Physiotherapy for pain and injury in London
Some will argue that manual therapy — joint and/or soft tissue techniques — has no role in chronic pain. I disagree. Why? (In no particular order) 1. Touch is normal and it is something that we do when we care. 2. Hands on treatment is expected when you visit a physiotherapist or physical therapist. 3. […]
Many people with persisting and chronic pain elect to have an intervention for pain relief. This can include steroid injections, facet joint injections, nerve root blocks, epidurals, denervations and sympathetic blocks to name but a few. These procedures are usually administered by a pain consultant (a doctor who specialises in pain management), an orthopaedic surgeon, […]
The rehabilitation journey following an injury must be traveled with full commitment and completed. Usually when we talk about rehabilitation, it is the exercises that are focused upon: the movement, the task, the goal and how much to do. Nothing wrong with this of course as the training parameters are important to understand the effects […]
I see a number of cases of cervical dystonia (spasmodic torticollis) that features awkward posturing and movement of the head and neck. This can be painful and have consequences for normal activities. We rely upon being able to orientate ourselves to our environment by controlling our head and gaze direction and then responding appropriately. Primary dystonia has no […]
Sustaining an injury is commonplace in sport. What happens in the first few minutes, hours and days can play a big part in how well we recover. The injury needs to be diagnosed and understood, for example an ankle twisting beyond the normal range of movement that results in a sprained ligament. As important is […]
Understanding pain mechanisms is the key to effective treatment. The mechanisms that have been studied, written about in science journals and discussed with patients include nociceptive pain, inflammatory pain, neuropathic pain and central sensitisation. Elucidating which are playing a role in the patient’s experience allows the doctor to prescribe the right medication and the modern […]
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 […]
Chronic pain is a real problem in the sporting world. The effects of not being able to participate are far reaching, especially when sport is your profession. There are a huge numbers of clinics offering treatments to deal with pain and injury and in many cases the problem improves. However, there are those who do […]
To the skier, the thought of watching friends and family clumping off in their boots towards the lift whilst sitting with a leg up, packed with ice and the daily paper, is intensely frustrating. Injuries happen. In many cases with the right early treatment, perhaps surgery and definitely a thorough rehabilitation programme, the symptoms resolve […]
This old joke springs to mind when I think about back pain. We can think simply about a door and create an image of how it appears but in fact a door consists of at least some of the following: a piece of wood (or another material), a handle, some hinges, a lock and a […]
Many chronic problems evolve slowly. The aches and pains become increasingly bothersome without any obvious injury as our biology gradually changes. Our bodies are surviving rather than flourishing, and this is because of both physical and mental strain. Recovery time is minimised as the protective systems remain ‘on’, disrupting our ability to think clearly, sleep, laugh, […]
Dear Readers, Welcome to the July 2014 CRPS Bugle, your research update for complex regional pain syndrome. Immobilization contributes to exaggerated neuropeptide signaling, inflammatory changes, and nociceptive sensitization after fracture in rats – Guo TZ1, Wei T1, Li WW2, Li XQ3, Clark JD3, Kingery WS4. J Pain. 2014 Jul 22. pii: S1526-5900(14)00817-7. Abstract A tibia fracture […]