Wry neck AKA Torticollis

When you wake up with a very stiff neck and find it painful and restricted especially to one side you most likely have a wry neck. Treatment includes gentle facet joint mobilisation, traction/rotation exercise and release of scalenes and sternocleidomastoid. This takes only 1 or 2 treatments to resolve.

Intercostal pain

This is when you experience pain in the ribs and sometimes the mid-thoracic area of your back with deep breathing, coughing, and sneezing. Treatment involves gentle mobilisation of the joints of the ribs and thoracic spine, and gentle massage to the chest wall. Complete relief of symptoms can happen as quickly as one treatment. Recalcitrant symptoms can resolve with corticosteroid injection under CT guidance.

Sprained ankle

Sprained ankles are tears or ruptures to the 3 ligaments on the outside of the ankle and less commonly and more traumatically, the deltoid ligament on the inside of your ankle. They often involve a small fracture called an avulsion fracture and in this event we prescribe aircast walker boots and crutches to partially bear some of your body weight as you walk. We use compression socks to reduce swelling and pain and encourage early return to activities and rehab exercises as this encourages positive adaptive tissue changes.

Plantar heel pain (Plantar fasciitis)

Treatment includes plantar muscle and toe loading programs, manual therapies, taping to unload the medial arch, and sometimes orthotic prescription.

Anterior knee pain

Common in younger athletes this condition is usually from tissue overload from overuse. The treatments involve soft tissue therapies and progressive loading programs. This is a problem that involves specific treatment protocols for each individual.

Osteoporosis

Treatment involves localised soft tissue and joint mobilisation and strength training program. You will learn how to effectively load your bones in 10-15 minutes. I have monitored 2-6% increases in bone density in 12 weeks  

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

If you experience vertigo turning your head, lying down and rolling in bed you may have BPPV. This condition is due to a canalith moving in the posterior semi circular canal in your ear.

We perform a test called the Dix-Hallpike to confirm if you have BPPV. This test takes a few minutes and involves a movement to stimulate vertigo. If we confirm you have BPPV we will then perform an Epley Maneuver. This maneuver will move the canalith out of the semicircular canal and your symptoms can abate after just one maneuver. 

Adhesive capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)

Although common, there are other conditions, both sinister and benign, that cause a stiff and painful shoulder, and these must be excluded first. We will need to determine which phase of the condition you are going through to determine the appropriate treatment: If your shoulder is more painful than stiff you may respond well to cortisone injection into the joint. If the joint is more stiff than painful you may respond well to joint mobilisation and stretching. Further along the treatment path, it is important to manage appropriate strengthening and stretching exercises so your shoulder is as mobile and strong as possible during the lifecycle of the condition. We will also treat you for pain relief. This involves massage to the neck and shoulder joints and sometimes to the chest wall. Gentle glides of the shoulder joint can also help the range of motion of the shoulder. It is commonly said Frozen shoulder is a pain limiting problem and will probably resolve in 1-2 years. We can do better than that. You don’t wait 1-2 years for fractures and muscle/tendon tears to heal. You treat appropriately for a timely return to the activities that your problem limits or prevents you from enjoying.

Get fit to ski

Our get fit- to- ski program involves assessment of your knee joints and/or other joints you have previously injured and tailor a strengthening program to prepare you for your upcoming ski holiday.

If joint laxity is diagnosed we can measure and fit you for an appropriate joint brace eg an ACL/PCL stabilizing brace or a shoulder brace to protect previous rotator cuff injuries and shoulder dislocation. Check out our Bauerfeind SecuTec Knee Brace and the Omotrain shoulder brace

We design 2-4 week strength and conditioning training programs to boost your endurance, VO2 max, and upper and lower body and core trunk strength so you can get the most out of your next skiing holiday