Pain Relief, Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Gem in Staffordshire

We all have a tendency to think that things are better elsewhere. How many of us never go to see local attractions, but happily drive miles to see the same elsewhere, when at the same time people who live miles away travel to see our local attractions.

Staffordshire may not be London, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some real gems here that you can’t get elsewhere. One such gem is Nicky Snazell’s Pain Relief Clinic.

We provide a unique combination of skills and technology, unmatched in the UK. That’s why we have patients from every corner of the UK and we have many patients from abroad. Our furthest referral is from Sydney, Australia!

So next time you need help with chronic spinal pain, physiotherapy, arthritis or a sports injury don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to go elsewhere. You have a gem on your doorstop.

We serve the local community including:

  •  Stafford
  •  Rugeley
  •  Cannock
  •  Lichfield
  •  Uttoxeter
  •  Stone
  •  Stoke on Trent
  •  Burton on Trent
  • Walsall
  • Wolverhampton
  • Sutton Coldfield

Affordable shockwave is available. The best guidelines are to check out the training undertaken and how long shockwave has been used.

History

Radial shockwave has been in use in mainland Europe for over 30 years and because of its effectiveness, it is now spreading rapidly around the world. The UK has been relatively late in taking this exciting technology on board and even now there are relatively few clinics offering radial shockwave.

We have been offering affordable shockwave at Nicky Snazell’s Pain Relief Clinic since 2007, following an education trip to mainland Europe, including training from an Orthopaedic Consultant who specialises in shockwave treatment at his clinic in Luxembourg.

What is Radial Shockwave?

 

Shoulder Shockwave Treatment with Storz Medical ESWT

Shoulder Shockwave Treatment with Storz Medical ESWT

Radial shockwave applies pressure pulses to the body in varying depths. Our Storz Medical ESWT radial shockwave can be fitted with various applicator heads, which allows us to control depth of treatment and the quality of the pulse for different body tissues.

The head can be rapidly changed to treat a tendon insertion to the bone, the body of the tendon, or through the protected D-Actor technology, treat muscles. The pressure pulses induce an inflammatory response in the injured body tissue, which stimulates the body to react by increasing blood flow to the area and thus promotes more rapid healing.

Picture supplied by courtesy of Storz Medical

What Can Be Treated With Radial Shockwave?

Radial shockwave has a broad range of successful treatment capability:

  • Plantar Fasciitis | Policeman’s Foot
  • Patellar Tendonitis  | Housemaids knee
  • Tibial Stress Syndrome | Shin splints
  • Achilles Tendonitis
  • Lateral epicondylitis | Tennis Elbow
  • Adhesive capsulitis | Frozen shoulder
  • Calcified tendinitis
  • Iliotibial band syndrome
  • Osteoarthritic joint release
  • Piriformis syndrome
  • Muscle spasms & trigger points

How do I find a Skilled / Affordable Shockwave Therapist?

Often in life the maxim “You get what you pay for” holds true. However, with radial shockwave this is not necessarily the case, because radial shockwave is still relatively new in the UK, the apparent newness is being used to leverage extremely high charges. But radial shockwave is not new, it has been around for 30 years or more in one form or another. It’s just that the UK has been slow to take it on board.

At Nicky Snazell’s Pain Relief Clinic, our approach has been to seek the best training we could obtain in mainland Europe from Orthopaedic Specialists with many years of experience in shockwave and then make the treatment available here at normal treatment costs.

So look around, ask what training has been undertaken and how long shockwave has been in use at that centre. These are much better guidelines than cost.

If you are interested in affordable radial shockwave treatment at Nicky Snazell’s Pain Relief Clinic

CALL 01889 881488 NOW

Orthotics, when properly prescribed, can reduce pain and improve athletic performance.

Orthotics are footwear inserts custom designed and made specifically for you to correct imbalances in your body. Such imbalances may

  • Cause you pain
  • Affect your sporting performance
  • Cause potential problems in the future

Orthotics can help correct fallen arches or high arched feet, leg length discrepancies and help resolve ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain, lower back pain, and they even make an impact all the way up the body to the shoulders, neck and jaw.  Not surprisingly, for most of us, it is difficult to see that our back pain could be caused by a foot problem, and we will never make this link without assessment.

You may be wondering if you require orthotics or not, or may think that you can buy some insoles from a high street or online shop. It is important to realise such insoles are totally different to prescribed orthotics as they are not specifically designed for your feet and are generally made from a soft, short-lived material. While insoles can be helpful in certain circumstances, most of the time they are offering no relief to your problem and sometimes can make the problem worse.

We all have or own unique foot shape and movement problems. To make this complex structure perform correctly requires an orthotic to be made exactly to your needs. A custom-made orthotic will put your foot in an ideal position at every stage of walking, running and pivoting.

Would I benefit from orthotics, you may be asking yourself? If you fit into one of the groups below, then you will most likely benefit from orthotics:

  • You know you have different leg lengths.
  • You stand more than 6 hours a day, especially on hard surfaces.
  • You are overweight.
  • You suffer from arthritis.
  • Sports players and runners exert much higher forces and are likelier to have problems.

If you feel you may require orthotics, then we can assess you here at the clinic. This is called a biomechanical assessment, and it involves a mixture of looking at your posture and a variety of special static and dynamic tests. This would include digital foot pressure measurement and looking at you walking on the treadmill. If, during the assessment, we spot any imbalances, then orthotics will most likely be needed.

If you wish to know more or feel that you may benefit from orthotics then feel free to contact us here at the clinic.

Core Stability

What is core stability and how to reduce the risk of injury resulting from bad posture by improving it.

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Arthritis (also referred to as inflammatory joint pain) CAN be prevented with a few simple changes to your lifestyle. Information on what food you should eat and exercises you should do to help prevent getting the worst arthritis symptoms and if you do suffer from arthritis, what treatments are available.

We march into joint problems with innocent ignorance. A poor diet full of processed sugar, excess fat, caffeine and alcohol, leads to obesity, compounded by poor posture and footwear. On these dark winter days, we rarely get the correct amount of exercise to protect our joints, putting our bodies through repeated stresses and strains with weak muscles. On top of this, it is difficult to keep a positive mindset with such negative world news.

No wonder arthritis creeps in.

My patients often ask if they have arthritis and what type. They often think that fibromyalgia is a form of arthritis.

Broadly speaking there are two kinds; osteo (OA) and rheumatoid (RA). An examination by your physiotherapist or GP with xrays and bloods should determine which it is.

Osteoarthritic Joint

Osteoarthritic Joint

OA, the most common type, is wear and tear in the smooth cartilage protecting the bones in joints, which eventually leads to bone erosion, bone spurs and unsightly bony end thickening. The joint juice, the synovial fluid, swells and becomes inflamed and sticky. The attacked bone haemorrages precious calcium. By 50 years old 8 out of 10 of us have OA and by 60, 9 out of 10. Left untreated, OA can have a massive negative impact on quality of life and eventually need surgery. When bone is very fragile, it becomes osteoporotic and breaks easily. By the age of 70, 1 in 3 ladies suffer this.

Clearly, for everyone, it is well worth investing time to prevent the worst. I have mild OA in my right knee following surgery and if I follow the plan enclosed, I keep the symptoms at bay.

RA is totally different to OA, whereby the malfunctioning of the immune system is self-destructive to joints and muscles. It is linked to genetic makeup and is believed to be triggered by a viral attack.

I am frequently asked about Fibromyalgia, but this is not arthritic or inflammatory. The symptoms of fatigue, sleepless nights and muscle pain are believed to be a malfunction of the mitochondria energy processing system in the cell.

Action Plan

Exercise regularly every 48 hours, including gentle exercises like Tai Chi or Yoga when you are feeling sore and stressed up, and try to exercise outside to get your daily sunshine, vital for vitamin D.

Consult a nutritionist to check for food allergies and consider a liver function test. Many natural products support the liver, including milk thistle, artichoke and dandelion.

Increase fruit and vegetable intake, especially raw. Best for arthritis are; carrots, green peppers, watercress, tomatoes, beetroot, berries, grapes, cabbage, broccoli, Brussel sprouts and kale.

Eat less red meat, dairy, sugar-laden and deep fried food, drink less alcohol and caffeinated drinks.

Increase water, ionised if possible.

Consider supplementing, and check with a nutritionist. I take high-quality antioxidants, minerals and Omega 3 & 6 every day. Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus are very important for arthritis.

For fibromyalgia, 5 HTP can help sleep, try malic acid with magnesium for pain and to boost ATP energy cycle, manganese and coenzyme Q10.

Check your blood sugar level. Vitamins C,E, manganese and chromium can help with this.

Menopause can increase the problems with arthritis and fragile bones. Mineral uptake can be poorer, vitamin D low in winter, hormone levels of oestrogen and progesterone and parathyroid can be out of kilter. There are great self help books out there, and your GP can advise you on your hormones and bone density.

If pain worsens on walking, consider a biomechanical check for your footwear.

 

Suitable therapies I like: