Articles & News
THE RISKS OF INACTIVITY Physical inactivity is the second greatest contributor (behind smoking) to the cancer burden in Australia. Sedentary lifestyles also increase the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, as well as many common musculoskeletal conditions such as back/neck pain and osteoarthritis. A big (and often unrecognised) contributor to […]
SHOULDER REHAB DOESN’T NEED TO BE COMPLICATED! Shoulder rehab does not need to be complicated… There is a common trend or thought in the rehabilitation world that we need to be prescribing a wide range of fancy and unique rehabilitation exercises as well as whatever other treatment modalities we have in our ‘toolbox’ to help […]
HAMSTRING TENDINOPATHY – A PAIN IN THE BUTT Got a lingering pain in the butt that won’t go away? It may not actually be your butt, but your hamstrings to blame.. Hamstring Tendinopathy is a commonly misdiagnosed condition, and one that can become quite severe and debilitating when not managed appropriately. This condition will often […]
IMAGING AND BACK PAIN A 2014 study (Brinjikji et al) looked at MRI studies of asymptomatic individuals. That is, people without back pain. What they found was this: Prevalence of Disk Degeneration: *37% in 20 year olds *80% in 50 year olds *96% in 80 year olds Prevalence of Disc Bulges: *30% in 20 year […]
EXERCISE & CHRONIC DISEASE As a clinician, I so often see people use chronic disease, pre-existing conditions or simply their age as a reason for being inactive. Individuals with osteoarthritis, chronic back pain, COPD, fibromyalgia etc. say their pain is a barrier to exercise, or they don’t have the energy. Though it is these people […]
CHALLENGING BELIEFS AROUND LOWER BACK PAIN If you have ever hurt your back before (which 90% of us will at some stage of our lives), chances are that you have had concerned family members and friends giving you advice (with the best of intentions) about looking after your injury. Often this may include suggestions such […]
DISCS DON’T SLIP! I far too commonly hear from people that they have a “slipped disc”. That they can’t exercise due to a “slipped disc”. That they have ongoing back pain due to “slipping a disc”. However the truth of that matter is that this is actually impossible… The intervertebral discs lie between adjacent vertebrae, […]
DRY NEEDLING VS ACUPUNCTURE ACUPUNCTURE is a form of traditional Chinese medicine, in which needles are used to unblock the flow of vital energy along meridians or channels. DRY NEEDLING takes a more modern, biomedical approach to musculoskeletal treatment. Dry needling is used to treat intramuscular trigger points and stimulate nerve endings, which brings on […]
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT BACK PAIN Here we have a few KEY facts about back pain, that everyone should be aware of: Back pain is common and normal, with ~80% of people experiencing back pain at some stage in their life. Most people will improve significantly within the first 2 weeks of symptoms, and the […]
ARE YOUR HAMSTRINGS ACTUALLY TIGHT? Hamstring tightness is very commonly reported in athletes and the general population. Clients constantly report a feeling of tightness that seems to always be there, and is not relieved with any amount of stretching. So what exactly is the problem, and what can we do about it? Upon examination, hamstring […]
