Explaining back pain

This really lovely and simple short video from Dr Mike Evans explaining some of the reasons for lower back pain and what you may be able to do to help yourself.  Often it is about taking responsibility for yourself and talking control and deciding what you need to do.  Movement and treatment are often great ways to start.  Osteopaths are able to treat and advise.

Have a watch …. it is only a few minutes!  But really good…

 

Come in and see one of the great osteopaths at Back to Back if you need help or are concerned.  They are registered and qualified to assess and treat you.  We are also trained to rule out any ‘red flags’ or ‘things of concern’.  Osteopaths not only treat lower back pain, but neck pain, shoulder pain and most muscle or joint pains.  We also rehab patients post surgery and some of us also use exercises to improve performance or movement in sport.

Call us on 020 8605 2323

 

ACUPUNCTURE – THE ONLY RECOMMENDED PROPHYLACTIC TREATMENT FOR HEADACHE.

Suffering with a headache is unnecessary…

“Headache has been underestimated, under-recognised and under-treated throughout the world” WHO

Headache disorders are among the most common disorder of the nervous system. Nearly 50% of us have suffered from a headache in the last year and nearly 10% of those have reported migraine. Up to 4% of the worlds adult population suffer with headaches on 15 or more days a month.

Not only is headache painful, but it is also disabling.

Acupuncture for headaches…

Research has shown that a course of acupuncture can reduce symptoms of headaches by more than 50% and in some people acupuncture has been reported to eliminate their symptoms altogether!!

Following this research the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) passed a Guideline for Headaches, CG15 in September 2012 declaring a course of up to 10 sessions of acupuncture over 5-8 weeks as the ONLY recommended prophylactic treatment that isn’t drugs.

There are many types of headaches, some chronic and some episodic. Like with any other aches and pain the longevity of symptoms can act as a general guide of how many treatments you may need to help with your headache management. The more acute headache sufferer may only need 1-2 treatments, but for the more chronic and long-term sufferers, more treatments will be necessary. What is clear is that acupuncture is very likely to help with fighting your headache.

What to do next?

Start by keeping a headache diary today – record the frequency, duration and severity of the headache. Contact us if you would like a simple spreadsheet to follow.

If you are suffering with headaches, call the clinic to book an appointment in with me.

Anja Davidson
Osteopath M.Ost

Newsletter number two

Here is the link to the new newsletter…

This time we are talking about walking and why it is so important.

How the knee best works when the hip and foot work well too….

Some basic exercise matrix work.

Is ice still the best thing for injuries??

How acupuncture can work really well for treating headaches prophylactically

Have a great read….

If you have any questions or concerns book in (phone 020 8605 2323) with a member of our great team.

Paracetamol for back pain??

Do you take paracetamol for your back pain?

Have a look at this link on some of the more recent research about this.

This states…..

‘Paracetamol is ineffective at treating back pain and osteoarthritis despite being a recommended treatment, a group of Australian researchers has warned’.

One of the most important issues to understand here is WHY you have pain in the first place.  WHAT has put your body  in a position where it feels under threat?  Pain is an OUTPUT from your brain and just by blocking that output you are not fixing WHY you have pain.  Would it not be far better to get the WHY addressed and sorted?

If you can, get properly assessed by a professional who has been fully trained to assess, diagnose and treat you appropriately.  Pain in your back may be due to another part of your body working less effectively and so your back ends up having to work harder.

Call us on 020 8605 2323 if you have any questions.

Cancaneal Apophysitis (Sever’s Disease)

This is painful inflammation of a child’s growth plate at the heel.  Normally, this affects children between 8 – 14 years old as their calcaneus (heel bone) is still developing.  It is also at a time when children often increase the amount of exercise they do.  With increased and repetitive use, the achilles tendon ‘tractions’ on the growth plate at the heel and so causing pain and inflammation.  Approximately 60% of Sever’s is bilateral.

Causes

It is essentially an overuse injury at the time of growth.  Sports that ‘load’ the achilles tendon and heel such as running and jumping are normally the culprits.  Often a bout of Sever’s can become aggravated at the start of a season after a ‘rest’ period or exercising on harder ground as it gets colder.  Tightness in the calf can also lead to increased load onto the heel bone.  It bad cases, it may take until the child stops growing before complete resolution.  It is also really important to try to observe why there has been more load placed onto their heel… this may be from a stiff hip or other area.  This is key to successful treatment.

Diagnosis

This needs to be based on a full and correct examination by your osteopath, doctor or other medical professional.   X-ray or MRI may be used to confirm the diagnosis or monitor the progress, but often this is not necessary.

Treatment

Calcaneal apophysitis has no known long-term complications and is self-limiting; that is, it should go away when the two parts of bony growth eventually join together (occurring around 16 years of age).

It is important to limit (temporarily) excessive or rigorous activity in its painful stages.  But it is also about management, as you can get times when it calms and at other times, it can then flare up again as they increase activity.  Soft shoes and heel cups can make a difference and it is important to make sure the child has sound biomechanics (eg no excessive pronation or muscular imbalance).   Regular and correct stretching of the tight muscles in the calf and thigh are essential.   Ice can be of great help if used correctly.  Anti inflammatory medication may be of use – but do check with your medical professional about this first.

Seeking help from your osteopath or good physical therapist can really help too.  They will check for poor biomechanics and work and stretch the calf and thigh and manage this injury with some good strengthening exercises.

Return to sports or activity

The goal here is to get your child back to their desired sport or activity as soon as safely possible.  It may be a gradual return to see if the condition regresses.  If they return too early, it may lead to more chronic pain.

To return to sport your child should have no pain at rest and should be able to walk pain free.  They should also be able to jog, sprint and hop pretty much symptom free too.

If after the pain resolves…. it is important that there is still a regime of regular stretching of their calves, thigh and leg muscles

If you have any questions or would like us to look at your musculoskeletal problem, please book in to see an osteopath at Back to Back on 020 8605 2323

 If you suffer from an acute muscle injury and are not sure what to do, then it always suggested you see your GP, Osteopath or Physiotherapist for further assessment and advice on treatment and management. 

The problem with statistics…..

The problem with research is people can often get what results they want from the data they get.   It lies in the surprisingly slippery nature of the P value, which is neither as reliable nor as objective as most scientists assume.

Have a read of this to gain more insight.

This is why you cannot always rely on research to give you the best information.  Look at the whole picture!  Sometimes you have also just got to talk to the people around you to get an opinion as to what may or may not work.

Use Eccentric Training to Improve Max Lifts, Says New Study

Have a look at this link

What the research says:

• Eccentric one-rep-max (1RM) on the bench press was about 50lb heavier on average than the concentric version.
• At 90% 1RM, subjects could do 3-7 reps on the concentric portion of the bench press, but could do 4–11 reps on the eccentric portion.

BUT go carefully plea

Acupuncture and Lower Back Pain

Interesting new research highlights the positive effects of Acupuncture and back pain.  Here is a link to a BBC programme called Trust Me I am a Doctor where it talks about it more.

Most of the osteopaths at Back to Back are specially trained in Medical Acupuncture and can use this as part of your overall treatment.

Dry Needling and Neck pain

Dry Needling and Neck pain

A study (see link) published in 2014  in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy has found patients who received dry needling for their neck pain showed significantly better improvement than the untreated group.  It was a small study, but always a good place to start.  The patients reported 33% less pain immediately after treatment and 66% less pain a week later.

Most of our osteopaths have completed their acupuncture training with the British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS) and it is a hugely effective method of treatment, especially when used in combination with osteopathy.  We often use this for neck and lower back pain, hip and shoulder pain along with many other injuries.

Please call 020 8605 2323 to find out more about what we do or look at this link.