Nick Ferran

Does virtual physiotherapy work for shoulder and elbow problems? With face-to-face appointments limited under the current pandemic lockdown, many physiotherapists have had to deliver care by virtual physiotherapy. For most shoulder and elbow conditions physiotherapy is an essential first line of treatment and needs to be exercise based although other modalities such as massage, [...]

What is a lipoma? Lipomas are the most common soft tissue tumours in adults. They are common in the upper limb and tend to occur more proximally around the shoulder region, but they can occur anywhere along the upper limb. They are benign fatty tumours and are not cancerous. Fat cells within the lipoma [...]

What is calcific tendinitis? Calcific tendinitis is also referred to as calcific tendonitis or calcific tendinopathy is a common condition that can affect the rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder. The exact cause of the condition is not fully understood but we know it is more common in females, tends to affect those in [...]

Most patients who come to my clinic attend because of pain in their shoulder or arm. Sadly, shoulder pain isn’t limited to the shoulder and it is quite common for shoulder conditions to cause pain to radiate up to the neck or down the arm toward the elbow. Some patients have both shoulder and [...]

Subacromial Shoulder Pain It is a common condition that causes pain around the shoulder. Subacromial shoulder pain is sometimes referred to as shoulder impingement, subacromial bursitis, or supraspinatus tendinopathy. Pain can radiate down to the elbow or up across the top of the shoulder blade to the neck. Patients often experience pain on lifting [...]

Thanks to Bradley Scanes, British Gymnastics, W5 Physio, and Chelmsford Physio, Physiotherapist for being our first guest blogger and covering this difficult topic! Atraumatic Shoulder Instability Firstly, thanks to Nick for inviting me to write for his blog. Loving the information and content he is putting out there and glad our love for Instagram [...]

One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is getting healthy. Whether it be a diet after the excesses of Christmas or using winter time to get the body summer-fit, many of us flock to the gyms in the new year. Some gym goers, however, manage to either sustain injuries to their shoulder or [...]

What is a pec major tendon rupture? Pec major tendon ruptures are uncommon, most often occur in men, and unfortunately are often missed injuries. Pectoralis (Pec) Major is the large muscle that gives the chest its characteristic shape in men. In women it sits deep to the breast tissue. The pec major muscle is [...]

What is a shoulder steroid injection? For most shoulder & elbow surgeons a “ shoulder steroid injection” means a combined single injection of steroid and local anaesthetic. There are two commonly used steroids for musculoskeletal injections in the UK; methylprednisolone (Depo-medrol) and triamcinolone (Kenalog). I prefer to use triamcinolone in my injections as it [...]

Most patients who come to see me in clinic with shoulder problems complain about pain and disturbed sleep. Common complaints include difficulty finding a comfortable sleeping position and waking up several times as they roll on to the affected side. What are the effects of poor or disturbed sleep?  Disturbed sleep may affect daytime [...]