Health Information Articles

Physiotherapy management of knee injuries and knee operations requires a good way of applying cryotherapy to counter the swelling and pain involved. The Aircast Cryocuff gives physiotherapists this option as traditional ways of applying cold are clumsy and not very effective.

Physiotherapists commonly assess and treat knee injuries and post-operative knee conditions, managing them promptly for speedy recovery and return to normal function. Recreational activities and sport involve many knee injuries such as ligamentous injuries to the medial, lateral and anterior cruciate ligaments, meniscal injuries to the knee cartilages, dislocation of the kneecap and injury to the knee capsule and knee joint replacement.

The knee is the largest synovial joint in the body and when the joint is damaged it responds by becoming inflamed, increasing the metabolic rate of the tissues and secreting large amounts of synovial fluid into the joint. This can lead to a knee effusion, a large and tight swelling of the knee, at times called “water on the knee”. An effusion can be painful in itself and it inhibits normal muscle function, thereby interfering with muscle action and joint recovery.

Normal methods of applying compression and cooling have several difficulties:

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The shoulder, or more strictly the glenohumeral joint, is a major and important joint in the upper limb, responsible mostly for placing the hand in front of the body where the eyes can see it as it performs tasks. To allow this ability the shoulder has a very large range of movement, moderate strength and limited stability. This makes the shoulder a “soft tissue joint”, where the stability and satisfactory function depend on the function of the soft tissues, the ligaments, tendons and muscles. For physiotherapists the shoulder is an important joint, with much treatment and pre- and post-operative rehab required.

The gleno-humeral joint is made up of the ball of the humerus and the socket of the shoulder blade which is called the glenoid surface. The top of the arm bone, the humeral head, is large and carries many of the tendon insertions for the stability and movement of the shoulder. The socket or glenoid is a relatively small and shallow socket for the large ball but is deepened slightly by a fibrocartilage rim called the glenoid labrum. Above the shoulder is the acromio-clavicular joint, a joint between the outer end of the collar bone and part of the shoulder blade, a stabilizing strut for arm movement.

Human populations are ageing across the world, particularly in developed countries such as the USA, Europe and Japan, with some developing countries such as China set to follow them over the next decades. This will place a large burden on physiotherapy and medical services as countries struggle to cope with steadily increasing levels of osteoarthritis (OA), an age-related degenerative condition. OA is responsible for significant levels of medical expenditure, disability, pain and work loss and provision of services such as joint replacement will be a challenge.

Medical interventions can be rated on a scale which calculates the improvement in quality of life which results and here hip replacement comes out top of all treatments. The 1960s saw its development into a standard treatment for hip arthritis but the 21st century has seen the technique evolve into a complex and predictable approach to many hip conditions, with excellent fifteen year plus results. Once conservative treatments have been exhausted due to a worsening joint then joint replacement becomes the standard choice.

Fractures of the humerus are common and make up about 5% of all fractures, with 80% of them either undisplaced or just minimally displaced. More common in people suffering from osteoporosis, it is common to have a forearm fracture on the same side. Damage to the nerves or circulatory system is possible from these fractures but not often seen. Common areas of fracture are the neck of humerus at the top of the arm(fractured shoulder) and the mid shaft of the arm bone.

The usual cause of a humeral fracture is a direct fall on the arm, either on the hand, elbow or directly onto the shoulder itself. Due to all the muscles that attach to the upper humerus, there can be a lot of muscular force at the time, dictating how much the bones are pulled into a displaced position. Humeral fractures are more common in the elderly with an average age of fracture of around 65 years and younger people usually have a history of forceful trauma such as motor accidents or sport.