general pain

Elbow pain is very common and often easily treatable by following the correct  treatment programme.  Your elbow joint is made up of bone, cartilage, ligaments, bursa and fluid and movement is made by the muscles and tendons of this joint. If any one of these structures are damaged or diseased this will lead to elbow pain. 

What are the symptoms? Symptoms will vary according to the tissue damaged and the most common tendon injuries are Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and Golfer’s Elbow (medial epicondylitis). Oddly, you do not have to play tennis or golf to suffer from these symptoms!

Tennis elbow is characterised by pain and tenderness in the elbow and in the back of the forearm and this is made worse by using the elbow. Symptoms vary in severity and duration, but usually include most of the following:

• recurring pain on the outside of the upper forearm just below the bend of the elbow, pain may also be felt down the arm towards the wrist
  
• pain caused by lifting or bending the arm
  
• pain when writing or when gripping even small objects such as a pen
  
• pain on twisting the forearm, for example, when turning a door handle
  
• difficulty extending the forearm fully

Golfer’s elbow is similar but location of the pain is on the inside of the elbow

Why do I have elbow pain? Excessive, repeated or sustained use of the muscles that extend the wrist can cause irritation of the tendons. Tennis elbow happens most commonly when you suddenly use your forearm muscles a lot without having used them much before, such as using power tools or a screwdriver for DIY or working in your garden. Even if you are used to this type of work, you can still overdo it. 

Our Chartered Physiotherapists can help diagnose your symptoms and have you back on the road to recovery in no time

Hand and wrist pain is common and ​at one time or another, most people have had a minor injury to a finger, hand, or wrist that caused pain or swelling. Symptoms can develop from everyday wear and tear, overuse, or an injury.

In children, most finger, hand, or wrist injuries occur during sports or play or from accidental falls. Any injury occurring at the end of a long bone near a joint may injure the growth plate (physis) and needs to be evaluated. Older adults are at higher risk for injuries and fractures because they lose muscle mass and bone strength (osteopenia) as they age. They also have more problems with vision and balance, which increases their risk of accidental injury.

Sudden (acute) injury may occur from a direct blow, a penetrating injury, or a fall, or from twisting, jerking, jamming, or bending a limb abnormally. Pain may be sudden and severe. Bruising and swelling may develop soon after the injury. Acute injuries include:

• Bruises. After a wrist or hand injury, bruising   may extend to the fingers from the effects of gravity.
• Injuries to ligaments, such as a skier's thumb   injury.
  
• Injuries to tendons, such as mallet finger.
  
• Injuries to joints (sprains).
  
• Pulled muscles (strains).
  
• Broken bones (fractures), such as a wrist fracture  .
  
• Dislocations.
  
• Crushing injury, which can lead to compartment syndrome.
  

Overuse injuries occur when too much stress is placed on a joint or other tissue, often by "overdoing" an activity or repeating the same activity. Overuse injuries include the following:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on a nerve (median nerve  ) in the wrist. The symptoms include tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain of the fingers and hand.
• Tendon pain is actually a symptom of tendinopathy, a series of very small tears (microtears) and potentially some degeneration in the tissue in or around the tendon. In addition to pain and tenderness, common symptoms of tendon injury include decreased strength and movement in the affected area.
  
• De Quervain's disease can occur in the hand and wrist when tendons and the tendon covering (sheath) on the thumb side of the wrist swell and become inflamed.​

Adult hip pain is normally caused by osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis in the UK. The symptoms of osteoarthritis can vary greatly from person to person, but if it affects the hip, it will typically cause:

• mild inflammation of the tissues in and around the hip joint
• damage to cartilage – the strong, flexible tissue that lines the bones
• bony growths (osteophytes) that develop around the edge of the hip joint
  

This can lead to pain, stiffness and difficulty doing certain activities. There's no cure for osteoarthritis, but the symptoms can be eased using a number of different physiotherapy treatments. Surgery isn't usually necessary although the majority of hip surgery in the UK is due to osteoarthritis. 

Less commonly, hip pain may be caused by:

• the bones of the hip rubbing together because they're abnormally shaped – a condition called femoroacetabular impingement
• a tear in the ring of cartilage surrounding the socket of the hip joint – known as a hip labral tear
• hip dysplasia – where the hip joint is the wrong shape, or the hip socket isn't in the correct position to completely cover and support the top of the leg bone
• a hip fracture – this will cause sudden hip pain and is more common in older people with weaker bones 
• an infection in the bone or joint, such as septic arthritis or osteomyelitis – see your GP immediately if you have hip pain and fever
• reduced blood flow to the hip joint, causing the bone to break down – a condition known as osteonecrosis
• inflammation and swelling of the fluid-filled sac (bursa) over your hip joint – a condition called bursitis
• a hamstring injury
• an inflamed ligament in the thigh, often caused by too much running – known as iliotibial band syndrome, this is treated with rest; read more about sprains and strains

Irritable hip is a common childhood condition that causes symptoms such as hip pain and limping. Doctors sometimes refer to irritable hip as transient or toxic synovitis and hip pain isn't usually severe, but your child may be reluctant to place weight on the affected leg. Occasionally, an irritable hip may also cause:

• pain in the knee or thigh
• restricted movement in one of the hip joints
• a slightly higher temperature than normal – a normal temperature is around 37C (98.6F)

In younger children who are unable to speak, the only noticeable symptom may be crying at night.

However, don't try to diagnose the cause of your hip pain yourself – this should always be a matter for your health professional. Our Chartered Physiotherapists can help diagnose your symptoms and have you back on the road to recovery in no time ​

The good news is most symptoms will resolve by themselves unfortunately this can sometimes take up to a year. 

By avoiding the activities which aggravate your symptoms and identifying any factors which may contribute to your symptoms you can help control your symptoms and over the counter painkillers can be taken to treat mild pain. Your GP may prescribe anti-inflammatory to ease pain and inflammation. These are often available in creams or gel form, which can be rubbed over the affected area. You should discuss the use of any medication with your GP and/or pharmacist. 

Often physiotherapy can be very helpful and accelerate progress. The treatments include stretching and strengthening the forearm muscles, along with the use of supports to reduce strain on the tendon.

 Injection therapy can be useful if the pain is severe and does not respond to other treatment although recent research says this can actually prolong the length of the symptoms and increases the likelihood of recurrence, so is now less frequently used on targeted cases. 

If you are unsure of concerned about your elbow pain then contact one of our Physiotherapists who can help diagnose your condition and put together a recovery plan with a specific exercise regime and personalised advice.​

Hip pain often gets better on its own, and can be managed with rest and over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen. 

However, you should seek further help if:

• your hip is still painful after one week of resting it at home
• you also have a fever or rash
• your hip pain came on suddenly and you have sickle cell anaemia
• the pain is in both hips and other joints as well

Although irritable hip is usually a mild condition, you should take your child to see your GP if you are concerned about their hips, so that a diagnosis can be confirmed. This is because irritable hip shares symptoms of more serious hip conditions, such as septic arthritis (an infection inside the hip) or Perthes disease.

If you are unsure or concerned about your hip pain then contact one of our Physiotherapists who can help diagnose your condition and put together a recovery plan with a specific exercise regime and personalised advice.​

Knee pain can occur for a number of reasons overuse or trauma such as a joint injury to the tibia femoral joint, patellofemoral joint, ligaments, tendons and bursa. Injury can also cause damage to the tissues inside and around a knee join

In adults, the most common cause of knee pain is arthritis.

Osteoarthritis affects approximately 1 in 4 adults and occurs when the bones and the cartilage that make up the knee joint become damaged — in most cases, the cause of the damage is unknown. In some cases it can result from previous injury, from being overweight or from family history. Osteoarthritis is not an unavoidable consequence of ageing  - early detection and diagnosis are crucial in managing the condition. Just because you have knee osteoarthritis, you will not necessarily develop problems in other joints.

Knee pain can be associated with a range of symptoms that may vary from person to person. The most common problems encountered are:

•  Pain, tenderness and stiffness of the knee joint, including early morning stiffness. 
• Swelling of the knee, caused by inflammation.
• Muscle weakness, which causes the knee to feel unstable
• Grinding or cracking within the joint 
•  Loss of mobility 
•  Difficulty participating in sporting and other physical activities. 

It is important to remember that changes on x-ray do not accurately predict symptoms or what treatment will be best for your knee. For example: many people with x-ray results showing osteoarthritis will never require knee surgery and can be helped with simple treatment strategies, Most people would benefit from physiotherapy advice why not get physiotherapy online

Everyone benefits from regular exercise. Regular exercise is important in maintaining overall health and for preventing chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity. For people with knee pain, exercise is particularly important. Even low-level exercise performed at home can help to maintain joint mobility and health. In fact, research has shown that regular exercise is one of the most important treatments for most knee pain.

Our Chartered Physiotherapists can help diagnose your symptoms and have you back on the road to recovery in no time. Get physiotherapy online

Ankle Pain:  The ankle joint is the meeting of the bones of the leg and the foot and is responsible for the up and down motion of the foot. In popular usage, the ankle is often considered to be the ankle joint plus the surrounding anatomic region, including the lower end of the leg and the start of the flat part of the foot. Pain in the ankle can result from inflammation or injury to any of the structures in this region, including the bones, joint space, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, or muscles. 

What are the symptoms? Ankle pain can be associated with symptoms including

• ankle swelling
• bruising
• redness
• numbness or tingling
• instability
• burning pain
• inability to bear weight on the affected ankle
• stiffness, and weakness

Common causes of ankle pain include sprains or plantar fasciitis. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis and other types of arthritis can also cause ankle pain. Achilles tendinopathy is another potential cause.

​​Our Chartered Physiotherapists can help diagnose your foot pain or ankle pain and have you back on the road to recovery in no time

What to do about ankle and foot pain

Tendinopathy (sometimes referred to as tendonitis) is when a tendon becomes sore usually due to a gradual overload/overuse reaction or can be due to an acute injury due to sport or trauma. Tendinopathy of the ankle often involves the following tendons: Achilles tendon, the posterior tibial tendon, or the peroneal tendon. Sometimes tendinopathy can be due to an underlying inflammatory diseases or illnesses such as reactive arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. 

All forms of tendinopathy cause pain, often some swelling or thickening and tenderness in the tendon area involved. Immediate treatment of acute tendinopathy involves immobilising the area, elevation, limiting weightbearing, applying ice, and using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) after 24 hours if an acute injury. Graduated return to activity and a loading regime and strengthening exercises is usually recommended. Recovery can take 3-6 months with a presenting overuse injury. 

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If you are unsure of concerned about your Ankle pain then contact one of our Physiotherapists who can help diagnose your condition and put together a recovery plan with a specific exercise regime and personalised advice.​