Archive for August, 2006

Back Pain is so common these days, but who do you visit when you need help?

Osteopaths, Physiotherapists, Chiropractors and Acupuncture are among the most popular choices and they all suggest they are well equipped to treat back pain.

Lets look at them in isolation

Osteopaths are a regulated profession under the umbrella of the General Osteopathic Council who ensure a strict code of conduct and high level of training. Osteopaths are highly skilled in spinal disorders and low back pain. Sciatica, trapped nerves, stiff necks, muscle twinges and slipped or bulging discs are common ailments treated by Osteopathy. Osteopathic treatment is gentle and can be used on new born babies in the form of cranial osteopathy.

Your Osteopath should have excellent diagnostic skills and an advanced sense of touch called palpation skills. The hands of the osteopath are used to feel the tissues and sense that everything is in correct alignment and that spinal segments are moving correctly. Soft tissue work and massage are an integral part of the treatments for most osteopaths however should spinal adjustments or manipulations be required, your osteopath will discuss and agree this with you before making the corrections needed.

Osteopaths are trained to check suitability for manipulations as some groups are high risk, especially for manipulations of the neck. A special test is commonly used to determine possible restrictions of blood supply to the brain. A positive VBI test should prevent anyone from performing a neck manipulation as it is possible to cause a stroke.

As Osteopaths have a variety of treatment options available to them, they can offer so much more than manipulation. Articulation and gentle mobilisation can often free a locked joint without having to perform High Velocity Thrusts ( cracking of the joints).

In the Tamworth Staffordshire area there are excellent Osteopaths with experienced practitioners to treat your back or neck pain

Visit the website of Atlas Pain Relief Centre in Tamworth www.atlaspainrelief.com

Physiotherapists

All Physiotherapists must be on the register of the Health Professions Council which is their regulatory body.
Physiotherapists have long been treating low back pain and musculo skeletal disorders. Many are found in private practice but the majority are employed by the NHS. Physiotherapists can opt to specialise in different areas of recovery such as Neuro Rehab for stroke victims.

Although causes and treatment of back pain is taught to physiotherapists, if this is not an area of work they complete their training in, the physiotherapist may be lacking in experience of treating back pain. Other physiotherapists may specialise in low back pain and be more suitable.

Physiotherapy uses electrotherapy as well as hands on treatments and often prescribes corrective exercises for poor posture and strengthening. Physiotherapists are generally the gold standard in rehabilitation and exercise prescription.

There are excellent Physiotherapists in Tamworth with many years of experience treating low back pain and they can be found at Atlas Pain Relief Centre in Tamworth. www.atlaspainrelief.com

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has always struggled to attract the support of many people because it involves sticking needles in you. Our basic fear of needles probably goes back to injections administered to us as a child. Although the acupuncture needles are very fine and hardly noticed when inserted, there is this body of resistance in some peoples minds about needles.

Acupuncture is a profession which can offer a 3 year degree programme of in depth training or a weekend basic training workshop, and as such has no protected title, which means anyone with little experience can call themselves an acupuncturist.

Acupuncture claims to treat many ailments and this includes low back pain. Many people have received good results from treatments of back pain by acupuncture which is mostly painless and non invasive compared to other forms of treatment. Generally very little clothing needs to be removed during the treatment which patients can find comforting.

Acupuncture from a well experienced 3 year trained practitioner is available at Atlas Pain Relief Centre in Tamworth.

Chiropractors

Chiropractors are trained for the same period as Osteopaths which is a 5 year training period. There are 2 types of Chiropractor and they couldn’t be more different in approach and style.

Firstly the Mctimoney Chiropractors who offer a very gentle form of treatment which is totally safe with very little side effects after treatment. The spinal adjustments performed are more of a flicking action performed at incredible speed but with very light pressure. Treatment times tend to be much longer than that of their Chiropractic cousins and much emphasis is put into the case history and collecting a thorough in depth picture of the health of their patient.
The main body of Chiropractors are trained mostly in Bournmouth and perform spinal manipulations with High Velocity Thrusts. This in some cases can lead to pain and discomfort if spinal ligaments are stretched during the cracking of your neck or back.

Osteopaths as well as Chiropractors can cause irritation to spinal ligaments, however if the practitioner is careful and uses minimal force with good technique, no discomfort is necessary. In contrast the Mctimoney chiropractor patients very rarely suffer any discomfort during or after treatment due to a totally different method of adjustment.

Chiropractors are well known for their back and neck cracking and if asked “who treats back pain” the public would probably mention the name chiropractors. Treatment times vary between chiropractors but generally you may get 15 minutes or less with some, and up to an hour with others if you see a McTimoney chiropractor.

Chiropractors have awarded themselves the title of “Doctor” which should not be confused with a GP as Chiropractors in England are not medically trained.
Why Chiropractors have chosen to do this is uncertain but it can lead to an element of confusion. The understanding appears to be that the title “doctor” is not a protected title and anyone can use the term.

All the professions treat back pain but generally the approach is different thats all. Every profession will have its supporters and success stories.
More importantly we must go on word of mouth referrals, as there are some practitioners with more experience and better success rates than others.

Remember choose carefully when you are in pain and need help with a back or neck problem and use the profession that suits you and accomodates your needs.

Solihull Sports Injuries Clinic offers sports injury advice to Solihull, Birmingham and Tamworth marathon runners

Ankle ligament sprains

The most common ligament damaged when you sustain an ankle sprain is the Anterior Talofibular Ligament. Most ankles are injured when you turn your ankle with the sole of your foot inwards, which is called an inversion sprain. In most cases the ankle is at more risk when walking downhill on uneven ground. Running sports where twisting and turning is required are high risk from ankle sprains

The mechanical design of the ankle joint gives it stability and mobility during different phases of gait.
The Talus bone sits between the 2 ankle bones of the Tibia and Fibula and when the foot is pulled upwards (dorsi-flexion) such as walking on your heels, the ankle benefits from more stability due to the wedge shaped Talus bone sitting tighter between the Tibia and Fibula. This restricts movement side to side and thus protects turning of the ankle.

When you walk on your toes the foot is in plantar-flexion and the thinner edge of the wedge shaped talus is now engaged. This allows side to side movement and it is in this state that more ankles are sprained.

The foot and ankle have very complex biomechanics and are too involved to discuss at this time however in simplistic terms, the foot needs to be both a rigid lever and a mobile adapter during different phases of the gait cycle. The ankle therefore needs to lock and unlock at various times to give both stability and mobility and is most at risk of injury during the mobility phase.

The anterior talofibular ligament is put on stretch during plantarflexion and inversion and any undue exaggeration of this movement will sprain fibres of this ligament and cause injury which is extremely painful. Swelling can occur if the capsule is damaged and bruising may follow if small blood vessels are damaged.

Ligaments are very slow to heal due to their poor blood supply. It is often said that a fracture to an ankle bone will be less painful and heal faster than a sprained ankle ligament. This is due to the contrasting blood supply to both structures. Bones have a very good supply of blood which carries all the repair materials and ligaments have by comparison a poor supply of blood.

During injury to the ankle, small sensory nerves called proprioceptors can be damaged and all good therapists should ensure that re-education of proprioceptors takes place as a part of the rehabilitation process. Ankle ligaments respond well to therapeutic ultrasound treatments and ice, contrast bathing and support strapping whilst waiting for nature to heal the injury will help.

When strapping the ankle, non stretch tape such as zinc oxide should be used, but be aware that some people can have allergies to this tape. The ankle should be taped in dorsiflexion and eversion to help prevent unwanted movement into inversion, which puts a strain on the lateral (outside) ankle ligaments.

Sports injuries are a speciality at the Atlas group of sports injury clinics which are located in Solihull, Birmingham, West Midlands and Tamworth, Staffordshire. The website is well worth a visit and can be found on

www.solihullsportsinjuryclinic.co.uk or www.atlaspainrelief.com

2-8-2006 Atlas 10k team prepare for final 5 weeks training

After 9 months of training we are just over a month away from the Lichfield 10k race in Staffordshire.

The team has been selected and will be divided into 3 groups.

Group 1 will be 76 year old Tom Dixon and 50 year old Johanna Smith

Group 2 will be John Williams, Sam Turnbull, Helen O’Reilly, Adrian Summers

Fun Run will be Karen Whitehouse who had limited opportunities to train recently due
to family bereavement

Natalie Smith although very keen and hard working failed to make the team because she struggled with compartment syndrome which is a sports injury of the calfs. This condition limited her ability to exercise and although brave and determined we had to stand her down for the good of the team. We admire your courage and pay tribute to all the hard work you have put in over the last 9 months Natalie, well done !

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Birmingham Childrens Hospital can do so by supporting our runners. We would all love to see previous squad members and would appreciate your support on the day. Come along and cheer the group on because you all know how hard these individuals have worked.