APR
8th
8th
Physiotherapy concentrates on restoring movement and strength, by using a combination of exercises, mobilisation and manipulation. Electrotherapy can be used to reduce inflammation. All this helps to reduce pain and restore function.
Disc problems: Your "intervertebral discs" sit between the vertebrae (bones in your back). This is a common cause of pain, as bending your back or having poor posture of the back/neck, puts more pressure on the back wall of the disc which can lead to a prolapsed disc or "slipped disc" (i.e. the disc can leak out into the surrounding tissue). This can be very painful and often limits your movement to one side i.e. you may be able to take your back/neck to the left but not the right. The prolapsed disc can also press on a nerve which can give you pain/pins and needles or numbness/weakness in your arm/leg.
Physiotherapy can help to reduce the disc protrusion by using, manipulation, traction and exercises.
Spondylolysthesis is a condition wherein one vertebrae slips forward on the other. This can be a very small slip, which can leave you pain free with no symptoms. Conversely, it can be a larger slip, which could put pressure on the spinal canal and nerves, causing pain and possible pins and needles/numbness.
The most accurate way to diagnose this is by having an X-ray. However, some therapists can feel a "dip" in your spine when you are standing, which could indicate a possible spondylolysthesis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a rare condition in which your body mistakes its normal tissue for foreign tissue. Therefore, your own immune system attacks your healthy tissue, causing pain and inflammation in your joints. More than one joint is affected in RA, so if you only have neck/back pain, you are unlikely to have RA. Normally the small joints in your hands and feet are involved. It is more common in women than men, and is normally diagnosed when the patient is young i.e. in their 20s or 30s.
"Whiplash" is caused when your head is quickly whipped forwards and backwards e.g. when in a car crash/on a fairground ride, etc. This overstretches your muscles and joints, causing inflammation and pain. It may also affect your disc, which can lead to more severe problems. However, most whiplash injuries will get better over time provided they are kept moving and postural advice is followed. Sometimes treatment is needed to speed up the recovery process.
Osteoporosis is a condition that tends to effect post-menopausal women, although it can affect men. New bone is formed all the time and old bone is reabsorbed by our bodies. Osteoporosis occurs when old bone is absorbed quicker than new bone is made. This makes your bones more brittle and more likely to fracture (break). It is diagnosed using a bone scan of the heel, although some advanced cases can be seen on X-ray. It is a painless condition; therefore osteoporosis itself cannot cause pain.
Posture is talked about frequently. Poor posture can be a cause of pain in itself (e.g. stretching of muscles or putting pressure on a disc, by sitting in poor position) or it can prevent other conditions from healing fully (e.g. whiplash injuries often do not get better because the muscles are repeatedly stretched by poor postures).
Pregnancy is also a potential cause of neck and back pain. During pregnancy, more pressure is put on the back as the pelvis is pulled forwards. This can cause pain in the back and the pelvis, which normally resolves after giving birth. This can also happen if you are overweight.
Finally, muscle spasm: our muscles can go into "spasm" when in pain for any of the reasons listed above. The muscle tightens in order to try to protect the joint, which is painful. However, this contraction in itself is painful. It can often be relieved by heat/stretches/relaxation.
