Pain Relief Physio

My Yoga Journey

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:00:14 +0000

Yoga came into my life at a time when my body and mind were asking for something more gentle, slower, and more supportive than my usual ways of moving and exercising.

I began practising yoga around 2015, while I was living in Sydney. At the time, my husband and I were trying to have a baby, and someone suggested that yoga might be a less impactful form of movement for my body. So, I decided to give it a try. Technically, it was my second yoga class — I had attended one in my early twenties and hadn’t enjoyed it at all, so I never went back.

This time was different.

I went along to a class at the gym where I was a member, not quite knowing what to expect. I was drawn in by the physical movements, but what really surprised me was the sense of peace — especially during Shavasana at the end of the class. It was a feeling I had never experienced before.

I noticed that other people seemed able to slow down and relax on their mats in a way that felt unfamiliar to me. Rather than feeling discouraged, I found myself deeply intrigued. I wanted some of that slowness, that ease. So, I went back to another class… and then another.

Looking back, I realise how fortunate I was. The yoga teachers I practised with at the beginning of my journey were all excellent — not only skilled, but genuinely kind and supportive people. They really inspired me. Since then, I’ve never really stopped practising.

Before long, I realised that yoga was about far more than physical postures alone. While I continued to enjoy the movement — and the physical benefits were undeniable — something deeper was unfolding. Over time, I became stronger and more flexible than I had ever been before. I found myself able to move in ways I never thought possible. And while I was always aware that this isn’t the true purpose of yoga, I found it joyful and expansive.

I loved the sense of flow, the spaciousness of the postures, and the way I consistently felt calmer and more grounded during and after class. Yoga became something I could return to — a place of steadiness — especially when life felt challenging.

Over the years, yoga has supported me through physical injury, long COVID, and difficult emotional periods. Through these experiences, I came to understand why yoga is called a practice. It’s not something to complete or perfect — it’s ongoing, adaptive, and ever‑changing, just like life itself.

As a physiotherapist, I naturally began to weave yoga into my work. I work with many people who already practise yoga and want to return to it after experiencing injury or pain, and I find this incredibly rewarding. I also love introducing yoga to people who are new to it and helping them discover how it can support their recovery and wellbeing.

I particularly enjoy using yoga as a form of recovery — exploring movement gently, analysing how the body moves, working with the breath, and learning more about yoga’s rich history and philosophy. Much of its wisdom feels remarkably relevant to modern life.

In 2005, I started working on pain management programmes at INPUT at St Thomas’ Hospital, where I saw clearly how well yoga complemented the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy framework that I use in my work. This connection continued to deepen over time, and in 2025 I travelled to Costa Rica to complete a 200‑hour yoga teacher training course. It was a truly special and transformative experience, both personally and professionally.

Today, I continue to practise yoga myself at least three times a week. I also use it regularly with clients on a one‑to‑one basis and teach a weekly class locally, upstairs in the Pavilion at North Sheen Recreation Ground.

The class is a friendly, supportive space created especially for people living with — or who have lived with — pain. It’s about moving gently, breathing with awareness, and finding a little more ease in both body and mind. I deeply enjoy spending time with people in this way, and I’ve met so many wonderful individuals through yoga along the way.

I’m excited to see where my yoga practice continues to take me, and I feel grateful to be able to share it with others.

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Some thoughts about low back pain

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 10:16:40 +0000

Autumn is here but aren’t the days lovely and mild? I am so enjoying the dry weather too as it means that I haven’t needed to wash a dirty dog much yet at all. Funnily enough just thinking about bending over Obi for a prolonged period gives me sensations in my back – I wonder why that happens?

Do you, or do you know someone that experiences back pain?

Do you know that back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide?

I am sure you do know a few people and I am also sure that you know that back pain affects everyone very differently, sometimes it comes and goes very quickly and sometimes it turns into a persistent and ongoing problem. Although it can be distressing and limiting, thankfully it is rarely dangerous, and it can be overcome. I don’t think low back pain is helped in its understanding as there are so many unhelpful and confusing beliefs around it. So, given it is back pain awareness week, I thought I would dispel some myths – I hope you find it helpful in some way….

What do you know about back pain?

One common myth about persistent low back pain is that it is always related to tissue damage in fact PERSISTENT LOW BACK PAIN IS RARELY ASSOCIATED WITH SERIOUS TISSUE DAMAGE: Backs are strong. If you have had an injury, tissue healing occurs within three months, so if pain persists past this time, it usually means there are other contributing factors. A lot of back pain begins with no injury or with simple everyday movement. These occasions may relate to stress, tension, fatigue, inactivity or unaccustomed activity which make the back sensitive to movement and loading.

Another common myth is that repeated spinal loading results in ‘wear and tear’ and tissue damage. BACKS DO NOT WEAR OUT WITH EVERYDAY LOADING AND BENDING: The same way lifting weights makes muscles strong, moving and loading make the back stronger and healthier. So, activities like running, twisting, and bending and lifting are safe if you start gradually and practice regularly.

So as much as I don’t really like washing Obi I know it is entirely safe for my back and in fact it is good for it.

Answer to my initial question: it has got to do with the mind-body connection of a painful experience. I do sometimes experience lower back ache when bending over washing Obi and so my brain remembers this.

For more myth busting facts about low back pain have a look at ‘Back to basics: 10 facts every person should know about back pain. O’Sullivan et al (2019) British Journal of Sports Medicine’

A couple of my tips to help overcome back pain:

Keep yourself as strong, flexible and active as you can – this doesn’t always mean core exercises.
If you get a pain flare up instead of treating it like an injury, try to stay calm, relax and keep moving

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What does ‘poor’ posture mean to you?

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 10:06:56 +0000

There is a lot of discussion about ‘good’ posture and ‘bad’ posture but what does this mean, and does it influence pain?

Did you know that what we often think of as poor posture does not actually cause back pain?

How we sit, stand and bend does not cause back pain even though these activities might be painful. I believe that it’s important to spend time in lots of different postures and positions during the day to keep our backs healthy so, it is safe to relax and even slump when we sit.

Just as it is ok to bend and lift things with a round back – in fact it is often a more efficient way of using the muscles.

I recently worked with someone that sat in a ‘good’ posture for most of the day – this meant his muscles were tense, fatigued, and stiff which inadvertently caused stress in the body. Stress releases chemicals that sensitise the nervous system and signals travel to the brain where this information gets processed. In this instance the information was interpreted as a threat and so an output from the brain of pain was experienced by this gentleman, in his lower back. This gentleman knows much more about low back pain now and doesn’t worry about what is good or bad posture because there isn’t really either!

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Can I sleep the pain away?

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 09:56:33 +0000

We all know there are certain things we need to ensure a healthy lifestyle – eating the right food (including in the right amounts), getting enough exercise as well as making sure we’re getting enough sleep. The difficulty is if we’re in pain (especially chronic pain) these can be harder for us to do.

While I would never profess to be an expert in nutrition or exercise, I am an expert in sleep. So I have seen research and evidence that suggest there’s a bi-directional relationship between pain and sleep. If we’re in pain, the chances are we’re going to struggle to sleep, but also, if we’re not getting enough sleep, there’s research to suggest that we’re then going to feel that pain more intensely.

The longer the pain continues, potentially the longer our sleep difficulties last, which then becomes a vicious circle.

How does pain affect our sleep (or vice versa)

While most of us are well aware of the cognitive impairments we feel when we have not slept well (whether due to short or long-term sleep deprivation), sleep also plays a significant role in our physical health as well.

It’s thought that changes to our nervous system when we have not received the quality and quantity of sleep we need could lead to oversensitivity, meaning our tolerance to pain is lower. Not getting enough sleep can also increase inflammation, which can exacerbate existing conditions.

Our coordination is also affected, so we are more likely to injure ourselves even while carrying out simple tasks, like picking something up from the floor awkwardly, for example. While we sleep, our bodies repair and rejuvenate, so if we’re not getting enough of it, we may find that it takes us longer to recover from these niggly injuries, as well as more serious injuries.

For many, the pain is sufficient enough that we take medication to help alleviate some or all of the sensations. The difficulty is, that while they may have a sedative effect, helping to relax our muscles, thus reducing the pain, they can actually impact the quality of the sleep we manage to get.

Of course, I am by no means suggesting you cease taking any prescribed medication, however, it could be worth discussing what you’re taking and when with your GP and how it might be affecting your sleep. After all, sometimes ‘some’ sleep is better than ‘no’ sleep.

How can I help my sleep?

While our individual difficulties with sleep can be just as complex as our pain, there are some things that you can try to help improve your sleep.

Have a routine

As humans, we are creatures of habit. Our circadian rhythm, or natural body clock, likes consistency. So by going to bed around the same time each night and waking at (and getting up at!) approximately the same time each morning, we can help to entrain our circadian rhythm, which means we will naturally start to feel sleepy around the same time each night and more likely to wake refreshed in the morning around the same time as well.

Bedtime routines aren’t just for children

Again, as creatures of habit, our brains like to know what’s coming next. So by doing the same simple tasks in the same order before bed each night, again we are helping to entrain our circadian rhythm.

This routine doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Simply washing your face, brushing your teeth, changing into nightwear and reading a few pages before turning off the light can be enough to signal to our brains that it is now time to sleep.

Make sure your bedroom is comfortable and relaxing

This may appear a fairly obvious point, but one that many of us overlook. Ensuring our beds and pillows are supportive and comfortable enough for us to lay on for approximately 8 hours a night is of paramount importance, especially when struggling with pain, which can be made worse by a poor sleeping position.

Also making sure that the room is as uncluttered as possible (although often easier said than done!) can help us switch off when the time comes for us to fall asleep.

Try to relax

Again, this may initially appear to be a fairly obvious suggestion. However, it is often very easy for us to stress and worry around bedtime, or during the night because we ‘know’ we are not going to sleep, which then becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

I would like to suggest instead, that you simply enjoy being laid in a comfortable position (or as comfortable as you can be), with the opportunity to relax and enjoy the time without distraction.

Many find that practising relaxation techniques including mindfulness can be really beneficial while trying to fall asleep. One of my favourites is something called ‘Progressive Muscle Relaxation’ or Bodyscan Technique, which also has evidence to suggest it is useful for sufferers of chronic pain.

This involves tensing and relaxing separate muscle groups in a systematic fashion, working your way up your body, from your feet to your head. While you can do it on your own, to begin with it can be useful to follow a guided version, which talks you through how to do it. The one I personally use can be found here:

When sleep is a real pain

It can be worth reminding ourselves though, that often if we wake due to pain, it’s our body cleverly encouraging us to change our sleeping position. Had we not moved and laid prone in the same position for longer, the pain may well have been worse upon waking.

Should you wish to find out more about the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia and how it can help pain sufferers sleep, I would love to hear from you. You can contact me by email at Sam@EasySleepSolutions.co.uk or by visiting my website www.EasySleepSolutions.co.uk.

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How gradual exposure to activity can help with pain relief

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 17:13:07 +0000

A lady that I have been working with said to me ‘so it’s all about exposure rather than avoidance’.

I thought this was an excellent way to summarise what we had been talking about…a lot of people that suffer with persistent pain avoid doing what they would like to do as it stops them from experiencing pain. While this is very understandable this viscous cycle contributes to experiencing ongoing pain.

All activity and exercise can be modified to suit everyone’s level of ability and over time it can be increased and made more challenging to suit each person’s goals and values.

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How acceptance can help with pain relief

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 17:03:34 +0000

Acceptance is a word that seems to come up a lot at the moment…

An experience that I’ve had of acceptance came after having Covid in 2020. Prior to this I was working hard and exercising 4-5 times a week without giving it a second thought. I have experienced a lot of fatigue over the last 2 years and consequently I still don’t have the energy to do what I used to do. Several times I have fought the fatigue by trying to increase my fitness by doing a HIIT class or a 10km run only to spend the next few days sitting on the couch.

When I work with people experiencing persistent pain, I see similarities of my experience to theirs – there is a big difficulty in accepting unwanted changes to physical health.

This is where I have found acceptance helpful and to be honest it is an ongoing process. Acceptance doesn’t mean giving up or putting up with the current situation like it might seem. It means opening up and making room for the difficult things. Doing this can make life better. Pain acceptance is the process of giving up the struggle with pain, learning about it, understanding it, working with it and guided by life’s values, still being able to live your best life.

I had a conversation about this with a lady yesterday. She told me she felt like she was falling apart having experienced neck, shoulder and lower back pain for many years. Amongst many things, she couldn’t exercise the way that she would like and was struggling to accept her physical condition. This was the first time that I had met her, and we discussed and practiced ways of how she can exercise and use her body to its full potential. Her work with me will involve much more than physical activity and it will take time, but it is possible to overcome pain and get stronger and fitter.

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Summer activities with longterm pain

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 17:01:13 +0000

I so enjoy summer!

I really enjoy the warm, dry weather and the long days. To me summer is all about being outside and being active – going for walks with my dog and husband along the river, going for a run in Richmond Park even doing some yoga in the garden. They are all so much more enjoyable, for me, when the weather is fine, and I take it for granted that I can do them. If you are limited in what you can do because of pain doing anything can be difficult, uncomfortable, and extremely frustrating.

I recently worked with a lady that had been told by her consultant that ‘this is it’ with reference to a 2-year history of low back and hip pain she was experiencing. As you might imagine she was quite upset by this comment, and she didn’t want to believe him. When we met, she told me she wanted to be able to play tennis and dance with her children, go for walks with her husband, sleep well at night and be more comfortable when she sits at work. We have worked hard together to overcome and understand her pain experience and now I believe she can enjoy the summer weather in the way that she wants! She can play tennis, go for walks, and she has even started running again. Long term pain doesn’t have to be, and I am passionate about helping people find the pain relief that they are looking for.

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Pain: what is it?

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 16:56:14 +0000

When pain doesn’t go away as expected, it can be stressful and debilitating. Knowing that pain is a complex multi-dimensional experience and that it can be overcome gives hope.

Most people suffer from pain in their lifetime. Most injuries heal and pain disappears. Pain after an operation usually goes away as the body recovers. We expect not to be in pain. Sometimes though, pain doesn’t go away despite the injury healing or the surgical procedure going well and so it becomes persistent or chronic. Some people experience long term pain for no obvious reason. In fact, 20% of adults have persistent pain. How can this be when medicine and science are so good? This article attempts to explain the multidimensional complexity of musculoskeletal pain and offers some self-care solutions to help overcome it.

Pain, whether it be acute or chronic, is a mind-body, unpleasant sensory and emotional experience that is unique to everyone. It can affect how you think, feel, what you do and can take over your life. It can be overwhelming, threatening, frightening, stressful, uncomfortable to some people in some situations but it can also feel good, exciting, reassuring, helpful and protective to others. The way that pain is processed depends on the context in which it is experienced. Pain is an individual experience and is interpreted differently in each of us. It can, very easily, be misunderstood which is why in so many of us, pain does not always go away.

Most of us assumes that when pain which is experienced in an area of our body there is a problem with the body’s tissues in that area and as soon as the problem is fixed or healed, the pain will resolve. In most instances this happens.

Rabey & Maloney.
Thrive-physio.co.uk

The diagram (right) shows that there are many dimensions to a painful experience – more than body tissues alone – what we think of as physical pain is in fact a whole-body experience. This experience is modulated by biological factors in the body, psychologically in the brain and socially outside the body. Pain is a much more complex experience than we might imagine which is why it doesn’t always resolve the way we would expect it to.

The good news is that long term pain can be overcome. Pain relief can be found through performing daily acts of self-care. Self-care is about taking a proactive approach to achieving and maintaining the best health you can possibly have. It is extremely self-empowering, satisfying, and enjoyable! It isn’t a quick cure and there isn’t just one solution but in finding what works for you, keeping doing it and adapting it, benefits can be seen quickly and with regular practice these benefits will last.

Here are 10 self-care acts that have been scientifically proven to contribute to pain relief that you can do on your own without any professional help. To be honest I believe that everyone should participate in self-care so get your friends and family involved too!

Educate yourself on pain science – the more you learn about chronic pain, the more able you are to overcome it. Understanding the science behind how the body processes pain gives you knowledge and with neuroplasticity, this can help the brain move away from its unhelpful pain behaviours.
Keep yourself as active as possible – daily activity and exercise helps relieve pain, keeps you fit and helps with other health problems. Try something new, vary what you do and make sure you enjoy it!
Pace yourself – take a break before you need one and don’t feel guilty about it! It might slow you down, but you will get there! You will achieve what you want with less pain than if you keep going. This will help you take control of your life rather than letting the pain be in control.
Eat a healthy diet – there is evidence that a Mediterranean diet reduces systemic inflammation and relieves pain in long term painful conditions. A Mediterranean diet includes fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and wholegrains with meat, fish, dairy and alcohol in low to moderate amounts.
Keep a good sleep routine – healthy sleep habits can reduce chronic pain in some conditions while poor sleep has been shown to increase pain in others. If you feel tired and haven’t been sleeping at night, try not to take a nap. If you are tired when you go to bed you may have a better night’s sleep.
Find your purpose and set some goals – when you feel unable to do what you used to do due to pain it is quite easy to lose a sense of purpose in life. Consider what is important to you and how it can be achieved is a great way of regaining purpose and living the life that you want.
Perform some form of daily relaxation technique – try taking a few deep breaths, meditation or mindfulness, yoga, tai chi or massage therapy. These reduce sensitivity in the sympathetic nervous system which reduces stress and levels of pain experienced.
Participate in regular social activities with friends and family even if you don’t feel like it.
Create a positive support system and ask for help when you need it. Be open with your friends and family about how you are feeling. They might not be able to help or know what to say but as the saying goes ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’…
Be kind and compassionate to yourself. It’s not your fault or anyone else’s you are experiencing painful problems.

With reframing pain and carrying out daily self-care you can overcome persistent pain and lead the life that you want to live.

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What is pain?

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 16:47:11 +0000

I really like this quote, but does it mean?

This explanation about pain initially really confused me. I have since pondered over it on many occasions and it has really helped me in the way that I work with people…

I very much consider everyone that I work with as an individual with different thoughts, memories, understandings, experiences, and beliefs going on in our brains. With regards to pain these all contribute to a unique neuromatrix for each of us. Listening to people tell their story and understanding their beliefs and fears about their pain guides me as to how to help people overcome their pain.
Listening to people tell their story helps me understand what systems are contributing to their pain and so guides me as to what treatment support, they need from me. I consider the different systems in our bodies, not just our tissues, such as the nervous system, endocrine system and the immune system as they are all involved in the pain experience and all present information to our brains.
Understanding that it is our brains that interprets all this information and decides whether pain should be experienced demonstrates the mind-body connection. This knowledge, utilising the body’s neuroplastic nature, helps the brain move away from its unhelpful pain behaviours. This results in the ability to overcome persistent pain, become fitter, stronger and healthier and gives the ability to live the life that you want.

I came across this quote again recently and I love the fact that I have spent ages considering this explanation of pain again – I find that understanding how pain is experienced in the body is so beneficial when working to overcome pain.

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How thoughts can help with pain relief

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 16:35:40 +0000

I have been working with a lady who has experienced persistent low back pain and right leg pain for many years, for a couple of months now and today she told me that despite her still experiencing pain she has adjusted her thought processes so she is able to do more – she now goes to the gym twice a week, walks her dog daily, swims and cycles – she is also less anxious about her pain, understands her body more, sleeps better and is more present with her family.

Helping her to accept and understand their pain is such a privilege and has enabled her to live the life that she wants.

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