It is well appreciated that ‘prehabilitation’ before surgery, especially before major surgeries, is very important. Prehabilitation includes maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, stopping smoking before an operation to optimise the surgery and improve the recovery/rehabilitation times. However this does not address the post-operative delirium or altered cognitive states which include confusion, loss of memory, [...]
Many people are still concerned about taking Ibuprofen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) after news reports linking them to a possible increased risk of Covid-19 infection. NSAIDs are a family of medicines that are not only used as pain killers but also for lowering high temperatures and fevers. In March the media reported a potential link [...]
In just few short days all our lives have changed, not just in the UK but across the world. We have entered totally uncharted territory and need to adjust our lives accordingly. Social isolation is absolutely paramount to stop or slow the spread and therefore, in accordance with government guidelines, all NHS outpatient appointments, will [...]
This is an interesting article in The Economist (18th January 2020) about the cost and medicalisation of back pain in Western society. It explains that only about 5 - 15% of people suffering with back pain have a definitive cause for their back pain (eg fracture, infection, tumour) and the rest are labelled as [...]
Increases your stamina and energy levels Reduces anxiety and depression Reduces blood pressure and cholesterol Improves your intellectual capacity and concentration Helps control your weight Makes you happy Improves self-esteem Improves muscle power If there was a medicine that did all this, without side-effects, I think most people would take it, don’t [...]
I recently read an article in The Independent newspaper about the best ways to keep active with back pain and the associated benefits. As we know back pain is very common with 80% of people in the UK having back pain at some time in their life. Long term back pain accounts for about [...]
This is the second Brussels International Spine Symposium I have attended and both times the meetings have been of excellent quality, very interesting and relevant. This years meeting was tilted "Lumbar Spine Stenosis: Controversies in ethiopathogenesis, management and costs". The meeting consisted of a series of lectures with both a European and American Faculty and [...]
At the meeting I attended in Japan, there was an exciting talk about exoskeletons and how research is enabling paralysed patients to control exoskeleton bodysuits with their mind. Exoskeleton, by definition, is a “skeleton outside of the body”. Human exoskeletons are motorised external frames or ‘bodysuits’ that can be worn to support a person [...]
I recently attended the First Biennial International Sports and Spine Congress held in Tokyo, Japan. Organised by the Seattle Science Foundation, leading members of the international spinal surgical community discussed and debated controversies in the management of spinal conditions and injuries in sportsmen and women. Topics ranged from traumatic brain and spine sporting injuries [...]
There has been a lot of news recently about ‘Mindfulness’ and its benefits so I thought I would write a little about its history and and an overview of how it works. Mindfulness does not suit or work for everyone but I think it is important to understand the scientific basis of Mindfulness and that [...]
