Pain is complex...
Approach
I believe in a flexible, person centred, humanistic and psychologically informed approach to back pain that empowers, educates and guides people to find strategies to restore a sense of safety and control in their body.
Although my main focus is around back pain, I frequently work with people with other persistent pain conditions, including fibromyalgia.
Experience
I am a Chartered Physiotherapist, specialising in back pain and am the founder of the Lifestyle Medicine for Persistent Pain (LMPP) program, currently being piloted in parts of the south-east of England.
With over 12 years in clinical practice, I have extensive experience as well as additional training in Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
I am an accredited First Contact Practitioner (FCP), giving me enhanced skills and knowledge in screening for medical pathology.
I am also a visiting lecturer for undergraduate physiotherapy programs, where I deliver teaching on pain neurophysiology and lifestyle medicine.
I am passionately involved in public speaking events, increasing awareness and understanding of back pain, both in a medical and corporate setting.
Reading and Resources
Here are some influential books and articles that have shaped my understanding of back pain:
Articles:
A recent high quality randomise control trial showing the efficacy of Cognitive Functional Therapy:
Kent, P. et al. (2023) ‘Cognitive functional therapy with or without movement sensor biofeedback versus usual care for chronic, disabling low back pain (restore): A randomised, controlled, three-arm, parallel group, phase 3, clinical trial’, The Lancet, 401(10391), pp. 1866–1877. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(23)00441-5.
An MRI study scanning the backs of 3000 pain free people:
Brinjikji W, Diehn FE, Jarvik JG, Carr CM, Kallmes DF, Murad MH, Luetmer PH. MRI Findings of Disc Degeneration are More Prevalent in Adults with Low Back Pain than in Asymptomatic Controls: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015 Dec;36(12):2394-9. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A4498. Epub 2015 Sep 10. PMID: 26359154; PMCID: PMC7964277.
An MRI study comparing scan results before and after new onset back pain:
Carragee, Eugene et al. Are first-time episodes of serious LBP associated with new MRI findings? 2006. The Spine Journal, Volume 6, Issue 6, 624 - 635.
Books:
The Way Out- Alan Gordon.
Back Up- Liam Mannix.
When the Body Says No- Gabor Maté.
Aches and Pains- Louis Gifford.
Why Zebra's Don't Get Ulcers- Robert Sapolsky.
The Story of the Human Body- Daniel Lieberman.
©Copyright. All rights reserved.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.