Swimming is widely recognised as an excellent form of exercise for maintaining flexibility in the spine and strength whilst minimising strain or pressure on the spinal structures present in weight-bearing activities.  In effect the water acts as a supporting structure so light swimming is often recommended as part of an exercise therapy regime.  However, the Read More

Lower back pain (LBP) affects 80% of adults during their lifetime with varying causes and therefore treatments (Papageorgiou et.al, 1995). The most common causes are heavy lifting or increased frequency of load lifting, age, female and poor general health all being strong predictors of LBP. However altered lower limb biomechanics are also considered a factor Read More

It is rare when something comes along for it to offer both a system of diagnosis and a protocol for treatment. The painstaking work that has gone into the development of the MAST Medical, and in particular by the director Dr Hanne Albert, is very welcome. The new MAST Medical treatment provides help for a Read More

At some time or other most people with low back pain wonder if a lumbar support belt might help their symptoms. Whether you need help with a current bout of back pain or be interested in preventing future episodes of back pain, I hope this summary of the current thinking helps you make up your Read More

I have written a number of articles on Modic changes and antibiotic treatment in the Broadgate Journal. Hopefully, these articles have helped readers understand what Modic changes are and why antibiotic treatment helps the overwhelming majority – but not all patients with Modic findings. Patients whose Modic changes are not a result of bacterial infection Read More

Being taller than average can make you more prone to back pain. Desks, chairs and beds are often designed around “average build”. Some furniture is adjustable though and you should make sure it’s adjusted for you. It is worth following a few rules for your workstation as closely as possible to help reduce discomfort. Have Read More

Lower back pain is extraordinarily common and approximately 80% of the population will experience an episode of pain during the course of their lives. Most episodes resolve on their own, but lower back pain is not nearly as self-limiting as previously thought. Newer research has demonstrated that upwards of 10% of the population are suffering Read More

It is well known that lower back pain is a significant problem both in terms of suffering, costs to the individual as well as society at large. What is less well known is exactly how staggeringly large a problem it actually is. This article will review the current status regarding lower back pain. NUMBER OF Read More

In order to determine the benefits of a treatment proper science has established the Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial as its Gold Standard – this is the only truly established method that is universally accepted. This method has its limitations though and as I discussed in a recent article in the Broadgate Journal identifying precisely which Read More

I am going to begin this article by explaining that multi-disciplinary care is most often inaccurately used in common parlance. The term implies that several health care practitioners are managing an individual patient at the same time. While this type of care can be found at teaching hospitals – where I have worked  for many Read More