“In May-2012 I underwent C5/6 & C6/7 anterior cervical decompression and fusion operation. The operation was successful. Normally at the end of 1&1/2 weeks of post operation; the pain around the neck should subside & attain approx. 75% normal movement of the neck. However; this was not in my case. After 1&1/2 weeks; the pain was really…
It wasn’t long after the Gods had created humankind that they began to realise their mistake. The creatures they had created were so adept, so skillful, so full of curiosity and the spirit of inquiry that it was only a matter of time before they would start to challenge the Gods themselves for supremacy. To…
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common source of joint pain, stiffness and swelling. It’s a leading cause of chronic disability and affects about 8 million people in the UK and 27 million in the US. OA leads to the gradual degeneration or wear and tear of joint surfaces and is often the cause of knee and…
It’s been a year, to the day, since I started this blog. Hundreds of hours have gone into researching, reading and writing the articles. Although it’s been tough at times and even challenging just to find something to write about, I’ve enjoyed the process and learnt a lot from it. I’ve now got a lot…
A study by Arthur English and Nancy Thompson has found that exercise can promote the regeneration of peripheral nerve injuries. In both males and females, the effect requires the assistance of androgens such as testosterone.
“Habit is either the best of servants or the worst of masters” Nathaniel Emmons
Although mainly about the effects of emotion on reason, ‘Descartes’ Error‘ by Antonio Damasio contains a few fascinating nuggets on pain. He distinguishes 2 components to pain: Sensory perception from skin, mucosa, muscle, organ, etc. – the nerve endings stimulated in an area of the body lead to a ‘pain image’, a temporary representation of body…
There’s been a lot of talk in the press (BBC, The Telegraph, Yahoo, Medical News Today, etc.) this week about finding the gene that causes back pain. So now back pain can be added to a host of other inherited conditions such as obesity, depression, cancer and diabetes. Before I give my opinion, I’d like…
I read an interesting passage in ‘Mindfulness’, Ellen Langer’s insightful book on social psychology. “Patients are often certain that pain is inevitable in a hospital. Caught in such a mindset, they assume that, without the help of medication, pain cannot be controlled. In our experiment, we tried to learn whether people could control their experience…
“I saw Gauthier after being involved in a major motorcycle accident and had big problems with my shoulder and thumb afterwards. I had restricted movement in my shoulder and weakness with my thumb and grip strength. Gauthier gave me a course of acupuncture and ultrasound which worked wonders. I was a bit sceptical about the…