A good video on Joint Hypermobility Syndrome.

This video is by Professor Rodney Grahame, who is a specialist on joint hypermobility. It’s well worth a listen if you have an interest in the subject.

Buteyko Breathing Presentation

Learn Buteyko Presentation Part 1 from Learn Buteyko on Vimeo.

Learn Buteyko Presentation Part 2 from Learn Buteyko on Vimeo.

Learn Buteyko Presentation Part 3 from Learn Buteyko on Vimeo.

Mindfulness Stress Reduction And Healing by Jon Kabbat-Zinn

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction courses are available in Glasgow, please follow these links:

http://ksdglasgow.org.uk/index/8-week-mindfulness-training

http://www.mindfullybeing.co.uk

http://www.mindfulnesstoday.co.uk/courses.php

Whiplash study says no benefits from intensive treatment

Intensive whiplash treatment is no better than standard care, a study suggests.

The study, in the Lancet looked at the treatment of more than 2,700 people with mild to moderate whiplash.

No additional benefits were seen in those who had more intensive care – which included suggesting a rapid return to normal activities.

A Canadian expert said the study showed the lack of benefit from “unnecessary treatments”.

Whiplash injuries cost the UK economy about £3.1bn a year, mainly due to the expense of treating those with chronic symptoms (between 30-50%) and their subsequent need to take time off work.

Long-term problems can include pain from even the smallest movement, difficulty sleeping and even being unable to work.

Tai Chi Benefits Patients With Fibromyalgia

People with fibromyalgia may benefit from practicing tai chi, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterised by muscle pain, fatigue, and other symptoms. People with fibromyalgia have chronic widespread pain, as well as “tender points” on areas of the body, which hurt when slight pressure is applied. Although exercise appears to be an important part of fibromyalgia treatment, many people with fibromyalgia need medication to control symptoms and are unable to maintain muscle strength, flexibility, and overall fitness.

Back Pain linked to shrinking Brain

BACK pain has a mysterious link with brain damage. Brain scans have shown that patients with chronic lower back pain have lost grey matter from two brain areas. Scientists are not yet sure whether this is the cause of back pain or the result, but the finding could lead to new drug treatments for backache that target the brain rather than the back or spine.

The discovery was made by Vania Apkarian of Northwestern University in Chicago, when he and his colleagues scanned the brains of 26 patients who had suffered lower back pain for at least a year. Some had damage to their sciatic nerve, which emerges at the base of the spine, while the others had no known injury. The team found that all the patients had lost grey matter in two brain regions known to be important in pain perception.

Treating Chronic Muscle Pain by Robert Gerwin

Chronic muscle pain (myalgia) is a common problem throughout the world.

Seemingly simple, it is actually a difficult problem for the clinician interested in determining the aetiology of the pain, as well as in managing the pain.

The two common muscle pain conditions are Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic, widespread muscle tenderness syndrome, associated with central sensitisation. It is often accompanied by chronic sleep disturbance and fatigue, visceral pain syndromes like irritable bowel syndrome and interstitial cystitis.

Myofascial pain syndrome is an overuse or muscle stress syndrome characterised by the presence of trigger points in muscle.

The problem these syndromes pose lies not in making the diagnosis of muscle pain. Rather, it is the need to identify the underlying causes of persistent or chronic muscle pain in order to develop a specific treatment plan.

Chronic myalgia may not improve until the underlying precipitating or perpetuating factors are themselves managed.

Precipitating or perpetuating causes of chronic myalgia include structural or mechanical causes like scoliosis, localised joint hypo-mobility, or generalised or local joint laxity; and metabolic factors like depleted tissue iron stores, hypothyroidism or Vitamin D deficiency.

Sometimes, correction of an underlying cause of myalgia is all that is needed to resolve the condition.