Dr Kaz Keep-U-Well

16/11/2025

You’re allowed to leave any story you don’t find yourself in. You’re allowed to leave any story you don’t love yourself in.

You’re allowed to leave a city that has dimmed your light instead of making you shine brighter, you’re allowed to pack all your bags and start over somewhere else and you’re allowed to redefine the meaning of your life.
You’re allowed to quit the job you hate even if the world tells you not to and you’re allowed to search for something that makes you look forward to tomorrow and to the rest of your life.

You’re allowed to leave someone you love if they’re treating you poorly, you’re allowed to put yourself first if you’re settling and you’re allowed to walk away when you’ve tried over and over again but nothing has changed.

You’re allowed to let toxic friends go, you’re allowed to surround yourself with love, and people who encourage and nurture you. You’re allowed to pick the kind of energy you need in your life.

You’re allowed to forgive yourself for your biggest and smallest mistakes and you’re allowed to be kind to yourself, you’re allowed to look in the mirror and actually like the person you see.

You’re allowed to set yourself free from your own expectations.

We sometimes look at leaving as a bad thing or associate it with giving up or quitting, but sometimes leaving is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Leaving allows you to change directions, to start over, to rediscover yourself and the world. Leaving sometimes saves you from staying stuck in the wrong place with the wrong people.

Leaving opens a new door for change, growth, opportunities and redemption.

You always have the choice to leave until you find where you belong and what makes you happy.

You’re even allowed to leave the old you behind and reinvent yourself.

Author: Rania Naim

15/11/2025

Some pre surgery tips reshare 💪THIS WAS SEVEN YEARS AGO but tips still valid 😅

13/11/2025

Good morning from my drip clinic !😎
Thursdays are drip days (for the past 27 years)💧

09/11/2025

02/11/2025

ILEOTIBIAL BAND SYNDROME ( a personal experience)

Recently, I hiked the Whale trail in the beautiful De Hoop nature reserve. The wind was brutal and we were hurtled all over on a difficult 18 km stretch.

2 km from our destination,my ileotibial band staged a rebellion, so painful and acute that I made a dramatic peg- leg descent looking like a good Comrades runner. 😱
Fortunately we had our personal Biokineticist ,with us who diagnosed, rubbed and strapped. My husband compassionately offered a sock to chew on while more pain was inflicted! 😱
The mountain howled, the ITB howled louder.Traumeel injections and drugs were called for!
Bodies were broken but spirits undaunted! 😳

🦵 What Is the Iliotibial Band (ITB)?

The iliotibial band (often called the IT band) is a thick band of fibrous connective tissue that runs along the outside of your thigh.
• It starts at the iliac crest (top of the hip bone).
• It runs down the outside of the thigh.
• It attaches just below the knee at the tibia (shin bone), near a spot called Gerdy’s tubercle.

The ITB connects and stabilizes key muscles:
• Tensor fasciae latae (TFL) – at the front of the hip
• Gluteus maximus – at the back of the hip

Together, they help stabilize the knee and hip during walking, running, and cycling.

⸻

⚙️ What Does the ITB Do?

The IT band:
• Stabilizes the knee joint during movement.
• Helps with hip abduction (lifting the leg to the side).
• Assists with leg rotation and knee extension/flexion.
• Reduces stress on the thigh muscles during repetitive movement (like running or hiking).

⸻

💥 Common Problem: ITB Syndrome (ITBS)

Iliotibial Band Syndrome is an overuse injury — one of the most common causes of outer knee pain in runners and hikers.

🧩 Causes:
• Repetitive knee bending and straightening
• Tight IT band or weak hip muscles
• Running on uneven surfaces or downhill
• Poor footwear or gait mechanics
• Sudden increase in training distance or intensity

⚠️ Symptoms:
• Sharp or burning pain on the outside of the knee (especially during activity)
• Pain that worsens with running downhill or after long hikes
• Sometimes, tenderness or snapping along the outer thigh

⸻

🩺 Treatment and Management

Short-term relief:
• Rest and avoid aggravating activity
• Ice and gentle stretching
• Anti-inflammatory medication (if advised by a doctor)

Long-term management:
• Foam rolling the IT band and surrounding muscles
• Stretching the IT band, hip flexors, and glutes
• Strengthening exercises for the hips and glutes
• Correcting biomechanics (check footwear, running form, etc.)
• Physical therapy if pain persists

💪 Helpful Exercises
• Side-lying leg lifts
• Clamshells
• Hip bridges
• Standing IT band stretch
• Foam rolling along the outer thigh

29/10/2025

Betrayal trauma courtesy of Elle Louise Mc Bride