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…
While we’re all well aware of the need for rehabilitation and physiotherapy after surgery we don’t think about the preparations we need to make BEFORE surgery. Ask questions – Make sure you understand: what will happen at the hospital, the type of procedure you are having, how long you will be in hospital and who you will be seeing afterwards. the procedure is when you leave hospital and how you…
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…
So you have had a conversation with your family doctor or other medical specialist and they have suggested surgery as a solution. But how do you go about actually choosing the right surgeon for your procedure, especially in a new country? Here are my top 10 tips for choosing the right surgeon for you: Recommendations – from your friends and family who had a good result as well as other…
If you have pain in the knee or back you probably think something is wrong with your knee or back. You see your doctor, perhaps get an X-ray or MRI scan. But what if these investigations don’t show a problem? You still have pain in your knee but your doctor is saying there is nothing wrong. Or worse, you receive a lot of treatment (sometimes including surgery!) but make no…
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…
The 3 S’s of a “happy” knee: No Swelling Straight Strong If you have knee pain focusing on these 3 points will make an enormous difference. Before Surgery Most of us are aware of the need for rehab after surgery. But there is increasing research to suggest that to get the best results from surgery you need to do some work before surgery too. Dr Donald K Shelbourne is an…
I’m often asked what makes the work I do at Bodyworks different. I explain parts of what I do here, but it can be hard to understand how that works for you as a patient. So I asked one of my patients to tell you: A year ago I fell badly and damaged my right knee. After multiple visits to the A&E department, appointments with Specialists, my GP and 10…
Recent evidence suggests that as many as 20% of patients who have a Total Knee Replacement (TKR) continue to suffer chronic pain after surgery. The follow up looked into who this 20% might be – are there any common themes? Women We know women have a higher incidence of chronic pain. We also now know that pain messages in women are conveyed using a different biological system to men. So…
Chronic lower back pain is becoming a big problem. In the UK, USA and Australia it is fighting to be the number 1 reason people are off work. So what is the solution? Lumbar Fusion Surgery? Although there are a number of different methods all involve joining or fusing together 2 of the bony discs in the spine so that they no longer move, the theory being that it is…