Hamstring Injuries – Part 2
In today’s post, we look at whether you should be stretching or strengthening the hamstring. The answer to this question depends on whether the hamstring injury is sensitive to a stretch or applying a load. When the muscle fibres get damaged they start to repair and join together, just like a scab in the […]
Hamstring Injuries – What You Need to Know
There is a lot of talk in the media today with high profile sports players out with hammock hamstring injuries and hamstring repairs that are done surgically. What are the types of hamstring injuries that can occur and how can they be managed? First, hamstrings are a group of three muscles at the back of […]
Sciatica – Does Applying Ice help?
Does ice have a role in managing sciatica? Every week in our clinic, we get patients asking if they should use ice to help sciatica. Ice is an anti-inflammatory, and in most causes of sciatica, there is always an inflammatory component. Therefore, on the face, using ice seems to make sense because it would facilitate […]
The effect of different seating positions on your lower back?
Do different sitting positions affect the pressure on your lower back? The short answer is, yes. They do. Every day in the clinic, patients tell us that how they sit, and what they sit on has a profound influence on the severity of their symptoms. You are often told not to slouch, whether at the […]
Does Sitting Cause Sciatica?
What is the big deal with sitting? Why can it cause such a problem? It seems contradictory that sitting can cause problems because it helps in relaxation and does not seem to require much from the energy systems of the body. Generally, the main function of the intervertebral disc found in between two vertebrae […]
Does Heat Help Sciatica?
Virtually every day in our clinic, we will have patients telling us that their back feels better of t’s warm outside or if they have had a hot bath, or traveled to a warmer climate. This is a common report, which makes it hard to believe that people do not genuinely get better from such […]
Children In Sport – Participation and Retention
How do we keep them participating and being retained in maintaining physical activity? I recently became aware of some important work that an Irish man in Sweden is doing. The International Convention of Children’s Rights is looking at restructuring the format of youth sports to be child-cantered rather than adult cantered. This means that the […]
Stretches for Sciatica Pain Relief- DO THEY WORK?
Are stretches a good or bad idea for sciatica? Stretches are not a good idea for sciatica and I will explain why in this post. It is very tempting with acute sciatic pain to think that you can stretch the nerve to try to help the situation. However, nerves are not like muscles, ligaments, or […]
Sciatica Pain: 2 Corrective Exercises From a Physiotherapist
Sciatica affects many people in the world today and is characterised by radiating leg pain and other secondary disabilities. Most patients suffering from sciatica recover fully through receiving primary care but a small percentage may require Secondary care and consequently surgery. In this article, we share with you two types of sciatica and some corrective […]
What Caused My Sciatica?
Sciatica is a pain that develops along the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve branches at the lower back to either side of your hips, down to each leg. I’ve been asked this question so many times all through my 31 years of treating patients with lower back pain. Occasionally, a normal activity, […]