Hip, Knee and Foot
The lower limb can go wrong in so many ways. We understand the mechanics and anatomy in great detail and therefore can approach the problem from many different directions. The pain or problem could even be referred from the spine, so we have to examine you thoroughly to see where the injury started from..
Hip issues like arthritis, bursitis and groin strain respond well to our ‘hands on approach’, as does the ITB. The Ilio-tibial band is a common source of irritation in both athletic individuals (such as runners and cyclists) and the not so athletic! It’s deep, tooth-ache like pain on the outside of the thigh or knee will often wake you up and force you to turn over. The discomfort or tightness in the buttocks needs lots of deep tissue massage and we know just what to do!
Foot, knee and ankle problems can disable you so much that you limp and can make life quite unbearable. Good treatment, advice and a personal exercise strengthening routine will get you back on track speedily.
Hip Problems
Do you suffer from any of the following?
- Groin, buttock or inner thigh pain, especially when standing?
- Painful clicking in the groin?
- Pain when going up stairs, vacuuming, walking or getting in and out of the car?
- Tenderness over the hips on either side of your bottom?
- Tightness behind your hip joints when stretching in the gym?
- Pain in any of the areas above during or since pregnancy?
- The inability to lie on one side because of a deep pain around the hip against the bed?
- Think you might need a hip operation?
- One hip stiffer than the other?
Then you need to come and see us and be properly assessed.
These are all common signs of hip problems developing and we are experts in diagnosing and assisting in the treatment and rehabilitation required to get your life back on track.
Come in and find out what we can do for you.
Knee Problems
Our advice to you and your bad knee
As mentioned the knee relies on the muscles and joints above and below in order to function properly. Therefore we treat the hip, lower back and ankle by massaging the deep muscles to improve the health of the knee as well as working on the flexibility and strength of surrounding ligaments, muscles and the knee joint itself.
Bend your knee fully and straighten it fully even if this is painful. We tend to lose the end of range movements as we get older and due to injury. Bending and straightening will help to prevent this, and it’s easy to do!
How does the knee get onto trouble?
Knee pain is probably one of the most common things we see and treat after back pain.
The knee is a rather boney structure with very little muscle around it to cushion it. It relies heavily on muscles and joints above and below it to keep it healthy. Increasingly, we live longer and do more varied sports such as skiing and running so the knee is put under considerable stress and may, over time, be prone to effects of wear and tear.
Remember that knee pain in children is important and should never be ignored, as there can be serious causes that need to be ruled out. We will be able to advise on this as all osteopaths in the clinic are trained in paediatrics.
Once the knee starts to give you symptoms then this can mean that the hips and pelvis have given up trying to cope with the demands of the sport or the stress of daily life such as walking and sitting.
Treatment is required to balance the tensions in all the soft tissues around the knee, to normalize joint movements and we always look to other parts of the body that may be causing the problem such as low back, hip or foot.
Self-care is very important with knee conditions so we give you lots of helpful advice and can prescribe exercises for you to do at home to build up your strength and help continue your rehabilitation.
Am I too old to gain any benefit from treatment…. Absolutely not!!
Knee pain can have a negative effect on both confidence and mobility, which is where we can help. Over the longer term, abnormal mechanics lead to earlier degenerative changes, which is another reason for getting things sorted sooner rather than later. And if you’re in the older age group and have been told you have arthritis, don’t take that to mean that you just have to learn to live with it. Treatment can often make a big difference to the associated symptoms of stiffness & pain.
How does osteopathy help with arthritis?
Arthritis causes painful inflammation and stiffness of joints as the joints become worn. In the hips and knees, arthritis can cause hip and knee pain, limping, stiffness, as well as muscular aches, spasms and cramps.
It is commonly thought that if you have arthritis nothing can be done, however, this is rarely the case. Firstly, we must determine how much ‘wear and tear’ there is. Osteopathic treatment is best suited to mild and moderate levels of osteoarthritis. Severe arthritis may benefit more from replacement surgery.
It cannot be cured but the joints can be made more mobile and therefore less painful. Osteopathic treatment is highly beneficial in a lot of cases. We can increase your mobility and decrease your pain.
Feet Issues
Why are feet and ankles so important?
Feet and ankles provide the basis of our posture so, if anything is wrong here, then the rest of the body is affected and muscles and ligaments get overworked and pain can ensue.
Feet are filled with many sensory nerves that let our joints and body know whether our posture is correct. Sadly, our feet have got very lazy wearing shoes and pounding pavements and this has resulted in them being misused and overused.
We can improve the ability of your feet to respond to postural changes through exercise and manual therapy. We can work on all the relevant muscles and ligaments around the feet, ankles and pelvis to ease the pressure on them. Naturally we will offer advice on shoes and insoles if required. We always recommend exercises to help stabilize you such as standing on one leg or standing with both heels a centimeter off the ground. Anything that makes you wobble is good for improving your balance and making your feet cleverer and that’s what you need!
There are many problems that we see with the foot such as bunions, tendinitis, plantar fasciitis and stiffness that results post surgery or with arthritis.