We are now Mount Merrion Physiotherapy & Health

Our new name reflects the evolution of our clinic as one that offers expert chartered physiotherapy as our main service, as well as a range of related health services.

Our aim is to consider health more broadly, doing all we can to help prevent illness, injury , pain and disease by helping our clients take a proactive approach.

Did you know, we also offer:

Inspired by the work and wisdom of Dr. Tommy Wood over of Nourish Balance Thrive, here are some tips to help ensure a life of health and longevity.

Sleep more
- You need at least 7-8 Hours per night
- Don’t exercise before bed
- No caffeine after 3pm
- Use blue light filters when it gets dark, either screen filters or glasses when watching TV-
- Avoid using smartphones or tablets before bed, no email!
- Moderate alcohol

....Is managing client expectations, most definitely.

Most of my clients of course want and expect a quick fix, one maybe two treatment sessions.

This may be possible when treating an injury or pain complaint which is fairly fresh, perhaps having been causing physical problems for up to a week or two. If we are able to start treatment early, give the correct advice, the correct exercises as well as using other techniques which help pain relief, healing and repair, a quick resolution is normally possible.

But....

Introducing Senior Chartered Physiotherapist Emily Smyth who has recently started working with us at Mount Merrion Chartered Physiotherapy.

Our services include Physiotherapy, Clinical Pilates, Pre and Postnatal Care, long term Injury Rehabilitation and now the PINC (for women) and STEEL (for men) Cancer Rehabilitation Programs offered by Emily who has undergone specialised training. 

PINC & STEEL was developed by the Cancer Rehabilitation Trust of Australia and has been the pioneering force behind the cancer rehabilitation movement in New Zealand and Australia since 2005.

It is aimed at women and men at any stage of their cancer treatment. We focus on ensuring patients can be active throughout their treatment by addressing any musculoskeletal problems which may be limiting their ability to exercise and by educating them on the importance of maintaining activity levels. Staying active during cancer treatment has been shown to help alleviate or prevent physical impairments, reduces pain, fatigue, depression, sleep disturbances and other symptoms commonly reported during cancer treatment.

Our nerves are important communicators of information between the brain and the body. When working well they allow our muscles to function smoothly, allowing fluid movement and function. They also convey internal and external sensory information to the brain which creates an awareness of where were are, what we are doing and how things feel.

I love a glass of red wine, for various reasons including, when drunk in moderation, it’s health benefits.

But these health benefits, largely due to the polyphenols (antioxidants which scavenge harmful free radicals) found in the grape skins, can be strongly negated by all the other junk that is found in many wines.

Headaches come in many different forms. The International Headaches Society has over 300 types of headaches in its classification system! The IHS system although very comprehensive is better suited for research purposes and perhaps less suitable for use in clinical practice.

A cervicogenic headache is characterised by pain referred to the head from the cervical spine (neck).These types of headaches are caused by abnormalities in the joints, muscles and neural structures of the neck region.

There is no one tell tale sign or unique feature that can differentiate between different types of headaches. We must look at a range of features from our clients history and our physical examination.

I’ve noticed a worrying trend over the last few years.

My teenage clients are generally much stiffer, mainly about their middle backs, hips and ankles compared my 60-75 year old clients. This is usually in some way related to the injury which has caused them enough pain to need to come and see me.

Why could this be?

Most of my older clients come to me for treatment because they have always been active and wish to remain so as they advance in years. They moved more when they were younger and their lifestyles tended to be less sedentary, particularly as children.

By contrast my younger clients of today sit much more, this has been shown in many studies. Between long hours at school, homework and recreational use of devices, today's teenagers are generally much more sedentary which leads to joint stiffness and other health issues.

It’s the new year, the gyms are full as the fitness industry enjoys its busiest time of the year.

Of course there are many benefits to exercising more which is often up there on the New Years resolutions list. Many are also trying to drop those few extra Christmas pounds.

My advice would be to start slow, give your joints and tendons time to adapt to the extra load that exercise will place on them. Increase your times, distances, speeds or weights gradually and allow at least a day or two between sessions to recover.

CBD is all the rage these days and becoming known as a ‘miraculous’ compound. But is it really as amazing as it sounds?

CBD, also known as cannabidiol, is one of many cannabinoids found in the hemp and cannabis plant. It was discovered in the 1940’s and was initially thought to be psychoactive i.e causes changes in brain function.

Since then, it’s popularity has been rapidly growing with researchers all around the world investigating its effects and is now known as one of the few cannabinoids that turns out to be non-psychoactive, particularly if extracted from the hemp plant. This makes it potentially safer and easier to use.

It is thought to have many therapeutic effects such as anti-seizure, antioxidant, anti-anxiety, antipsychotic, anticancer, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.

But does it really work and how?

CBD works by binding to certain receptors in our cells which then lead to a series of chemical reactions to cause a specific effect.

It has an affinity for activating some important receptors in such as:
-Serotonin receptors (specifically 5-HT1A) which control anxiety and mood
-Vanilloid receptors (TRPV1) which influence the pain experience
-Adenosine receptors which control sleep
-Endocannabinoid receptors (indirectly) which control appetite, memory, mood and pain.

One of the most well known effects of CBD is on anxiety and mood. It has been described to instantly give a lift in mood and a feeling of calmness. It impacts activity of the limbic and paralimbic systems in the brain(1) and binds to the 5-HT receptors that control the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which influence stress, anxiety and mood and pain perception. Because of this, it is being researched as a natural anti-depressant.