Straight answers about bones, joints and recovery.
Advice we give patients and families in the clinic every day — written down so you can use it before you reach us.
What to do in the first hour after a suspected fracture
Keep the limb still. Movement turns a simple break into a complicated one, so support the arm or leg exactly as you found it rather than straightening it.
Use a firm object — a piece of wood, a rolled magazine — tied loosely above and below the injury as a splint. Apply a cold pack wrapped in cloth for 15 minutes to slow swelling, and do not give food or drink in case theatre is needed.
Then come straight to the clinic. We are open through the night, and an X-ray on the same day makes the difference between a clean recovery and months of trouble.
Knee pain that keeps coming back: when it's more than strain
Pain that settles with rest but returns every time you climb stairs, kneel or walk a distance usually points to the joint surface or the soft tissue around it rather than a passing strain.
Warning signs worth an assessment: swelling that returns, the knee giving way, locking, or pain that wakes you at night. Painkillers mask these — they do not treat them.
Most patients we see for this need a proper examination, sometimes an X-ray, and a structured physiotherapy programme. Surgery is the exception, not the rule.
Recovering well after orthopedic surgery
The operation restores the structure; rehabilitation restores the function. Patients who begin guided movement early regain strength faster and have fewer complications.
Follow the exercise plan daily, even on days with mild discomfort, and keep wounds clean and dry. Report fever, increasing pain, or redness at once.
If travelling to the clinic is hard during recovery, our physiotherapists can visit you at home in Entebbe, Kajjansi, Kisibu and Namulanda.
Back pain: simple habits that prevent most of it
Lift with the hips and knees, not the spine, and keep loads close to the body. Boda and desk work both stiffen the lower back — stand and move every 30 to 40 minutes.
A firm mattress, regular walking and simple core strengthening prevent far more back pain than any medicine.
See a clinician if pain runs down the leg, if you feel numbness or weakness in the foot, or if bladder control changes — these need urgent review.
Caring for a child with a bone or walking concern
Many children have bowed legs or in-toeing that corrects itself with growth. What needs review is pain, a limp, one leg clearly shorter, or a change after an injury.
Bring the child early rather than waiting. Growing bones respond extremely well to timely treatment, and most conditions are managed without surgery.
Our paediatric assessments are unhurried, and parents stay in the room throughout.
Still unsure what you're dealing with?
An assessment takes less time than another week of guessing.