Hawkes Physiotherapy Blog

What is ME? ME goes by many names: Myalgic Encephalopathy or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or “CFS” or Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome or “PVFS” or Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome or “CFIDS” (ME Association 2014). ME is a condition causing severe, debilitating fatigue, painful muscles & joints, sleep problems, gastric disturbances, poor memory & poor concentration (ME Association 2014). ME is different for everyone and there are reportedly different types. These are as follows: Short term and recovering slowly Up & Down Static Gradual worsening Prevalence of ME: Currently it is estimated that some 250,000 people in Britain are affected by ME (ME Association 2014). Anyone can get ME! The prevalence of ME among adults ranges from 0.2% to 2.6% (Prins et al 2006). It is more common in women than men. Onset is usually between the ages of 20 to the mid-40s. However children can also be affe...

I hear different terminology used all the time, so what is tendinitis, tendinosis or tendinopathy? Tendinopathy: This is a broad term encompassing painful conditions occurring in and around tendons, which includes tendinitis and tendinosis. Tendinitis: This basically means inflammation of a tendon. Tendinosis:  This means degeneration of tendon (Meaning cumulative damage). So what does this mean to me? For a long time tendinitis was the term used and it was considered that injured tendons were simply inflamed. Then the thinking shifted to the thought that there was little or no inflammation present in these conditions (Andres & Murrell 2008). However as is with research, the thinking is changing again: There may be an inflammatory response associated with chronic tendinopathy, even though recent opinions had decided it to be non-inflammatory (Rees 2013). So both types can occur! This is important as the way that you treat each one has to...

What is Carpal tunnel syndrome? Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a common cause of wrist and hand pain along with pins and needles in the hand. Anatomy: The Carpal Tunnel is essentially a space in the wrist where tendons, blood vessels and nerves pass through, as they travel to the hand and the fingers. The space in between the carpal bones and the flexor retinaculum makes the carpal tunnel and it is very small. Essentially Carpal tunnel syndrome is when these structures get compressed. Normal pressure in the Carpal Tunnel is less than 10mmHg, but in patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome this pressure rises to above 30mmHg and under movements it can rise to over 90mmHg. So what causes the compression? This can vary, but it is usually down to swelling, inflammation and thickening of structures within the carpal tunnel. Carpal tunnel syndrome affects 3 to 6 percent of adults in the general population (Leblanc & Cestia et al 2011). People who use their hands a lot with ...