FAQs

With our integrative program we look at the factors which may be causing or contributing to your pain.  These factors can include previous medical history, genetics, lifestyle and diet. You may have food intolerances that could be exacerbating inflammation which can elevate pain. Other issues include biomechanics, mental and emotional issues and physical strength and stressors.

Just contact us if you need help identifying the underlying causes of your pain and creating a pain management programme.

There may be more than one factor underlying your pain but common factors include:

• Medical History – Bulging disc
• Genetics – Arthritis, high blood pressure
• Lifestyle – Smoking 3 cigarettes per day or more on social occasions
• Diet – don’t know but suffer from gas and bloating and stomach cramps. Drink coffee.
• Biomechanics – have flat fee;  Get sore knees on occasion
• Mental/Emotional Issues – Can’t eat when stressed.
• Physical strength – Exercise 3 times a week but have weak upper body strength and back hurts more after walking
• Stressors – Have a high-powered job, a busy home life and overthink or worry a lot

Just contact us if you need help identifying the underlying causes of your pain and creating a pain management programme.

Doctors are General Practitioners, offer a prescriptive service.  Their job is to diagnose, treat – and to refer you onwards when necessary.  Most doctors have only around 15 to 30 mins to spend with a client.  So, client issues may slip through the cracks.

For example, Mary has a low back issue.  She goes to her doctor. He prescribes pain killers, refers her to a physio and advises rest.  Mary goes to the physio and feels great after 4 sessions.  Two months, later after working long hours at the computer, Mary’s pain starts up again…. but this time it’s much, much worse.

Doctors treat what they see in front of them, the symptoms you present.  They may not have time to dig deeper or make recommendations on avoiding pain in the future. They almost certainly won’t have time to give individualised pain management/lifestyle toolkits.  It is not part of their training or their Job Spec.

A GP has done their job by diagnosing and giving you a referral or a prescription.  You cannot expect from a doctor that which they are not trained to give.  People can be frustrated by this.  Doctors can be frustrated by their clients’ expectations of them.

This is where we bridge the gap. We integrate our rehabilitative processes, pain management maps and individualised toolkits alongside doctors and other medical and holistic providers recommendations.  

We use a Foundation to Finish approach: Build a strong foundation so your house, body or mind won’t fall apart. Strengthen the house, body or mind so you can achieve a body/mind that is pain free and has no cracks!  So, if you have a flare up you know how to manage it without going into a Fear Spiral.  This way, you can continue to be pain free, both physically and emotionally.

Just contact us if you need help identifying the underlying causes of your pain and creating a pain management programme.

Holding your arm in one position for a long time can cause the muscles to contract and create muscle spasm. You might be holding your arm still on the phone, on the computer or driving the car. The spasm should relax once the strain has been lifted.

However, if you are doing this repetitively then you are causing RSI – repetitive strain injury.  This strain can send the neck muscles into spasm.  They in turn can pull on your spine and cause the discs to shift out of position.  The neck muscles tighten around the discs to stop them from slipping.  This can cause a pinching effect on the cervical nerve in the neck which radiates through the arm. If this RSI continues unchecked, you could potentially slip a disc or have a bulging disc.  Now we have three potential sites which are all adding to the original pain site.  One can trigger the other or inflame the other.

So, what can I do?  Early intervention is recommended when it comes to pain in the body. This can help you to stop the pain, rehabilitate the existing site of pain and prevent an RSI.  Changing your ergonomics so that your arm and back are better supported can help take the pressure off the muscles. This in turn will stop them from pushing in on the nerve.  Taking action by, for example, getting a phone headset or a back and neck support can help. Dry needling, medical massage and spinal realignment are further ways to manage repetitive strain on a muscle.  Core strength exercises for the neck and back will also help.  

Just contact us if you need help with your pain and creating a pain management programme.

The first place we need to look is at the feet.  If you have flat feet  from e.g. fallen arches or overpronation, then your muscles, tendons and ligaments are strained.  This can cause knee, hip or back pain. The arch in your foot works as a cushion to your joints.  Without it, you have no cushion for your feet when they hit a hard surface like a road or pathway. So the impact creates a shock wave or vibration, which goes straight from your foot up into your joints. 

Also not having an arch puts you into a biomechanical position which puts further strain on the joints.  To prevent this, you will need to create an artificial cushion, such as a shock absorber insole inside your runner or shoe. Or you may need an orthotic to support the arch, aligning you correctly to take the strain off the joints.  High arches may also need to have a cushion or gait support.  You would need a gait analysis and assessment to see what the best solution is for you. 

Just contact us if you need help with identifying the cause of the problem.

When a disc goes out of position it can push onto a nerve and cut off the feeling to the rest of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve runs down through the glutes, down the back of the leg, and into the foot.  You can also experience numbness in the foot.  Relieving the pressure off the nerve can help to stop pins and needles.  Anti-inflammatory medication, spine re-alignment or massage may also help.  In severe cases surgery may be required.  You will need a pain management roadmap to help prevent flare ups and to determine the best course of action for you.

Just contact us if you need help with planning this course of action.

Yes, you will.  When you’re in a lot of pain or have endured chronic pain for a long time, you can lose hope.  You can become very fearful and you can become depressed.  Once you have a roadmap and toolkit then you can start to heal. You can change those thought patterns and regain control over your body and your mind.  I ask clients to envisage what they are going to do and talk about once they are pain free.  This is a positive way to prevent you slipping back into mental patterns that can trigger fear which can in turn trigger a pain response.

Just contact us if you need help .

It could take 3 months.  It may take 3 years before your body has completely rehabilitated.  Most people with a complex case history feel a lot better after 6–12 sessions.  It all depends on how badly and for how long the body has been out of balance.  Once we do a series of tests, we can evaluate how weak the systems are. Then that gives us an indication of how long it will take to fully rehabilitate the body and systems.

Just contact us if you need help .