You might be suffering hip pain due to a fall, following pregnancy, or from carrying a young child constantly on one side. Perhaps it’s knee or ankle pain from a running injury, an Achilles condition or Plantar Fasciitis (heel pain). Whatever the problem, we know how excruciating joint pain can be, especially in the lower limbs which are carrying your full weight on the injury.
A lower limb condition can bring your life to a halt and stop you enjoying simple everyday activities. This kind of ‘acute’ pain needs to be addressed swiftly; if it develops, it can restrict your movement severely and cause alignment problems in other areas of your body. If you’re taking painkillers or anti-inflammatories regularly, they could be just masking your pain: you need to find and treat the root of the problem.
We treat people with hip, knee and foot conditions in clinic every week and happily, we get them pain-free, moving again and back to their usual routine. You may have tried other treatments without success. We’re glad you’ve found us now…and we promise to do our very best to help you!
When you come to us with a lower limb injury, our aim is to:
The pain and immobility from a hip, knee or foot condition can put your life on hold and prevent you from doing simple, everyday things. Typically, it might be:
Depending on the joint in question, your pain could be caused by a number of reasons including:
Your hips are the major crossroads of your body, acting as a link between your upper and lower body. So, the hip joint can endure some heavy impact when the upper body forces and gravity are transferred its way from the lower back.
Osteoarthritis can develop over time where the hip joint has come under pressure and cartilage has worn, causing pain and swelling; it’s often accompanied by pain in the groin.
Outside of an obvious injury to ligaments, tendons and cartilage e.g. a dislocated knee-cap, pain in the knee area can develop as a result of muscle tension around the knee joint itself or from an imbalance in another nearby joint.
Pain in the foot or ankle area is usually the result of damage to one of the small bones, ligaments or muscles in this strong and flexible part of the body. Without realising it, you may have acquired a flat foot, an Achilles problem, or an ankle sprain which is causing your pain.
Plantar Fasciitis (heel pain) is a common problem where a thick band of tissue on the bottom of the foot becomes inflamed and results in a sharp pain – it’s usually due to standing for long periods in uncomfortable shoes.
When you come to see us, we’ll listen to you, find the root cause of your lower limb pain and explain in simple terms how we can help.
During your first visit, we’ll take a history of your symptoms, review any MRI scans and carry out a set of physical tests to find out how your pain affects you. We’ll assess your body as a whole, looking at the movement of joint which is giving you pain as well as the surrounding joints i.e. hip, pelvis, knee and ankle.
We treat lower limb conditions (including Osteoarthritis) non-invasively with a combination of hands-on mobilisation and exercise-based rehabilitation.
Our aim is to relax the soft tissues (muscles and ligaments) and limber up joints, removing any inflammation and restriction. When we free up movement and reduce tension, we can build more strength and range of motion in the joint until you’re back fully functioning.
We’ll also give you advice on your lifestyle choices, e.g. posture and habits, which may have been a contributing factor to your condition, so that you minimise the chance of your symptoms returning.
