Most of us are familiar with sciatica, when the discs in the lower spine (specifically L3) get compressed and start to press onto the sciatic nerve. This causes pain and tingling in the leg and buttock as well as leg weakness and pain into the foot. In fact sciatica is often used as a “catch all” term to describe all kinds of nerve issues coming from the lower back and…
In my first article about chronic pain I started to explain a little about why chronic pain is different and needs to be treated differently. I talked about the science behind it and how pain works. Now let’s start to put that into context of how chronic pain affects you and how it makes you feel. One of the terms we often use when talking about chronic pain is “central…
Neck pain, so much more than a pain in the neck! When I spoke about whiplash I mentioned some of the other conditions and symptoms which whiplash victims can also suffer from. And the reason why whiplash victims often end up with a whole laundry list of symptoms apparently unconnected to their neck? Every single nerve in the body travels through the neck. And every single action in the body,…
A few years ago I was involved in a car accident – another driver didn’t see the red light and rear ended me. I became part of a growing statistic – a whiplash victim. Immediate and Short Term Symptoms stiffness and tenderness in the neck and upper back headaches dizziness pain into shoulders and arms difficulty turning your head Early Treatment The quicker you start treatment, the better. Use an…
The Griffith University in Australia recently did some research looking at patient satisfaction during musculoskeletal treatment. One of the key factors in making patients feel the most satisfied and the least depressed was having an X-ray. Of course there are now a multitude of investigations available, and while an X-ray might make you feel better it might not give your clinician the information they need. These are some of the…
As a kid one of my favourite games was Charades. Is it a movie. . . Sounds like . . . . Now as a physiotherapist, when doing an initial assessment I play a different kind of game with my patients – Feels like . . . . And I watch the movements of my patients as closely as I listen to the words. Pain is a funny thing –…
I’ve spoken about both of these conditions before and the difficulty in getting a good resolution to both, but there is a common cause to both conditions, one which is often ignored. New research published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons shows that “patients with carpal tunnel syndrome are more than twice as likely to have migraine headaches”. The study then poses the question: “Could Migraine indicate a higher…
Last week I was invited to join the lovely Nicole King on her Marbella Now TV show for the RTV Marbella TV station. My part starts at about 50 minutes and I’m talking about my new Headache Clinic. You can see all of their programmes online and keep up with the news on Nicole’s facebook page.
Migraines – any one who suffers will tell you they are so much more than “just” a headache. Intense, throbbing pain, sometimes on one side, sufferers are often unable to continue with their everyday lives. Patients often end up on regular medication with indifferent effectiveness. But, there is another option . . . . . Migraine Symptoms Some people experience symptoms before a migraine attack called an aura. flashing lights,…
Tennis Elbow aka epicondylitis or epicondylagia is when the tendons (stringy bits that attach muscles to bones) on the outside of the elbow become damaged and irritated, usually caused by overuse. This translates to pain on the outside of the elbow because you have been doing a particular action repeatedly, common in tennis players but also seen in plasterers, painters, and anyone who’s job or hobby includes a repetitive action…