Earlier this month I had a gentleman come in complaining of long term (5+ years!!) pain in his knee. He’d had 2 rounds of surgery on the knee with no improvement. During my assessment I found that he had an even longer history of lower back pain and hip pain. So rather than focus on his knee, we focused on his back, I taught him a couple of little tricks…
So over the last few weeks I’ve talked about lower back pain and sciatica in particular. I’ve also been talking about those conditions that can sometimes get bundled up in a general “sciatica” muddle like Iliotibial Band Syndrome. (it’s ok, you can go read them, I’ll wait!) And today we are going to look at another one of those conditions that can cause similar symptoms – Piriformis Syndrome. This may…
When we were discussing seminar topics the one suggested left and right was Sciatica! This is obviously a topic people think about in connection with physiotherapy. And I was looking back at the articles I’ve written for the EWN and my own blog over the last decade and realised, I have NEVER written about sciatica!! So here goes, my first EVER article about sciatica! Fingers crossed! What is it? Sciatica…
Toe pain comes in many different forms and with some fabulous titles: Hammer Toes Mallet Toes Claw Toe Bunions Morton’s Neuroma Metatarsalgia Gout Rheumatoid Arthritis And don’t each of those sound hideously painful and terribly terminal?! What they have in common All of these conditions have different triggers and impacts on the toes and feet. But there are a few things they all have in common: They change the shape…
This week we are talking to Julie Colan, founder and creator of Secret Whispersand pelvic floor crusader. As many of you know I’ve worked with local midwife Anne Halpenny of Irish Midwives for a very long time, supporting her antenatal classes by educating mums to be about the importance of their pelvic floors. So it was brilliant to get a chance to chat to Julie about the importance of the pelvic floor and her…
In this episode we talk about 2 things – 1st that I wrote a book! Apparently several decades of experience means I know a thing or two. Secondly – Back Pain. In particular all the total rubbish that people get told by medical professionals who should know better! It makes my blood boil when I hear some of these things. So, inspired by the HUGE body of research published in…
We are delighted to welcome a new physiotherapist to our team at Bodyworks, Ilyes Chataigner. Ilyes is a Belgian trained physiotherapist who has plenty of experience working in multi-disciplinary clinics treating a wide range of patients. Although he has a teensy obsession with backs (you know, like my teensy obsession with feet!) Ilyes has a multi modal, big picture approach to treatment which complements our clinic philosophy. His work on…
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…
Surprising topic from me right? But if knee surgery is the best option for you there are 3 simple things that YOU can do to get a better outcome. The 3 S’s of a “happy” knee: Straight Strong (no) Swelling Working to achieve these before and after surgery (ahem or instead of??) will mean that you get the best results. If your knee treatment plan doesn’t include these it’s a…
Few things are more frustrating for a runner than shin splints. They’re painful, restrict your movement and training and seem difficult to treat. What are Shin Splints? This is a useful “catch all” term for pain in the leg below the knee. But true shin splints are when you have pain only on the inner part of the shin. Although the pain often starts intermittently, running and walking may quickly…