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…
I hate it when I hear that people have had “loads” of treatment for a problem but aren’t making progress. What a waste of everybody’s time (and probably money too!). And you, the patient, end up frustrated that you keep doing all the “right” things but aren’t making progress. But don’t give up hope! Because it could be that one of these simple changes could make all the difference. Get…
Today we have a guest post from our Life, Mental and Business Coach Joris Plu talking about how to take back control of your life and smooth the obstacles in your path. Take it away Joris! Welcome! I am so pleased to have this opportunity to discuss something that comes up regularly with my clients. It’s an important mental shift, the first step to a smoother path through life. Are…
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…
Well the end of summer seems to have arrived! I’m sure I blinked and missed the summer entirely. But with the new school term and cooler weather arriving it always feels like the time for fresh beginnings here on the coast. Many people are deciding to tackle things that might have got ignored during the hot, busy, chaos of summer. Like niggly health worries. Who to trust For many of…
One of the most important things I do in the initial consultation is take a full and detailed medical history. Which means finding out everything that has happened to people over the course of their lives and the treatment they’ve received. I’ll be honest, this can be an emotional process for me let alone my patient recounting it. Sometimes these histories can leave me hooting with laughter but quite a…
With Peter away for 2 weeks (who said he was allowed holidays?!) he thought he should leave some advice for maintaining your hearing aids in his absence! Hot and Sweaty Summer on the coast means one thing – HEAT! And for most of us that leaves us a bit hot and sweaty. Your own sweat can increase the condensation within the hearing aid itself – basically causing water to get…
One of the best and worst things about modern medicine is that it moves so FAST! The “best” treatment a year ago can, in the light of new research, become not just outmoded but dangerous. We are learning all the time. The science of treating back pain A recent series of papers published in The Lancet has caused quite a stir in the medical profession as it basically demonstrated that…