Hawkes Physiotherapy Blog

What is Spondylosis? Spondylosis: ‘a spinal condition resulting from degeneration of the intervertebral discs in the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar regions’. Dunsker (1981) stated that ‘cervical spondylosis is a common condition that affects all people, but to varying degrees. It is often blamed for vague symptoms about the head or neck and is commonly misdiagnosed when it is responsible for symptoms in an extremity’ How much of a problem is spondylosis? Spondylosis: Radiological evidence can be seen in asymptomatic adults and 25% of individuals aged under 40 have some degree of disc degeneration (Rao, 2007). Symptoms may appear in persons as young as 30 years but are most common in individuals aged 40-60 years (Galhom and Al-Shatoury, 2009). The most common sites of spondylosis are: C4-T1, T2,3,4 & L2-S1 (Areas of maximum motion and curvature). What are the common symptoms of cervical spondylosis? Neck pain unilateral or bilateral, radiating between the s...

How much of a problem is lower back pain? On average, each person suffering with Lower Back pain took an estimated 18.7 days off work! This cost employers £315-£335 million in the UK. In Europe 24.7% of workers complain of backache. Half a million people sustain a back injury at work and up to 80% will experience a back problem during their working lives. So quite a big problem then! So what can cause lower back pain? Well it sounds obvious but there is strong evidence that history of lower back pain (LBP) is a predictor of the onset of non-specific LBP (Janwantanakul et al, 2012) Also: 65 - 80% of serious lumbar disc degeneration is inherited! But cumulative low back load is a significant risk factor for the development of lower back pain (Coenen et al 2012). There is a link between lower back pain, poor posture & poor abdominal muscular endurance (Mullhearn & George 1999) but although the link is there is it chicken or the egg? So wha...

After spending the last 7 years working in Private Practice Physiotherapy for someone else. I thought it may be time to take the plunge and step out on my own. It's a scary thought and is not easy to sort out I can tell you! After months in the making I'm finally up and running and open for business. However it doesn't stop there, I am beginning to learn a new phrase:  SEO (Search engine optimisation). Which is basically tactics to improve your search engine visibility. If you read the forums it looks like you need to get out there on every possible online site going and write blogs and get all over social media etc. Luckily I already have a lot of things in my favour due to already having my blog:  http://mathewhawkesphysiotherapy.blogspot.co.uk/ which you are of course on. Other positives are having my you tube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/hawkesphysiotherapy which keeps my subscribers healthy with videos on all manner of issues to help them to recover ...

  What is instability? This is when the shoulder joint is unstable leading to recurrent dislocations or cumulative damage to the joint because of excessive motion of the joint within the socket Reasons for instability: Traumatic Dislocation : This is when there are no predisposing factors for instability but the instability is caused by traumatic dislocation leading to stretching or tearing of the supporting structures of the joint.   Sports Injuries & Falls are the main reasons for this to occur. This is Common in rugby and combat sports. The risk zone is when the arm is out to the side and it is forced backwards and externally rotated. The most common way for the shoulder to dislocate is forwards. Some can go back in on their own, but usually when it comes out it needs to be put back in. Ideally the faster it is put back the easier it is. A physiotherapist or doctor should be able to do this but if they are not available then A&E is needed. Non t...

  Work is good for us. Being in employment provides a sense of responsibility, learning opportunities and financial rewards. However…. It can also place demands on our bodies and minds! Some pressure at work is normal and isn’t always negative, it helps to motivate us and stimulates us but too much pressure can create stress and if this stress exposure is prolonged then it can cause mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression, and it also causes physical problems. Physiotherapists know that back and neck muscles are particularly sensitive to the effects of stress. This can cause pain and tension headaches. All this can prevent us enjoying work and doing our jobs effectively, which has a knock on effect on employers, costing millions of pounds each year in sickness absence. “Stress is the number one cause of long-term sickness absence for both manual and non-manual workers” (CIPD Absence management survey 2011) What can we do? Exercise: ...

So why does pain stay…..   How we are brought up to think about pain Basic pain physiology Differing aspects of pain and how they interact Now need to look at.....   The Healing process Why previous treatments only gave short term relief Pain that persists more than 3 months is termed chronic The system becomes easier to stimulate, changes occurring at the nerve endings, where the nerves join the spinal cord and in the brain As yet we do not know how to reverse these changes when they have been there for some time Pain: Major causes of pain are: Arthritis Disc problems   Surgery Mechanical disorders : – Poor posture Poor muscle tone Arthritis: You have an ongoing inflammatory process   At the same time you have the healing process occurring With the formation of scar tissue, leading to thickening of joints This tightens as its forming, leading to loss of movement Is a repair pro...

    Background   One in 50 people at some point in their lives and is common in young and middle-aged women. There are no outward signs, may look well but feel awful. Varies from day to day with pain level and can be mild or very severe Can be permanent or long standing. No long term damage is done physically     Symptoms   Ache or burn. Change location but more severe in areas of the body you use most Can also make you feel very tired.   Also can cause: difficulty sleeping headaches diarrhoea and abdominal pain feeling an urgent need to urinate difficulty concentrating feeling irritable poor circulation to your hands and feet painful periods depression or anxiety forgetfulness or confusion Obviously these symptoms could be from another cause so it is advisable to get checked out by y...