A stiff neck or (Acute wry neck), also known as acute torticollis. It is a painful condition that affects the neck muscles and causes the head to tilt to one side. It can be caused by a variety of factors, such as sleeping in an awkward position, an injury, or a sudden movement. If you are experiencing acute wry neck, there are several ways to manage the pain and discomfort. In this blog post, we will discuss four ways to manage acute wry neck. Apply Heat or Cold Therapy Heat and cold therapy can be effective in reducing pain and inflammation associated with acute wry neck. Applying heat to ..read more

  What Is Tennis Elbow? Tennis elbow is painful weakening of the tendons that join your forearm muscles to your bones. It happens when you work your elbow too much by repeating certain motions. You might hear your doctor call it lateral epicondylitis. Despite the name, tennis causes only about 5% of cases. You can get it after doing any kind of repetitive movement, like painting or using hand tools. Tennis elbow is a common injury that usually needs only minor treatment, but it takes time and rest to heal. The basic pathology of tennis elbow involves an imbalance between the forearm musc ..read more

WHEN YOUR NECK IS STIFF, THERE IS ONLY ONE THING YOU WANT: RELIEF. Neck stiffness isn’t unusual, and it can occur from merely spending too long bent over your desk, sleeping awkwardly or lifting something that is too heavy. Many crave the feeling of relief that comes from a quick crack of the neck (although some research has shown that this may be a psychological placebo effect). BUT IS CRACKING YOUR NECK ANY GOOD FOR YOU? The day-to-day neck cracking you experience is probably safe. The risk comes when you either do it too often, or force it by pulling or twisting your head with your hands ..read more

Frozen shoulder is a common and complex musculoskeletal condition. It has a few other names including: adhesive capsulitis, scapulo-humeral periarthritis, periarthritis, pericapsulitis, stiff shoulder and obliterative bursitis. Don’t worry, they are all very technical names making a condition that doesn’t feel great seem even scarier. Contrary to current recommendations this condition can be effectively treated using integrative manual therapy and prescribing appropriate frozen shoulder exercises and stretches (recently an article was published supporting the use manual therapy in frozen sho ..read more

written by Dr. Belle Picco What is the condition? Osteopath Docklands can help Subacromial impingement. Which refers to inflammation and irritation to the rotator cuff as they pass through the subacromial space. The subacromial space houses the rotator cuff (comprised of four muscles) tendons, the long head of the biceps and ligaments. Impingement occurs when there is insufficient room for all the tendons and ligaments to pass through with ease. Therefore, as a result, so, consequently this results in pain, weakness and reduced range of motion with certain arm and shoulder movements. How do ..read more

What is Tennis Elbow? Lateral Epicondylitis (more commonly known as Tennis Elbow) is a chronic condition where the tendon of the extensor muscles in the forearm becomes inflamed due to overuse.  Pain is felt on the outside part of the elbow, where the tendon attaches to the bone. How do I get the condition? Lateral Epicondylitis is a repetitive stress injury, and commonly affects people who work at a desk job, as well as tradespeople.  The forearm muscles are usually really tight, and this loss of flexibility increases the pull on the tendon, which causes microscopic tears and loc ..read more

Using a spikey ball on a regular basis is a great way to maintain flexibility, ease muscle tension and optimise performance. Spikey balls are particularly effective at releasing tightness due to myofascial trigger points.  These are the tight bands and contractions that form in response to poor posture and over-use. WHY USE A SPIKEY BALL? There are some parts of the body that you can’t quite get to with a foam roller or traditional massage techniques and this is where the spikey ball comes in handy.  Spikey balls are firmer and larger than a tennis ball and not quite as unforgiving a ..read more

Rounded shoulders, are a part of overall bad posture, and they can get worse if left untreated. 95% of the population spend their time with hunched shoulders over a computer or their phones for the better part of the day. There are a few simple exercises that can help keep the shoulders in their correct position and relieve the stress caused by slumping. Stress Stress, in everyday terms, is a feeling that people have when they are overloaded and struggling to cope with demands. These demands can be related to finances, work, relationships, and other situations, but anything ..read more

Many people think of stretching and immediately associate it with pre or post-workout, but what about adding in some muscle pain relief stretches during your work day? We are spending a considerable amount of time (approximately 8 hours) seated at our desk during the day, or looking down on our phones or tablets. Surely, we should take some time to think about muscle pain relief. Overtime our bodies will no longer want to deal with the strain caused by static posture. The most common types of pain we experience are neck tension, stiff shoulders, hip and back pain. We take you through five eff ..read more

What is Isometrics? Isometric exercises are contractions of a particular muscle or group of muscles. During isometric exercises, the muscle doesn’t noticeably change length and the affected joint doesn’t move. Isometric exercises help maintain strength. They can also build strength, but not effectively. The neck often gets treated differently than other areas. People seem adverse to loading the area, instead opting more often than not for constant stretching or manual therapy. Don’t get us wrong, those things feel good and can have a place. We are firm believers that building some load toleran ..read more