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What to expect

Your initial visit and diagnosis

Osteopath massaging and stretching

At your first consultation, the sports injury specialist - be it an Osteopath, Physiotherapist or Chiropractor - will take a detailed medical history including information about your lifestyle, such as your level of physical activity, your work environment and your diet together with any relevant past medical history.

In order to ensure a long-term solution to your condition the practitioner will be just as interested in what is causing your problem as the effect it has on your health. For example, has the extent of your shoulder injury sustained playing tennis been amplified by a rotator cuff lesion due to hours spent each day at a desk in front of your computer?

After your history has been taken your ability to move will be examined. You may be asked to remove some of your clothing (it is helpful if you are able to attend the visit in gym clothes) and perform a series of simple movements. The practitioner will assess your mobility by observing your range of movement and by gently feeling your spine, shoulders and muscles as you perform the movements.

It should be noted that Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Physiotherapists are all trained to recognise when they can't help and when to refer a patient to a doctor.

Your treatment plan

Ostepoath giving treatment

After diagnosing the cause of your condition your practitioner will propose a treatment program which may consist of one or more of the following techniques:

  • Mobilisation
  • Manipulation
  • Massage
  • Functional and Rehabilitative exercises
  • Postural assessment, correction and advice
  • Relaxation therapy
  • Laser, ultrasound, electrotherapy and heat treatment

In the case of neck and back conditions, manipulation can be an effective treatment, but it may not be the best option in every situation. After a full examination your sports injury specialist will discuss treatment options with you before manipulating your neck or back.

You will also be given exercises to do at home and, in some cases, advice as to how to minimise the impact of your lifestyle on your condition. This 'homework' is a crucial part of your treatment and should not be ignored. Your back pain specialist will be seeking to promote your body's ability to self-heal and the exercises are a vital part of this process.

Making the most of your visit

Osteopath giving treatment

Good results don't just happen. In order for your osteopathic, chiropractic or physiotherapy treatment to be a success you will need to be an active partner in your treatment - so to help ensure you get the most out of your appointment we have pulled together a 'Top Tips' list.

  • Prepare for your appointment. It will increase your chances of leaving well-informed and satisfied. Write down your concerns or symptoms in advance, so you don't forget to talk about them. Also bring a list of all prescription and non-prescription medications you take, plus any vitamins or supplements. You may also want to jot down notes about your diet and exercise habits - factors important to your overall health not just why you've come to see the sports injury specialist.
  • Wear appropriate clothing. If you are worried about stripping down to your underwear, bring along some exercise gear. Your Osteopath, Physiotherapist or Chiropractor will need to be able to see and feel your back in order to treat you successfully.
  • Take notes. Bring a pad and pen to your osteopathic, chiropractic or physiotherapy visit as you will certainly end your appointment discussing a treatment programme for your sports injury.
  • If you have questions or concerns, speak up! Your health is too important. Don't be embarrassed that you don't understand something your Osteopath, Physiotherapist or Chiropractor has said - ask that it be explained.
  • Educate yourself about your condition and treatment plan. If you are diagnosed with a specific kind of sports injury do a little web research, borrow a book from the library or buy a book on-line (see our recommended books). It never hurts to have a more thorough understanding of your condition or treatment and can often give you good advice on what's causing the problem so you can begin addressing it before visiting your sports injury specialist.
  • Once you agree on a treatment plan, follow it through. Osteopaths, Chiropractors and Physiotherapists help your body to heal itself. The exercises that your practitioner asks you to do at home will be a vital part of the overall treatment plan to resolve your sports injury so you are mobile, active and pain-free as soon as possible.
  • Do not ignore the lifestyle issues which may contribute to your susceptibility to back pain. Many of the root causes of sporting injuries are lifestyle related. In particular increasingly sedentary work and recreational practices and long hours operating computers or equipment are frequently found to increase the likelihood of suffering a injury whilst training or competing.

Symptoms commonly treated by sports injury specialists

Physiotherapists, Osteopaths and Chiropractors are well-known for treatment of sports injuries. In particular they routinely treat, with excellent results, conditions such as neck ache, frozen and stiff shoulders, disc injuries, trapped nerves, cramps, sciatica, and many other soft or connective tissue and joint problems.

Some of the most common symptoms treated are outlined below:

Symptom

Tight or aching shoulders

Common Causes
  • Sedentary working environment.
  • Poor posture maintained for long periods of time. Common examples are driving and operating machinery or computers
  • Tightness or aching is typically caused by a build-up of lactic acid, resulting in hardness and pain in the affected muscles
Treatments
  • Take frequent breaks to avoid the onset of the condition in the first place and perform exercises such as shrugging your shoulders and stretching your shoulder blades back to meet each other.
  • Analyse your posture to ensure you are sitting as upright as possible (i.e., not sitting forward in a "hunched" position) - if necessary seeking assistance from an occupational health professional or specialist retailer
  • If your muscles become too hard you will need treatment by a Physiotherapist to stimulate blood flow in the hardened veins of the shoulder muscles and allow deposits of lactic acid to drain away naturally
  • Physiotherapy is recommended if movement remains restricted after a few days or if you suffer from bouts of stiffness on a regular or not infrequent basis
Symptom

Headaches at the base of your skull or top of your spine

Common Causes
  • Broadly similar to those described above for tight or aching shoulders
Treatments
  • Avoidance of the common causes and exercises to promote blood flow to the sub-occipital muscles at the base of the skull
  • Analyse your posture to ensure you are sitting as upright as possible (i.e., not sitting forward in a "hunched" position) - if necessary seeking assistance from an occupational health professional or specialist retailer
  • Physiotherapy is recommended if movement remains restricted after a few days or if you suffer from bouts of stiffness on a regular or not infrequent basis
Symptom

Neck Stiffness

Common Causes
  • Sudden "locking" of the neck due to muscle spasm. This can occur for an infinite variety of reasons such as, lying too long in one position, violently sneezing or making an unusual movement involving the head or neck muscles
  • Degeneration in C5 and C6 spinal discs (typically in older patients)
Treatments
  • Application of an ice-pack in the acute initial phase can help. Later a heat-pack or hot water bottle should provide relief.
  • A GP will frequently prescribe you pain-killers and/or anti-inflammatories such as ibroprofen
  • Wearing a soft-collar neck support for a few days to take pressure off the muscles in spasm
  • Physiotherapy is recommended if movement remains restricted after a few days or if you suffer from bouts of stiffness on a regular or not infrequent basis
Symptom

Acute immobilising lower back pain

Common Causes
  • Can be set-off by almost any bending movement such as picking up a dropped pen, turning to reach something, or the jolt from missing a step
  • The root cause is typically an underlying disc instability which is inadvertently triggered by an unexpected event
  • Pain and lack of mobility is caused by muscle spasm which are part of your body's defence mechanism
Treatments
  • An ice-pack may help at the acute stage
  • Anti-inflammatory drugs and pain-killers will probably be prescribed by your GP.
  • Once the spasm begins to ease, osteopathic massage and manipulation will typically be very helpful in restoring mobility and reducing pain more quickly than the bed-rest often recommended by GPs
  • The exercise programmes your Physiotherapist recommends are important to ensuring that the underlying instability which caused the problem is addressed and the injury does not recur
Symptom

Sciatica and trapped nerves

Common Causes
  • Sciatic nerves run down the spine from the backside, behind the thigh, the lower leg and into the foot and toes. Pressure on the nerve from a bulging disc can cause pain all the way along the nerve pathway or just part of the way along it
  • Sciatica can come on gradually or develop suddenly following a particular event
Treatments
  • Doctors typically recommend some or all of bed-rest, pain-killer, muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory drugs. In extreme case surgery may be necessary if the bulging disc does not naturally subside
  • The benefits of physiotherapy in promoting the body's self-healing capabilities are particularly useful - especially in encouraging exercise as a means of managing the presence and/or intensity of sciatic pain
Symptom

Pain and stiffness in the shoulder preventing a full range of movement

Common Causes
  • Sedentary working environments
  • Poor posture maintained for long periods of time. Common examples are driving and operating machinery or computers
  • The condition can be caused by tendonitis - i.e., inflammation - of one of the four tendons in the shoulder joint
Treatments
  • Physiotherapy is frequently successful with this condition, with techniques often focussing not just on the shoulder, but also on the spine and ribcage.
  • Surgery is sometimes required, but not before fully investigating physiotherapy treatment options
Symptom

Whiplash

Common Causes
  • A stiff neck (frequently accompanied by a headache) caused by a violent extension of the neck, e.g., in a car accident or falling forward face-first
  • Problems often manifest in the neck but can also appear in the upper-back and even in the lumbar spine region
Treatments
  • If the condition does not swiftly remedy itself, then physiotherapy, osteopathic or chiropractic treatment is highly appropriate for speeding the body towards recovery
  • Untreated, whiplash symptoms can persist for months or years causing chronic pain
Symptom

Hand Pain

Common Causes
  • Hand problems arise due to joints failing to function properly. The most common problems are:
    • Carpal tunnel syndrome which is caused by a compression of the median nerve in the wrist. Although there may not be any obvious cause it is frequently associated with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
    • Tendon rupture where the tendon linings across the hand and wrist are damaged by various forms of arthritis
Treatments
  • Physiotherapy techniques are effective to help improve the flexibility of hand movement.