Sports injuries can be a major source of frustration.  We need sport to keep fit and healthy, and it can also plays a key role in reducing stress.  Many people have suffered injuries at some point in their sporting life. It's important to get back to your sport as soon as possible.  Relatively minor problems can soon become a nuisance if you don't take the right action. Going back to your sport too soon can cause recurrence of the problem if the tissue is not strong enough - but take too much rest and scar tissue can prevent you from enjoying your sport in future.

Basically, tissue healing goes through three stages.

• Stage 1: Inflammation
• Stage 2: Proliferation
• Stage 3: Organisation

It is impossible to give a general guideline on how long these stages will take.  That depends on a lot of factors such as your age, your gender, your fitness level, your general health and of course the severity of the injury.

The East Grinstead Physiotherapy Clinic can guide you through the process with advice, exercises and if necessary mobilisation, manipulation and/or electrotherapy.

Remember - you can be seen within 24 hours of sustaining the injury or, when it happens in the weekend, on the following Monday.

A physiotherapist can deal with many musculoskeletal conditions.  About 50 % of the people who come to the Clinic for help suffer from back and/or neck pain. The other 50 % suffers from sports injuries or other joint problems, including arthritis.

Back problems are very common (about 80% of people will suffer back pain at least once in their lives), and can be quite complicated.  Usually it is a combination of different structures that are responsible.

So what can you expect if you come to the Clinic with a back problem?

First of all we will discuss your back condition and general health, followed by an assessment to try and make a diagnosis.  With various tests and movements the physiotherapist will try to work out what the main problem is. Sometimes back pain is referred from a problem somewhere else in the body, so your hip joints, SI (pelvic) joints and the rest of the spine will be assessed as well.

Once the diagnosis is made, treatment can start. This could include manipulations, mobilisations, muscle stretches, massage, ultrasound (sound waves that can help tissue heal), interferential (a form of electric current often used to relieve pain) or The Bowen Technique.  Usually you will be asked to do some exercises at home, so you can treat yourself and prevent the problem from reoccurring. We will also discuss every day back care, including lifting techniques and posture.

Stress seems to be part of today's way of life.  Everybody is in a hurry; there is more work to be done by fewer people in less time.  Stress can lead to very tight muscles around neck and shoulders.  Often the neck and upper back are stiff.  Sometimes this is caused by work, e.g. sitting all day behind a computer, or doing repetitive movements at a conveyor belt.  Many people don't realise how much time they spend in the same position; the human body is made to move, not to sit or stand still for long periods.

At the East Grinstead Physiotherapy Clinic a qualified chartered and state registered physiotherapist can help you with this problem. You will receive a thorough assessment of the joints and muscles of the neck and upper back.  We will discuss your posture and workstation if you feel this is relevant. Sometimes a simple solution like changing the position of your computer makes all the difference.  After the assessment, you will receive treatment to loosen up the neck and upper back.  This can be done by mobilisations, manipulations, muscle stretches, massage, The Bowen Technique etc.  Usually you will be asked to do some exercises at home, so you can treat yourself and prevent the problem from reoccurring.  Every problem is unique; treatment will therefore be tailored to your individual condition.

The knee is a complicated joint, and pain can arise from numerous structures including:

• the meniscus (you have 2 in the knee joint). They act as shock absorbers and guide the movement of the knee
• the cruciate ligaments inside the knee that provide stability (as do the ligaments on the inside and the outside of your knee)
• the cartilage, which can deteriorate and become a source of pain (as it does in osteoarthritis)
• the muscles, which have to provide strength, stamina and stability - three very demanding functions. Failure to do the right exercises can impair one or more of these functions and result in injury.

With specific tests the physiotherapist can determine which of these structures is causing your problem, and devise a treatment accordingly.  Sometimes the knee is fine, but pain is referred from the hip or the lower back.  If this is the case, treatment will focus on the source of the problem rather than the symptom (i.e. pain in the knee).