Few things are more frustrating for a runner than shin splints. They’re painful, restrict your movement and training and seem difficult to treat. What are Shin Splints? This is a useful “catch all” term for pain in the leg below the knee. But true shin splints are painful on the inner part of the shin. Although the pain starts intermittently, running and walking may quickly become extremely painful. If you…
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…
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…
What are hamstrings? Hamstrings are the tendons connecting the group of large muscles at the back of the thigh to the bone. But the word is often used to refer to the entire group of muscles connecting the knee to the hip at the back of the thigh. The Hamstring muscles bend the knee and straighten the hip and while not very important for walking and standing they are very…
It’s that time of year again folks. The days are getting warmer, the chiringuitos are opening . . . and here in Spain we’re thinking about packing away the boots and jumpers and finding the shorts and sandals. So here is this year’s range of sandals that are good for your feet!! I will be placing the first order on Friday 8th May so if you want something let me…
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…
So what exactly is a ligament? Within a joint there are 4 key structures that keep you moving: Bones – a joint is where 2 bones meet Cartilage – this is the squishy stuff on the end of bones, in the discs in your spine and in extra cushions like the meniscus. This stops the bones rubbing together Tendons – the rope like fibres that join muscles to bones Ligament…
Here in Andalucia we’ve just had Semana Blanca where traditionally everyone goes to the Sierra Nevadas (and from what I’ve heard the snow was good!). But sadly this means a little flurry of phone calls to me! Knee Particularly the ligaments. When we fall and twist, when our skis or board go one way and we go the other – it’s the knees that take the damage and sometime the…
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…