What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling targets muscle tissue and its nerve connections. If you have a condition where muscle pain or tightness is an issue – dry needling may be of benefit to you. These conditions may include (but are not limited to); neck tension, headaches, back pain, tennis elbow, shoulder conditions or shin pain. Unlike the ‘set and […]
What are “Trigger Points”?
Trigger points are discrete, hyper-irritable spots located in a taut band of skeletal muscle. They produce pain locally but that’s not all! Unlike a more simple adhesion, when addressed – trigger points activate pain in a different area of the body – which is commonly called “referred pain”. The pattern of referred pain, while not […]
What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is a painful condition affecting the outside part of the elbow. This area is called the lateral epicondyle and so the medical term for this condition is lateral epicondylitis. Tennis elbow is usually caused by overuse of the forearm. Many forearm muscles attach at or around the lateral epicondyle so when they are […]
Stroke Rehabilitation
A stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is caused by an interruption to the blood flow to the brain tissue. A stroke often has a devastating impact on an individual’s ability to move and physiotherapy treatment will be aimed at maximising the individual’s potential to recover their movement abilities. The area of the brain that has […]
Soft Tissue Injury
The majority of Physiotherapy work deals with injuries to soft tissues. Soft tissue injury is injury to any of the soft tissues of the body. Soft tissue injuries often stem from overuse and repetitive stress injuries, which can lead to tendonitis, bursitis and other types of inflammation. Soft tissue physiotherapy aims at assisting with the […]
Shoulder Injuries
Your shoulders are composed of large muscles that regularly exert themselves when carrying, lifting, pushing and pulling – all movements you will do countless times throughout your life. Because of the extent of their use, shoulder injuries are very common. ‘Shoulder’ is a colloquial term used to describe a four jointed system: Linking the shoulder […]
Treatment of Sciatica
Sciatica is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve – a very large nerve that originates from the lower lumbar spine and travels through the buttock into the leg as far as the back of the knee. Sciatica is characterized by pain, numbness, and weakness in the legs. Commonly pain and numbness are located at […]
Referred Pain
One of the most common questions that physiotherapists face is “What is referred pain?” The name suggests a strange problem, one that doesn’t relate to a specific area. Put simply, referred pain is pain felt in an area that does not seem to have any relation to the problem. The mechanism of referred pain is […]
Overuse Injuries
Overuse Injuries – What are they? Overuse injuries refer to specific injuries, which are sustained from repetitive action (e.g. long distance jogging) as opposed to acute injuries, which occur in an instant (e.g. sprained ankle). Another commonly used term for it is ‘repetition strain injury’ or RSI. Repeated movements or awkward postures result in small […]
Knee Injuries
The knee joint allows you to run, walk and play sport. Awkward movements, falls and collisions, sudden twists, excessive force or overuse can result in a range of injuries to the knee joint and the structures supporting it. Common knee injuries include ligament, tendon and cartilage tears, and patello-femoral pain syndrome. Prompt medical attention for […]
Headache v’s Neck Ache
Is your headache really a neck ache? For many people, headaches start as pain or tension at the top of the neck. As the pain worsens, it may spread to the back of the head, the temples, forehead or behind the eyes. Moving the neck or bending forward for a long time tends to make […]
Disc Prolapse
Commonly called “herniated disc” or “ruptured disc” (or misleadingly called “slipped disc”), a disc prolapse is one of the common conditions we treat. The spinal column is made up of a number of bones called vertebrae. Between these vertebrae are discs which prevent the bones from rubbing against each other during movement and act as […]
