Clinical mentoring – what is it, and how does it work?
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...
Sports Injuries – the book and its history
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...
Yoga breathing exercises – Pranayama
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...
Remote physiotherapy – what is it and why would you choose it?
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...
Back Rehabilitation – the 3R’s approach
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...
IBS – can acupuncture help?
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...
Patellar fat pads – what are they, and why are they important?
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)...
Menopause and hot flushes – can Acupuncture help?
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,...
Posture is not important – until it is
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...
Scoliosis – what the exercise teacher needs to know
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)...