A few weeks ago Simon wrote a very informative Golf related article called - Golf Flexibility, The Golf Swing & Common Injuries

If you are a golfer and haven't read this article I recommend you do, it attracted good interest and praise over on our Twitter profile @mmphysiotherapy . On the back of this article I've put together some top tips for helping you avoid those niggly golfing injuries. 

Here we go...

During your first consultation with us your Chartered Physiotherapist will conduct a thorough physical assessment. This essential first step will assist us in determining what the structural source of your musculoskeletal pain complaint is most likely to be and enable us to provide a diagnosis followed by a planned course of treatment.

Your assessment will involve a combination of you answering relevant questions and your Physiotherapist conducting a hands-on, physical assessment of the affected body area.

Questions we will ask you

Firstly we will need to understand, in as much detail as possible, the history of your condition. Your Physiotherapist will ask you:

• When did the problem start
• Was there an injury sustained, or
• Did the problem arise for no apparent reason

In order to get an impression of how your symptoms respond to certain activities we also need to know:

Dr Mike, a doctor-professor, curates some wonderful online videos that are short and inspirational to help people make positive changes for their health.

In this 4 minute video Dr Mike proposes a movement called 'Make your day harder'

Dr Mike considers why the baby-boomer generation suffer more health issues than their previous 'mad-men' generation despite smoking less and apparently exercising more.

Do you shop on the internet, have an electric toothbrush or even one of those automatic self-driving vacuum cleaners? Do you communicate with your children via text-message even when you are all under the same roof? If you can answer yes to any of these then you definitely want to watch this short video.

The effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for Fibromyalgia very much depends on the individual being treated. Factors such as how long the Fibromyalgia has been present, the state and responsiveness of the central nervous system, patient expectation and belief, levels of pain and physical activity, etc, can all have a bearing on how well someone may respond to medical acupuncture treatment.

The key to a successful course of treatment, from my own clinical experience, is getting the ‘dose’ of treatment correct. This usually means having to be careful not to over-stimulate and not cause too much sensation with the acupuncture needles. Given that individuals with Fibromyalgia are usually already very sensitive, much care is needed when needling to ensure that is is done comfortably. Sometimes this requires some trial and error in the first couple of sessions to discover the right dosage for the individual.

A combination of medical intervention and lifestyle modifications are needed in order to offer a cure for a repetitive strain injury (RSI).

RSI, also referred to as upper limb work related disorder, is a general term used to describe pain of muscles, nerves and tendons caused by repetitive movement and overuse (National Health Service). It most frequently occurs in those who work with computers or in repetitive manual labour. This condition mostly affects parts of the upper body including the neck, shoulder, elbow, wrists and forearm.

Striking a tiny ball with a small club face at the end of a long shaft is the respectable skill of the golf swing. Making that tiny ball travel the distance and direction intended requires great skill as well as good body position technique with sufficient specific golf flexibility throughout the full range of motion.

This post is an excerpt from a more extensive article I wrote recently called - Golf Flexibility, The Golf Swing & Common Injuries

Let’s get into the golf swing of things; the arms move through a large range of motion while linking the golf club and the power-generating torso of the golfer. The golf swing involves 5 phases: the backswing, the downswing, acceleration, early follow-through and late follow-through. With each phase requiring an evolving recruitment of muscle activity and fluid technique there is risk of soft tissue damage throughout the full swing movement.

The original golf swing is said to have evolved in Scotland some hundred years ago. Modern equipment and material as well as advancement in performance technique has led to the 'modern golf wing' changing the dynamics of required golf flexibility.

There are common causes of knee pain in children but it can be difficult to determine which aches and pains need medical attention and which they may “grow out of”.

Osgood Schlatters

A common cause of knee pain, particularly in boys, is Osgood Schlatters. Your child may complain of pain and tenderness below their knee cap and could recently have had a growth spurt. The pain is due to irritation of a ligament, called the patellar ligament, which connects the kneecap to the shin bone. This is sensitive to touch and your child may have pain with walking or jumping activities or on the stairs.

The initial treatment for Osgood Schlatters is “RICE” Rest Ice Compress Elevate which can help ease pain symptoms. Symptoms usually subside when the growth spurt ends…unfortunately this could take 1-2 years! Gentle stretching of the quadriceps muscle is also advised as it can reduce the tension on the patellar tendon. It is also important to consider lower limb biomechanics and gluteal/ hip muscle strength and intervene with Physiotherapy treatment where necessary to help accelerate the healing process.

The current economic climate has been challenging for most of us and consumer trends indicate that a higher proportion of us are being attracted to discounted goods and services as we are becoming far more aware of price.

Of course this is understandable given falling incomes, higher costs in some cases and lower disposable incomes. This approach makes a lot of sense in a retail environment for example where getting a trolley full of groceries, or having your car serviced at a lower price means savings without necessarily having to compromise on quality to any great extent.

But what about healthcare?

I feel we need to consider primary healthcare and related costs from a different perspective.

The best sleep position may be slightly different for each person but to avoid back and neck pain there are simple sleeping position techniques that are common for most. We spend about a third of our day sleeping in a mostly still position. This extended period of motionless can leave us feeling stiff the next morning and potentially cause or aggravate back or neck pain. Fortunately it is not difficult to achieve an aligned, pain free sleeping position with the help of some simple techniques and an extra pillow or two.

In my clinic I get asked regularly about what are the best sleeping positions and in fact it was just the other day a client queried specifically about neck pain and sleep positions which inspired me to write this post.

My first answer is usually to suggest finding a position which is most comfortable. From years of clinical experience and understanding sleep related pain issues I am usually able to offer some suggestions as to how best to achieve better sleeping positions for pain relief.