Foot and ankle pain

We are pretty reliant on healthy feet to be able to walk, climb stairs and run. If every step you take is painful, life starts to become hard work. I will establish whether it is a bony structure in the foot and ankle, or perhaps a soft tissue around the ankle that is the guilty party. Sometimes the pain isn’t even coming from the foot but from a nerve in the back or hip. Finding the source of the pain is only part of the challenge; I must also understand why it has become painful, and then work out what needs to be done to treat it. I treat achilles and tibialis posterior tendonopathies, ankle sprains, muscle strains, bunions, neuromas, and plantarfasciitis. I also work in partnership with orthopaedic surgeons and sports doctors to prevent the need for an operation, as often feet can recover with rehabilitation alone. But if we need specialist input, I can easily put you in touch.

Knee and hip pain

Knee pain is a leading cause for people to give up the sport or activities that they love to do. I will establish where the source of the pain is coming from and understand why it has become a problem in the first place. I treat muscle strains, meniscus or cartilage tears, ligament sprains, patella and hamstring tendonopathies, fat pad impingement, bursitis, and osteoarthritis. Rehabilitation exercises are often key to returning to normal activity and to manage the pain. If you are a keen skier wanting to return to the mogul field, we need to make your knee strong and robust to return to this level of function. Equally if you just wish to be able to climb the stairs and go for a walk, this will be our focus in rehab!

Back pain

Around 70% of us suffer back pain in our lifetime. Anyone who has experienced it knows how awful and scary it is, as suddenly not being able to move without sharp debilitating pain stops us in our tracks. The good news is that most back pain will resolve by itself within six weeks. However, if you are suffering from an acute back problem, I can help to relieve your symptoms through various physiotherapy treatment techniques, and then once the back has calmed down we can establish what has caused it. Very rarely do people need to seek a spinal specialist’s opinion if we manage the problem properly. 

Neck pain

Similar to the lower back, neck pain is very painful and scary. Often work forces us to sit for prolonged periods of time, and this can cause excessive stress around the tissues of the neck and upper back. Sometimes it can also have an effect on the nerves supplying the arm which is very painful indeed and can even give you headaches.

If you are suffering from an acute neck problem and turning your head or looking up or down is painful, I use physiotherapy treatment techniques to gently mobilise the stiff joints and release tension in muscles that may be reinforcing the issue. I also teach you how to manage the acute onset of neck pain. Once the painful phase has passed we then look at what might be contributing to the issue, such as your workstation, driving posture or level of activity.

So whether it is a facet joint, disc problem, muscle spasm, or postural issue, we together can resolve the issue once and for all.

Shoulder pain

Shoulders are incredibly mobile and rely hugely on the stability of the muscles around the spine and shoulder blade. When the shoulder becomes painful, day-to-day activities like reaching above your head or putting on clothes can be tricky. Perhaps sleeping on one side is now painful and you have a soreness down the arm too? Diagnosing the location of the pain is only part of the process. We also need to look at why these tissues are being stressed. Could it be that you have suddenly taken up tennis and your shoulder has started to hurt? The natural equilibrium of the shoulder can be affected fairly easily but the good news is that I can treat it with physiotherapy techniques such as massage and joint mobilisations to offload the sore tissues. I can then address any muscle imbalances around this area with exercises to return your life to normal.