Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive difficulties often referred to as “fibro fog.” While the exact cause of fibromyalgia is not fully understood, research suggests it involves changes in how the nervous system processes pain, leading to heightened pain sensitivity.
If you’re living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), exercise can feel confusing—or even intimidating. You may have been told to “rest your joints” or you might worry that movement will worsen pain or inflammation. As an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, I want to reassure you: appropriate exercise is one of the most powerful tools for managing RA, not something to avoid.
Did you know that more than 90% of women with fibromyalgia, and about 76% of chronic lower back pain sufferers have suffered psychological trauma? Furthermore, chronic pain sufferers are more than twice as likely to suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. Through science, we are learning more and more about the connection between severe stress and pain.
If you have experienced an injury that has turned chronic, then you may well understand that there are adaptations that occur in your body that can leave you feeling ‘not quite like it used to feel’ when you do certain activities. Learning why this occurs is often the first step in managing your persistent pain. We can understand this by exploring the ‘Twin Peaks’ Metaphor described by pain researchers David Butler and Lorimer Mosely in their book Explain Pain (see below). Let’s discuss!
Endometriosis, commonly known as ‘endo’ is a word you might have heard of and perhaps even associate with the female reproductive system, but how much do you really know about the condition and the systemic effects it can have on other bodily systems?
Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of pain and disability in Australia, and the most common type of arthritis. There can sometimes be misconception around what is best for managing this condition and therefore we have broken down some of the most common myths. #1 Osteoarthritis is a result of ageing and will inevitably get…
Once a week I visit a local retirement village where the average age is 68 years young. My day begins treating stress, headaches and migraine, back pains, leg aches and the moans and groans of hips that don’t quite move like they used to. It ends with a spring in the step of everyone who…
Sedentary behaviour is the time you spend sitting or lying down (apart from sleeping). This can be at work, at home, during travel, and for leisure. The Australian guidelines recommend minimising the time spent being sedentary every day to, and breaking up long periods of sitting for as long as possible. This will reduce the…
Have you ever had a shoulder injury, completed an exercise rehabilitation program but then weeks, months even years later the pain is back? Chances are you only scratched the surface of your exercise rehabilitation program. Read more The Complex Shoulder
