode of lower back pain at some point in his or her life. See your physiotherapist for help with back pain or stiffness

INFORMATION

The wrist is a small joint of the upper limb and is vital for hand movements and daily activities. A wrist injury can potentially affect a large part of life, causing pain with writing, sports, pushing up from your seat, or anything which requires the use of your hands. Sometimes compression can occur in the wrist joint, leading to tingling, numbness and weakness of the muscles of the hands.

Common wrist injuries include:

Carpal tunnel syndrome – Repetitive strain or overuse injury. Impingement of the median nerve that runs through the carpal tunnel.

Fractures – Falling on outstretched arm, sport or work related injury.

Muscle strained / ligament sprain Stressed over deviation from normal range of motion causing micro tears in muscles/ligaments around the wrist.

INFORMATION

Hip is the largest joint in our body and is a major weight bearing joint. Pain in the hip can arise from structures in and around the hip joint. Hip and groin pain can also be referred to the thigh. See a doctor if it’s been persistent for a long time and If physiotherapy is started early then these are easily and effectively treated.

INFORMATION

The knee is an important weight bearing joint that is to acute injuries as well as wear and tear. Pain in the knee could be due:

Osteoarthritis of knee OA : is degeneration or wear and tear between joint surfaces of the knee. It usually occurs in knees that have experienced trauma, infection or injury or age related changes. Osteoarthritis develops as the cartilage that protects the bone ends thins down and the bones will begin to rub against each other when the joint is moved.  With the worn-out cartilage, the joint space between the bones narrows. The surrounding bones react by becoming thicker and grow outward and form bone spurs. All these changes can lead to pain, swelling and discomfort in the knee on movement or rest.

Ligament Sprains or Tear: The knee has four major ligaments. The ligaments inside the knee joint are called ACL and PCL while the ligaments on either side of the knee are called MCL and LCL. These ligaments provide stability to the knee. Knee Ligament Injury can lead to pain and instability with the “giving way” feel. These can be associated with muscle weakness and lack of balance in the long run.

Meniscus Tears:  A knee has two menisci. Any activity that causes forcefully twisting or rotating the knee, especially when there is full weight on it, can lead to a torn meniscus. A torn meniscus causes pain, swelling and stiffness of the knee. Torn meniscus might also lead to a block to knee movement and cause trouble while extending the knee fully.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome: Often seen in runners. Iliotibial band is a tight band of muscle and connective tissue on the outer thigh which causes stress on the knee resulting in pain on outer side of knee and typically with running and going downstairs.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS)

Pain arises from the patella (kneecap) & excludes other soft tissue. PFPS constitutes 16 to 25 % of all injuries in runners. It can cause pain under the knee cap and swelling around the knee joint. Pain may increase after activities such as jumping, running down slopes, steps, prolonged walking or squatting.

Fractures: Occur in and around the knee joint due to direct or indirect trauma and may involve the patella, femur or tibia.

Dislocation or Shifting of Patella (Knee Cap): When the kneecap is partially or completely displaced out of its normal alignment. The most common direction for a patella to dislocate is outwardly (laterally). When this happens, the muscles and ligaments on the inside of the knee become overstretched and damaged.

Baker’s Cyst: pain at the back of the knee with a round swelling.

Chondromalacia Patella CMP: Happens when the patella glides through the groove with a lateral shift during the knee movement. This causes irritation of the cartilage between the patella and the femur and often results in pain.Pain is mainly with stair climbing, prolonged sitting and knee bending with weight bearing exercises. Pre-disposing factors may include flat fleet, overuse, tight muscles on the outer side of the knee, injury or weak muscles on the inside of the knee (vastus medialis).

Osgood Schlatter’s Disease: is seen in adolescents who develop pain and a bump just below the knee due to constant overuse and traction on the insertion of the patellar tendon.

INFORMATION

Plantar fasciitis is felt as a pain around the heel and arch of the foot. It can be felt as a discomfort or sharp pain in the heel on weight bearing especially after a rest period. As a person gets older, the fascia becomes less elastic. The heel pad becomes thinner and loses the capacity to absorb as much shock. There may be some swelling, small tears or bruises in the plantar fascia with the pounding force on the heel. Plantar fasciitis can also be a result of overuse in activities such as long-distance running, basketball, ballet dancing or dance aerobics. It settles down quickly if treated early and given enough rest, but may become worse and  chronic if initial symptoms are ignored.

To reduce the pain of plantar fasciitis, try these self-care tips:

• Give adequate rest to your feet.  Avoid prolonged standing or high impact activities like running that cause repeated loading on the foot. If you need to stand for long time, then shift your weight from one foot to the other or use a footrest under the affected foot to offload it for a while.
• Don’t walk barefoot, especially on hard surfaces, as this puts extra stress on the plantar fascia. It is advisable to wear soft heeled footwear or footwear with scooped out heels to avoid pressure on the heel.
• Wear supportive shoes. Choose shoes with a low to moderate heel, supportive arches and good shock absorbency.
• Avoid high heels especially when you need to walk long distances or stand for long periods of time. High heel shoes exert additional pressure on the inflamed fascia and lead to more heel pain.
• Do not wear worn-out shoes. Replace old, tattered, non-supportive shoes. This is very important if you walk or run in these shoes. A good way to tell that your shoes need replacing is to look for thinned (worn) out areas on the sole of the shoe.
• Apply ice: This can be done on the painful area three or four times a day, especially at the end of the day. Icing helps to reduce pain and inflammation. Icing can also be done with a frozen bottle of water rolled under the foot while sitting.
• Massage: Self massage can be done by rolling a tennis ball under your foot while sitting. As mentioned above, a frozen water bottle can also be used.
• Change your sport. Try a low-impact sport such as swimming or bicycling instead of walking or jogging while the plantar fascia is inflamed/painful.
• Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight, then try to lose some weight.  Extra weight can put extra stress on your plantar fascia.
• Exercise before getting out of bed in the morning or after prolonged sitting (sit to stand): Plantar fasciitis pain is usually at its worst in these two situations. A good way to combat this is to perform circular movements at the ankle (clockwise and anticlockwise) and a few seated calf stretches before weight bearing on the feet.
• Do your stretches. Simple home exercises can be done for plantar fasciitis. Perform this stretch when waking up, mid-day, and before bed. It is also very important to perform these stretches in the warm up and cool down phase of your exercise routine, even after you recover from plantar fasciitis pain. This will help to prevent any recurrences.

INFORMATION

• Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction
• Urinary Incontinence (Stress, Urge, Mixed Giggle Incontinence)
• Bowel Incontinence
• Constipation
• Painful Sexual Intercourse (Dyspareunia)
• Spasmed pelvic floor muscles (Vaginismus, or Painful Vulva area)