Physiotherapy Blog. Sharing knowledge & Encouraging growth.
This is the first of a three part series on cervical radiculopathy. Cervical radiculopathy occurs when the cervical nerve roots are compressed resulting in pain, paraesthesia, and weakness into the upper extremity. The first step in making this clinical diagnosis is understanding dermatomal pain patterns indicative of nerve root pain.
Read MoreWhen it comes to discussing the diagnosis of low back pain (LBP) there are times when it is really hard to put a label on pain because it is hard to say is it one specific thing. Such a blurry diagnosis. In fact 85-90% of people with LBP are in this category making the blurry diagnosis the majority. The O'Sullivan system is a framework that aims to identify the main drivers and mechanisms of pain and dysfunction. Where movement is associated with pain, the classification considers if the movement is protective or maladaptive? This blog is all about this framework, breaking it down step by step, to help others see how using this classification system makes a complex pain disorder less complicated.
Read MoreIn 2014 I attended a course held by Specialist Physiotherapist Peter O'Sullivan. Peter is at the forefront of research in chronic low back pain and one of his main goals is to reduce the gap between what science tells us and what clinicians and patients know. Peter is from Western Australia and his team continue to drive the revolution of changing how we view and manage back pain, from a pathological model to a conceptual model. I learnt so many tips to make my communication skills better. The aim of this blog is to share with you the key messages I took away from this course.
Read MoreA previous blog has explored the initial assessment of acute lower back pain presenting with radicular leg pain. This is a sequel post which explores the management pathway from day 1-3 on a patient with discogenic low back pain with radicular leg pain. It specifically focuses on when I chose to retrain lumbar flexion range of movement and the steps taken.
Read MoreThe clinical reasoning process for pain is complicated, particularly as there is no gold standard assessment for pain. Smart and collegues interview experiences musculoskeletal physiotherapists and pain physicians to determine which symptoms and clinical signs are indicative of nociceptive, neuropathic and central sensitisation pain, and their clinical utility and accuracy in diagnosis.
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