“Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” –Brodi Ashton / Iron Man(Attribution) Superheroes have fueled the imagination and inspired us. We are currently in the cinematic age and renaissance of superheroes. Since 2008, when the first Iron Man movie was released, Marvel have released no less than [...]
I have been a bit of a runner for most of my life. Where I grew up in the Highlands of Scotland there was plenty of cross country running tracks to be explored. Of course that was mixed in with mountain biking, fly fishing, kayaking, sailing, football, hiking, rock-climbing… you get the picture. I have [...]
I’ve pondered for quite some time if we can efficiently tailor exercise programs for people living with pain. Recent evidence (Hodges, 2019)and a consensus amongst peers, suggest that a hybrid approach to pain management programs is necessary. As proposed by Hodges, (2019) this would include stratification, identification of pain mechanism and subgrouping based on movement and/or psychology. The multidimensional [...]
I saw this video and just had to share it to metaphorically emphasise the power of touch. There are some in the physiotherapy profession that bang on about how pointless manual therapy is, and whilst the evidence base confirms that we are unlikely doing anything mechanically (i.e. resetting joints, correcting leg length discrepancies, increasing tissue [...]
I'm a bit of a runner, always have been. Nothing overly competitive but participated because of the health benefits. So, whilst exercise has physiological effects on the body there is also another side to running that interests me, the philosophy. More specifcally the sense of freedom, the adventure and the opportunity to reflect and consolidate my [...]
Persistent pain is certainly a complex beast and if we are to discuss particular body regions, low back pain would have to be the kraken* of all musculoskeletal disorders. In 2018 it was still the number one cause of disability globally and has dominated the number one spot spanning nearly 3 decades (James et al., [...]
I've decided to share a story about someone that had a wonderful outcome from engaging in a pain program. The story takes you on a rollercoaster ride of physical and emotional experiences. I agreed to share it because the story identifies areas in our current practice that have created misconceptions about pain and what to do [...]
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is a tricky condition. It’s a challenging pain condition for clinicians and can be a crippling pain condition for people living with it. The condition presents as a diverse set of signs and symptoms including inflammatory, sensory/motor, autonomic abnormalities and pain. Most commonly, CRPS tends to present following an injury directly [...]
I'm always on the hunt for new information on why physiotherapists should broaden their perspectives through 1) how we connect with people and 2) in what ways we connect with them. Connectivity is an emerging concept in physiotherapy. Several papers have been published discussing and arguing the broader view of the connections people make between ‘one’s [...]
I recently carried the torch for the PhysioCPDRevolution by presenting some of my own musings and readings about what might be a direction for physiotherapy. Below is a slightly adapted version of the transcript I presented. The presentation was recorded on Facebook Live (here). The PhysioCPDRevolution was also a year old and so I [...]
I’m not one for numbers and statistics and I’m not an academic, but I do like a graph that tells us a story. My attention was captured recently on twitter by a recent @tpmpodcast with @thomas_jesson discussing radicular pain, radiculopathy and sciatica (here). In particular was a graph that Tom posted on Twitter demonstrating the [...]
We've all seen that familiar face pulled by people living with persistent pain who are being asked to exercise for the first time. Exercise can be daunting and so physiotherapists should have a broad understanding of exercise implementation. Dosage is a term that is commonly linked to medication. Unsurprisingly, dosage is also linked with exercise, [...]
Optimal Clinical Trials are seeking participants with CRPS for a new study in Auckland Better treatment options are needed to help people with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). As a participant you may receive at no cost: study medication, study-related medical care and compensation for travel. Learn more ⬇️ https://register.optimalclinicaltrials.com/crps-study/
