I’ve written an article with the same title a while ago but I thought some of it could probably do with a little update! The knee is (still!) the largest joint in the body. 4 bones more than 20 muscles each with a tendon 4 major ligaments as well as many little ones and at least 3 layers of cartilage. So here goes with my A to Z of knee…
4 out of 5 people will experience back pain. Chronic lower back pain is becoming a big problem affecting over 18 million people in the UK preventing many from working. So what is the solution? Lumbar Fusion Surgery? The Backcare Charity states that; “Very few people require back surgery. Such surgery is only essential when there are extreme symptoms such as a paralysis of the bladder and bowel or loss…
What is Plantar Fasciitis? Plantar – base of the foot Fascia – stretchy, strong connective tissue that helps stabilize your muscles throughout the body. Itis – inflammation. So combine them and we get . . . . . . Plantar fasciitis – inflammation of the connective tissue which runs from the heel to the base of your toes How does it feel? It often starts as a dull, intermittent pain…
With Easter / Semana Santa coming many people are driving long distances – either home for the summer or arriving here for the warmer weather. And long distance driving often results in back pain. Are you sitting comfortably? The seats themselves don’t always help – lowered, tipped back seats make the legs too straight, placing strain on the hamstrings, pelvis and lower back. The neck then tilts forward to look…
It was with some horror that I listened to a recent patient inform me that her surgeon here on the coast had advised her to wait 12 weeks before starting rehabilitation and physiotherapy after her hip replacement. 12 weeks! During my military training the physio arrived the first day you woke up after surgery! Move it or lose it! In the UK as a whole the physio is usually heavily…
Your body works as a whole unit. A team. And that “work” of moving you forward still needs to be done even if one part doesn’t function that great. So another area picks up the slack. And when that part of the team doing the extra work gets too tired? You get pain. Now, if this is the situation it doesn’t matter how much fabulous treatment you get in the…
Every year, in January and over the summer I am contacted by physiotherapists who have read this article which I wrote a very looooooooong time ago. So I thought it time to update this a little with the information that I generally add when I get the emails! Estelle Mitchell, a UK-qualified physiotherapist with more than 26 *ahem, it’s more like 40 now! years’ experience, came to work in southern…
You’ve woken up and looked at yourself in the mirror, one half of your face has dropped and you are unable to make it move. Your first thought is, “OMG I’ve had a stroke!” Check FAST F – Face drooping A – Arm Weakness S – Speech Difficulty T – Time to call an ambulance (dial 061 in Andalucia) If these don’t apply then you could have a facial palsy…
Out walking, on the playing field or tennis court, you fall and hurt your ankle. Annoying and painful, definitely. But now what? Feet up on the couch or off to A&E? Fracture or Sprain? These 4 quick tests, called the Ottawa Ankle Rules, are designed to eliminate people who do NOT have an ankle/foot fracture and thus, do not need an x-ray!! Can you take 4 steps (limping is allowed!)?…
Our theme for our Event this year is Our Trusted Health Network and on Saturday 29 September we are having an Open Day at our clinic in San Pedro so that our patients can meet the other health professionals who make up that network. Many of our patients have moved to the Costa del Sol from other countries. So they don’t have that automatic network that you do in a…