Problems I commonly see

My practice is mainly focused on adults with musculoskeletal pain, stiffness or loss of function. This includes relatively recent problems as well as symptoms that have developed gradually or become more noticeable over time.

You may recognise yourself in one of these situations:

• Back pain that started weeks ago and still has not properly settled.

• Neck pain that keeps returning or is particularly troublesome after sitting, work or first thing in the morning.

• Sciatica or leg symptoms, with pain spreading into the buttock or leg, sometimes with tingling or numbness.

• Shoulder pain that makes reaching, lifting, sleeping on that side or throwing difficult.

• Hip pain that becomes troublesome with walking, stairs, sitting or longer car journeys.

• Knee pain that improved initially but continues to flare with walking, stairs, sport or other activity.

• Arthritis or degeneration where you have been told there is cartilage loss, wear and tear or age-related change and want to understand what this means for you.

• A problem that has already been treated but has not improved as expected, keeps returning, or still does not really make sense.

What happens next?

The next step is to work out why the problem has not settled and what is most likely to help.

This starts with a working diagnosis and an appropriate management plan. Depending on the problem, this may include hands-on treatment, reducing aggravating factors, movement or rehabilitation, and practical things you can do yourself between appointments.

You can read more about this on My Approach.

Problems that have been present for a long time, keep fluctuating, or are associated with arthritis and age-related changes often need a little more explanation. Pain does not necessarily reflect the amount of tissue change present, and understanding what can still be influenced is an important part of management.

You can also read more about this in Understanding Pain on the How I Work page.

ACC injury claims

If your problem is related to an injury, I can usually lodge an ACC claim for you at your consultation. You do not need to see a GP first. ACC contributes towards the treatment fee, with the remaining co-payment paid by you.