So over the last few weeks I’ve talked about lower back pain and sciatica in particular. I’ve also been talking about those conditions that can sometimes get bundled up in a general “sciatica” muddle like Iliotibial Band Syndrome. (it’s ok, you can go read them, I’ll wait!) And today we are going to look at another one of those conditions that can cause similar symptoms – Piriformis Syndrome. This may…
When we were discussing seminar topics the one suggested left and right was Sciatica! This is obviously a topic people think about in connection with physiotherapy. And I was looking back at the articles I’ve written for the EWN and my own blog over the last decade and realised, I have NEVER written about sciatica!! So here goes, my first EVER article about sciatica! Fingers crossed! What is it? Sciatica…
Toe pain comes in many different forms and with some fabulous titles: Hammer Toes Mallet Toes Claw Toe Bunions Morton’s Neuroma Metatarsalgia Gout Rheumatoid Arthritis And don’t each of those sound hideously painful and terribly terminal?! What they have in common All of these conditions have different triggers and impacts on the toes and feet. But there are a few things they all have in common: They change the shape…
With Easter / Semana Santa coming many people are driving long distances – either home for the summer or arriving here for the warmer weather. And long distance driving often results in back pain. Are you sitting comfortably? The seats themselves don’t always help – lowered, tipped back seats make the legs too straight, placing strain on the hamstrings, pelvis and lower back. The neck then tilts forward to look…
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…
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 when you have pain only on the inner part of the shin. Although the pain often starts intermittently, running and walking may quickly…
The wonderful, glorious thing about medicine is that it is constantly improving and changing. But it means that keeping up to date on what really works is a job in itself. A British Medical Journal article once estimated that family doctors needed to do 60 hours of reading a WEEK just to have a broad understanding of the changes involved. And that is literally life and death. Is it any…
Your body works as a whole unit. A team. And that “work” of moving you forward still needs to be done even if one part doesn’t function that great. So another area picks up the slack. And when that part of the team doing the extra work gets too tired? You get pain. Now, if this is the situation it doesn’t matter how much fabulous treatment you get in the…
Every year, in January and over the summer I am contacted by physiotherapists who have read this article which I wrote a very looooooooong time ago. So I thought it time to update this a little with the information that I generally add when I get the emails! Estelle Mitchell, a UK-qualified physiotherapist with more than 26 *ahem, it’s more like 40 now! years’ experience, came to work in southern…
You’ve woken up and looked at yourself in the mirror, one half of your face has dropped and you are unable to make it move. Your first thought is, “OMG I’ve had a stroke!” Check FAST F – Face drooping A – Arm Weakness S – Speech Difficulty T – Time to call an ambulance (dial 061 in Andalucia) If these don’t apply then you could have a facial palsy…