Reaquaint yourself with the floor

Having spent six weeks on placement in the NHS, it seems that a lot of problems that professionals face, both on the ward, and in the community is that of falls. Falls to the ground, and then the difficulty in getting back up off it again. I find this astonishing, but it really is the case. The evidence is out there. It was estimated that in 2002,  just under half of all hospital admissions in the UK were directly attributable to a fall (http://www.hassandlass.org.uk/reports/2002data.pdf). I’m sure there are some more up to date data around, but couldn’t find any after a cursory … Continue reading

Z is for Zero

That’s right folks. We’ve reached the end of our A-Z series with this being the last one. Here’s a summary of the topics we’ve covered: A is for…Adductors B is for…Blood C is for…Carpal Tunnel Syndrome D is for…Dry Needling E is for…Epicondylitis F is for…Fatigue G is for…Golgi Tendon Organ H is for..Habits I is for…ITB J is for…Joints K is for…Knee L is for…Lumbar M is for…Mobility N is for…Nerves O is for…Overbreathing P is for…Pelvic Floor Q is for…Quadriceps R is for…Rest S is for…Stretching T is for…Thrombosis U is for…University V is for…Vibration W is for…Winging X is for…Xiphoid Process Y is for..YMCA Zzzzzzz The End. We hope you’ve enjoyed this series, and although we say this … Continue reading

Strength training for running – a waste of time?

Strength training for running is a bit of a funny subject amongst runners. Some people say that the best training for running is running – which, to a point is true, but there are some processes which will help you run further, faster and more efficiently which you cannot improve just by pounding long miles. The main “reason” for not doing weight training (if we, for a moment , forget about downright laziness) is the somewhat long in the tooth “But I don’t want to put on muscle! – it will increase my weight, and that will make me slower” … Continue reading

Olympic Dreams for Andy Turner and Ice Climbing

It’s amazing to think that 18 months ago Tim and I were working at the 2012 London Olympics, and now we’re in the midst of the 2014 Winter Olympics. We’re having a great time watching the winter sports over in Sochi, and even more exciting, one of our regular clients is on his way to Russia right now. Andy Turner set up the Great Britain Ice Climbing Team, and as well as climbing for the team he also coaches other climbers. We saw Andy on Tuesday for his final session of soft tissue therapy before flying out to Sochi. Over in … Continue reading

University – the 2nd year continues

My degree in Physiotherapy continues on apace. The first semester of year 2 was very crowded with a lot of specific learning on the Spine, Cardio-Respiratory and Neurological physiotherapy, with only 3, 4 and 4 weeks worth of teaching time given over to each. All that cumulated in exams and a written assignment, which all collided in the first couple of weeks of January. I even missed a race as I thought it was probably a better idea to stay at home and revise the day before one of the exams, rather than batter my way across 22 miles of … Continue reading

Podcasts

Having to commute to and from a city in the dark was something I thought I had left behind when we became self-employed and left London for the somewhat greener climes of Glossop. Lately, however, that has changed as I am off into Salford for a few days a week to continue my Physiotherapy degree. We have finished all the physiology of movement now, which I found pretty straightforward, having covered virtually all of it as a Sports and Remedial Massage therapist, and now we are onto much more pathological things. Neurological and Cardio-respiratory physiotherapy. These are a long way … Continue reading