During last winter several elves slipped on ice and landed heavily. Although initially embarrassed, most forgot the incident but a few still struggle with lateral hip pain when climbing stairs or sleeping in bed. Previously known as trochanteric bursitis, this condition is now defined as Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (GTPS). This umbrella term covers a [read the full story…]
The hallucinations and delusions associated with psychosis can be frightening and may sometimes result in aggressive or violent behaviour. Of course, this can be incredibly challenging for the patient, but it can also be a real test for mental health staff who have to try and minimise the harm that patients do to themselves and others. Haloperidol [read the full story…]
Low back pain (LBP) is one of the main reasons for people consulting their general practitioner and seeking treatment from a physiotherapist. The provision of accurate advice on the recovery for LBP is an important feature of any consultation, yet there is disagreement as to its prognosis. Therefore, it was with great interest that I [read the full story…]
Pathological gambling is defined by DSM-IV as a disorder of impulse control which includes a preoccupation with gambling, failed attempts to reduce gambling, and restlessness or irritability when prevented from gambling. It is likely to be reclassified as an addictive disorder in DSM-V. Gambling is something that most adults dabble in from time to time. [read the full story…]
Much of the research about depression in children and adolescents focuses on how to treat the illness during the acute phase. This review from the Cochrane Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Review Group is more concerned with the ways in which interventions can be used to prevent relapse or recurrence of depressive disorders. The review looks specifically at two [read the full story…]
The notion of double discrimination, where ethnicity and disability can form a double barrier to those seeking support, has long been recognised. Indeed, there was a clear requirement in the Valuing People strategy to identify resources to address these issues through work streams in local partnership boards. A recent report by the Foundation for People [read the full story…]
We are continuing our theme this week of exercise and physical activity as the 5×50 worldwide exercise flash-mob challenge starts on Friday 23rd November (see earlier post) Do you know anyone who is waiting for a knee or hip joint replacement? They typically experience pain, reduced muscle strength and function. So how can they prepare [read the full story…]
It was relatively recently that every Tom, Dick and Harry in the scientific community was popping vitamin E supplements in the hope that this antioxidant would help protect them from the damaging effects of free radicals. Us elves get our vitamin E from the vegetables, fruits and whole grains that make up our naturally healthy diet. Many single [read the full story…]
As you’ve probably gathered by now, we Musculoskeletal Elves are pretty keen to promote psychosocial interventions in the management of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). In a previous post I looked at behavioural change interventions, such as, motivational interviewing (MI) with individuals with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. But how effective is MI, as ‘‘a directive, client-centred counselling style for eliciting behaviour change by [read the full story…]
With our 5×50 worldwide exercise flash-mob challenge about to start on Friday 23rd November (see earlier post) we thought we would have a look at evidence related to physical activity and exercise for people with musculoskeletal conditions. The majority of research on people with RA has focused on the effect of exercise training with benefits [read the full story…]
