Have you ever had pain in your body and were confused about the cause or if it was related to muscles or nerves? There are some distinct features which can help you tell the difference.

Muscular pain tends to be achy and have a heavy feel. Depending on the severity, the pain can be described as more sharp. It can be local to one spot or spread through a number of areas in the body. Muscles can have trigger points, or knots which cause pain in specific spots, but may also have referral patterns. Referral patterns can seem like a separate issue however some muscles have strange referral patterns which could be causing pain in a totally different region of the body. If you are unsure if this is related, speak with your Myotherapist who is trained in identifying the referral patterns of muscles.

Neurological, or nerve pain also has distinct features. It can be described as sharp, shooting, pins and needles, tingling, numbness, hot or burning and also relates to cold extremities. Nerve roots can be effected by different reasons included neurological conditions, disease (such as diabetes or B12 deficiency) or brain injury. However the most common cause is impingement from muscles due to poor posture, hypertonic (tight) muscles and incorrect body mechanics. Nerve pain also has referral patterns, for example; poor posture may result in tight muscles throughout the neck region which then impinges the nerve root, resulting in numbness in the hand.

Unlike muscles, nerves do not have the capacity to stretch. However when impingement occurs somewhere along the nerve root, the muscles fibres can grow around the nerve in the compromised positon. This then prevents the nerve from sliding through the tissue as designed. Certain exercises are prescribed to promote the sliding of nerves through muscle tissue in order to break down the connection with muscle tissues.

Myotherapists are trained in the referral patterns for both muscles and nerves. They run specific tests to find out where along the chain the nerve is impinged. If you are experiencing any of the pain mentioned above, feel free to come and have a chat with our friendly Myotherapists!

By Claire Adamson

Myotherapist

We are all guilty of it! Using Google search to find a diagnosis for our symptoms or concerns and putting our trust into what “Dr Google” has to say. Sometimes even convincing ourselves of a far serious condition then we actually have!
Unfortunately to write a medical based post, blog or website you do not require a degree in medicine or a Bachelor of Allied Health for that matter. Therefore how do we know that what we are reading is right or even evidence based?
Most of us believe we are intelligent enough to decipher the junk from the relevant information, but with access to a web of information, well designed web pages and convincing content this can be quite challenging.
What is even more alarming is that “Dr Google” can cause preconceived ideas or biases in our minds that can actually block us from receiving the right or best treatment for our conditions.
For example when it comes to foot orthotics, the information that is available on the net is sometime so wrong it is scary. Written by uneducated people and most often contradicted by evidence. However they may still form preconceived biases, prevented patients from accepting what is clearly the best option for their treatment.
Another prime example of this is the diabetes patient that comes into our rooms for the first time asking how effective honey is for the treatment of their ulcer? Even worse they have been using honey they purchased from the supermarket to treat their wound, as “Dr Google” told them it was a beneficial treatment option.
The reality is honey based dressings are a specialised medicated type, that has been through a sterilisation process and had changes made, to allow it to be effective in treating ulcers.
Medicated honey is also only designed for certain types of ulcers, which will vary depending on the depth, size, amount of exudate, wound bed and the presence or absence of infection. If medicated honey is used on the wrong type of ulcer it can actually cause further deterioration of the wound or lead to delayed healing.
It is not surprising to hear that this information will not be found on the back of a glass honey jar in your local supermarket, but instead inside the brain of a treating medical or allied health practitioner. “Dr Google” will also fail to assess your wound, prepare the wound for redressing and select the right dressing regime and frequency of dressing for your ulcer.
Google may be beneficial for a lot of things, but making a medical diagnosis or allowing it to affect your treatment decisions can be dangerous for your health. Do not let “Dr Google” replace physically seeing a doctor or allied health professional, who has studied for many years to provide you with a thorough assessment, diagnosis and treatment regime.
As an allied health professional our challenge is to understand these pre-conceived biases that our patients may have and trying to communicate effectively with our patients to ensure an accurate and beneficial treatment plan is made.
With social media and access to the internet, whether we want to accept it or not our patients are coming to see us more informed or sometime more ill-informed then they did in the past.
For foot pain, concerns or injury, do not let what you read on the internet decide your treatment regime. Come and see us at Well Heeled Podiatry to have a physical assessment, diagnosis and treatment plan.

By Monique Harding (Podiatrist)