Articles & News
IS RUNNING BAD FOR YOUR BACK? Quite the contrary… running is actually quite often GOOD for your spine! Relatively recent research has revealed that repetitive axial loading of the spine under body weight during running appears to be beneficial for the discs in our lower back. In this study, long-distance runners and joggers showed evidence […]
A recent study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research brings to light 2 often under considered components of injury prevention, athlete preparation and rehabilitation – UNILATERAL training and PLYOMETRICS. *Unilateral training involves loading up one side of the body at a time (e.g. single leg squats, split squats) rather than training both […]
ACL RECONSTRUCTION – IS IT ALWAYS NECESSARY? ACL ruptures are commonly sent straight for surgical repair, however this requirement has recently been questioned more and more. Evidence now tells us that conservative rehabilitation following ACL rupture has similar outcomes to surgery (Smith et al., 2014 & Forbell et al., 2010). The risk of developing […]
SLEEP HYGIENE I have previously posted about the importance of sleep in both recovery and athletic performance; however being able to get a good night’s sleep is still something that many find difficult. Sleep requirements are very individualised, though getting at least 7 hours is generally advised. A recent paper published in the Strength & […]
THE EFFECTS OF DETRAINING Detraining (decreasing training volume/intensity due to injury, illness, holidays etc.) significantly increases your risk of injury when returning to normal workloads. The Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR) looks at how your training load this week (acute load) compares to your rolling average over the last 4 weeks (chronic load). An […]
THE IMPACT OF STRESS ON PAIN All of us experience stress to varying degrees, however it is often poorly managed and understood – especially when it comes to our musculoskeletal health. All pain is a production of our central nervous system (CNS – brain and spinal cord), and stress (along with poor sleep, fatigue, […]
WEIGHT LOSS FOR KNEE PAIN Weight loss has historically been a first line form of conservative management for those with knee pain, and we have level 1 evidence to support this as an intervention. A systematic review of published literature has found a higher BMI to be a strong predictor for the development of patellofemoral […]
DEADLIFTING AND LOW BACK PAIN The deadlift is an extremely popular exercise for athletes and the general population in those looking to build strength. However its influence and safety for people with lower back pain is often debated, particularly due to high compressive and shear forces it places on the spine (Eltoukhy et al., 2016). […]
Newly published research has shown that the experience of feeling “stiff” does not reflect actual biomechanical back stiffness (Stanton et al., 2017). This perception of stiffness that we sometimes experience may actually be a protective sensitivity produced by our bodies to reduce movement or potential injury. Any pain, discomfort or “stiffness” we experience at any […]
“Do I need a scan?” Diagnostic imaging is a fantastic and commonly utilised tool in healthcare. Imaging allows clinicians to get detailed pictures of structures in our body to make or confirm a diagnosis, or to rule out serious pathology. There are many forms of imaging currently available (X-Ray, US, MRI, CT scan, PET, […]
