The Headache and Pain Management Centre, Brisbane

What's considered "Good Physio" has changed a bit in the last 20 years. ⠀⠀
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There's still lots of hands-on, lots of diagnosis and problem solving like always, but...⠀⠀
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❌ Machines⠀⠀
❌ Hot Packs⠀⠀
❌ Tiny Exercises⠀⠀
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✅ Advice/Education⠀⠀
✅ Pain-Free Movement and Strength⠀⠀
✅ Self-Management⠀⠀
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A stiff neck is really bothersome! What's worse is when you get the same place treated over and over again, and not getting relief from it.⠀⠀
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One tip is to look at the upper neck when you have lower neck pain.⠀
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When the upper neck is sensitive or stiff, then the lower neck needs to do more to move, and this can cause the muscles around the neck to fatigue and tire more quickly. This causes tightness, heaviness and pain in the bottom of your neck, and often down to the shoulder blades. It can also contribute to some pretty nasty headaches and migraines. ⠀⠀
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The biggest mistake with treating necks is chasing the pain instead of thinking about function - ie. the pain might be in the lower neck... but not recognising how the entire neck works together may result in less than optimal outcomes.⠀⠀
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Do you get Neck Pain while Driving? Consider Three Things:⠀⠀⠀
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1️⃣ Strength and endurance of your neck muscles⠀⠀⠀
2️⃣ Comfortable and supportive seat set up⠀⠀⠀
3️⃣ Strength and endurance of your SHOULDER muscles.⠀⠀⠀
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Why the Shoulder as well?⠀⠀⠀
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When you drive, your arms are outstretched - which means your shoulder muscles need to have the endurance to hold your arms out. If there's some decreased strength, then your neck muscles (especially the muscles that force you to 'shrug') can take over.⠀⠀
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Keeping a close and fearful eye on that calendar every month, ladies?⠀📆
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The monthly headaches you might get may not be caused solely by the hormones. The hormones may well be the trigger but not the cause.⠀
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A good way to know? Where the pain is in your head.⠀🤕
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If the pain is only on one side - have your neck checked.. hormones affect both sides of your body so shouldn't your pain be on both sides?⠀
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If the pain swaps sides - something needs to be moving to make that happen -a good opportunity to have your neck assessed.⠀
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If the pain is both sides - then it's more likely it's hormonal... but definitely not always. The neck may be the factor that causes the hormonal headache to start in the first place - so worth ruling out before starting drastic medical measures...!⠀
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More here: https://www.hpmcentre.com.au/hormonal-headache-and-migraine
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A hypermobile person has more range of motion in their joints than the majority of the population.

You'll often find this type of flexibility can be advantageous in sports, however this extra range may expose people to injury if their muscles are not strong enough to provide stability for these joints.

So getting good strength and stability is crucial to allow you to move the way you want to in a controlled and safe way.

We have seen a few young athletes and children who are hypermobile come into our clinic recently. It's great to educate while they are young and active, so they are aware and can prevent injuries! 🤕

John is an ardent reader and learner about pain conditions and how they can be treated. With a fascination in the science of how pain works - his level of knowledge and experience in research projects is extensive.

He is dedicated to ensuring his patients understand their pain, and are on track to get the relief they deserve.

If you're ready to take the next step in your pain rehabilitation, book in to see John.

A car accident can happen from impact in any direction, and the neck could be positioned in any position on impact, it's really important to assess which directions of movement are most affected.⠀⠀
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You may find, for example, that looking to the left is totally OK, but turning to the right is awful! Or - looking up and to the right is OK, but down and to the left is terrible...!⠀⠀
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Having used this equipment over the past 6 months since it's arrival from Melbourne Whiplash Centre, we're finding that the painful direction is usually the weakest direction. A lot of the time, the decrease in movement is driven by ⠀⠀
the brain literally forgetting what normal movement should feel like.⠀⠀
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By isolating the movement, and lifting a very light weight, it can teach your neck how to move again without fear... and then once the movement is there, you make it stronger!⠀⠀
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It's Chris's Birthday week... but you get the gift! 🥳🥳🎂🎂

Limited to 15 Vouchers Only.

We're offering New Patients a $59 voucher that includes an Initial Physiotherapy Appointment PLUS a follow up report of our findings at your appointment.

This Includes:

✅ A thorough interview where we listen to all of things that may have caused the pain, and what you've tried that hasn't worked
✅ A physical assessment where we look your joints, muscles, nerves and movement to see where the problems lie
✅ A comprehensive treatment plan (but only IF we can help!) where we will lay out clearly what we can do to help out.

Normally $229 - Save $170.

Spots are limited; we have only 15 vouchers available.

To avoid disappointment, get your voucher now as spots are filling fast.

➡️Here's what to do:

1. Fill out the form by Clicking the Button Below to claim your voucher
2. We'll schedule you in for an appointment ASAP.

(Or - type in "Happy Birthday Chris!" in the Comments!)

REMEMBER:
There's limited availability for this Free offer, BOOK now to avoid disappointment.

Here's to living Pain Free!

In the past, there's been a bias in health professions to describe your body as "weak", "damaged", "old" and so on when pain is an issue.⠀
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But... language like this isn't very helpful. ⠀
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The fact is, that the human body is extremely strong, extremely resilient, and extremely adaptable. ⠀
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More positive thoughts, movement, diet and sleep will improve your lived experience!⠀
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Jaw Pain can be really awful. One common pain source is this muscle, called the Lateral Pterygoid. (Its pronounced Terra-goyd)⠀⠀
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This muscle can refer pain deep into the jaw and face, and restrict jaw opening and jaw shifting from side to side.⠀⠀
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You can access this muscle either using a finger in the mouth, or over the skin just under your cheekbone. If it's a cause of pain, be gentle - because it could hurt to touch!⠀⠀
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We're working on more content about TMJ and Jaw Pain - but if you need help you can contact us here: https://www.hpmcentre.com.au/contact⠀⠀
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Do you have pain when laying on your side?
Struggle to comfortably cross your legs whilst sitting?
Your hip hurts when climbing stairs?

You could have Hip Bursitis....

It is a very common condition, and unfortunately, it's often not treated correctly. We see this by the increasing number of referrals given to patients to have injections, get surgeries, or simply prescribe medication.

One flaw to this approach, is that these measures are generally temporary, a 'band-aid' mask over the genuine problem, and rarely solve the issue entirely.

Sadly, the issue that was just the hip, can lead to other issues such as knee pain, foot pain and low back pain if left untreated, or treated incorrectly.

When it comes to Hip Bursitis, a lot of the time, the gluteal tendons are the actual cause of the problem.

It's super important to consider the gluteus medius muscle for this condition, and build strength in the muscle to see long-term results.

If you're looking at options for your hip pain, it's best to have a thorough diagnostic assessment with a skilled health professional. They'll find the more precise cause of your pain, and provide treatment that is focussed on correcting the real underlying issue.

Ever wondered why you start to lean forward when you have lower back pain?⠀
Reason being, your psoas muscles are at the FRONT of your spine. So, if something is tight at the front, it will bend you forward.

A review that came out last year studied the effectiveness of Paracetamol and it's use for many different conditions, including Low Back Pain.⠀
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The results, for many different conditions, is that it performed no better than placebo (ie. a sugar pill).⠀
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Unfortunately, there is no "magic pill" for many pain conditions - most need a multi-faceted, combined approach. Which is exactly what Dr Shaheed concluded in the review; "that people should not be relying on pain medicines as a standalone treatment for pain relief."

It's just about knowing where to start sometimes! ⠀
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(If you're seeking help, reach out here: www.hpmcentre.com.au/contact)⠀
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Link to the review: https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2021/04/06/review-raises-questions-about-paracetamol-as-common-pain-reliever.html
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Is it really Sciatica??⠀⠀
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The Gluteal Muscles themselves may well be the source your pain.⠀⠀
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When they get tight, protective or underused - the muscles themselves can shoot pain right the way down your leg!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Deborah Johannsen is a Masters Qualified physiotherapist from the University of Queensland. An excellent scholar, she completed a Nursing and a Science degree prior to her Physiotherapy degree.

Deborah has worked exclusively in Private Practice settings, obtaining a solid base in a different general physiotherapy clinic upon her graduation. She actively sought a path in treating headaches, neck and jaw conditions, and joined our team the first time an opportunity arose.

Deborah’s caring, quiet and empathetic nature serves her patients well. She continues to treat many difficult headache and migraine cases, and is an expert in treating low back pain using the MedX Machine. She has undertaken numerous external training courses, including numerous headache and migraine courses, a Clinical Pilates course and multiple Dry Needling courses.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a very common diagnosis a health professional will give you when you have wrist pain. But... sometimes the pain in the wrist isn't carpal tunnel at all... it can be referred from trigger points in the shoulder or from the neck!

The symptoms are often caused by the median nerve that runs through the muscles in the forearm and the wrist. It can be due to compression of the nerve, OR due to sensitivity while moving the nerve - ie. it's not squashed, but rather it's irritated. This can happen from the neck, or your brain can be tricked into thinking this by the muscles of your shoulder. Brains can be so weird!!

Quite often these symptoms can be relieved by Dry Needling, or gentle nerve glide exercises.

If you're told surgery is the only answer, consider the alternative options - as it's often not the only solution.

People ask us a lot about how we do things differently. Fact is, it's really simple. It's about matching the right diagnosis of the problem with the right treatment.

We have seen many people who have been in the blue areas throughout their pain rehabilitation. We can only imagine what it must be like if you are feeling lost and confused about the next steps.

We want to work with you to be in the GREEN. To know where you're heading, how you're getting there, and the time it's going to take if you follow the advice 🙂

We have your back.