TotalMSK Blog and Self-Help

Headaches can have many causes, types of symptoms and levels of severity. Many types of headaches can have identifiable and straightforward reasons, which are manageable with the proper treatment and preventative strategies. Muscular and myofascial tension can play a major part in the onset of many types of headaches and associated pain. Even migraine headaches can have a musculoskeletal origin. The full article on Headache Treatment - An MSK Therapy perspective goes into far more detail, along with other related topics.

Chronic Pain can occur for many reasons and affect many areas of the body. Usually, some form of trauma leads to Chronic Pain if tissue structures cannot heal as normal. Sometimes the Chronic Pain exists from the moment of the initial trauma and, on other occasions, develops over time due to changes caused by the initial trauma. Pain is only really referred to ask Chronic, once it has been present for over three months in duration. Dealing with such Pain involves taking a holistic approach, in more complicated cases, a multi-disciplinary approach. Chronic Pain conditions are far more complex than just the physical pain aspect. The full article on Chronic Pain - An MSK Therapy Perspective looks at the topic in far more detail, along with other highly related areas.

Back pain is invariably something that the vast majority of the population will experience at some point in life. Symptom severity and can vary from person to person, as can the duration of back pain episodes. There are multiple possible causes of back-related pain and not purely mechanical or soft-tissue based. The article on back-pain looks in more detail at some possible causes and treatment. Lower Back Pain treatment, causes, help - An MSK Therapy perspective.

Busy modern-day life and the increasing use of smart devices can take a toll on our musculoskeletal system and especially our necks. Terms such as "text neck" have become popular as a means of describing the specific occurrences of neck pain. The article "Neck Pain - An MSK Therapy perspective." looks at several possible causes of neck pain and some strategies to help limit, or avoid some of the effects of such problems. Neck Pain treatment, causes, help - An MSK Therapy perspective can be found here.

The article about healing and scar tissue is the third in a series of four related articles, the others being the topics of adaptation, trauma and biotensegrity. The bodies survival strategy to repair instead of to regenerate tissues has connotations for adaptation, biotensegrity, injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. For further details, please view the link on Soft tissue repair, healing, trauma and scar tissue.

The article on Biotensegrity is the second in a series of four related articles, the others being the topics of adaptation, trauma and healing. Biotensegrity looks at how everything in the body is connected and how changes in compressive and tensile forces can impact us. Changes in Biotensegrity have connotations for injury prevention, recovery, training and general musculoskeletal health. Read more here Biotensegrity and its relevance - An MSK Therapy perspective.

The article on adaptation is the first in a series of four highly related and overlapping topics, the others being the topics of trauma, healing and biotensegrity. Musculoskeletal adaptation looks at how our bodies respond and adapt to various forces, which has connotations for injury prevention, recovery, training and our musculoskeletal health in general. Further details here Soft Tissue Adaptation to activity and injury - An MSK Therapy perspective.

It can often be easier said than done when finding a good ethical and moral musculoskeletal professional or therapist. As somebody, who has worked within the musculoskeletal field for over sixteen years, the author has encountered some highly dubious practices. Of more concern is marketers' increased and aggressive efforts on social media, targeting health professionals with "patient maximising schemes". The old saying of "actions speaking louder than words" certainly applies to a practitioner's focus. The full article Finding a good, ethical Musculoskeletal health professional looks in more detail at the types of characteristics and behaviours patients may see and whose best interest these relate.

Any crisis can prove hugely challenging and stressful, both physiologically and psychologically. The Coronavirus Covid-19 situation is no different and fear, uncertainty and the changes that everybody has to make all add to the stress. Yet, some people seem more resilient and able to cope much more effectively than others in a similar situation. People deemed as resilient appear to have common shared characteristics and behaviours, which may indeed explain why they are more resilient. Resilience becomes more critical over time and, as one weathers the storm, but storms do end. The full article Resilience in the face of adversity, uncertainty - covid-19 looks in much more detail at the behaviours and characteristics found in resilient people and how they may help us deal with stress.

Unresolved ankle injuries can often cause other unforeseen Musculoskeletal - MSK issues over time. Equally, people may only seek treatment in more severe injuries or not at all. Treatment and recovery work may not even involve any proprioceptive retraining, and such training can prove highly relevant in even seemingly minor injuries. The training is fairly easy to perform at home. However, one should see a professional in the first instance, as such training may be inappropriate or contraindicated due to other health-related conditions. The full article Proprioceptive wobble board ankle rehab explains the ankle rehabilitative process in more detail.

During the Coronavirus (covid-19) situation, many people are currently home-working, which may present many new and interesting challenges. The home-working computer setup survival guide aims to help people avoid some common mistakes that one can easily make while working from home. Life will be stressful enough for many people, without the addition of some easily avoided additional musculoskeletal related aches and pains. The article not only covers ideal computer setups but also highlights the importance of other aspects of home-working and separating work from home life. The full article on Coronavirus (covid-19) Ergonomic computer setup and home-working survival guide can be read here.

Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) can cause many types of pain and restrict mobility. Also, there are different types of trigger points (TrPs), active and latent. Several myofascial therapy techniques actively treat MTrPs / TrPs, and trigger point dry needling is just one. Further details on technique and myofascial trigger points are available via the Trigger Point Dry Needling treatment and techniques link.

There are many myofascial release techniques, which aim to assess and treat myofascial pain. Differences in how and when the use of a specific method is suitable can vary hugely. Equally, myofascial release techniques may look to achieve a similar overall outcome but work very differently. No one "tool" or method works in every circumstance, and it is even possible to apply techniques in multiple ways. A good therapist knows which tool to use, how to use it and when to use it. Myofascial release can prove very effective in reducing pain and increasing mobility. Further details on methods are available by following the link on Myofascial Release treatment and techniques.

During the current Coronavirus (covid-19) lockdown situation, many people are spending prolonged periods sitting at home while working or otherwise. Leg tension can be a consequence of prolonged sitting, though athletes and runners are not immune either. The self-myofascial release article looks at some simple ways to help maintain or limit leg tension during the lockdown and afterwards. The Self Myofascial Release techniques for legs - not just runners can be read here.

As with “Foam Rollers”, Self Trigger Point Therapy (TPT) can prove to be a reasonably effective self-maintenance or treatment technique and useful addition to general treatment. However, it is helpful to understand something about muscle anatomy, physiology and the basis of the method. Read more about Self Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy using a Massage Ball here.

The vast majority of the population have probably seen or used a “Foam Roller”, of which there are now all types, shapes and sizes. However, to get the best out of self-treatment with a “Foam Roller”, it helps to understand the basis of the technique and something about muscle anatomy and physiology. Foam Rollers can also be a useful addition to general treatment and maintenance. Find out more about Foam Roller Myofascial Release (SMFR) here.

Stress is a relatively common fact of modern day life, and the human body has always had to deal with “stress” in one form or another. Not all “stress” is bad and “stress” can prove to be very positive. To combat the negative impacts of too much “stress,” one needs to understand something about the “Human Stress Response”. Learn more about Stress (Part One), the Individual, Wellbeing, Performance and the Workplace.

The second part of the article about “Stress, the Individual, Wellbeing and Performance” looks at the mid to long-term effects of excessive “stress” on the human body, various bodily systems and human performance. Find out more in Stress (Part Two), the Individual, Wellbeing, Performance and the Workplace.

The third and final part of the “Stress, the Individual, Wellbeing and Performance” related article looks at possible interventions to mitigate or reduce the impacts of perceived and sustained levels of “stress”. Stress (Part Three), the Individual, Wellbeing, Performance and the Workplace here.

Achilles Tendinopathy is a fairly common condition, which can affect people from all walks of life. The condition can also easily affect both highly active sports people, including runners through to sedentary and inactive people. The Achilles Tendinopathy article covers the condition in some detail, along with possible causes and treatment options. Read more about Achilles Tendinopathy here.

Although the article on Plantar Fasciitis / Plantar Fasciopathy is from a “Running” perspective, many people can suffer from this condition. The article describes some typical symptoms, possible causes and treatment options. Learn more about Plantar Fasciitis here.

Ankle injuries can affect virtually anybody and can cause a multitude of other niggles or problems if left untreated and not rehabilitated correctly. The article about ankle injuries discusses different types of damage, severity, the possible impacts of such injuries and treatment options available. Read more about Ankle injuries (Inversion, Eversion) here.

Many of the concepts covered in the “Sports Injury Preventative Measures” article, don’t just apply to “Runners” or just people participating in sport. The principles equally apply to multiple forms of physical activity, injury prevention, or exercise in general and recovery from injury. Further details on Basic Sports Injury Prevention can be found here.

Well, the Christmas and New Years festivities are now behind us, and many people will have made new years resolutions to get fit and or lose weight. Unfortunately, many people give up on their new year's resolutions due to injury early on. The article on injury prevention, An MSK Therapy perspective helps explain why many injuries occur (injury mechanisms), and some strategies to help avoid them. Happy New year and enjoy being or getting active. Further details on Sports injury prevention after an injury or break from activity can be found here.