Acuphysio

12/11/2025

Taking a short break next week. I have very limited availability for new clients before Christmas as I need to prioritise treatment for my current patients but I will always do my best to help if I can!

10/11/2025

These simple exercises can keep your knees stronger in later life: https://bbc.in/3IRuLGR

08/11/2025

Great explanation!

SPINAL MANIPULATION – WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING

There’s this ridiculous idea floating around that a simple thrust can “realign” your bones. Let’s be clear — that’s not what’s happening. You cannot push vertebrae back into place with your hands. The spine isn’t dislocating and relocating every time someone cracks your back. If it were actually misaligned the way some claim, you’d be in hospital, not on a treatment table.

When a practitioner performs a spinal manipulation, the movement is extremely small — a few millimetres at most. The joint surfaces briefly separate, creating a rapid change in pressure within the synovial joint. That change causes gas (mostly CO₂ and nitrogen) to form and collapse inside the joint fluid — the audible “pop.” That’s all the noise is. It’s not bones moving back into place. It’s cavitation — a pressure change in the joint capsule.

Physiological Effects

Manipulation affects the body mainly through neurophysiological responses, not through physical repositioning of bones. The quick stretch activates mechanoreceptors within the joint capsule and surrounding tissues. These receptors send a flood of sensory input to the spinal cord and brain. This temporary barrage can reduce the sensitivity of nociceptive pathways (pain signalling) and alter muscle tone via reflex mechanisms. That’s why after a manipulation, patients often feel “looser,” “lighter,” or notice an improved range of motion — it’s not because their bones were realigned; it’s because their nervous system has momentarily adjusted how it’s interpreting movement and pain.

The effect can also increase local blood flow and help restore normal joint motion if it’s been restricted by protective muscle guarding. Again — that’s a functional change, not a structural one.

Why the Realignment Myth Persists

The “realignment” myth continues because it sounds dramatic and easy to sell. It gives people the impression something was out of place and the practitioner fixed it. It’s a neat story — but it’s nonsense. The vertebrae are held in place by strong ligaments, discs, and deep stabilising muscles. A single thrust cannot overcome that structure and magically shift things back.

07/11/2025

The Dragon's breath mist has been on display regularly this autumn to greet my 8am patients on their drive in.

31/10/2025

🕸️🦴🎃Definitely true as nerve pain can be very scary too! 👻 🩻 🧙

Legit...

21/10/2025

Availability for new patients in November. If you have a pain or injury you are struggling with, I will do my best to help, just get in touch.

06/10/2025

💻 Online pilot course: Living Well with Osteoporosis

📅 Starts Friday 17 October
⏰ 10:00am – 12:30pm (6 weekly sessions)

Friendly online sessions designed to help you:
✔️ Manage symptoms
✔️ Build confidence
✔️ Support your wellbeing

As a pilot programme, your experiences will help shape future osteoporosis support in Wales.

📲 Book your free place: https://orlo.uk/KxeJS

📧 Got a query? Email: eppcymru@wales.nhs.uk

29/09/2025

TO ALL PATIENTS TRAVELLING TO LLANCAYO FROM USK. Please be aware from 29th September to 16th October the B4598 is being resurfaced at Usk. There will be NO ACCESS to Llancayo from this direction between 9.30am -3.30pm. The clinic can be accessed via Chainbridge.

I have informed all patients booked during this period but it is causing chaos with several appointments already being missed so please check your route or contact me if you would rather reschedule. Thank you!

17/09/2025

Perhaps not exactly a day to celebrate but the management of OA can be helped with physio expertise, exercise and support and there is really good evidence for acupuncture. This is what we do here in clinic!

Today is ! 🗓️

Over the past 20 years, our understanding of has completely changed, and our funded researchers have made lots of exciting breakthroughs.

Take a look at what research has done over the past 20 years: https://versusarthritis.org/news/2024/september/world-osteoarthritis-day-how-our-research-is-shaping-the-future-of-joint-health/

16/09/2025

Strength Training Starts Small—But It Doesn’t Stay Small
You don’t need a gym membership.
You don’t need a 90-day challenge.
You need to pick something up and put it down.
Consistently. Intentionally.

Because strength is the scaffolding that holds up everything else... your mobility, your balance, your bone health, your independence, without it, the rest crumbles faster than you think.

Sarcopenia, or the loss of muscle due to aging, is a cruel genetically mediated process. But we do not need to let it take hold and rob us of our future independence.

And no, it doesn’t start with heavy barbells. It starts with what you can handle today. That can be bodyweight chair squats, calf raises, wall push-ups, and carrying your groceries one trip at a time.

The point isn’t to crush yourself on day one; it’s to begin building a foundation that your future self can stand on. A foundation that can handle falls, unexpected loads, and the simple act of living life on your terms.

Strength compounds. The weight you lift today may be light, but over time, that load builds muscle, bone, and resilience that will protect you for decades.

You’re not training for next week. You’re training for the version of you who still wants to travel, play, and move freely 20 years from now.