Nenagh Muscular Therapy - Modern Pain Care

02/04/2026

Strong muscles stabilize joints. Aerobic fitness improves metabolic health and tissue perfusion. Gradual loading restores tolerance. But people often don't take PT seriously prior to surgery.

They often take PT very seriously afterwards. Therefore, PT is probably the reason you feel better, despite the surgery.

The irony is that the treatment many people ultimately need is the same thing that might have prevented the problem in the first place.
Staying strong. Staying active. Maintaining the reserve that protects our joints/tendons/muscles/abilities as we age. fix and make it a little emotional

01/04/2026

ALWAYS seek gratitude 🙏♥️

Through a process of neuroplasticity, repetitive complaining strengthens neural connections between neurons that fire together, making it easier to be negative and creating a “default” mindset of pessimism.

Complaining also trigger the body to release high levels of cortisol. This causes chronic stress, damaging the hippocampus (crucial for memory and cognitive function) and lowering immune function.

Constant negativity also weakens the prefrontal cortex-the part of the brain responsible for high-level tasks like decision-making, emotional regulation and problem-solving.

Over time, this habit impairs the brain’s ability to handle stress effectively, creating a feedback loop where problems seem more prominent.

To counter these effects, you must make intentional efforts to find the gratitude and lessons, it's always there if you look hard enough ❤️❤️

01/04/2026

Yes!!! 😂😂😂🙏🙏🙏🙏

30/03/2026

🤔TECHNIQUE🤔

The debates and discussions around exercise technique are ones that often quickly divide people into two opposing camps

On one side we have the ultra vigilant perfectionists who think any deviations during exercise are detrimental for performance or safety

The other side we have the radical movement optimists who think people can exercise however they want with no consideration to form or technique… which many mistakenly think I belong to!

But I actually don’t belong to either of these groups… and I think both extremes are bad as each other!

I love seeing exercises performed well… but I also know that variation and variability during exercise is perfectly normal, natural, safe and even advantageous at times

However too much variability does have some drawbacks and issues such as limiting progress and maybe even possibly increasing risk!

But the ultra perfectionists are no better!

Overly rigid and restrictive movements leave people under prepared, limits progression an may also increase risk as well

For me the middle ground is often a good place to be here… which is hard for social media because it loves division and creating tribes

Trying to perform exercises with a good technique that suits the individual that they can do repeatedly efficiently, effectively and safely is important

But so is recognising that allowing people the opportunity and confidence to move with some variability is also effective efficient and safe is just as important!

As always, the answer is never one or the other… it’s it depends!

28/03/2026

the amazing brain and its patterns :) explains a lot about long-term pain aswel.
we are what we believe and do regularly

This phenomenon happens because the brain is biologically designed for efficiency and survival, not necessarily for accuracy or “growth”. Without active intervention, your neural architecture treats a repeated mistake exactly like a repeated success: as a pattern to be automated.

Your brain operates on a principle of neuroplasticity that does not distinguish between a “good” habit and a “bad” mistake. Each time you repeat a behavior-even an ineffective one-you strengthen the synaptic connections for that action.

As these connections are used more frequently, the brain adds myelin (an insulating sheath) to the nerve fibers. This makes the signal travel faster and smoother, essentially turning a mistake into a “flawless” automatic response. Eventually, these paths become “superhighways”, making them your brain’s low-energy, default choice.

The brain has two primary modes for handling behavior:

🧠The Basal Ganglia (The Autopilot): This deep brain structure stores “chunked” sequences of automatic behaviors. Once a mistake is repeated enough, it “migrates” here to be executed subconsciously to save mental energy.

🧠The Prefrontal Cortex (The Control Center): This is the area behind your forehead responsible for self-reflection (metacognition), decision-making, and overriding impulses.

Without self-reflection, the prefrontal cortex remains “offline” or passive. The brain continues to rely on the basal ganglia’s established (but faulty) scripts because it is metabolically cheaper than the “expensive” effort of conscious change.

The brain prefers what is familiar over what is true or effective because familiar patterns feel safe. Even if a behavior is a mistake (like overreacting or procrastinating), it may provide a temporary “hidden reward”, such as an adrenaline rush or a brief feeling of safety, which the brain’s reward system then reinforces.

Self-reflection can be emotionally painful. To avoid the “threat” of admitting a mistake, the brain uses confirmation bias to ignore evidence that the behavior is failing, effectively locking you into the loop.

Self-reflection is like a “hard reset” button. Press. The. Button.

PMID: 29250005

28/03/2026

more BS :)

28/03/2026

could this be the answer to your long-term pain?
contact me, come see me :)

26/03/2026

🧠💪 High cortisol (stress) levels, particularly when sustained for too long due to chronic stress or medical conditions, can lead to muscle wasting (atrophy) throughout the body, including the hip muscles. Cortisol promotes the breakdown of muscle protein, which can cause muscle weakness and loss of mass over time.

Cortisol not only increases protein breakdown but also inhibits protein synthesis, the process by which muscles are repaired and rebuilt. This double effect significantly contributes to muscle loss.

As proximal muscles—those closest to the center of the body, such as the hip and shoulder muscles—are particularly vulnerable to the effects of cortisol, weakening of the hip muscles is a common result of chronically elevated levels.

Beyond muscle loss, chronic stress and high cortisol can also impact libido, contribute to weight gain (especially in the stomach and face), anxiety, depression, cravings for sugary treats, brain fog, irritability, chronic fatigue, and insomnia. If levels remain elevated long enough, chronic stress can contribute to a variety of other health conditions.

Have you ever noticed the physical effects of stress on your body?
Come see me for the correct treatment for this 👍💯

24/03/2026

People often mix these two up, but they’re not the same thing.

Spondylolysis is a fracture. More specifically, it’s a stress fracture through the pars interarticularis, which is a small bony bridge at the back of the vertebra. You’ll see this a lot in younger athletes who load their spine repeatedly into extension, like gymnasts or cricketers. It can be completely asymptomatic, or it can present as localised low back pain.

Spondylolisthesis is what can happen after. If that fracture reduces the stability of the segment enough, the vertebra can translate forward relative to the one below. That’s the “slip” people talk about.

Important point: not every spondylolysis becomes a spondylolisthesis, and not every spondylolisthesis is painful.

A lot of people walk around with a pars defect or even a low-grade slip and have no symptoms at all. So if this shows up on imaging, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s the source of the pain.

Clinically, what matters is how the patient presents. Pain behaviour, tolerance to movement, and how irritable the area is will guide what you do far more than the scan alone.

23/03/2026

Love him or hate him, this won't be topped.
The fighting Irish 🍀🙏💯

22/03/2026

21/03/2026

Muscle cramps.

Still one of the most misunderstood things in sport.

For years it’s been blamed on dehydration or electrolytes.
But that doesn’t explain why two players can do the same session… and only one cramps.

Research in football has started to show there may be a genetic component.

Studies looking at athletes have identified links between certain genes (such as COL5A1) and a higher likelihood of cramping. This suggests some people may simply be more prone to it than others.

There’s also evidence of familial patterns, meaning cramps can run in families.

But this is where people get it wrong.

Genetics might increase your susceptibility…
it doesn’t mean it’s the cause on its own.

The strongest explanation we have right now is still neuromuscular fatigue.

When the system is pushed hard enough, control changes, and the muscle locks up.

So instead of thinking:
“I need more electrolytes”

A better question is:
“Was the demand greater than what my system could handle?”

Because cramps aren’t just about what you drink.
They’re about how your body is coping with load.

References

• O’Connell et al. (2013) – Exercise-associated muscle cramp and fatigue
• Miller et al. (2010) – Neuromuscular fatigue and cramp mechanisms
• Collins et al. (2011) – COL5A1 gene and muscle/tendon injury risk
• Frontiers in Genetics (2022) – Genetics and athletic performance/injury risk
• Layzer (1994) – The origin of muscle fasciculations and cramps