Cupping therapy now offered at The Physiotherapy Place

If you are someone who suffers from frozen shoulder then try these stretches. In addition to good posture, these Physio stretches can really help to reduce pressure on the shoulders and give you relief from pain.

You may have heard of someone with a frozen shoulder but do you know what it is or what can be done about it? Firstly its medical name is adhesive capsulitis and it really refers to a tightening and thickening within the joint capsule of the shoulder. It is typically associated with an increase in pain, increased stiffness and a loss of range of movement within the shoulder.  The onset of pain can be gradual or appear more sudden without trauma or injury to the area.

If you have hip pain and/or stiffness then you can try these hip stretches that I find are great for patients with these symptoms. These stretches can often be enough to increase hip flexibility and give you relief from pain.

One of the most common complaints that people coming into the clinic have is of ongoing back pain, many of whom assume they just have a ‘bad back’ that they have to live with. In this article, find our 10 tips to treat your own back pain plus stretches that will help release your upper and lower back. We also explain exactly what back pain is, how it is caused and what you can do to fix it.

If you are someone who suffers from shoulder pain then try these stretches. In addition to good posture, these Physio stretches can really help to reduce pressure on the shoulders and give you relief from pain.

We are delighted to now offer Massage Therapy as a service at The Physiotherapy Place. Welcome to the team Vanessa Skelton! Vanessa is a BTEC Level 5 (equivalent to degree level) therapist offering sports and remedial massage and soft tissue therapy for the treatment of chronic pain and soft tissue injuries. Vanessa also offers oncology massage for those living with cancer; and pregnancy and post-natal massages.

In the first few minutes following the injury it is likely that you will experience pain, tenderness, swelling, and bruising. You may initially be able to walk and as the swelling increases you may have more difficulty. As the swelling increases and spasm sets in, you will have difficulty with normal motion of the ankle. This is all normal for an ankle sprain.

If you have been diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury, then you can try these stretches that I often give to patients with the same symptoms. These stretches, along with good posture, can often be enough to take the pressure off the rotator cuff tendons and give you relief from pain.

A great review about Niall and The Physiotherapy Place in this month's i-on magazine. Niall is the only person in Scotland specialising in Gunn IMS which cured the magazine contributor's chronic back pain and helped her back to full fitness. She experienced instant relief, and after 4 sessions, her chronic pain was totally cured. "It may be a bold statement but IMS is astounding. If you've got pain, this is the man to sort it."

Check out our favourite stretches to help you treat your upper back pain. If you are someone who suffers from upper back pain or get muscle ache between your shoulder blades then you can try these stretches that I often give to patients with the same symptoms. These stretches, along with good posture, will ease the tension in your upper back and help to keep the muscles relaxed.

Ultrasound therapy has been used by physiotherapists since the 1950s and remains a popular and evidenced intervention for a variety of injuries. It can be a very useful treatment adjunct in acute injuries as well as chronic long-term injuries, helping us to make a quick and full recovery.

If you suffer from knee pain and/or stiffness then you can try these stretches that I often give to patients with that complaint. These stretches can often be enough to mobilise the knee, reduce pressure on the joint and give you relief from pain.

Anterior knee pain refers to pain or ache towards the front of the knee possibly just behind the patella (kneecap). Often patients report their pain being aggravated by walking on stairs, prolonged sitting with a bent knee, squatting, running or jumping activities.  The thigh muscles may feel weak and you may have episodes of giving way, especially when walking down stairs. You may hear a cracking or feel a grating sensation behind the kneecap when moving the knee. Occasionally swelling may be present towards the front of your knee.

If you are someone who suffers from sciatica then try these stretches. In addition to good posture, these Physio stretches can really help to reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve and give you some pain relief.

Physiotherapists are often asked by patients if they need further investigations such as X-ray or MRI scan to help understand and treat their pain or decreased function. The simple answer is that further investigations are not always needed and can in some instances be counterproductive.

Given that there are no less than 17 muscles that attach to the shoulder blade and that it is a key link between the upper limb and the trunk of the body, it is no surprise that pain often arises from this area. Although it is possible to injure this area from trauma such as in a car accident, it is far more common that pain in the shoulder blade region comes on with no specific incident to blame. 

Whether you’re a runner or a walker, male or female,  pain in the Achilles tendon is a common problem. The achilles tendon has to tolerate the highest loads in the body – up to 10 times your body weight during running, jumping, hopping and walking.

If you’re suffering with a problem with your Achilles tendon then it’s likely to be tender to touch and may feel stiff, particularly in the morning.

Check out our top 3 stretches for neck pain and injury that can be done at home. We describe each stretch and let you know how often to stretch and for how long.

It’s well known that it’s the busiest time of year for gyms and health clubs as New Years resolutions kick in, but it’s equally well known that the numbers dwindle again by the end of the month as people fall off the exercise wagon. Sometimes this is due to injury, sometimes to loss of motivation so here are my 5 tips for improving and maintaining your fitness into the new year.

Pain around the hip and groin area is one of the more common chronic or long-term conditions that we see in the clinic. This area is very complex and the source of pain can be from any number of structures including the hip, pelvis, or lower back. Chronic pain in this area can be seen in all ages of people such as footballers with chronic groin strains or pensioners with arthritis in the hip.

While the demand for physiotherapists continues to rise and many patients are experiencing the positive effects of physiotherapy, some misconceptions persist.

There are a number of myths and misconceptions that prevent people from having physiotherapy that need to be overcome to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from it.

It is our experience that some people will live with pain and discomfort for some time assuming it is simply due to age, but who have improved significantly with appropriate physiotherapy treatment.

So, what are some of the common physiotherapy myths?

If you’ve been experiencing shoulder pain, you’re probably not alone. Up to two-thirds of adults report shoulder-related symptoms at some point in their lives. For a small number the pain doesn’t go away by itself which affects daily activities and quality of life in the long term.   However, the important thing is you don’t have to accept pain as your “new normal”.

A hamstring injury typically causes a sudden, sharp pain in the back of the thigh that may stop you mid-stride. After such an injury you may have difficulty extending the knee without pain. Like most sprains and strains, hamstring injuries are usually caused by excessive stretching (tearing) of muscle fibres or other soft tissues beyond their limits. To understand the injury and to find out the best way to treat and prevent hamstring problems, read our full blog.

We all get soft tissue injuries from time to time, whether you’ve gone over on your ankle while out walking, fallen on ice or ran too hard at the kids sports day! The end result is usually the same – bruising, swelling and plenty of pain.

Of the various aches and niggles that are common in runners, runners knee is one of the most common and can also be one of the most debilitating. Runners knee is the layman term for Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, a condition that causes pain in the front of the knee due to irritation of the underside of the kneecap. 

Bursitis is perhaps the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed condition affecting the body.  A bursa is a fluid filled sac that your body uses to decrease friction. They are typically found near the point that tendons attach to bone, such as at the elbow, kneecap, and hip, so that the tendon slides harmlessly over the bursa and does not get damaged by the hard surface of the bone.  

The most common office injuries are neck, shoulder and upper back pain and stiffness (with, or without tension headaches), carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, lower back pain and sciatica. Most office related injuries are caused by bad posture while working at a computer resulting in the early degradation of structures within the body.

One of the most common problems we see in the clinic is new mums with backache. Some of this is due to hormonal changes within the body whilst pregnant, but another main cause is due to the stresses of carrying a child and prolonged postures you find yourself in. There are ways that you can help yourself in order to prevent back pain. Here are the 5 tips that I often give my patients.

The vast majority of back and neck problems that we see in the clinic can be traced back to having poor posture. My belief is that our bodies weren’t designed to sit as much as we do in modern life. Whether it is at a desk, in the car, or at home on the sofa, poor posture will over time lead to stiffness and pain. Luckily most of these problems can be avoided by taking care of your spine with good posture. Here are my 5 top tips on keeping a good posture.

Here's some specialist advice from our physiotherapist Quinton Caulfield on how to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle into your advanced years. Osteoarthritis (OA) is very common in the UK, affecting around eight million people. The joints in the spine, knees, hips, and hands are the most commonly affected. If you have been diagnosed with OA, it doesn’t mean that you have to live with the pain and stiffness.

Symptoms of TMD are facial pain, headaches, jaw clicking, jaw locking, ringing in the ears, tooth pain, neck or shoulder pain, facial tingling or teeth grinding. There are many causes of TMD including arthritis in the joint, whiplash, sports injuries, stress, a blow to the head, orthodontics, poor posture, and habits such as chewing gum or nail biting. Any of these can damage the structures of the jaw joint causing pain, and if the disc is damaged this can lead to clicking or locking of the jaw.

One of the most common complaints that people coming into the clinic have is of ongoing back pain. This is usually an issue that has been nagging for a long time, flaring up from time to time, settling back down again but never really going away completely. Often these flare ups are happening more frequently which is the driver for seeking some help. The good news is that these problems can always be helped and symptoms can be settled long-term.

Many people with long-term back pain put it down to simply having a ‘bad back’. The reality is that living with back pain is not necessary and it can almost always be resolved. If you are suffering with long term back pain, why don’t you start by attending one of our educational workshops.

It is often thought that there is nothing that can be done for osteoarthritis but there are many ways that the condition can be managed so that pain levels can be reduced and activity levels increased.

If you suffer from long-term back and neck pain, chronic tightness in your shoulder or hip, tendinitis or arthritis, IMS could really be the cure you are looking for. IMS has a remarkable success rate, reducing symptoms in long term chronic conditions that may have been present for months or even years, giving long lasting and often permanent results. Some other conditions in which an underlying neuropathy is commonly a factor are whiplash, headaches, shoulder pain, and chronic hip/groin pain.

It’s that time of year when Wimbledon is on our TV’s and the country gets enthralled in tennis for a couple of weeks. It got me thinking about one of the common injuries we treat at The Physiotherapy Place - tennis elbow.

Ordinary massage is used for relaxation.  Sports and Remedial Massage is detailed, focused, anatomically specific massage that targets and corrects your unique physical issues.  Whether you are a professional athlete nursing a chronic injury, a weekend warrior sore from overdoing it, or a mum with back pain from toting a toddler, Sports Massage can help you.

To give you an idea of the amount of stress it has to withstand, it is estimated that a force equal to 12 times the body weight is transmitted through the Achilles tendon in sprinting. Because the tendon is required to transmit such large forces, it can be prone to being overloaded leading to breakdown.

Ever had pain radiating from your neck to your shoulder and even down your arm? Perhaps losing strength in your arm or a feeling of numbness or tingling in the fingers? Chances are that you have irritated a nerve in your neck and that nerve is sending these painful or distressing symptoms down your arm. 

Kenny, a professional footballer, suffered back pain and sciatica during a match in early 2016. He was told by specialists to stop playing football and that he needed surgery to fix the problem.  A friend recommended he see Niall and try physio first. After receiving treatment, Kenny is now back playing football and has completely avoided surgery. Here is the story in his own words.

Have you ever just tweaked your shoulder doing something innocuous, and waited for the pain to go away only for it to just hang around? Do you get a sharp pain in your shoulder or upper arm when you reach up or behind yourself? Is it uncomfortable to lie on your side in bed at night? If so there is a chance you may have shoulder impingement, a condition where one of the rotator cuff muscles has been damaged and is continually pinched when the shoulder is moved in certain positions.

Gunn Intramuscular Stimulation, or IMS for short, is a technique used by physiotherapists since it was developed in the 1970s in Vancouver by the pain specialist Dr. Chan Gunn. IMS is a total system for the assessment and treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain that has a neuropathic cause. It is grounded in western medical science and there is a growing body of evidence to support its efficacy.