Clinical Blog
In a previous blog, we looked at many of the treatment options for knee and hip osteoarthritis. There was one that we left out and it’s the big one - exercise!
People are often told to rest with hip and knee osteoarthritis, to avoid ‘wear and tear’, however an appropriate amount of exercise can be the exact thing your joints need. Remember, ‘motion is lotion’!
Hip and knee osteoarthritis are very common conditions, affecting up to 5-15% of all people. Osteoarthritis can cause symptoms including pain, morning stiffness, loss of joint flexibility, swelling and reduced ability to undertake occupational and sporting activities.
There are a variety of treatment options available for treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis, these are in three broad categories
Aidan Rich
It’s been a while since our previous look at the mechanisms and benefits of blood flow restriction (or occlusion) training. Since then there has been some more research evaluating the effect of blood flow restriction for both knee pain and quadricep strength. Today we will have a look through these recent publications.
Aidan Rich
Plyometric exercises generally involve body weight jumping, hopping and bounding activity.
The aim of plyometrics is to make the muscles in the leg more efficient at storing and releasing energy (the “stretch-shortening cycle”) which is very important for efficient running. Often with age, or with high volumes of low to moderate-intensity running, the ability of the muscles to act in this way is decreased, leading to more ‘sticking’ on the ground with every step. Incorporating regular plyometrics in your running program can assist with slowing down, or even reversing these changes.
Shay Mcleod
A common complaint amongst female peri/post menopausal women is an onset of pain over the outside of the hip. Researchers in this area believe that this issue is most common for this demographic population due to the width of the female pelvis, hormonal changes that occur affecting the homeostasis of the tendon, weight gain which is common during this stage and overload to the tendons around the outer hip due to activity changes and poor biomechanics.
Charles Ruddock
Self-compassion has become a key strategy used within modern psychology treatments. Dr Kristin Neff and Dr Paul Gilbert (known for Compassion Focused Therapy – CFT) and many others have helped to develop and research the use of self-compassion and bring it into the practices of many psychologists for treating people with a range of psychological conditions.
Jon Ford
To answer simply - a lot! At Advance Healthcare we pride ourselves on our evidence-based approach to our clients’ care. We are passionate advocates for evidence-based practice. We are widely involved in research projects and many of our therapists are PhD graduates and published research authors.
In relation to your low back pain, the Advance Healthcare team, with the clinical director Dr Jon Ford as the research lead, published a landmark study called the STOPs trial in the internationally respected British Medical Journal in 2015.
Luke Surkitt
The McKenzie method - also known as Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) – is a system of assessing and treating musculoskeletal problems commonly used by practitioners around the world. It was developed by New Zealand physiotherapist Robin McKenzie who found that specific postures and movements could help patients to reduce back and neck pain, improve movement and increase function. The McKenzie method can also be used for common problems of the extremities (your arms and legs).
David Goulding
Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD) are defined as soft tissue injuries that result from “an acceleration-deceleration mechanism of energy transfer to the neck” (Pastakia & Kumar, 2011). These types of injuries are most commonly seen as the result of rear-end or side- impact motor vehicle accidents but can also occur through other circumstances.
Shay McLeod
The Lisfranc joint is the point at which the metatarsal bones (long bones that lead up to the toes) and the tarsal bones (bones in the arch) connect. The bones are held in place by connective tissues (ligaments) that stretch both across and down the foot. This is important for maintaining proper alignment and strength of the joint.
