Occipital neuralgia is a subtype of headache that affects the back of the head (occipital region). It can present as a sharp piercing pain which can last from seconds to minutes. This can develop into debilitating chronic occipital pain. The cause of occipital neuralgia stems from damage of the greater occipital nerve, lesser occipital nerve…
Chronic groin pain is a very tricky problem to treat. In sport it is the 3rd most common reason after ACL and fracture for keeping players off the field. Because of the extremely complicated anatomy of the groin, pain in this area can come from quite a few different structures within the groin or passing…
I have seen quite a few patients now with chronic tail bone pain. The medical term for this is coccydynia. The common causes are childbirth and trauma, and women tend to have this condition more often than men. The usual story is that the patient fell backwards onto their bottom and it’s been hurting ever…
Throughout the last 12 months, I would say that one of the most common problem I treat is sciatica. The sciatic nerve is the body’s longest nerve and is a collection of nerves that originate from the lower lumbar to sacral nerves (L4 to S3). The term sciatica refers to pain in the distribution of…
Cervical radiculopathy is a condition where the nerves coming from the cervical spine becomes pinched. The two most common causes of this are a bulging disc of the cerivcal spine and cervical spine degeneration (aka cervical spondylosis). A 29 year old woman consulted me for 6 months of chronic left arm/neck pain which was due…
Lumbar spondylosis a.k.a osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine is a common cause of lower back pain. It occurs due to wear and tear of the lower end of the spine (lumbar spine) over time. More common in those who have more physically demanding jobs. Poor posture and core strength is a big contributor as well. …
A 57 year old gentleman presents with chronic bilateral calf tightness for the past one year. It is always aching, worse so after physical activity. He required painkillers most nights due to the discomfort. Stretching gives some temporary relief but the tightness always recurred. Physiotherapy did not appear to achieve long lasting relief. Examination indeed…
This week I saw two patients in two days presenting with exactly the same complaint – a niggling pain around their shoulder blade (scapula). Both walked out astounded. One was a middle aged gentleman who had it for the past week and a half, and the other was a middle aged lady who had it…
Plantar fasciitis is becoming an increasingly common presentation. Laser acupuncture is surprisingly effective for this condition. Plantar fasciitis is caused when the connective tissue joining the heel and the forefoot (plantar fascia) becomes inflamed. Factors contributing to this are poor heel support in shoes; flat feet; jobs requiring prolonged standing; and being overweight/obese. The mainstay…
Updated 20/01/2021: I want to share some of my insights over the years of treating shoulder pain. Subacromial bursitis or rotator cuff tear/tendinopathy on scans does not necessarily mean that is the cause of your shoulder pain. I’ve seen a lot of subacromial bursitis on ultrasounds and many of these patients have NO pain. The…
