One of the things I think is extremely important for any medical professional is constantly updating their skill set. My training in the RAF gave me a much wider and varied range of experience than many physios but that was, “ahem” a little while ago now and things have moved on a teeny bit! Medical Fashion Much of the way I was initially trained has come back into medical fashion…
A friend of mine recently reached a significant birthday and this song was composed by a fabulously creative couple in her honour. It made me laugh so much that I asked for permission to share it here with you! A’s for Arthritis B’s the bad back C’s the chest pains, perhaps cardiac? D is for dental decay and decline E is for eyesight, can’t read that top line! F is…
Back pain is estimated to affect most adults at some point in their life. It is also one of the leading causes of time off work. So here are a few tips to help if it strikes: ICE – a pack of frozen peas will do. Always wrap it in a damp tea towel to protect your skin. Use it for 10 minutes every half hour. TOILETS – If you…
The link between chronic pain and depression is one that is fairly obvious, in fact people with chronic lower back pain are 3 – 4 times more likely to suffer from major depression (Sullivan et al. 1992). If your pain means you can’t take part in your normal daily activities, golf, tennis or even moving about your house or the supermarket comfortably, then this brings you down even further (Williamson…
For keen athletes, in an ideal world, every time you train you would do as the professionals do and see a physiotherapist to untangle any kinks. However in the real world we rarely have the time and resources to follow every ideal. So here are my 4 top tips and tricks for keeping you going even when you haven’t got a physio at home. 1. A tennis ball – A…
With the Olympics just finished we have had plenty of chances to see “perfect” bodies. But did you know how many Olympic athletes past and present had scoliosis? Usain Bolt – Jamaican runner (you may have heard of him?!) Alexandra Marinescu – Romanian gymnast Jon Olsen – swimmer for the USA Jennifer Thompson – swimmer for the USA, one of the most decorated Olympians in history What is Scoliosis? Scoliosis is a term used…
Having children is such a wonderful experience right? Kisses, cuddles, being the absolute centre of someone’s universe . . . . . but it can take a toll on our bodies – for mums AND dads. The lifting and carrying of babies, wriggling toddlers, buggies, nappy bags, and all the paraphernalia. The sustained and repetitive postures as you feed, rock them to sleep or lie curled on the edge of…
Technology is a wonderful thing, the investigations that we can do now to find out what is really going on inside the body is amazing, X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans. . . the list goes on! But are we too reliant on them? If you have a pain in a joint or your spine getting the right image can help get an accurate diagnosis. BUT medical professionals must be careful…
Airports Miles of walking, often pulling heavy luggage, juggling trollies and children and buggies . . . the endless standing in queues. Remind me at what point we thought this was going to be a good idea? If you’ve already got a bad knee, ankle, foot or arm the miles of walking, lifting and getting banged by someone’s suitcase won’t help. Wear a bandage or a sling or take a…
In a world where we sit to work, sit to relax, sit to travel we should understand the impact that sitting has on us all. We weren’t designed to sit (or slouch!) so get moving!!