Surgery is a BIG thing for our bodies. There’s the medication and anaesthetic, the trauma to skin, muscles and other tissues, the emotional stress . . . . Now admittedly these can vary HUGELY depending on the procedure – open heart surgery is a totally different conversation to an arthroscopy for instance. But all three things happen in all surgeries, whether you are excited to have it (cosmetic surgery for…
If you are waiting for your knee operation it can get a bit disheartening. It can feel like limbo – you aren’t getting better, just . . . . waiting. And often you don’t get a referral to a physiotherapist or other support and help until AFTER the operation. And if that operation is delayed or postponed because of a crisis (here’s looking at you Covid-19!) then you get stuck.…
If you are waiting for your hip operation it can get a bit disheartening. It can feel like limbo – you aren’t getting better, just . . . . waiting. And often you don’t get a referral to a physiotherapist or other support and help until AFTER the operation. And if that operation is delayed or postponed because of a crisis (here’s looking at you Covid-19!) then you get stuck.…
I know, the idea shocked me as well! Recently I declared 2020 to be the Year of the Hip. Today I’d like to tell you why. Through the mists of time Back when I was a very VERY new physiotherapist I was extremely fortunate. One of my patients was getting a hip replacement! While incredibly common now (over 35,000 per year on the NHS) they had only just started to…
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…
I’ve written an article with the same title a while ago but I thought some of it could probably do with a little update! The knee is (still!) the largest joint in the body. 4 bones more than 20 muscles each with a tendon 4 major ligaments as well as many little ones and at least 3 layers of cartilage. So here goes with my A to Z of knee…
It was with some horror that I listened to a recent patient inform me that her surgeon here on the coast had advised her to wait 12 weeks before starting rehabilitation and physiotherapy after her hip replacement. 12 weeks! During my military training the physio arrived the first day you woke up after surgery! Move it or lose it! In the UK as a whole the physio is usually heavily…
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…
I have always believed that getting better is a two way process – my job is to guide and educate rather than just “do to” you. If you understand what’s happening within your own body, why you feel the way you do and react the way you do, then you understand why I make the recommendations that I do. And you make an educated decision about how to proceed. Either…
For the last decade at the Bodyworks Clinic we have worked with a game changing therapy option – Magnetic Resonance Therapy (or MBST or MRT). This has allowed us to help treat patients with any of a LONG list of joint pain conditions feel better, have greater movement and improved quality of life without surgery, drugs or long rehabilitation periods. This has been a revelation and it has been thrilling…