The burning question. To stretch or not to stretch before a run…that is the question? A patient at Physio Squared (let’s call him Anonymous Dave) recently posed the following challenge… “Being a relative inexperienced runner of 2 years pounding the roads, I’ve observed the debates about whether you should stretch before or after a run …
Extracorporeal radial shockwave therapy (ERST), the new kid on the medical block that packs a small punch and is starting to gain a good reputation in the orthopaedic and physiotherapeutic world. I had my reservations, it is a machine after all and I have prided myself in being a hands-on physiotherapist. But I have to …
Hot or cold, which should I use to relieve my pain? This is not one of those questions that has a simple one word answer. I wish it was but it actually requires some thought and a bit of an explanation. Let’s get started. How does heat relieve pain? When you place a hot pack …
This month we are going to focus on the importance and power of the BREATH! We shall cover: Why breathing is so important. The technical aspects of breathing. The tell-tale signs and symptoms of breathing badly. Tips and techniques to ‘breathe better’. Why breathing is so important? First of all, the process of breathing …
How many times have I heard this … “Needles?! Not today…. Let’s do it another time when I’ve prepared myself” In practice, I have discovered that about 20% of patients have some kind of reticence or phobia around the concept of needles. For some, it may be a childhood memory of that dreaded vaccination in …
How much time do you spend seated behind the wheel of your car? Like the position behind the computer, this as an all too familiar modern posture that can cause pain. Many of the cars on the road, not just the luxury vehicles, now come standard with adjustable seats and lumbar rolls. However, you can …
Sleep. Love it or hate it, we all need it. But did you know that your sleep positions could be causing you pain and robbing you of your precious sleep? Does the position really make such a big difference? Sleep position, like posture, has an ideal where the least amount of pressure is placed on …
Many a patient has passed through our practice raving about the benefits of graduated compression gear (tights, shorts, sleeves, socks etc.). There is no denying the perceived benefit of compression gear, particularly in aiding muscle recovery. Athletes love their compression socks. The popularity of compression gear has skyrocketed amongst athletes, particularly those participating in endurance …
This month we have a guest blog about hypermobility. It is a topic that I am passionate about because, being hypermobile, I understand the implications of being too flexible. The guest blog is by a colleague, Philippa Brebner, who has a special interest in ballet. Many ballet dancers have to be overly flexible in order …
I recently injured my lower back. It happened in typical fashion, not whilst doing the heavy activity (in my case a harder mountain biking session than usual) but rather during a rest break as I was throwing an empty wrapper into a bin. I got stuck and every slight movement resulted in sharp pain. …