I’m not a fan of cortical steroid injections. Repeated research has shown that while the initial pain relief can be significant, prolonged and repeated use starts to break down the tendons within the joint, like a fraying rope. Which inevitably leads to more pain and more problems. Tennis Elbow is a complicated condition, often misdiagnosed and therefore mistreated, it isn’t uncommon to hear of patients having had treatment for many…
I do quite a few radio interviews myself here on the coast, so I was fascinated to hear a fellow physiotherapist give a radio interview. David Peirce from Pondera Physiotherapy talked on Brisbane radio about neck pain and makes some interesting points. You can listen to his interview and I’ve highlighted some of the key points he makes below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/220466998″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] The first point he…
Neck pain, so much more than a pain in the neck! When I spoke about whiplash I mentioned some of the other conditions and symptoms which whiplash victims can also suffer from. And the reason why whiplash victims often end up with a whole laundry list of symptoms apparently unconnected to their neck? Every single nerve in the body travels through the neck. And every single action in the body,…
A few years ago I was involved in a car accident – another driver didn’t see the red light and rear ended me. I became part of a growing statistic – a whiplash victim. Immediate and Short Term Symptoms stiffness and tenderness in the neck and upper back headaches dizziness pain into shoulders and arms difficulty turning your head Early Treatment The quicker you start treatment, the better. Use an…
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 –…
Tennis Elbow aka epicondylitis or epicondylagia is when the tendons (stringy bits that attach muscles to bones) on the outside of the elbow become damaged and irritated, usually caused by overuse. This translates to pain on the outside of the elbow because you have been doing a particular action repeatedly, common in tennis players but also seen in plasterers, painters, and anyone who’s job or hobby includes a repetitive action…
Physiotherapy has come a long since I finished my training (too long ago to talk about), new techniques and new tools mean it can fix a LOT more problems a LOT more successfully. But, it has it’s limitations. One of the most exciting things for me when I started using Magnetic Resonance Therapy (MRT or MBST) was finally being able to offer a solution to those of my patients who…
Most of the time I talk about how great Magnetic Resonance Therapy (MRT) is for treating long term or chronic arthritis. As it regenerates and strengthens the remaining cartilage and reduces the swelling in the bones it has amazing results. BUT that’s not all it can do! Having had the technology for a long time now (8 years!) I have had plenty of time to try new things and, luckily,…