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…
So one of my very favourite pieces of equipment is my Electro Lymphatic Drainage machine. It’s one of those things I use all the time but I don’t seem to talk about it very much, maybe because it has such an awful name! Contrary to what the name implies it doesn’t hurt, I don’t stick anything into you, yes it does use electricity (but so does my computer and my…
I’ve been using my Electrolymphatic treatment machine for a few years now and I’ve seen some amazing results. As I’ve spoken about before I use it to treat a wide range of issues as part of my physiotherapy practice. But, where I get most excited is in using it to treat post surgical patients, particularly after breast surgery. Why is this so exciting? After a diagnosis and operation for breast…
Gout – first diagnosed in Ancient Egypt in 2600 BC, isn’t new. But more and more patients are receiving this diagnosis. What is Gout? Gout is a metabolic disorder which causes arthritis (arth = joint and itis = inflammation), usually of the big toe but other joints can be affected. The body stops processing uric acid properly causing it to build up in the body. These sharp uric acid crystal…
Since I set up the Headache Clinic many people have asked what is actually involved, what is it I do when you come to see me? No cracking I think the first point to make is that you won’t get your neck “cracked”. As a physiotherapist I don’t do the strong spinal manipulations that some chiropractors use. All of my physical therapy tools are gentle and you won’t be pulled or cracked…
What is the Carpal Tunnel? The Carpal Tunnel is located on the palm side of your wrist. It is a tunnel to protect the median nerve which controls index and middle finger function. If there is any kind of blockage, pressure or inflammation in this tunnel it puts pressure on the nerve, creating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms Carpal Tunnel syndrome typically starts with a vague aching in your wrist that…
A few months ago I was chatting to a woman I’d met a few times at various networking meetings and she mentioned she had a condition called achalasia which is quite unusual. The lower oesophageal (bottom of the oesophagus ) muscles and sphincter start to degenerate and, critically, the nerves which control these muscles. Patients commonly have problems swallowing, chest pain and regurgitate food and drink. She explained how she’d…
As a kid one of my favourite games was Charades. Is it a movie. . . Sounds like . . . . Now as a physiotherapist, when doing an initial assessment I play a different kind of game with my patients – Feels like . . . . And I watch the movements of my patients as closely as I listen to the words. Pain is a funny thing –…
Most people don’t want to take a lot of time off from their life when they get an injury. Rest is probably the most loathed treatment option, certainly here on the Costa del Sol where many of my patients are involved in sport! While patients generally want to get better as quickly as possible most people don’t have quite such a tight deadline. Carlos injured his hamstring playing football and…
Again and again and again I go on about how important a proper assessment is for a correct diagnosis. You MUST actually talk to and examine your patient! The variety of medical testing available is fantastic, MRI scans and X-rays, nerve testing, blood tests . . . the list goes on and on (and in some private hospitals on and on and on again!). And these are fantastic at giving…