Bernard Gallacher OBE was one of the foremost golfers of his generation, a consummate competitor who will always be remembered for leading the European Ryder Cup team to their famous victory on American soil in 1995. Here Bernard talks about using the Mobiliser to help manage his back pain so that he could continue to play golf at the highest level. Bernard says: “I’ve experienced the odd twinges in my back throughout my golfing…
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…
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…
We are incredibly lucky to live in a time where we can see more, know more and fix more within the human body than ever before. But with all this medical power must surely come medical responsibility? Dark Ages I completed my physiotherapy training over 30 years ago and back then, in the dark ages, an MRI scan was not an easy thing to get. Before ordering one we had…
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…
A hip replacement is a fairly common procedure if you have arthritis in your hips. But what if it’s not that simple? The incorrect procedure can lead to long term issues and pain. Taking the time to get the right diagnosis is a critical part of choosing the correct procedure for you. Hip dysplasia is the most common cause of hip arthritis in young women but it is easy to…
Frozen shoulder, rotator cuff, bursitis, impingement . . . shoulder pain can come with a lot of different names and root causes. But there are some common themes – difficulty raising your arm overhead, difficulty working or doing your sport, problems sleeping and, of course, pain! But what happens when you’re not making progress? When the pain and difficulty moving continues? Pain Perception I’ve spoken before about chronic pain and…
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…
Migraines – you never know when they will strike. It’s like a big, invisible lion following you around and you never know when it’s going to strike. So here are 5 tips to help you turn that lion into a pussy cat. Food and Drink Many migraine sufferers have a list of “trigger foods”. While these can be a factor it is much more important to focus on the bigger…
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…