Physiotherapy for pain and injury in London
Chronic pelvic pain is a troubling condition for many women. The reason for pelvic pain varies but certainly includes endometriosis where the lesions impact upon nerve health and function (see here) with consequential sensitisation. The purported mechanisms of pain include inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain with subsequent central sensitisation that underpins the persistance and variance […]
With the Chelsea Flower Show in full bloom the world of gardening is full of excitement and wonder as the designers exhibit their creations. Gardeners can relate to this sense of cultivation and creativity as they work hard to illustrate their vision through their plants, flowers, grasses and other garden features. Gardening is often physically […]
‘As many as 50 million American women live with one or more neglected and poorly understood chronic pain conditions’ Generally I see more female patients than male. This observation supports the view that chronic pain is more prevalent in women than in men for some conditions – see the International Association for the Study of Pain fact sheet here. […]
Back pain is a common experience across society. Millions are spent each year on treatment yet we do not seem to be making any significant progress in tackling this vast problem. Undoubtedly footballers are also subject to spinal aches and pains, either from a direct injury or insidiously. Most people whom I see fall into […]
As a physiotherapist I frequently use my hands to treat the joints and tissues. It comes with the territory, everyone expects hands-on therapy and it does helps to reduce tension and pain. Most likely, the pain relief from joint mobilisation is due to descending mechanisms that include those that are powered by serotonin and noradrenaline […]
Careful thinking is required when judging whether to image or not. J Athl Train. 2011 Jan-Feb;46(1):99-102. Is immediate imaging important in managing low back pain? Andersen JC. Source The University of Tampa, 401 West Kennedy Boulevard, Box 104F, Tampa, FL 33606, USA. [email protected] Abstract REFERENCE: Chou R, Fu R, Carrino JA, Deyo RA. Imaging strategies […]
The simple fact is that our tissues need movement to be healthy. By tissues I am referring to muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, fascia and skin. This does not need to be extreme movement but it must be regular and purposeful. Even without pathology, pain or an injury it is vital that the tissues are moved […]
I love neuroscience. It makes my job much easier despite being a hugely complex subject. Neuroscience research has cast light over some of the vast workings of our brains and helped to explain how we experience ourselves and the richness of life. An enormous topic, in this blog I am briefly going to outline the way in […]
You may wonder why I am writing about dysmenorrhoea. It is because in a number of cases that I see, there is co-existing dysmenorrhea and other functional pain syndromes. These include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), migraine, chronic low back pain, pelvic pain, bladder pain and fibromyalgia. Traditionally all of these problems are managed by different […]
Mindfulness programme The brief practice of mindfulness for just 10 minutes each day has a positive affect upon physical and psychological health. Mindful practice forms part of our treatment and proactive training programmes for chronic pain and health problems. However, learning the practice is beneficial for anyone who wishes to reduce feelings of tension, anxiety […]
Huge thanks to Kayleigh (Follow Kayleigh on twitter @KsEDSchallenge) for sharing her experience of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). The way that clinicians and the public truly understand conditions is through the personal stories that are described first hand. The narrative is key. I was diagnosed with EDS in late 2013 (aged 25), having displayed symptoms my whole […]
“Do we see the hundred-thousandth part of what exists? Look, here is the wind, which is the strongest force in nature, which knocks men down, destroys buildings, uproots trees, whips the sea up into mountains of water, destroys cliffs, and throws great ships onto the shoals; here is the wind that kills, whistles, groans, howls–have […]