Very interesting comment by the GP in the panel discussion of how he now identifies a “good” physiotherapist. Enjoy…
From the 24th to 30th of July is the first National Pain Week. An initiative of Chronic Pain Australia, National Pain Week is not unlike Heart Week in May of each year where it provides a platform all over Australia to create awareness and shine a spotlight on the dilema of people living with persistent and debilitating pain.
The theme for National Pain Week is “Growing Hope For People In Pain”, and when we look back at some of the chronic pain case studies from the Lifestyle Pain Clinic where pain has been eliminated and function restored, there is good reason for hope.
The Lifestyle Therapies National Pain Week Event: Read more…
Many pain medications are not suitable for long term use because of the potentially damaging side-effects. You might recall that Vioxx® was taken off the market in September 2004 after the release of a study showing that the drug doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke in long-term users.
Now a co-author, a senior cardiologist of a Danish study is recommending that one of Australia’s best known pain killers, Voltaren be taken off the market as well. Even Ibuprofen, commonly sold as Nurofen and Advil, was linked to a 30 per cent increased risk of stroke when more than 1200 milligrams were taken. See the article in the Sydney Morning Herald here.
Case Study by physiotherapist Emma Gray B.Phty – May 2010
Sharon presented to me on the 28th April for physiotherapy after reading our website. She was quite interested in the chronic pain treatments that we offer at Lifestyle Therapies.
Sharon had a car accident in 2000 in which she fractured her left ankle. Since then she has developed lower back and upper back pain and her ankle was still very painful and limited in range.
Sharon has been in pain for 10years and has also been through multiple therapists and therapies and has depression.
By Angela Bordignon – recent patient of Dianne Hermans.
I have had a disc issue for about 15 years, mainly concerning deterioration and a herniated disc at L5/S1, which I have managed very successfully via chiropractic treatment. Twelve months ago I started experiencing major spasms in my back, developed sciatica down one leg and had constant hipflexor tightness. After 8 months of weekly visits to my chiropractor we realised things weren’t getting any better so I had an MRI scan and was referred to a neurosurgeon in preparation for a potential disk operation to remove the herniation, which was causing my sciatica. At that point, I felt surgery might be my only option but wanted to try the chronic pain guaranteed service with Lifestyle Therapies before I committed to surgery. I now realise that if the symptoms aren’t subsiding after 12 weeks of consistent treatment, you probably need to try something else.
When I contacted Lifestyle Therapies and commenced the chronic pain guaranteed service, I was in chronic pain and discomfort daily (and had been for 8 months). I have always been a very active person but was at a stage where my disc issue was having a considerable effect on all areas of my life (physically, mentally and emotionally). I didn’t like to take pain killers, unless I was in crisis mode, as I found they caused more problems for my digestive system. I was unable to exercise other than walk slowly, was constantly stiff, couldn’t sit for any longer than 30 minutes at a time. I was becoming quite depressed and tied of trying not to be depressed!!
I felt Lifestyle Therapies offered a wide range of services which seemed to cover all areas of health in relation to my situation and I felt I would be in good hands. I found the team very friendly and the environment very relaxing. The initial evaluation was very thorough compared to anything I had experienced before. After a lengthy assessment, massage and ultra sound, they taped two Q magnets to specific areas of my body to alleviate the pain caused by my pinched sciatic nerve. It was also suggested I may have issues with iliopsoas muscles. I was provided some reading material and after reading this, I fully believe this has been a major contributing factor to my issue. I left with more hope of a recovery than I’d felt in a long time.
My expectations around Q magnet therapy were positive as I believe you should keep an open mind to new treatments. I had a lot of questions though and the team at Lifestyle Therapies have always taken the time to explain the issue in layman’s terms not to mention been very honest. Two weeks following my first visit my pain and muscle spasms had subsidised. Then following weekly appointments for approximately 4-5 months I am now completely pain free and have finally removed my beloved Q magnet and feel amazing.
After ramping up my running to train for the Gold Coast half marathon in July, I suddenly started to get knee pain. This is a great concern for any keen runner because you start to worry about long term injuries that keep you off the pavement. It turns out it was as simple as a tight ITB that was pulling my knee cap to the side and causing knee pain when I ran. I saw our physiotherapist Vanessa and she taped my knee cap and I ran 13km with no knee pain the next day.
This goes to show you the benefit of a good physiotherapist and why nearly every professional sports team has a physiotherapist in charge of their rehabilitation medical teams. If you have ITB tightness I have located a video below that demonstrates a simple stretching technique. Foam Rollers are available from Lifestyle Therapies.
The Stretching Handbook
We recently had the pleasure of a visit from Brad Walker, author of The Stretching Handbook. Brad took the physios through his philosophy on stretching and by the end had everyone up performing his favourite stretches. But his message is clear, just because a particular stretch is good for one person don’t assume it’s going to be good for everyone. It’s important to get advice on the right stretches for your condition.
Brad contributed an article on Flexibility for the Pyramid Of Performance which you can read here. Another point Brad made was you don’t necessarily stretch muscles where you perceive there is dysfunction. Sometimes you need to stretch the opposing muscles, an example he gave was with upper back and neck pain. Particularly for people who spend long hours on the computer, sometimes it’s more important to stretch the chest muscles, not the upper back. Ask your Lifestyle Physiotherapist for advice or if you are unable to do that, you can purchase Brad’s popular book or DVD, The Stretching Handbook.
Brad Walker with physios from Lifestyle Therapies
There is a move on by chronic pain experts to have it recognised as a disease in its own right. A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald quotes Professor Michael Cousins saying…”Chronic pain, which affects one in five people and costs the economy about $34.4 billion a year, is the third-most expensive health problem in Australia but most sufferers were still seen as malingerers or drug seekers by general practitioners and busy emergency department staff“.
Chronic pain treatment is rated as very poor within the health system. While there is so much bad news about the treatment of chronic pain, Lifestyle Therapies recently launched a guaranteed service for sufferers. The intention behind the guarantee is to offer chronic pain sufferers one week to assess the treatment from key practitioners such as principal physiotherapist Dianne Hermans. Dianne has over 20 years experience as a physiotherapist and has presented and lectured around the world on treating complex and chronic pain conditions with modalities such as Q magnets.
Well Steve has come through for us again in July, 2009 with another injury and a great opportunity to demonstrate the power of Q magnets to help him recover after injury and get back on the bike sooner.
The first image below is day one after the elbow dislocation, you can just see it beginning to swell.
Steve is impressed with the progress of his ankle. Here are some of his comments:
“I haven’t had any painkillers from about 4 days after the surgery”
“I’ve broken legs before and I got back on the bike sooner than expected each time, but not this soon could I hold weight on an ankle after the actual crash and then surgery only 2 weeks ago”.
“The only thing I’ve done differently with this broken ankle is the use of Q-Magnets. It’s really starting to show how well physio and magnets work!”
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