Student develops crisis support app

A UCLan PaST undergraduate has developed a mobile phone app which he hopes will help save lives.

Third year Physiotherapy student Patrick Shaughnessy has created TrustTalk24/7, a free app which provides help to anyone in suicide crisis or for people who are worried about a deterioration in their own mental health or of their loved ones.

Patrick came up with the idea for the app a year ago, having lost a cousin and friends to suicide. TrustTalk24/7 is split into three sections – LetsTalk, WhySoSilent and MindMyMind24/7.

LetsTalk is aimed at people in suicide crisis and who need to speak to an Accredited Counsellor immediately.

By pressing a call button on the app, a person is directly connected free of charge to a Counsellor at any time of the day when they feel the need for it.

WhySoSilent asks the user questions if they are worried about themselves or someone else. The questions relate to suicide, depression and anxiety, and will relay the relevant information or call options to the user depending on their answers.

MindMyMind24/7 delivers daily inspirational messages to the user so they can relate these to their lives and motivate themselves or someone else.

The Republic of Ireland's National Suicide Charity, Console, gave Patrick their support during the product development process and will be contactable via the app, along with The Samaritans, Aware and Bodywhys.

TrustTalk24/7 is set to be launched in Ireland during the next few weeks.

The top five physio myths busted

Despite physiotherapy being one of the most successful treatments for pain relief and injury rehabilitation, there are multiple myths surrounding the profession that could be doing more harm than good.

A Daily Mail article - 'The 5 Biggest Physio Myths Busted' - aims to resolve points that seem like common sense, but are proven to have no significant impact on your health.

The top 5 physio myths busted:

1. A specific mattress can prevent back pain

Special mattresses are not cheap and are actually seen as unnecessary by some physiotherapists.

However, research conducted by The National Sleep Foundation, as well as a study by Professors at Duke University, has shown that the type of mattress you sleep on can impact whether you get a good night's sleep and also on your back.

The study demonstrated that the amount of mattress support provided (soft, medium, firm) was linked to a good night's sleep and pain.

2. Stretching before & after exercise can prevent injury & soreness

There is also no evidence that stretching before and after exercise makes any difference in terms of preventing injuries and soreness in the muscles.

However, other measures can be taken that are more effective than stretching (which can actually reduce performance), such as active warm-ups, sport specific exercise and agility training.

3. If you have whiplash you should wear a neck brace

When it comes to treating whiplash, a neck brace is not the way to cure it. Neck braces are only completely necessary if you've suffered a spinal fracture, but unless there is a fracture a neck brace will do more harm than good.

Making sure that you remain active will help cure whiplash and prevent the long term problems that may occur from unnecessarily wearing a neck brace, such as joint stiffness, weakened neck muscles and hypersensitivity of neck joints, ligaments and muscles.

4. Ultrasound for ankle sprains

There is limiting evidence supporting the use of ultrasound for ankle sprains within a clinical environment. There is some evidence within a laboratory setting that ultrasound improves healing of ligament tissue.

5. Physiotherapy hurts

Finally, the myth that physiotherapy is more painful than treatments performed by chiropractors and osteopaths. This is not true. Depending on the injury, any treatment performed may be more painful than others.

Physiotherapy can incorporate different treatments including massage, manual therapy, acupuncture and exercise therapy. None are designed specifically to cause pain although there may be some discomfort depending on condition. If you have any concerns or issues please do not hesitate to speak to your physiotherapist.

All injuries should be treated by a trained, registered professional. If you're struggling with an injury or recurring pain, please come along to the UCLan Physiotherapy Clinic for an assessment.

The Clinic is run by professionally registered physiotherapists and sports therapists and is recognised by all major private health companies. For more details please click here or Tel: 01772 894902.

Research Fellow flies solo

A Research Fellow based in our Allied Health Professions Research Unit has been invited to present at a prestigious sports science conference.

Dr Steven Lindley will travel to Montenegro in early April for the 12th International Scientific Conference and 11th annual Congress of the Montenegrin Sports Academy.

The event will focus on current themes from all areas of sports science and sports medicine.

These include social sciences and humanities; physiology and sports medicine; and biomechanics and neuromuscular, all of which will offer delegates a forum for the latest research and applied insight into the respective disciplines.

Dr Lindley has spent several years investigating musculoskeletal conditions and the efficacy of various clinical and training interventions.

More recently he completed his doctoral work investigating the neuromuscular, biomechanical and clinical factors within Patellofemoral Pain; explicitly focusing on the motor unit control and joint stability strategies.

He also works as European Manager for Delsys Inc, a world leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of a broad portfolio of high performance Electromyography instruments.

With a background from both clinical and research neuromuscular-biomechanics, his role includes customer education and application support, comprising of individual customer training along with international workshops and lectures.

Dr Lindley commented: "This is the first time I've been invited to present alone. I've previously worked at conferences with Professor Jim Richards, but this is a great opportunity to showcase my work on a solo basis.

"My workshop will offer clear and concise information on the use and application of Surface Electromyography, which offers unique insights into the complex mosaic of the neuromuscular system.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to develop possible future research collaborations at UCLan, both with postgraduate researchers and commercial companies based worldwide."

The event takes place 2-5 April at the University of Montenegro. For more information please click here.

Repetitive strain injury: the benefits of Acupuncture

Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is becoming increasingly common, with more than two thirds of workers now suffering.

This causes a collective loss of 5.4 million working days per year, costing the UK industry between £5 billion to £10 billion annually.

RSI is increasing mainly because of the use of computers and technology. However, according to Repetitive Strain Injury Action, it is unlikely there is just one single cause of RSI, as there can be a mix of contributory factors.

These include a poorly structured workstation, working for long periods without breaks, poor posture and excessive workload. Secondary factors include stress which leads to tension in the muscle tissue, and other factors such as age, general health, and even the weather.

Symptoms of RSI include:

• Pain, aching or tenderness
• Throbbing
• Numbness
• Cramp
• Weakness
• Stiffness

Tenosynovitis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) are the most well-known repetitive strain injuries. Tenosynovitis is the inflammation of the sheath surrounding the tendon, whilst CTS leads to sufferers experiencing disabling pain with a tingling in the thumb and first two fingers after muscle tendons swell, increasing pressure on the nerves and causing pain.

There are many different forms of treatment for RSI, including painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, heat and cold packs, physiotherapy, and acupuncture.The latter is a particularly effective way to remedy RSI by releasing muscle tension and stimulating bloody flow to the affected area, relieving pain.

Acupuncture

There are two main forms of acupuncture: Chinese traditional medicine that has been practiced in China for thousands of years, and western-based science and evidence.

Acupuncture is a treatment used to treat 28 various conditions, including general pain management, headaches, RSI, and osteoarthritis of the knee and spine. Throughout the process, single-use, pre-sterilised needles of differing widths, lengths, and materials are inserted into your skin at specific acupuncture points on the body at differing depths.

There are two variations of acupuncture - conventional, and trigger point. For conventional acupuncture, the needles are typically left in position for 20-30 minutes before removal.

However, as trigger point acupuncture is used to relax specific muscles to resolve long-term muscle pain or to increase muscle length to aid rehabilitation, the needle is inserted into the affected muscle until the tissue relaxes, and is then removed. This form of acupuncture has a more immediate effect, therefore a 20-30 minute treatment is not necessary.

UCLan Physiotherapy Clinic offers western acupuncture to the general public as well as students and staff. The fully-trained professional staff also provides acupressure through massage, where our physiotherapists activate key acupuncture points through massage to relieve your muscle tightness. This treatment is often used for children, sensitive patients and people with a phobia of needles.

Treatment usually consists of 4-6 sessions over the course of weeks or months, depending on the condition being treated. Acupuncture is not usually used as an isolated practice, but alongside other treatments such as manual therapy.

Acupuncture should only be performed by trained practitioners. Our senior physiotherapist, Greg Littler, is a member of the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists and performs western acupuncture at UCLan's Physiotherapy Clinic. Treatments cost from £25.

For more details please click here or telephone 01772 894902.