Common Problems a Physio Can Help With

A physio Wembley and elsewhere see all kinds of issues they can help with, two of which are Frozen Shoulder and Trigger Point (muscle knot). Here is a look at these two issues and what a physio can do.

Seeing a physio for Frozen shoulder assessment and treatment

There are a number of reasons you might have a painful and stiff shoulder and depending on that will depend on the treatment approach a physio might take. Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a painful shoulder that progressively gets stiffer. There are three stages in the process of developing the condition and treatment. Freezing is the start of it as the pain increases and your range of movement starts to be restricted. Frozen is when the shoulder might be less painful now but the stiffness is far worse. Thawing is the process of resolving the stiffness and pain. Each phase lasts about 6 months though so in total you could be dealing with it for as long as 18 months. To ensure your full strength is recovered you should keep seeing your physio Subiaco until they tell you not to.

Seeing a physio for Trigger Point assessment and treatment

When it feels like there is a golf ball somewhere, it could be a trigger point or a muscle knot. It is a very irritable lump, when it is pressed or when you contract those muscles it can cause a twitch response, pain and such but not just at that point. It can also cause a response elsewhere, in your head, or down your arm for example. Seeing a physio Wembley is a good way to treat it.

Understanding some of the Trigger point causes

The majority of times trigger points occur in the centre of the muscle in the belly, the myofasica. It happens where the nerves connect to the muscle fibres. There is some discussion about what causes them, but some of the things that certainly contribute to being more likely to have them develop are;

• Getting older
• Not getting enough physical exercise
• Having poor posture, often people who hunch over a desk all day have poor posture
• Having a lot of stress in your life
• Having your sleep interrupted a lot or just generally not sleeping well
• Repetitive movements
• Overusing muscles
• Manual work

Exploring common Trigger point symptoms

You may not have a lot of symptoms at the point of the active trigger point, you might experience symptoms elsewhere, they include;

• Jaw pain
• Stiffness in the morning
• Headaches
• General body aching
• Migraines
• Tinnitus
• Muscle weakness
• Problems with a range of motion
• Certain movements make the pain worse
• Poor posture

A closer look at Trigger point treatment

So how can a trained physio Subiaco help you with a trigger point?

• Dry needling
• Compression techniques
• Posture training
• Education on how to maintain better posture at work and on lifestyle factors
• Strengthening
• Trigger point foam rolling or ball rolling
• Stretching and taping