Treat-me

02/03/2025

🚨 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘁 🚨

Yesterday afternoon, Longtown Mountain Rescue Team was called by Dyfed-Powys Police following reports of a kayaker in difficulty on the river near Hay-on-Wye.

The paddler, who was well-equipped and experienced, recognised the need for assistance and quickly
called 𝟵𝟵𝟵.

However, due to challenges in pinpointing their exact location over the phone, the team used Sarloc Rescue technology to successfully identify their position in the water.

This initiated a coordinated multi-agency response, with Longtown Mountain Rescue Team working alongside Brecon Mountain Rescue Team and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. Thanks to the teamwork and swift action of all involved, the kayaker was safely rescued.

After being assessed by an LMRT medic, they were given the all-clear and discharged from the scene.


Longtown Mountain Rescue Team is a voluntary organisation who respond to requests from the police for assistance in the Black Mountains of South Wales and into Herefordshire for injured and missing people. The Team is on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and relies entirely on donations from members of the public to carry out this essential life-saving rescue service.

You can help with the work we do and support the Team by donating through our page. You can also help if you 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 & 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 this post to raise awareness of the work we do.

23/02/2025

28/08/2018

Can exercise helps ease arthritis pain and stiffness?

Hi Folks how often have you heard that exercise is crucial for people with arthritis? And that It increases strength and flexibility, reduces joint pain, and helps combat fatigue. Of course, when stiff and painful joints are already bogging you down, the thought of walking around the block or swimming a few laps might seem overwhelming.

Saying that, you don't need to run a marathon to help reduce arthritis symptoms, like I've always said, "you never see a happy jogger".

But even moderate exercise can ease your pain and help you maintain a healthy weight. When arthritis threatens to immobilize you, exercise keeps you moving. Not convinced? Read on.

Why exercise is vital

As we know exercise can help you improve your health and fitness without hurting your joints. Exercise can:
• Strengthen the muscles around your joints
• Help you maintain bone strength
• Give you more energy to get through the day
• Make it easier to get a good night's sleep
• Help you control your weight
• Enhance your quality of life

Though you might think exercise will aggravate your joint pain and stiffness, that's not the case. Lack of exercise actually can make your joints even more painful and stiff.

That's because keeping your muscles and surrounding tissue strong is crucial to maintaining support for your bones. Not exercising weakens those supporting muscles, creating more stress on your joints.

Check with your doctor first
If your concerned about taking up some form of exercise talk to your doctor about it first. What types of exercises are best for you depends on your type of arthritis and which joints are involved.

Your Osteomyologist can work with you to find the best exercise that gives you the most benefit with the least aggravation of your joint pain, for example.

For example
• Range-of-motion exercises like Yoga or Tai Chi
• Strengthening exercises, light weight training
• Aerobic exercise walking, cycling or swimming.

Tips to protect your joints

As with anything new and especially with exercise, Start slowly to ease your joints and muscles into exercise if you haven't been active for a while. If you push yourself too hard, you can overwork your muscles and worsen your joint pain.

Consider these tips as you get started:

• Keep the impact low. Low impact exercises like in the water help keep joint stress low while you move.
• Apply heat. Heat can relax your joints and muscles and relieve any pain you have before you begin. Heat treatments — warm towels, hot packs or a shower — should be warm, not painfully hot, and should be applied for about 20 minutes.
• Move gently. Move your joints gently at first to warm up. You might begin with range-of-motion exercises for five to 10 minutes before you move on to strengthening or aerobic exercises.
• Ice after ward. Apply ice to your joints for up to 20 minutes as needed after activity, especially after activity that causes joint swelling.
• Trust your instincts and don't exert more energy than you think your joints can handle. Take it easy and slowly increase your exercise length and intensity as you progress.

Don't over do

You might notice some pain after you exercise if you haven't been active for a while. In general, if you're sore for more than two hours after you exercise, you were probably exercising too strenuously.

Talk to your doctor or Osteomyologist about what pain is normal and what pain is a sign of something more serious.

If you have rheumatoid arthritis, ask your doctor if you should exercise during general or local flares.

One option is to work through your joint flares by doing only range-of-motion exercises, Yoga would be good for this, just to keep your body moving, or exercising in water to cushion your joints.
This article was taken from the Mayo Clinic

20/08/2018

Hi Folks
You may remember a few months ago I did an article about “muscle injury” and what self-help you could do. I’m sure you’ll remember (RICE) Rest, Ice, Compression & Elevation part.

Well since then I've seen a few people in my practice at “treat-me” with bruising and have often been asked whether it’s safe to massage a bruise.

So, before we look into what a bruise is, there are a few things that you must avoid during the first three days, 72 hours of your injury.

Be sure to avoid any form of heat at the injury area. This includes hot water bottle, heat creams. Avoid all movement and massage of the injured area.
Also avoid excessive alcohol. All these things will increase the bleeding, swelling and pain of your injury. Avoid them at all costs.

So now we've sorted that part out, let’s look at what a bruise is.

A bruises / contusions, happen when the small blood vessels in the skin are damaged, typically from a fall, a kick or something.

Then over time, a bruise changes colour as the blood under the skin breaks down, and as the bruise heals.

The blood pools under the surface of the skin, causing a bruise. It is natural for a bruise to change colour during the healing process.

As the body heals and breaks down the haemoglobin, the compound that gives blood its red colour, the bruise will change in colour. This is a regular part of the healing process.

After around 1–2 days, the blood begins to lose oxygen and change colour. A bruise that is a few days old will often appear blue, purple, or even black.

In about 5–10 days, it turns a yellow or green colour. Then after 10–14 days, it will turn to a shade of yellowish-brown or light brown.

Finally, once the bruise has turned a light brown, it will begin to fade. Most bruises will disappear without treatment within about 2 weeks.

When to worry about bruises

Bruises are not typically something to cause undue worry. Often, they are a surface injury that requires no medical attention, and you can treat them at home.

But, in some cases, you may want to seek medical attention for your bruising.

One common issue is a hematoma. A hematoma is a large collection of blood that becomes trapped within tissues. It is often related to more significant injury / trauma.

When a hematoma occurs, the body cannot heal the bruise as easily or quickly as a result, a hematoma stays the same colour, firmness, and causes the same level of pain even after several days.

The location, size, and cause of the hematoma will determine how to treat it.

Some of the warning signs that you’ll need medical attention include bruising that:
• causes an arm or leg to become numb
• causes loss of function of a joint, limb or muscle
• keeps growing in size
• recurs in the same spot or lasts longer than 2 weeks
• happens alongside a broken bone
• occurs on the head or neck
• causes vision impairment
• occurs with no known cause on the abdomen, head, or trunk, as this may signal a problem with an internal organ

So if you have any of the above, seek medical advice and get yourself down to your Doctors.

How to speed up healing

Okay you may want to try to speed up the healing or lessen any pain associated with bruising. There are some potential at-home methods you can try, this is where (RICE) Rest, Ice, Compression & Elevation comes in.

Use an ice pack

So you've rested the area, one of the first steps to helping a bruise heal is to apply ice to the area. You can ice the area with anything frozen, such as a frozen bag of peas, ideal.

Wrap it in a tea towel or cloth and apply to the affected area. Do not apply a cold pack directly to the skin, as this can cause further injury.

This then helps to slow bleeding down and lessen the swelling. It can reduce the overall size of the bruise, as it prevents blood from leaking further and reduces inflammation.

Compression , wrap it up

The use of a soft elastic wrap, during waking hours, for the first 1–2 days can help decrease bruising and discomfort after an injury.

The wrap should be firm but not tight. Numbness, tingling or increased discomfort means the wrap should be loosened or removed, don’t forget to take it off at night.

Before we move on, a quick word of warning. Never, Never, Never do any activity that hurts the injured area. Of course you may feel some discomfort, but NEVER, NEVER push yourself to the point where you’re feeling pain.

Listen to your body. Don’t over do it at this early stage of the recovery.

Next, you now need to start your own treatments.

Now we need to increase the amount of good oxygenated blood to the injured area, don’t forget we are now talking day three or four after your injury.

The most common methods used are TENS or heat, in the form of a hot water bottle, which is effective in stimulating blood flow to the damaged tissues.

Secondly, to speed up recovery and repair the damage tissue it is vital that you start to massage the injured area and connecting muscles.

While ultrasound and heat will help the injured area, they will not remove the scar tissue and other damaged tissue. Only massage will be able to do that.

Initially, the injured area may be quite tender, so start with a light stroke and gradually increase the pressure until you’re able to use firm strokes.

Concentrate your effort at the direct point of injury and use your thumbs to get in as deep as possible to break down the scar tissue.

Just a few final points before we move on. Be sure to drink plenty of fluid during your injury rehabilitation. The extra fluid will help to flush a lot of the waste products from your body, sorry folks, alcohol doesn't count.

And lastly, gentle stretching should also be included as part of your heat and massage treatment. This will help to regain your range of motion and re-align the damaged muscle fibres. While working on increasing the flexibility of the injured area, it’s also important to increase the flexibility of the muscle groups around the injured area.

Once your range of motion has returned to normal and movement of the injured area is pain free, you can start to implement some more active rehabilitation techniques like strength work, balance and sport specific training.

13/08/2018

Some like it hot. . .and perhaps more should because taking a regular sauna can have a big impact on our health. It protects against heart disease, lung problems, mental health disorders and, not surprisingly with all that, it also helps us live longer.

If that wasn't enough, sauna bathing also helps improve skin conditions, arthritis, headaches and the flu, say researchers from the University of Eastern Finland.

The researchers brought together all the previously-published research into sauna bathing, which involves brief exposure to very high temperatures, usually in the 80 to 100 degrees C range.

Sitting in a sauna for just a few minutes has similar health benefits as moderate-intensity exercise, such as a long walk, the researchers reckon. And combining the two—having a sauna after a walk, perhaps—has added health benefits compared to doing just one of the activities.

Regular sauna bathing has good effects on our circulation and respiratory systems, our cardiovascular and immune functions, and helps stabilize the autonomic nervous system, which controls breathing, circulation and digestion. It also reduces blood pressure, inflammation and arterial stiffness, an early sign of heart disease.

Sauna bathing also has a good safety profile, and it's even safe for someone with an existing heart condition, the researchers add.

The benefits of Sauna & Steam rooms are often overlooked by many who see them as simply a way to relax and unwind. Although Sauna and Steam rooms are known to relax both your body and mind they also have many other benefits which are often ignored by users.

1.) Clears the Skin: The Steam helps to clear skin impurities and can potentially be used to treat acne.

2.) Relieves Tension: The heat from the sauna soothes your nerve endings and also relaxes your muscles.

3.) Removes Toxins: The heat from sauna and steam rooms makes your body sweat. Sweating relieves the body of waste products, and it is known that sitting in a sauna or steam room for around twenty minutes can rid the body of the day's sweat and waste products.

4.) Reduces Stress: The heat from the sauna causes the body to release endorphin's and other 'feel good' chemicals that reduce the feeling of stress on the body.

5.) Post-workout Relaxation: Post exercise muscles are in desperate need of relaxation in order to promote quick and healthy recovery.

6.) Can Aid Weight Loss: Frequent visits to the steam room or saunas can potentially aid in weight loss as it is well known it can get rid of water weight. It is important to note however that this is not in replace of a balanced diet and exercise, and instead something to be used alongside both.

7.) Opens Sinuses: Heat from saunas and steam rooms opens and thins the mucus membranes all around your body.

8.) Promotes Healthy Blood Flow: The bodies capillaries dilate when they are exposed to the heat of the sauna or steam room which allows blood to flow freely and easily throughout the body, transporting oxygen to all areas of the body which needs it.

9.) Can Increase Flexibility: Regularly stretching stiff muscles before entering a sauna or steam room can lead to the heat penetrating your tired and stiff muscles making them more fluid and loose.

10.) A less well known benefit of saunas and steam rooms is that they can minimize joint pain, as well as minimizing the pain of headaches due to the high heat environment.

________________________________________
References
(Source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2018; 93: 1111)
Taken from “What the Doctors don’t tell you”

20/06/2018

20/06/2018

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK: ROTATOR CUFF INJURIES
Hi folks, last week we looked at the rotator cuff and what it involves, this week I thought we’d have a look at some of the injuries associated with the rotator cuff.

There are many conditions that may cause us to experience pain, loss of range of motion or stiffness in our shoulders. Often, shoulder problems occur over time from overuse and/or repetitive movements, especially overhead movements. Three of the most common conditions are frozen shoulder, impingement, and rotator cuff tears.

Frozen Shoulder
This occurs when the shoulder capsule, which is a fibrous sheath which encloses the structures of the joint, thickens and becomes stiff. This is usually a slow process that occurs over time and can often happen without any injury to your shoulder.
If you have frozen shoulder, you will experience a loss of range of motion, stiffness and pain when trying to actively move (you creating movement) and passively move (someone else helping you create movement) your shoulder. Without treatment this condition could last for up to 18 months or so and it can get worse before it gets better.

Impingement
Impingement is a condition in which tendons in the shoulder rub against bony structures in the shoulder causing the tendons to become irritated and inflamed. Again this happens when there’s a lot of repetitive action, especially overhead activities.

Rotator cuff tears
Rotator cuff tears….I’ve got to be honest this is one of the most common shoulder injuries. Again it usually happens over time from overuse or from a traumatic injury. As we know form my last post, the rotator cuff consists of 4 muscles that surround the shoulder joint.
When one or more of these muscles tear you will often experience pain when trying to move your arm and will be unable to move your arm throughout the full range of motion.

Treatment from your friendly Osteomyologist can help decrease pain and regain range of motion and strength.

All of these shoulder conditions can be treated, with the right treatment plan. Exercises can be used to help you regain range of motion and strength to allow you pain-free movements and get you back to work and hobbies.

If this injury if familiar to you or you know someone who has this condition and they want to be pain free and start enjoying their day to day activities or hobbies without any restrictions please give me a call at “Treat-me”. I would be happy to help.

11/06/2018

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK: ROTATOR CUFF
Hi folks, this week I thought we’d have a look at the rotator cuff, as this is one of the most common conditions I see at my “treat-me” practice.
The rotator cuff is a group of ligaments, muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint, (keeping it all in place). It is one of the most mobile joints in the body (at the expense of stability) and therefore more susceptible to injury.
The head of your upper arm (the humerus) is held within the shallow socket of the shoulder by these ligaments and tendons and it also involves four muscles. Each one of these muscles plays an important role of the Rotator Cuff:
Supraspinatus. This holds your humerus in place and keeps your upper arm stable. It helps to lift your arm.
Infraspinatus. This is the main muscle that lets you rotate and extend your shoulder.
Teres Minor. This is the smallest of the shoulder muscle. Its main job is to assist with rotation of the arm away from the body.
Subscapularis. This holds your humerus to your shoulder blade. It also helps you rotate your arm, hold your arm straight out, and lower it.
Muscles of the rotator cuff

Front View Back View

Because the shoulder is so flexible, and sites in a shallow housing of the scapular, with so many muscles involved in looking after it, and so often used in so many activities, whether at work or in sport it is inevitable that the shoulder may well at some stage be plagued by some injury or other. This could be a rotator cuff injury, an impingement, or a frozen shoulder. We will look into these conditions at a later date in HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK.
The pain associated with a rotator cuff injury may:
• Be described as a dull ache deep in the shoulder
• Sudden pain with lifting and reaching movements
• Disturb sleep, particularly if you lie on the affected shoulder
• Make it difficult to comb your hair or reach behind your back
• Be accompanied by arm weakness
Many of these symptoms are similar to other conditions of shoulder injury, that’s why a thorough examination is imperative, to ascertain how the condition came to be;
• sudden or slow,
• sharp or dull ache,
• pain on active or passive movement.
You know the score by now, rather than wait for the condition to get worst, give me a call at my “treat-me” clinic

04/06/2018

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK

Hi folks, you may remember a few weeks back I mentioned the Iliopsoas muscle, well this week I thought we’d look at it in more detail and what problems it can bring once it starts to misbehave.

The two muscles that make up the iliopsoas group are the psoas major and iliacus. These two muscles are important in the hip flexor group and as low back stabilise. In fact, the iliopsoas is one of the most powerful of the hip flexor group.

There is a possible third muscle, which some of us have and some of us don’t, that being the Psoas Minor, roughly only 40% of the population has a psoas minor.

Iliopsoas muscles as you can see comes from the lower vertebra over the front of the pelvic and attaches onto the inside of the leg, because of this it contributes heavily to any squat lifting we do and every day activities like walking and running.


Now the iliopsoas muscle is one of the most complex muscles in the body. When it starts to misbehave, it becomes dysfunctional (either by getting tight or overstretched and strained) it can be the source of pain which can be one of those, hard-to-diagnose type pain.

Among the most common problems caused by dysfunction of this muscle is lower back and hip pain. But many other regions of the body can also experience pain.
At “treat-me” I see quite a few clients with this condition and they can all display different symptoms with pain in following areas...

• Lower abdomen
• Groin
• Buttocks
• Down the leg
• Hip
• Lower back


Okay so, what can irritate this muscle, well I’ve already said in previous health tips that prolonged sitting can irritate it.
Once in an adapted state, muscles have trouble returning to their normal resting length.

You might well ask, Can’t you just stretch the muscle out then?

In some cases, yes, if the right type of stretching is done. But in some cases even stretching must be preceded by manual therapy in order to enable the muscle to fully lengthen.

The reason for this is that the fibres of a muscle can become adhered or stuck together. Sometimes this "adhering" is within the muscle itself, and sometimes one muscle can become adhered to another muscle.

If a muscle cannot return to its normal resting length, it then resides in a state of chronic contraction and numerous undesirable consequences can result:
1. Trigger Points
A chronically contracted muscle can develop trigger points which refer pain (or numerous other possible sensations – thermal, tingling, numbness, aching) either radiating out from the muscle or felt in other parts of the body.
2. Distorted Movement Patterns
A chronically contracted muscle can distort the movement of the joint it crosses. For example, a chronically tight iliacus could reduce movement at the front of the hip.
3. Muscular Compensation
A chronically contracted muscle can cause other compensations or distortions in the body. If a chronically tight iliacus, for example, reduces movement in one hip, then the other hip or the spine or other parts of the body will be called upon to compensate or to change their normal pattern of movement.

I know, clear as mud!!

Basically, if you leave that niggling old pain for any length of time, it can have a knock on effect, what’s that famous saying, “maybe it’ll go away”, well believe me it doesn't, it just sites there waiting till the next time you’re doing something and bang, it’ll catch you out.

So instead of reaching for those pain killers, reach for the phone and give me a call…

29/05/2018

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK
Display Screen Equipment Tips
Hi folks, you may remember a few weeks back we looked at the issues of prolonged sitting and its effects on our bodies if we don’t get up and move around.

Well this week we’re going to have a look at what we can do if your work is desk bound as I’m sure some of you are.

Firstly let’s look at our desk height, we may not be lucky enough to have an up & down desk to work at, so that we can alter the height throughout the day, if that’s the case we’ll need to look at seat height.

So let’s adjust seat height so elbows are at approx 90˚ to the keyboard (to encourage neutral wrist angle).
Secondly, use footrest as necessary, e.g. if feet not comfortable on the floor or there is pressure on back of thighs from seat edge, start using a foot rest.

You don’t want to be bolt upright, why, well because of that Iliopsoas muscle we spoke about when we were looking at prolonged sitting and you certainly don’t want pressure on the back of your thighs, stopping your circulation.

The back rest of the chair, while it is important to have some support in the lumbar, (lower back), you don’t want to get too use to the support as it takes over the work that our muscles should be doing, because of this the muscles will lose their tone and strength.

Screen & Mouse Position
The height and the angle of the screen influence the position of your head & neck. I see so many people come to me with headaches, neck and shoulder aches and pains, with the main culprit being down to the way they sit at their work station.

Let’s face it, we are not meant to be sat for long periods of time in one position.

The monitor should be positioned so the top of the screen is at approximately eye level – gives 10-15˚ downward viewing angle (to test put your arm out at eye level, the top of your hand should line up with the top of the screen).
The monitor should be approximately 60cm (2ft) away, (roughly an arm’s length).
Position mouse near to the body, (so your arm is not stretched out).

Let’s look at a few things you can do at your desk

Stop working, take a few deep breaths and relax. Slowly bring your posture back into alignment by simply shuffling in your seat.
1. Slowly rotate your head with your eyes in a horizontal gaze - ˣ 5 each way.
2. Bend head down trying to touch your chin onto your chest - ˣ 5.
3. Shrug your shoulders - ˣ 5.
4. Circle your shoulders backwards and forwards - ˣ 5 each way.
5. Straighten your elbows and place hands at right angles (feel the wrist stretch) ˣ 5
6. Organise your work so you regularly walk around the office.
7. Arms down by your side stretch your fingers down to the floor.
8. For your eyes, look away from the screen every 15 seconds and focus on something in the distance.
9. The best one, clench and relax your glutes, this may well give the impression that your breaking wind, if nothing else it will keep the office guessing and only you will know.

If you pass this on to others in your office, see if you can tell, who’s doing the glutes, I bet they’ll be looking to see who’s watching them.

21/05/2018

TIP OF THE WEEK, Water….
Can You Drink Too Much Water?
With this lovely weather we have been experiencing and the need to get out and do the garden, or to kick start our summer exercise regime to look good on the beach, we will be doing that bit more physical activity.

In the past few years, studies have shown that many of us don't drink enough water for good health, particularly whilst exercising. The message has been strong - avoid dehydration.

There again, there is a different story emerging, especially amongst people who frequent the gym to exercise. According to researchers almost as many exercisers are putting their health at risk by over-consuming water, that’s right, drinking too much.

Drinking water at every opportunity can cause serious problems, such as water intoxication. As the water content of the blood increases, the salt content is diluted. Consequently the amount of salt available to body tissues decreases, which can lead to problems with brain, heart and muscle function.

How do you know if your drinking too much water? Well, Initial symptoms of over-hydration include dizziness, nausea, apathy and confusion (that’s me most days). However these symptoms are also associated with dehydration, so it's important to be aware of how much you are drinking.

So how much should you drink? They say, we should drink about 2 litres or 3 ½ pints for us oldies, per day. This intake needs to be increased during periods of hot weather or during and after periods of physical activity (sorry guys, alcohol doesn't count, alcohol may make the body pass more urine than usual but also make you dehydrated).

So, how do I know I am drinking enough?

Thirst is only part of the way we regulate hydration in the body. When you drink you stop you feeling thirsty before your body is completely rehydrated. The colour of urine is the best indicator; if you are drinking enough your urine should be a straw or pale yellow colour.
What type of drinks should I have?

To an extent this is a matter of personal taste and preference. Here in the UK drinking plain tap water is a good way to get enough to drink. Bottled water has the same hydrating abilities as tap water, but more expensive and don’t forget that dreaded plastic stuff. I must confess for me, tea is my preferred method of keeping well hydrated.

So the clear message is drink plenty, but don’t overdo It!