The Colin Dove Practice - Romford Osteopaths

02/03/2026

24/12/2025

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from The Colin Dove Practice.
Thank you for all your support over the year.

We are now closed until 2nd January. If you need any advice over the festive period then please email colindovepractice@gmail.com

12/06/2024

Shoulder pain is one of the most common complaints in clinic.

The shoulder joint is made up primarily of a ball and socket joint between the humerus (arm bone) and the scapula (shoulder blade) but also consists of a joint called the acromioclavicular joint (shoulder blade and collar bone) which forms the roof of the shoulder joint.

A vital group of muscles for shoulder movement and stability are the rotator cuff, made up of four muscles. There are also ligaments, a sac that cushions the humerus called bursa, tissue that deepen the socket called a labrum, a capsule that surrounds the joint and other muscles such as the biceps that can cause pain in the area.

Common diagnosis that are given for shoulder problems are
Frozen shoulder
Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy
Capsulitis
Impingement
Bursitis.
Referred pain from the neck

It is important to get an idea as to why your shoulder hurts and get appropriate treatment.

Physical Therapy and exercises to help improve mobility and improve muscle strength have been shown to have good results with shoulder pain


If you would like an assessment or advice on your shoulder pain then get in touch with Roy or Arabella

04/06/2024

Neck pain is very common and it is thought that 1 in 3 people will experience neck pain at some point. There maybe be a specific cause to it such as a whiplash injury, but it is also common to experience a crick in the neck for no apparent reason, with patients presenting to the practice saying they had just slept awkwardly and woken up with a stiff neck.

In a large number of cases, the cause is muscular and can often get better on its own with light movement and exercise.
With persistent problems, exercises to help strengthen the neck muscles and help with mobility in the neck and surrounding areas can be helpful.
Looking at how your work station is set up, taking regular breaks to move during the day and making sure that you have a good supportive mattress and pillows can be a way of helping reduce neck pain

If the neck pain doesn’t clear up or arises from an injury or the pain spreads down the arms and has associated numbness, tingling sensation then it is worth getting a medical opinion.

10/05/2024

Muscle strains are a common presentation within physical therapy practices and the symptoms can vary hugely depending on the severity of the injury.
Different classifications have been presented and this gives a rough guide to the differences in severity.
Simple Grade 1 strains can often be managed at home and different acronyms have been used to help with self management. Previously the acronym RICE was followed but now, the common guideline is ⬇️
Protect
Optimal Loading
Ice
Compression
Elevation

The way injuries are treated is continually changing based on the most up to date research and currently suggests that optimal loading (light mechanical loading) in the early stages is better for recovery than rest or a lack of movement.
The use of Ice however is potentially less important than we once thought. Anecdotally and due to its analgesic effect, Ice can make an injury feel better, but with the exception of severe swelling which impedes movement, research is tending to suggest that Ice stays in the freezer.
We will cover the pros and cons of Ice for recovery and injury at a later date

10/05/2024

Muscle strains are a common presentation within physical therapy practices and the symptoms can vary hugely depending on the severity of the injury.
Different classifications have been presented and this gives a rough guide to the differences in severity.
Simple Grade 1 strains can often be managed at home and different acronyms have been used to help with self management. Previously the acronym RICE was followed but now, the common guideline is ⬇️
Protect
Optimal Loading
Ice
Rest
Elevation

The way injuries are treated is continually changing based on the most up to date research and currently suggests that optimal loading (light mechanical loading) in the early stages is better for recovery than rest or a lack of movement.
The use of Ice however is potentially less important than we once thought. Anecdotally and due to its analgesic effect, Ice can make an injury feel better, but with the exception of severe swelling which impedes movement, research is tending to suggest that Ice stays in the freezer.
We will cover the pros and cons of Ice for recovery and injury at a later date

08/05/2024

Gluteal Tendinopathy, or a condition often referred to as Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (GTPS) is a fairly common cause of pain on the outside of the hip which can refer down the outside of the leg towards the knee, or into the buttock muscles

Symptoms are often felt after a period of rest, when lying on the painful side, climbing stairs, crossing legs or during activities that require squatting.

In many cases, the ‘normal approach’ many people take to pain such as rest and pain relief medication fails to resolve the issue. Specific rehabilitation is often needed, looking into predisposing factors and building a specific exercise programme to strengthen the gluteal muscles and improve the tendons tolerance to activity.

Adaptation is often slow, so patience and good compliance to the rehab is needed.

01/05/2024

Hip pain is a common condition, especially as we get older. It can be caused by muscular pain or referred pain from the lower back but can also be from the hip joint itself. Often pain from the hip joint presents with groin pain rather than buttock pain.

An osteopath may be able to help by assessment of your hip to try to find out the cause of the pain and show you some management ideas if appropriate. This may include exercises to strengthen and stretch/improve mobility in the area as well as manual techniques to the soft tissues and joints.

26/04/2024

Achilles tendinopathy is a painful condition affecting the Achilles tendon, which attaches the calf muscles to the heel bone. In most cases, Achilles tendinopathy is a type of overuse injury and although often associated with sports activities and an increased load in sports such as running for example, it is by no means restricted to that demographic.

⬇️Potential Risk Factors

Overuse Injuries
Rapid Change in Load
Inappropriate/unsupportive footwear
Arthritis (tendinopathy can be a presentation of certain inflammatory arthritis

Obesity
Type II Diabetes

💪Treatment of overload injuries

Common belief that rest until it doesn't hurt anymore and then start running again often doesn't work in the management of tendinopathy. An understanding of potential causes is important and education on an appropriate strategy to improve the capacity of the tendon to take load. This often includes controlled tendon loading. Different protocols have been put forward for this and probably the most widely discussed is the Alfredson Protocol consisting of a 12 week loading programme. This is by no means a one size fits all approach but for example, a link to this protocol can be found below

https://colindovepractice.co.uk/achilles-tendon-loading-programme/

26/04/2024

Achilles tendinopathy is a painful condition affecting the Achilles tendon, which attaches the calf muscles to the heel bone. In most cases, Achilles tendinopathy is a type of overuse injury and although often associated with sports activities and an increased load in sports such as running for example, it is by no means restricted to that demographic.

⬇️Potential Risk Factors

Overuse Injuries
Rapid Change in Load
Inappropriate/unsupportive footwear
Arthritis (tendinopathy can be a presentation of certain inflammatory arthritis

Obesity
Type II Diabetes

💪Treatment of overload injuries

Common belief that rest until it doesn't hurt anymore and then start running again often doesn't work in the management of tendinopathy. An understanding of potential causes is important and education on an appropriate strategy to improve the capacity of the tendon to take load. This often includes controlled tendon loading. Different protocols have been put forward for this and probably the most widely discussed is the Alfredson Protocol consisting of a 12 week loading programme. This is by no means a one size fits all approach but for example, a link to this protocol can be found below

https://colindovepractice.co.uk/achilles-tendon-loading-programme/

25/04/2024

The most common complaint that we see as osteopaths is back pain, but a large number of people suffer with pain in other joints in the body. Starting with the feet, we are writing a blog on each part of the body, as well as common conditions and how to manage them.
Follow the link to our website for more information

https://colindovepractice.co.uk/foot-pain/

25/08/2023

Today makes the 1st anniversary of our move to new premises. Thank you to everyone at for making us feel@so welcome.