West 1 Physiotherapy and Pilates

Muscle spasms are contractions of the muscles, which occur involuntarily. The feeling is essentially extreme tightness, that is abrupt and painful. Muscle spasms can be especially problematic, if they occur frequently, despite the fact they don’t last long. The causes of muscle spasms are many, although they are mostly about injuries that aren’t treated in time. In this case, they can turn into muscle knots, also known as myofascial trigger points, which are the real issue. They can be very painful and persist for a long time. 

What are the causes of muscle spasms? 

If you are experiencing muscle spasms, there may be many cases for them. What is more, the severity of the spasms can be different. Sometimes they are only mild, causing slight annoyance. In other cases, they cause severe pain and discomfort from tightness. Most commonly, the causes of muscle spasms lie with trauma, overload and overuse of muscles. The spasms occur because of poor blood circulation in the area, created during physical exertion. If muscle spasms are related to a certain activity, then it is usually because the muscle is overstretched, or overused. They can also occur if you have been holding the muscle in one position for too long. Warm weather makes muscle spasms more likely to occur, as that is when overstretching is possible. Certain conditions like diabetes, anaemia, kidney disease and multiple sclerosis can also lead to muscle spasms. 

Symptoms of a muscle spasm 

Since muscle spasms occur during contractions, they are typically associated with sudden pain. Once the spasm has occurred, after the initial contraction you may feel like stretching your muscle. The pain that originates from spasms is very short-lived. Sometimes there is a slight bulge in the area where it occurred. If the muscle spasm is due to an injury, which has gone untreated for a long time, the muscle spasms can progress to muscle knots, which are much more problematic. Typically, physiotherapists will work to reduce the chance of this happening and that is what you should be aiming to do when you work with such an expert in the first place. 

How to diagnose muscle spasms?

Normally, you will do a physical exam when you visit a physiotherapist. They will take your medical history and examine the problem. They will ask you about more details in regards to the symptoms, their rate of occurrence, how long they go on for and what activities take place before the muscle spasms manifest. The ultimate goal of the physiotherapist is to find out the underlying cause of the muscle spasms so that they can treat that. They may also require blood tests and electromyography. 

What treatment is available? 

The most important thing in regards to treating muscle spasms is detecting the root cause of them. Preventing these conditions from triggering the pain is the goal of physiotherapy. The therapist is going to outline a treatment plan, based on the condition you are in. They may prescribe light stretching exercises before engaging in any physical activity, to prevent muscle spasms. If the spasm has resulted from an injury, they will treat the injury, to prevent muscle knots from forming. The goal is always to act quickly since muscle knots are much more difficult to cure. A good treatment method is a massage and physical therapy exercises, which a properly trained physiotherapist will be able to follow through. A few other treatment examples include electrical stimulation, trigger point injections and ultrasound. 

If you have any trouble with muscle spasms, which aren’t resolving quickly, make sure to see a physiotherapist. 

© West 1 Physiotherapy and Pilates

You don’t need to be an athlete to seek the help of a professional physiotherapist. Injuries and pain can bring you down regardless and it is up to you to counter that. Physiotherapy is a viable treatment for all sorts of chronic and acute conditions that you may be struggling with. Here are a few reasons that you should see such an expert right away: 

• Injury prevention – physiotherapists excel in injury prevention, just as much as they are familiar with injury treatment. Things like adjusting posture, form and patterns in the movement are just as important to non-athletes as they are to anyone doing sport professionally. When you better these aspects, you have a lower risk of injuring yourself in your day-to-day dealings. To feel confident when you lift heavy objects when you exercise or do something as simple as a walk and run, you may want to consult with a physiotherapist on what aspects of these activities you can improve. 

• Posture – if you have some nagging injuries popping up here and there, it may be your posture to blame. A physiotherapist knows that fixing your posture is a great way to minimise the risk of injury and improving general wellbeing. They will advise you on all that, as well as what ergonomics you need in the office, to avoid problems with your health. 

• Flexibility and stretching – for many people, the reality is that the demands of their job require them sitting at a desk for prolonged periods. If that is the case with you, then you need to do some stretches and regular flexibility exercises, to avoid hamstring and lower back pain. A physiotherapist can tell you just how to do such exercises in stretching, so that not only are you going to do your body good but also avoid unpleasant pains. 

• Surgery recovery – if you have gone through surgery, then seeing a physiotherapist can be good for your recovery. For a lot of people, the post-surgery period is associated with weakness and lost fitness. Working with a physiotherapist can be your shortcut to regaining the strength you have lost most safely and effectively possible. 

• Managing a special condition – there are some diseases and conditions that you cannot treat, and can only manage. These include heart disease, osteoarthritis and type II diabetes. With a physiotherapist, you can work on developing and maintaining an exercise program that perfectly helps the condition. This is a valuable thing to do because it can even mean the difference between taking more medication or stopping some of them. In fact, your doctor will usually involve a physiotherapist in the process, because they know just how valuable such service can be to properly manage your condition. 

• Dealing with physical limitations – if you are struggling with some sort of physical limitation, whether you have been born with such or have acquired it, a physiotherapist can help you manage it. Such an expert is skilled in allowing you to train muscle groups for better movement. This will surely make daily life more manageable and easier. If need be, they can also advise you on movement devices and accessories that you may need for better management of your condition. 

Seeking help from a physiotherapist is something you should always do, without a second thought, if any of the above is true for you. There is no doubt that working with such an expert is a sure way to overcome many problems with mobility, even if you are no athlete. 

© West 1 Physiotherapy and Pilates

Sports injuries often cause a lot of stress, as the bone problems or soft tissue trouble they bring will often leave you feeling debilitated. These are conditions that can affect your quality of life, and make it impossible to exercise or execute movements. One possible solution to this kind of trouble is shockwave therapy. 

This is an innovative method for treating pain in the bones, muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons. It is non-invasive, meaning that you can have it delivered on an out-patient basis, and it is well-known to treat pain. In the following guide, you will be able to find out more about the treatment and how you can benefit from it. 

Shockwave therapy 

Another name for the treatment is Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy and also Radial Shockwave Therapy. It is not a new form of treatment, although experts have started using it for treating muscles and joints only recently. Originally, shockwave therapy was used to treat kidney stones in the late 1990s, whereas now doctors recommend it for some musculoskeletal conditions. Without any side effects, the therapy is vastly approved for pain relief in many hospitals and clinics across the UK. 

What is the treatment good for? 

In general, shockwave therapy is good for people with joint and bone conditions, as well as those that have pain in their soft tissues – ligaments, tendons and muscles. As such, it is ideal for sports injuries or those that are of overuse. It works well as a complementary treatment for people undergoing physiotherapy. If you have any of the following conditions, you make for a great candidate for shockwave therapy: 

• Plantar fasciitis (painful underside of the foot)
• Achilles tendinopathy (pain in the tendon connecting the calf muscles with the back of the foot)
• Golfers elbow (painful inner side of the elbow)
• Bony heel spurs 
• Patellofemoral syndrome (runner’s knee)

How does it treat all this? 

Shockwave therapy is a direct method, which delivers the treatment onto the skin that covers the affected area. It then utilises acoustic waves or low energy sound, which penetrate the skin and go into the affected muscle as a shockwave. This is what makes it a targeted type of therapy, which works on the injured and affected areas only. 

During the therapy session, a doctor will use a handheld device, which works to turn compressed air into sound waves. By applying gentle pressure, they will move this device over the affected area. Before that, they will apply ultrasound gel, to help the shockwaves, transmit more easily. It is normal to see a small area of localised inflammation, which the body will naturally heal in the following days. That is when damaged tissues will also begin to heal. Shockwave therapy also works to break down thick scar tissue, potentially helping surrounding tissues with mobility. 

Is this kind of therapy suitable for you? 

Shockwave therapy is indeed generally safe, as long as it is carried out by a professional. That said, there are a few cases in which it might not be a good idea to resort to shockwave therapy: 

• If you are pregnant 
• If you have some kind of nerve disorder 
• If you have bone cancer 
• If you have metal pins in or near the area that requires treatment 
• You have had a steroid injection for treating the same problem in the last 12 weeks 

In these cases, it is best to consult with your doctor for some other kind of therapy. 

© West 1 Physiotherapy and Pilates

Many people think that a physiotherapy session mostly involves basic exercises, i.e. it is very similar to going to the gym. However, many differences make this kind of treatment very effective. It is especially useful for back and shoulder pain, as well as problems in different areas of your body, such as the knees, hips and other joints. 

Whenever you consider going to the gym, you will want to consider several things. For the physiotherapist to be able to help you and do the best for you, keep all of the following in mind: 

• Know what physiotherapy is all about - physiotherapy involves exercise - that is true. But it also involves practical advice and recommendations from the therapist. On your first appointment, they will examine the problem, do a consultation with you and then proceed to devise the best course of action. Physiotherapy is a kind of treatment, which works best when you know what it can do for you and you believe in its effectiveness.

• Be open to try - a lot of people feel a bit apprehensive about physiotherapy, because they don’t believe in its effectiveness. Also, they feel uncomfortable about it, as they have to allow the therapist to examine the problem, or do exercises under their guidance. Remember that being open to what the physiotherapist has to offer will ensure you make the most of the treatment. 

• Dress for the therapy session - wearing comfortable clothes during the physiotherapy session will be good for you. Consider yoga clothes or something you would wear when you go to the gym. Clothes that are too tight will only restrict your movement and make you feel uncomfortable. 

• Share all the information about your condition - another important thing to consider when you visit a physiotherapist is to inform them about your condition. Explain how you got the injury, or where the pain is located. Tell them about any history with similar injuries and what other treatments you have attempted before. Don’t forget to tell them about when the problem appeared. That way they will be able to devise a strategy for your condition and provide the best treatment under the given circumstances.  

• Know what the purpose of physiotherapy is - the ultimate goal of physiotherapy is to help you with a mobility problem, or an injury you have sustained. It is important to understand how it does this and the idea behind the exercises and education process that takes place. All physiotherapists agree on one thing - when you know what you are doing during the therapy sessions, you will achieve greater result. It will allow you to understand more about the treatment process and the ways it is helping you. That way if you are worried that the therapy is not helping you, you can share with your therapist so they can maybe adjust the treatment. 

• You should eat well and keep yourself hydrated - another important thing about physiotherapy is keeping yourself hydrated. Drink water before and after the treatment session. Water will help you heal faster, the same way a good diet will. A balanced diet will supply your body with all of the important nutrients that it needs to stay healthy and on the path of recovery. 

Now that you know how to make the most of physiotherapy, you should not hesitate to seek advice from your doctor on what expert to see. 

© West 1 Physiotherapy and Pilates

One of the most common reasons why people seek physiotherapy is sports injuries. Whether you are a professional athlete, or perhaps you are just an enthusiast doing some activity, there is always the risk of injury. Needless to say, that is never a good thing, as it puts your further efforts on hold, until you can recover. 

Thanks to a physiotherapist, you can get rid of the problem quickly and in a way that doesn’t hinder your further efforts. It is important to seek help with the recovery process, and there is no better way to ensure success than to turn to physiotherapy. Here are a few of the most common sports injuries that physiotherapy can help you with: 

1. Plantar Fasciitis

This injury typically results from chronic stress on the feet and connective tissue there. Another cause also includes wearing inappropriate shoes, but the problem could also be a cause of poor biomechanics. That is what physiotherapists most commonly observed in people who have developed this kind of problem. Some athletes encounter plantar fasciitis due to poor arch support. If you spend a great deal of time on your feet and are overweight, there is a good chance to develop this issue as well. Working with a physiotherapist is a good way to get relief from the pain and restore the function of your ankle and foot. 

2. Lower back pain

Certain repetitive movements, trauma and problems that relate to intervertebral discs are often behind lower back pain. If you are not following the appropriate technique when doing certain sports, you can encounter acute back pain, among other problems. To restore normal function and get some relief from the pain, you should do a combination of special mobilisations, stretches and exercises. If you are doing this with a physiotherapist by your side, you have a greater chance to improve your condition. 

3. Strains

Strains are injuries of the tendons and muscles. They occur when your tissue gets stretched beyond capacity, often in high-velocity sports, like football and basketball. One of the best ways to overcome the problem is to work with a physiotherapist. Whether you have strained your neck, back or extremities, the expert will design a treatment plan for the issue. 

4. Sprains

Much like strains, sprains occur due to the extreme stretching of the ligaments, which connect the joints. Sprains commonly affect the ankles and knees, although many people also experience the problem around the back, neck and shoulder area. When you see a physiotherapist in their clinic, they will devise a specific strategy for your case. They will also employ different tools aimed to address joint strains to aid in the healing process of the tissues. Thanks to these steps, you will not only restore joint stability but also protect yourself from future injuries. 

5. Shin splints

The biggest symptom of  shin splints is pain along the lower part of your leg. This is a problem that you can get if you are a runner, though other sports also present some risk. The most common reason why the problem appears is muscle weakness or improper joint alignment. Visit a sports injury clinic, and you will get the appropriate clinic. Usually, this consists of improving biomechanics, as well as muscular balance. That way, you will avoid any surgical procedure and medications for the pain. 

These are all common sports injuries that a physiotherapist can help you with. Consult with an expert to resolve the problem quickly and painlessly. 

© West 1 Physiotherapy and Pilates

Many conditions can make the situation very bad for your lower back – strained muscles, spinal stenosis and herniated discs. The cause of the issue can be hard to track, especially when you are navigating health insurance, family and work life, plus the fact you are struggling with back pain. 

There is some good news, however. By following certain tips and steps, you can stay on top of back discomfort. It is possible to get some relief for the pain by following these tips: 

1. Rest Your Spine While You Sleep

Lying down gives the structures in your spine a chance to relax and rejuvenate. Those have worked very hard all day, which is why you feel such relief when you lie down. However, if you wish this time of rest to be fully effective, you will need a pillow and a mattress so that you can support your spine and keep it comfortable. The mattress and pillows you choose should be based entirely on your preference, i.e. you should go with what makes you comfortable. However, you have to keep into account the support your back requires. 

2. The Right Shoes Support your Spine

Walking is the simplest and most natural of human exercises that you can do. All doctors recommend walking as much as possible every single day. One thing you need to remember is always to wear comfortable shoes. They have a vital role in lower back support. With good shoes, you keep your body aligned and also ensure support in the base. Things to look out for: ensure the area of the heel is snug, but not tight; the shoe should be of the right size so that your foot doesn’t roll inside it; limit the wear of high heels, as they keep your feet in an unnatural position. 

Do Core Exercises for Back Muscles and Abs Strength

If your core muscles (abs and lower back muscles) are strong, they will support your spine. By working out these muscles, you can easily take the pressure off your lower back area. However, modern life has made it so that these muscles aren’t used all that often if used at all. You have to employ specific exercises to do so. There are plenty of exercises you can implement as part of a daily workout, and you will notice how amazing they feel. 

4. Get a Good Massage 

There are many therapeutic benefits to getting a massage. Stress relief is one of them because of the release of endorphins. These hormones act as a natural painkiller in the body and can affect back pain. Another good benefit of a massage is increasing blood flow, which provides much of the essential nutrients to your lower back. You can go to a massage therapist, or try a massage chair. Bear in mind a well-trained professional is always the better option since they can adjust their technique by your needs. 

5. Adjust Your Sitting Technique

When you sit, you load the discs of your lower spine 3 times more compared to a standing position. Thus, prolonged periods of sitting can cause some pain and various unwanted back conditions. More importantly, when you sit at your desk for example, there is a tendency to slouch, creating more stress for the lumbar discs. You should choose the appropriate office desk and chair, in order to keep your back straight. You also have to practice good posture, in order to keep your spine healthy. 

Evidently, there is a lot that you can do to keep your spine healthy and prevent some lower back trouble. Make sure to follow these tips and you will feel the difference. 

© West 1 Physiotherapy and Pilates

If you use your car often and drive long distances, you have probably experienced back pain at some point. A great number of people who drive often report experiencing back pain at some point. What is more, a lot of these people experience back pain after spending prolonged periods of time behind the wheel.

Why does driving trigger back pain? It is not a strenuous activity, per definition. However, it exposes your body to various forces, like acceleration, sudden braking and, above all, the vibrations of the road. The fact that you are using your feet to press pedals and not to stabilise your body while sitting is another contributing factor. These factors contribute a great deal to experiencing back pain because of driving. Thankfully, some things can greatly help this situation.

• Make yourself comfortable at the start of the drive – if you go on a long journey, you best make sure you are comfortable right from the start. What you consider a minor irritation can quickly grow into pain if you put up with it. Before your journey starts, ensure you are seated comfortably. Inspect your mirrors, your seat and your armrest. This is especially needed if you share the vehicle with someone else. Remember, what is comfortable for one driver may be quite unpleasant for another and cause them to twist their neck or back, which is a risk factor for pain.
  
  

• Pay special attention to your mirrors – if you need to twist and move just to be able to see properly in the mirrors, then they are not adjusted right. The golden rule of thumb is that at any point, you only need to move your eyes to see in the mirrors. In that sense, it is good to know that once you adjust your mirrors this way while sitting straight, you will be able to catch yourself slouching, as then you will lose vision.
  
  

• A towel makes for good support – if you need a little driving support, roll up a towel and place it in your lower back area. Car seats do not always support your back curve so a towel roll can be inserted there to play this role. This will help you maintain good posture, which will significantly reduce the risk of back pain.
  
  

• Sit comfortably – a seat that is positioned wrong can cause you a lot of trouble, even if you don’t realise it. The right way to position your seat is in a slightly reclined state so that it feels completely comfortable. It needs to be around 100 degrees angle, instead of 90. Beware – reclining your seat too far can make it so you cannot rest your head comfortably, which puts a strain on your neck/upper back. Be a little more cautious and notice if there is any pain in your body as you drive.
  
  

• Have a break – having a break on the road is essential for you. If you are driving long hours, make sure you stop every 2 hours at maximum to stretch your legs and ease muscle tension. You can do gentle twists to help your body loosen up. If you feel any tension in your shoulders or neck, do some shrugging and rolling of your shoulders.
  
  
• Use cruise control – nowadays many vehicles possess the cruise control feature. You can use it on long stretches with little traffic. This will allow you to rest your legs and place them so that they support your spine.
  
  

Following all of these steps can greatly help your comfort during driving and reduce the risk of back pain. That is how you will stay healthy.

If you wish to find out more information on how to reduce back pain, you can check with West 1 Physiotherapy and Pilates.