Treatments for Achilles pain and injury can be challenging. Achilles pain can affect all levels of physical activity, from people that enjoy going for a walk to people that enjoy running long distance and playing all manner of sports…..or not! Determining the diagnosis is very simple, the challenge is how to treat it.
Fungal nail infection of the toenail (onychomycosis) is a difficult to treat condition. The infection causes discolored, ugly toe nails that can be very unsightly. The treatment is challenging because the beasties live in the nail bed (the part that we can’t see, beneath the skin). Topical therapies are largely ineffective because they don’t penetrate […]
Scientists have described a new ligament in the human knee. The ligament has been named “anterolateral ligament” (ALL). A French surgeon first noticed a structure that he described as “pearly resistant, fibrous band” in 1879. Recently, a group of Belgium surgeons have finished a study where they describe in detail the anatomy of this now […]
About 15-25% of us suffer from some kind of fungal nail infection or Onychomycosis which is its proper name. A typical first sign is a white or yellow spot under the tip of the nail. As it spreads the nail becomes more discoloured. It may also thicken and develop a distorted shape and the edges may […]
At Better Health we often get asked should I use ice or heat for sore muscles and joints. After suffering from any injury, inflammation (which causes swelling) immediately goes to the damaged area to start the repair process. Whilst this swelling is important in tissue healing it can be excessive and cause increased pain and decreased function.
Weak supporting muscles of the pelvis and low back are often a cause of back pain and injury. To make matters worse we know now that with persistent back pain these muscles tend to switch off even further. While it is hard to find out whether a weak pelvic floor is the cause or effect […]
Do you ever wake up with severe heel pain, especially when you take your first few steps out of bed in the morning? Commonly, heel pain is caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia. This is a ligament, a tough band of tissue that supports the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone […]
How does shockwave therapy work (ESWT) on heel and arch pain? Shock Wave Treatment or ESWT (“E” standing for extracorporeal) stimulates your natural healing process by increasing blood supply and breaking up calcium deposits within tendons and ligaments. A high-speed sound wave is generated within the shockwave gun. This then penetrates through the skin and […]
Shockwave therapy kicks start the healing response. Known as extracorporeal shockwave therapy, this involves firing mechanical shockwaves into the sole of the foot to jump-start the healing process. The idea of using shockwaves to break up kidney stones has been around for 20 years or so, but only recently have we realised that it can also help […]
Q: Why are so many athletes in the Olympics wearing kinesio tape? The tape you are referring to is known as Kinesiology Tape (or Kinesio Tape) and has become very popular amongst athletes and practitioners. It was developed by a chiropractor, Dr Kenso Kase, in the 1970s but became an overnight sensation in 2008 during the […]