In many cases, long term muscle imbalance exists already, an injury then occurs and an orthotic is prescribed to temporarily offload the injured structures to promote healing and recovery. 

In this situation, some biomechanics experts would argue that the orthotics, by placing the foot and ankle in a more ‘aligned' position, can actually help overcome and correct long term muscle imbalance, often with the help of corrective exercises and manual joint and soft tissue mobilisation techniques. This situation often occurs from the late teens onwards.

In the clinic we find medical acupuncture, when given at the correct dose, to be very effective in helping certain Fibromyalgia patients manage their pain better as well as help them move and exercise more comfortably. Unfortunately, treating Fibromyalgia is not a quick fix and requires a course of treatment of at least 6-8 weekly sessions, possibly followed by maintenance or top up sessions if it has been helpful.

There is no known cure for Fibromyalgia, but it is a condition that can be managed and medical research evidence has shown that medical acupuncture has a role to play (Berman et al, 1999, Martin et al, 2006, Harris, 2005).

Also referred to as dry needling, acupuncture is a technique of inserting very fine, solid, metallic needles into the body through the skin. The needles stimulate the nerves of the skin and muscle and increases the body's release of endorphin and serotonin (natural painkillers) in the pain pathways of the spinal cord and the brain.

Exercise will in most cases form an essential part of your Physiotherapy treatment programme. The reason we prescribe you exercise is not to take up more of your valuable time, but to use these exercises to assist us in bringing about pain relief as well as restoring movement, strength and function to the injured part of the body.

There is a vast amount of research supporting the benefit of exercise, and as Physiotherapists we would not be doing our job properly if we did not use this wealth of knowledge to your benefit.

As Chartered Physiotherapists, we have been trained in the use of exercise as a medical treatment and are able to compile a programme of very specific, tailored exercises to suit you as an individual with an injury that is specific to you.

The pain process is a complex and intelligent signalling system between the affected area of the body and the brain. This system is ultimately trying to protect us but it seems we can trick ourselves by making the pain sensation far worse relative to the injury.

In a recent article called "What happens when we feel pain?" I explored this pain process including questioning why pain can become persistent, how unhelpful thoughts play a role as well as best treatment and pain management techniques.

Here are two excellently presented, intriguing and entertaining videos by Professor Lorimer Moseley, a clinical scientist investigating pain in humans.

These are well worth a watch. Enjoy.

Can I exercise too much?

Sure you can. There is such a thing as ‘chronic cardio’ where the amount of exercise you do can actually have negative long term consequences on your health.

Although in my experience, those I meet who are chronic exercises are often aware of what they are doing and are driven by something else rather than the pursuit of optimal health.

Another quote I recall from a runners forum:

I run to add life to my years not years to my life

With increasing lifespans, rising chronic disease rates, challenged health care systems and an explosion in easily accessible health information - it seems everyone is searching and sharing their experiences in trying to discover that magic pill for perfect health. Maybe it is and has been right under our noses all this time.

Why is an athlete better off than you or me?

Have you ever been in awe from the physical perfection of a professional athlete? Just last year we witnessed one of the greatest sporting events, the Olympics, bearing witness to those runners, riders, throwers, jumpers and others who dedicate incredible time and effort preparing their precision sculpted bodies for the highest level of performance in their sport.

Any such athlete rarely reaches this point alone. Trainers, coaches, Physiotherapy teams and the latest and most advanced sports medical research assists the athlete through the highs and lows of such demanding training. Sickness or injury would present a major set-back and strategies for prevention and recovery is hardly left to chance.

When asking yourself "Why do I have Shoulder Pain?" I suggest you don't waste much time agonising about how it happened but rather focus on how you are going to relieve your pain and achieve a speedy recovery. Do not leave it too long before receiving treatment. It is normal to rest an inflamed or irritated muscle but timing and type of treatment along with doing specific shoulder pain exercises will be necessary for a quick recovery.  

What is peculiar about osteoarthritis, for example of the lumbar spine, is trying to predict who will and won't suffer from pain symptoms. Studies have repeatedly shown that some arthritis sufferers have significant ‘wear and tear’ of the lumbar joints but experience no pain at all - whereas others may have more mild wear and tear changes yet suffer from debilitating pain and dysfunction.

As such there is poor correlation between the extent of the arthritis and the severity of the pain symptoms which may arise. For this reason we also need to be careful to avoid putting all back pain suffered by those in their more senior years as being ‘arthritis’ as this may not be the case.

Indeed arthritis may be the cause, but there are many other reasons someone may be suffering from back pain. At times arthritic changes seen on MRI for example may be a chance finding and not actually the cause of the pain at all. A good clinical assessment is usually able to determine whether the pain is arthritis related.

My client has been doing very well in treatment for a right sided adhesive capsulitis, otherwise known as a ‘frozen shoulder’. Following a successful integrated treatment approach my client has progressed to the third stage of the frozen shoulder continuum where stiffness as opposed to pain is the main problem.

In this article I demonstrate the effectiveness of treating this condition with a combination of medical acupuncture, also known as dry needling, and manual therapy techniques.

Ireland is clearly not immune to the rising levels of chronic illness and health threatening lifestyle trends that are causing worldwide concern for current and future generations.

We are told that mortality rates have decreased significantly for circulatory diseases as well as cancers. But at the same time research suggests an increasing number of people being diagnosed with such chronic illnesses. If modern medicine is sustaining life despite decreasing levels of general health and wellbeing - then there is still much to be done.

In this article we share important news about

• The Irish government's new framework for improved health and wellbeing 2013 - 2025
• Some key health facts about our Irish community
• How we can influence our health dramatically by following certain lifestyle recommendations
• Which recommendation has the greatest potential impact for reducing our risk of death from disease