Learning Therapists and exercise professionals generally learn in several ways. Initially, they will have taken a course at a college or University to gain both theoretical and practical knowledge. After qualifying they are required to keep their knowledge fresh and will regularly attend courses – a system called continuous professional …
Over 25 years ago I wrote the first edition of Sports Injuries. At the time I was instrumental in setting up one of the first MSc programmes in the management of sporting injuries for physiotherapists & podiatrists at the then Crewe & Alsager College (later to become part of Manchester …
When we work out, we obviously sweat, breathe deeply, and increase our heartrate. But, did you know that you can actually do exercises for breathing, rather than the other way around? Well, one of the best known types of breathing exercise is found in yoga. Yoga in the west is …
Physio is basically hands-on right? Manipulation, massage, joint cracking, muscle stretching, fancy machines and all that stuff. Well, that is often how the popular press portrays it, but modern physiotherapy can be very different and can include remote physiotherapy. If you ask most patients what they really want from their …
Back rehab You could be forgiven for being a bit confused about back exercises. Workplaces are often full of posters saying, “keep your back straight – bend your knees”, and yet yoga and Pilates classes encourage bending the back. We are cautioned to take care when lifting, yet we see …
IBS – the condition Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of a group of conditions referred to as functional gastrointestinal disorders. These result from a change in the way the brain sends signals to the nerves supplying the digestive organs (gut-brain interaction). The condition results in a change to bowel …
Structure of patellar fat pads The Infrapatellar fat pads (IFP) are two wedge shaped fatty structures situated below the kneecap (patella), lying either side of the patellar tendon, first described by Hoffa in 1904. The IFP consist of fat cells (adipose tissue) packed closely together and separated from other tissues …
Menopause is a condition which normally occurs later in a women’s life (typically between 40 – 58 years), although it can also occur earlier as a result of surgery and treatment of various cancers. When periods stop (amenorrhoea) and have not occurred for 12 months, menopause is said to have …
Twenty years ago, posture was a buzzword in the therapy world. Posture analysis was commonplace, and often linked to the then emerging practice of muscle balance assessment. Many articles and books were written on the subject. In fact, our clinic director Dr Christopher Norris penned an important article series called …
Scoliosis is a side (lateral) curvature of the spine, usually associated with a twisted appearance on forward bending movements in yoga. Normally the spinal bones are stacked on top of each other to form a column. From the side, there is an inward curve (lordosis) in the low back (lumbar …
Sports & Soft Tissue Injuries Sports Injuries has been the textbook for which clinic director Dr Christopher Norris is best known within the therapy and exercise world. 2018 saw the release of the most recent edition of this renowned text, and in this blog, we take a look at the …
Many sports and soft tissue injuries (STI) result in inflammation, with the tissue feeling hot and painful and the body part being red and swollen. Although inflammation itself is an essential part of the healing processes of the body, sometimes the reaction can be excessive. Anti-inflammatory treatments are designed to …
When you exercise, it is not just how much you do or how hard you work which is important, but how you perform an exercise. To put it more succinctly, exercise quality is as important (and sometimes more important) than exercise quantity. Any exercise is designed to place physical stress …
About 30% of all types of shoulder pain is due to impingement and unfortunately of this group, over half of patients report symptoms continuing after 3 years. Getting the right diagnosis and management of shoulder impingement is therefore important. The condition can be managed both surgically and conservatively (without surgery), …
History of shockwave therapy Shockwave therapy was used over 30 years ago, originally as an alternative to surgery for treating kidney stones and gallstones (lithotripsy). The shockwave breaks up the stone, so the calcium deposits are passed out in the urine. The effect of breaking up deposits was taken up …
Massage is a very old technique and one which often occurs naturally to both humans and animals. When a child cries because they knocked their knee, we sometimes ‘rub it better’ and when a dog hurts his paw he often licks himself. Each of these actions can be seen as …
What is an upper respiratory tract infection? An upper respiratory tract infection or URTI occurs when the air passages leading from the nose towards the lungs become inflamed. The upper respiratory tract (URT) itself consists of the hollow nasal cavity behind the nose, the pharynx and larynx (throat and voicebox). …
We have seen (part 1: Hamstring injuries) that the structure and function of the hamstrings is used to guide the rehabilitation process. To be truly effective, Hamstring rehabilitation must be multifactorial, and a number of factors are important. Let’s begin by looking at changes in the lumbar spine, pelvis, and …
Hamstring injury rate Hamstring injury is common in sport, and these injuries frequently recur. Up to 12% of sports injuries may be to the hamstrings (Ekstrand et al 2011), and it is the most common muscle injury in male footballers (Schuermans et al 2014). Recurrence rates vary between 12-63% depending …
Yoga is becoming more and more popular nowadays, with classes available in most gyms and sports centres. Styles vary, from traditional types focusing on postures, breathing, and meditation to more fitness based types designed to make you break out in a sweat. Many tops sports teams use yoga now for …
The term ‘shin splints’ is often used as a blanket description of any persistent pain occurring between the knee and ankle in an athlete. The condition has a number of names including Exercise Induced Leg Pain (EILP), Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS), Exertional Lower Limb Pain (ELLP), and Biomechanical Overload …
Pain around the kneecap, officially termed patellofemoral pain (PFP) accounts for up to 17% of knee pain seen generally, and up to 40% of knee problems seen in the sporting population (Crossley et al 2016), with up to 7% of adolescents between the ages of 15-19 years suffering with kneecap …
Pain in the knee due to knee arthritis is a common complaint, especially in the over 50’s. Studies have shown that almost half of over 50’s complain of pain in the knee, and in about 25% it lasts for a prolonged period, being termed chronic (Urquhart et al 2015). Chronic …
Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD) is a cause of persistent pain around the medial malleolus. It is also a leading cause of flat foot disorders, especially in seniors. The prevalence rate is 3.3% in the over 40’s, which is actually greater than that for Achilles tendinopathy in the non-athletic population …
What causes heel pain? Heel pain, or as it is officially known Chronic Plantar heel pain (CPHP) is usually a change in the nature of the tissue within the sole of your foot, attaching to your heel bone called the Plantarfascia – hence the official name plantar fasciitis. This structure …
History of Acupuncture Treatment Acupuncture treatment is generally believed to have started in China, with the first systemised record being The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine published in 100BC. Prior to this time sharpened stones (Bian stones) have been found, and the evidence of tattooing at acupuncture like points …
We all know the situation. Training is going well, and suddenly you trip over a tree root when out running and twist your ankle, or pull something in the gym. The action you take next is important, because it can dictate how long you are away from sport. You will …
Yoga is a traditional exercise form which is said to have existed for thousands of years, but over the last 20 years we have seen a rapid grown in yoga classes in the Western world with this type of exercise becoming the latest exercise fashion. In parallel with this growth …
Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) is a painful condition which can affect the outside of the knee or hip. In runners, when pain occurs on the outside of the knee it is often termed ‘runners knee’ and when at the hip, ‘clicking hip’. Studies have shown iliotibial band syndrome to occur …
To be effective, training has to be progressive. This means that your body will change (adapt) to the stresses that an exercise places on it (overload). Take as an example an arm curl action in the gym. If you lifted 5kg, that is probably less than you would lift in …
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a common condition which can cause pins and needles, aching, or numbness in your hand and fingers. It affects middle aged people more (40-60 years), and women more commonly than men. Between 50-65% of cases occur bilaterally. Typically CTS affects the thumb and first two …
