Hawkes Physiotherapy Blog

Amazing! I would never have thought that when I qualified as a Physiotherapist back in 2004 that I would write anything other than my patient notes, never mind write a blog! Yet here I am on my 100th blog post! I must say that I enjoy writing them and it is great doing all the research for every post. What I have found trawling through all the latest evidence is that things change, especially since I trained from 2001 to 2004. I would strongly advise any physiotherapist to take up writing a blog because many times over I have actually disproved some of the theories and ideas that I was taught when I was at University. It seems that a decade is a long time in Physiotherapy! It's not all for me though..... Although some articles are complex and probably more tailored to my fellow professionals I hope that some are useful and helpful to my patients and the general public. If anyone wants to give me any feedback or even tell me something that they want me to cover, then I would ...

Achilles problems are quite common, De Jonge (2011) found that the annual incidence of Achilles tendinopathy is 2.01 per 1000 people. In runners the incidence ranges from 9.1% to 10.9% (Lopes et al 2012). Achilles ruptures typically occur in males in their 30's and 40's who play sport intermittently (Khan & Carey Smith 2010). Now we already know that Achilles tendinopathy needs to be treated with exercise based therapy and the evidence highlights that this is the most effective approach. However we always need a plan B just in case Plan A doesn’t really work or is difficult to achieve for whatever reason. To see the usual care for Achilles tendinopathy click here: http://mathewhawkesphysiotherapy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/your-achilles-heel.html?view=flipcard So what acupuncture points are regularly used for Achilles tendinopathy? Local points: Increased collagen synthesis and reorganisation requires that at least one acupoint is anatomical...

Everyone gets a little stressed from time to time but do you know what impact this has on your body? You may have heard about Cortisol in relation to stress. Well Cortisol is actually a Glucocorticoid and stress triggers the release of Glucocorticoid and Catecholamine. These hormones have been found to delay wound and injury healing (Gouina and Kiecolt-Glasera 2011). These hormones have also been shown to reduce local Cytokine production, which is extremely important in the inflammatory process and therefore healing (Broadbent et al 2003). It has also been found that stress reduces important healing related compounds such as Matrix metalloproteinase, which is important for early healing. On the other side of the coin, Oxytocin and Vasopressin have been found to increase healing rate by surpressing Cortisol and there may be a direct impact to healing itself. These Hypothalamic peptides are linked to social bonding (Gouin et al 2010). So this could mean that having s...

Heard of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome? Probably not but you may have heard of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Well they are similar but Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is in the wrist and hand whereas Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is in the Elbow. What is Cubital Tunnel Syndrome? Basically it is a compression neuropathy, which means that a nerve is "trapped”. The nerve at fault in this case is the ulna nerve and where it gets “trapped” is in the cubital tunnel of the elbow: See the below picture: How common is it? It is the second most common compression neuropathy in the upper limb (Palmer & Hughes 2009). What causes it? A common cause is frequent bending of the elbow or constant repetitive pressure on the elbow itself. This then irritates the nerve and it is irritated too much then it becomes a “neuropathy”. What are the symptoms? The patient will complain of pain and numbness in the ring and little finger and weakness is common. If left untreated then this ...