Seronegative spondyloarthropathies & inflammatory low back pain - Part 1

April 01, 2016 by Sian Smale

Spondyloarthropathies are a group of related, but phenotypically distinct inflammatory disorders, including ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, enteropathic arthritis (also known as irritable bowel disease), and undifferentiated arthritis. One of the main clinical features of each of these conditions is inflammatory low back pain. This 2-part blog discusses the difference between the seronegative spondyloarthropathies and what features are indicative of inflammatory low back pain.

Surgery for Sciatica - a clinical commentary with Dr Lynn Bardin

January 07, 2016 by Sian Smale

This blog aims to explore how the science of clinical anatomy combined with our clinical assessment and decision-making process can be used in diagnosis and management, including referral for a spinal surgery consultation. For this Dr Lynn Bardin, who lectures and tutors clinical anatomy at Melbourne University and works as a consultant spine physiotherapist at SUPERSPINE and at Austin Health, Melbourne, was invited to contribute a clinical commentary.

A targeted Pilates program for low back pain

December 24, 2015 by Sian Smale

During my recent trip to Melbourne I had the pleasure of observing Dr Lynn Bardin in the SPINE Pilates class. I thought it was a great time to reflect on what I have learnt this year about the Pilates method, discuss a few ways that my thinking and teaching has changed, and discuss how Lynn Bardin tailors a Pilates program to be specific and effective for the management of low back pain.

Shoulder Symptom Modification Procedure - picking the right shoulders to treat

December 19, 2015 by Sian Smale

This week we take a look at one more approach to assessing shoulders, the Shoulder Symptom Modification Procedure. It was developed by internationally acclaimed Physiotherapist Dr Jeremy Lewis and it links beautifully with the previous shoulder blogs, providing a more holistic assessment for the painful shoulder. The SSMP helps identify those suitable for conservative treatment and directs our initial rehabilitation approach.

Scapula rehabilitation - which exercise to choose?

December 11, 2015 by Sian Smale

This blog compares different approaches for scapula rehabilitation. It has been interesting reading about the research which explores which exercises promote certain muscles around the scapula. This blog also introduces a contrasting approach, which focussing on retraining upward rotation rather than isolated muscle strengthening. While the focus has been on scapula dyskinesis relating to shoulder impingement, the principles in this blog are generalisable to some extent to many shoulder problems.

Deciphering the driving mechanisms in chronic low back pain

September 24, 2015 by Sian Smale

When 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.