Inflammation-friend or foe?

When we think of inflammation, it may present in various different ways. In more simple terms it can be produced by the body in either acute or chronic situations. In an acute setting, inflammation is the body’s natural way to achieve healing. Let us consider an acute ankle sprain- we turn our ankle as we

What is a stress fracture?

Stress fractures occur when the normal equilibrium of healthy bone turnover shifts in favour of bone breakdown with insufficient rebuilding of the bone matrix. This can happen in two broad scenarios. Firstly, if the bone density is normal but it is loaded too much we call this a fatigue stress injury. Secondly if the bone

Finding fitness in my 50s

My 50th birthday has come and gone- a lockdown birthday like last year! But grateful I could share the day with my children and fiancee. I was hoping to get as fit as possible by my 50th but it did not really happen that way. I did not reach my target weight and looking back

Cauda Equina Syndrome- a tale of the horse’s tail

In my sports medicine and musculoskeletal(MSK) clinics I always have to be on the lookout for this rare condition called Cauda Equina Syndrome- CES. I see many patients with back pain and sciatica but fortunately the CES is rare. However if it is missed it can have devastating consequences for the patients due to long

One year of lockdown and changes to my sports medicine clinics in conditions seen

We are now approaching one year since the first national lockdown here in London which began on 23rd March 2020. Firstly I don’t think anyone could foresee the devastating outcome of the pandemic in terms of number of deaths and the overall number of cases too. My thoughts are with all of those who have

Fat to fit at 50

With only 3 weeks to go until my 50th birthday I have been looking at my diet and the need for adjustments to improve my fitness. I have always been a regular exerciser but have never really got the nutrition side of things really nailed down. A regular snacker and enjoyment of wine the main

STRESS FRACTURES OF THE LEG

After the recent easing of lockdown restrictions I have been seeing an increasing number of patients in my clinics- both in person and also by video consultation. When the lockdown started many people including myself started to exercise more- through a combination of some more available time and also to increase fitness. We know that

Osteoarthritis of the knee- it’s not wear and tear

I am currently prepping my webinar for later this week on osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee and I thought that it would be good to share some thoughts and my expertise on this area for my readers. OA knee is very common and as the population ages we will see more people developing this condition.

Weight loss and Lockdown: a new challenge- Intermittent Fasting

At the time of writing we are into our 4th week of covid19 lockdown in the UK. This unprecedented crisis has created several challenges for many of us. One challenge that I know many of my friends, colleagues and myself have is that of maintaining a healthy diet whilst working from home. Yes we have

Running and recovering from ME/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome- a personal story of success

At my peak 2004 for me was my peak year of running and fitness. Aged 33 years, I was running 5-6 times per week and totalling around 40-50 miles per week, with a traditional long run on a Sunday morning. I had completed the London Marathon in both 2001 and 2003.  My love of running