Sharp Physiotherapy

Sharp Physiotherapy ▪️Specialist Sport & Musculoskeletal Injury Clinic.
📍 Bawtry 📍 Lincoln📍 Newark

Sharp Physiotherapy Doncaster helps adults aged 30–60 recover from pain, injury, and surgery so they can stay active and move with confidence. We treat all areas of the body including back, neck, shoulder, hip & groin, knee, foot, and ankle pain. Our services include physiotherapy, sports injury rehab, physio-led gym access, shockwave therapy, manual therapy, and post-surgery rehabilitation. Conve

niently based in Bawtry with free parking and HCPC-registered clinicians, we're trusted by patients across Doncaster.

06/05/2026

If you are noticing your grip getting weaker, or simple things like lifting a kettle are becoming more difficult, there are a couple of common reasons for this.

One of the most obvious is an issue around the elbow.

When you grip or lift, the tendons around the elbow are working hard. So if you have a condition like tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow, this can lead to pain and a noticeable reduction in grip strength.

But there is another important cause that is often overlooked.

Problems higher up in the neck can also affect your grip.

The nerves in your neck send signals down the arm to the muscles in your forearm and hand. If one of these nerves becomes irritated or compressed, for example from a disc bulge, it can reduce the strength of those signals.

As a result, the muscles do not work as effectively, and your grip can feel weaker.

In fact, reduced grip strength is one of the more common signs of nerve involvement.

So if you are experiencing weakness, it is important to work out whether it is coming from the elbow itself or from the neck.

The good thing is that a proper physio assessment can quickly rule things in or out and point you in the right direction.

If you are noticing changes in your grip, it is worth getting it checked early rather than letting it progress.

The Sharp Physio Team

05/05/2026

Will a cortisone injection fix tennis elbow?

It is something a lot of people consider, especially when the pain has been there for a few months and is not settling.

Injections can help, and we do see some people get relief from them.

But they are not always the best first option, particularly for longer standing cases.

If your symptoms have been ongoing for a few months and you are starting to get frustrated, one of the most effective treatments to consider before injections is shockwave therapy.

Shockwave is particularly well suited for chronic tendon issues like tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow. It works by stimulating healing in the tendon and can often lead to relatively quick improvements.

In many cases, symptoms begin to settle over a short course of treatments, rather than dragging on for months.

The important thing to understand is that injections mainly reduce pain and inflammation, but they do not directly address the underlying tendon health in the same way.

Shockwave, on the other hand, is aimed at improving the quality of the tissue itself.

One key point to be aware of is timing.

If you do have an injection, you cannot have shockwave treatment for at least 12 weeks afterwards. So going straight to injection can limit your options in the short term.

If you are dealing with persistent elbow pain and starting to consider injections, it is worth exploring shockwave therapy first.

The Sharp Physio Team

04/05/2026

Tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow, how do you tell the difference?

The easiest place to start is the location of the pain.

Tennis elbow causes pain on the outside of the elbow, whereas golfer’s elbow causes pain on the inside.

That simple difference in location is often the first clue.

Another useful way to check is by pressing on the bony areas of the elbow where the tendons attach.

With both conditions, these spots are usually very tender to touch, either on the inside or outside depending on which one it is.

You can also look at how the elbow responds to certain movements.

If resisted wrist extension brings on pain, where you lift your wrist up against resistance, this points more towards tennis elbow.

If resisted wrist flexion is painful, where you bend your wrist down against resistance, this is more likely to be golfer’s elbow.

So it comes down to three key things.

Where the pain is located.
Tenderness over the tendon attachment.
And which movements reproduce the pain.

If you are unsure which one you are dealing with, getting it properly assessed will help you target the right treatment and recover quicker.

The Sharp Physio Team

03/05/2026

If you have pain on the outside of your elbow, does it mean you have tennis elbow?

Not necessarily, and interestingly, most people with tennis elbow do not play tennis.

Tennis elbow is the most common cause of pain on the outside of the elbow.

But there is something else that cannot be overlooked.

In a significant number of cases, that pain is actually coming from irritation of the radial nerve, often linked back to the neck.

We see this quite a lot in clinic, where people come in thinking they have tennis elbow, but it is actually nerve related.

In fact, a good proportion of cases can be coming from the neck rather than the elbow itself.

This is why assessment is so important.

From a physio perspective, one of the key jobs is to rule in or rule out nerve involvement.

Because the treatment is very different.

Tennis elbow is treated by loading the tendon appropriately along with Manual therapy and shockwave therapy.

Whereas radial nerve irritation requires a different approach, often involving the neck and the nerve pathway itself.

If you are treating the wrong thing, it simply will not improve.

So if you have persistent pain on the outside of your elbow, it is worth getting it properly assessed to make sure you are targeting the right cause.

The Sharp Physio Team

02/05/2026

If you are getting tingling going down your arm into your hand, it is often coming from the neck.

A lot of people describe this as a trapped nerve, but in reality, it is usually a nerve that has become irritated or compressed rather than truly trapped.

When that nerve is irritated, it can send symptoms down its pathway, which is why you feel tingling, pins and needles, or even discomfort travelling from the neck into the arm and hand.

The key is working out where along that pathway the nerve is being affected.

That is where a proper assessment comes in.

As physios, our job is to identify exactly where the nerve is being irritated, whether that is coming from the neck itself or somewhere further along the chain.

Once that area is identified and treated, it is very common to see a quick improvement in symptoms.

In many cases, these issues settle well within 4 to 6 treatment sessions when managed correctly.

If you are experiencing tingling or symptoms travelling down your arm, it is not something to ignore, but it is also something that responds very well to the right treatment.

The Sharp Physio Team

01/05/2026

Why do neck pain and headaches often come together?

It is something we see all the time in clinic.

People come in with ongoing neck pain and also complain of headaches, often starting at the base of the skull and spreading into the head.

One of the most common causes of this is a group of small muscles at the top of the neck, particularly a muscle called the obliquus capitis.

This muscle sits right at the base of the skull, and running very close to it is a nerve called the greater occipital nerve, which travels up into the head.

When the neck becomes tight or irritated, especially with ongoing or chronic issues, these muscles can become overactive and tighten.

As they tighten, they can irritate the nearby nerve.

This is what creates the referral of pain from the neck into the head, leading to what we call a cervicogenic headache.

One of the key things to understand is that these types of headaches usually respond very well to physiotherapy.

By reducing muscle tension, improving movement, and addressing the underlying cause in the neck, symptoms often improve quite quickly.

Because of that, response to treatment is important.

If you have had a few sessions of physiotherapy and there is no improvement at all, it is less likely that the headache is coming from the neck, and it would be important to explore other causes with your GP.

But when the headache is coming from the neck, this area is often a key driver, and with the right treatment, outcomes are usually very good.

If you are dealing with both neck pain and headaches, it is worth getting it assessed properly to understand where it is really coming from.

The Sharp Physio Team

30/04/2026

Why do you wake up with neck pain?

It is one of the most common things we see in clinic.

People go to bed feeling fine and wake up with a stiff, painful neck, sometimes struggling to turn or move properly.

In many cases, this comes down to your sleeping position and, more importantly, your pillow.

Your neck needs to be supported in a neutral position overnight. If your pillow is too high, too low, or the wrong shape for your body, it can place the neck under stress for hours at a time.

Overnight, that repeated strain builds up and you wake up with pain and stiffness.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is going online and buying a generic orthopaedic pillow.

It might help temporarily, but if it is not suited to your specific body shape, it can just create a different problem.

The key is getting the right support for your neck.

The most effective approach is using a pillow that is matched to you. This is usually based on a few simple measurements such as your neck height, neck circumference, and shoulder width.

When those are accounted for, the pillow supports your neck properly and allows the muscles to fully relax overnight.

We see this time and time again in clinic, where people switch to a pillow that actually fits them and their symptoms improve very quickly.

If you are regularly waking up with neck pain, it is not something to ignore, and your pillow is often the first place to look.

The Sharp Physio Team

30/04/2026

How quickly can you recover from shoulder impingement?

The honest answer is that it depends on the individual.

No two shoulders are the same.

Some people respond very quickly and can settle things within 3 to 4 weeks with the right treatment and rehab.

Others may take closer to 8 to 12 weeks, particularly if the irritation has been there for longer or the underlying issues are more complex.

What is important is not just the timeline, but how the shoulder is responding early on.

With true shoulder impingement, you would expect to see some level of improvement within the first few sessions.

Pain should start to reduce, movement should feel easier, and function should begin to improve.

If that is happening, you stay the course and continue progressing.

However, if there is little to no improvement after a few treatments, that is when you need to question whether something else is going on.

It is not something that should drag on for 10 to 15 sessions without any clear change.

In those cases, we would start to look deeper, often using imaging such as X ray or ultrasound to assess whether there is a structural issue contributing to the problem.

The people who tend to need more advanced input, including surgery, are usually those with a more significant primary impingement.

This can involve bony changes such as osteophytes or changes in the shape of the acromion, which can repeatedly compress the tendon.

Over time, that repeated compression can also lead to tendon damage, which makes the situation more complex.

The key is early response.

If it is improving, you are on the right track. If it is not, it needs to be investigated further rather than pushed on with blindly.

The Sharp Physio Team

29/04/2026

If you’ve been dealing with shin pain that just won't budge, you’ve probably tried resting or swapping your trainers, only to have that familiar ache return the moment you pick up the pace again.

One of the most common reasons this happens is a muscle that often gets completely overlooked, the tibialis anterior.

This muscle runs right down the front of your shin and attaches to the top of your foot.

It has a massive job every time you take a step as it's responsible for lifting your foot up and then controlling how it lowers back down to the ground as your heel strikes.

When it's happy, your gait feels smooth and springy. But when it gets tight or overloaded, it starts to protest.

You might notice a persistent burning or deep ache along the front of your shin, or even discomfort that travels down into your ankle or across the very top of your foot.

It often feels like your leg is just "fatigued" or heavy, especially when you're walking uphill, running, or climbing stairs.

Because this muscle is so involved in every step, a cranky tibialis anterior is frequently the "secret" culprit behind stubborn shin splints and ankle problems that never seem to fully resolve.

The good news is that once we identify it, it’s very treatable.

We use targeted hands-on therapy to "calm" the muscle down and get rid of that initial irritation, but the long-term fix is all about the right strengthening work.

By building up its capacity to handle the load of your walking or running, we can stop the cycle of shin pain for good.

If your shins have been nagging you for weeks, it might be time to look at the missing piece of the puzzle.

The Sharp Physio Team

29/04/2026

Will a shoulder injection fix the problem, or just mask it?

Shoulder injections can be very effective, especially in cases of shoulder impingement.

Using ultrasound guidance, the injection can be placed very accurately into the inflamed tissue, often the bursa, and this can lead to a significant reduction in pain, sometimes almost instantly.

For many people, this can be a real turning point, especially if pain has been limiting movement or sleep.

But there is an important point to understand.

The injection is reducing inflammation and settling pain, it is not correcting the underlying cause of the impingement.

So if you return to the same activities, with the same movement patterns and the same underlying issues, the pain will often come back again.

This is where people feel like the injection has only masked the problem.

To get the best results, injections should be combined with physiotherapy.

Once the pain is reduced, it creates a window where you can properly work on strength, control, and movement around the shoulder without aggravating it.

That is what actually fixes the issue long term.

It is also worth saying that injections are not usually the first step.

We always aim to manage things conservatively first, using physio and load management, and only consider injection if symptoms are not progressing as expected.

Used at the right time and combined with the right rehab, the results can be excellent.

The Sharp Physio Team

28/04/2026

If you’re stuck with Achilles pain that keeps looping back around, you know it’s more than just "post-workout" soreness.

It’s that tell-tale morning hobble, that sharp pinch during a run, or the dull throb that sets in the moment you sit down after a long day.

It feels like something that should just go away with a bit of rest, but it never quite does.

Most people try the standard "first-aid" approach of taking a few weeks off, icing the heel every night, or obsessively stretching their calves.

While these might quiet the symptoms for a few days, they don't actually address why the tendon is screaming in the first place.

When you eventually try to get back to your normal routine, that familiar "tight" sensation is usually waiting for you.

The reality is that an Achilles becomes painful when it’s being asked to do more work than it's currently strong enough to handle.

That "overload" isn't always about how much you're running, it’s often caused by stiff ankle joints, hidden weakness in your hips, or even a sudden change in the type of shoes you're wearing.

Real, lasting progress isn't about just "waiting" for the pain to fade.

True recovery is a two-step process.

First, we focus on settling the fire by using targeted hands-on treatment to calm the initial irritation and restore smooth movement to the joint.

Then, we move on to building the engine with a structured loading program that gradually rebuilds the tendon’s capacity to handle weight again.

That’s the secret to moving past the "quick patches" and building a tendon that is actually resilient enough for the activities you love.

If your Achilles has been nagging you for months, it’s a sign that your current plan is missing the most important piece of the puzzle.

The Sharp Physio Team

28/04/2026

Do you need a scan to diagnose shoulder impingement?

It is a question we get a lot, especially when shoulder pain has been ongoing for a while.

The short answer is that scans can be helpful, but they are not always the first step.

A good clinical assessment will often give us a very clear idea of what is going on.

From there, imaging is used to confirm findings or guide management if needed.

When we do look at scans, we do not usually jump straight to MRI.

The first step we often prefer is an X ray.

This allows us to assess the shape and position of the acromion and check for any bony changes such as osteophytes or variations in structure that could be contributing to impingement.

After that, our preferred option for soft tissue is usually an ultrasound scan.

Ultrasound is very sensitive when it comes to assessing structures like the rotator cuff, the bursa, and the biceps tendon.

It is excellent for picking up irritation, inflammation, or small tears in these tissues, often more effectively in a functional setting than MRI.

MRI can still be useful, particularly in more complex cases, but it is not always the first or most necessary investigation.

The key is choosing the right scan at the right time, based on what we find clinically.

If your shoulder pain is not settling or keeps coming back, getting it properly assessed is the first step before jumping straight into imaging.

The Sharp Physio Team

Address

14 The Courtyard
Bawtry
DN106JG

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+441302244093

Website

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