If you are someone who stands with more weight going through one leg then you run the risk of upsetting a small but important muscle called gluteus medius. This can lead to hip, pelvis and back pain. 

As well as general health benefits, intermittent fasting (IF) has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body and trigger a process called autophagy which cleans up cells. These processes are potentially beneficial to people with long covid.

Research has shown that tractioning your low back can be a safe and effective way to relieve low back pain, particularly if you have an intervertebral disc injury, either with or without sciatica.

As red light therapy already has a track record of reducing inflammation in the body, scientists have been actively researching its potential use to treat long covid.

Many of my patients have symptoms that could be attributed to Long Covid, so I’m always looking for new information to help them. It’s now 2024, so what do we know about this condition?

There are many published studies (probably hundreds) that have looked at the role of different essential oils in treating neuropathic pain.

The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that supports the foot arch and helps in shock absorption. Plantar fasciitis is a condition that causes debilitating pain to the the underside of the foot - normally towards the heel.

Spike protein is known to be persisting in people's bodies . In this blog I cover an interesting piece of recent research concerning the persistence of the spike protein in the brain.

One of the most promising natural potential antidotes to long covid is a product called Nattokinase, which is an enzyme derived from natto, a traditional Japanese fermented soybean dish.

The precise cause of Long Covid is still not clear, but research is beginning to point to the spike protein of the virus as being linked to the symptoms.

What Hunter-Gatherers could teach office workers. Sitting is a modern day curse, particularly for office workers, who often spend long hours each day sat in front of their computers.

I frequently find that patients coming to see me with knee or back pain also have underlying problems with their hips which they were not aware of.

Sometimes patients come and see me who aren’t in pain as such, but feel that their backs are out of alignment and are on the verge of getting worse. Often these patients have experienced serious problems with their backs in the past, and recognise the warning signs leading up to an episode of serious back pain.

Patients often complain of pins and needles or numbness in their hands, often accompanied by neck pain. One of the most common causes is compression of the nerves in the neck.

Although the concept had been around for a long time, it wasn’t until the 1980s that researchers began to formally suggest that certain types of headache were actually being caused by problems in the neck, rather than the skull or brain. They went on to validate this theory by doing experiments where they blocked (numbed) specific nerves at the top of the neck and then noticed that the headaches were relieved.

You might think that spending time in space with no gravity would be a nice rest for your back, but you would be wrong. Studies have shown that over half of US astronauts experience back pain during their missions, and that overall they have more than 4 times the risk of getting herniated discs compared to the general population.

Why Sciatica Recovery Can Be a Slow Road: Understanding the Healing Process

Sciatica is a condition that osteopaths see frequently. It consists of pain, numbness, and/or tingling that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back through the buttocks and down the back of each leg. In some cases, the unlucky person will also experience a weakening of their leg or foot muscles.

Why Sciatica Recovery Can Be a Slow Road: Understanding the Healing Process

Sciatica is a condition that osteopaths see frequently. It consists of pain, numbness, and/or tingling that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back through the buttocks and down the back of each leg. In some cases, the unlucky person will also experience a weakening of their leg or foot muscles.

In my previous blog I talked about the merits of using either paracetamol or ibuprofen for back pain relief. For those people who would like to try natural alternatives to these drugs, today I’m going to highlight two natural pain-killers which have some scientific evidence supporting their use for alleviating back pain.