The mission of My-Self-Help is to provide exercises as a mode of treatment for neck, back, hip and knee pain.
Research evidence shows that exercises can help with neck pain, cervical spondylosis, cervical disc prolapse, low back pain, lumbar spondylosis, lumbar disc prolapse, hip pain, hip arthritis, knee pain and knee arthritis.
People sometimes question how exercises can help with bone and joint or musculoskeletal pain.
Please watch the introduction video, here, before continuing to the exercise programme videos below.
Please watch the introduction video, here, before continuing to the exercise programme videos below.
Please watch the introduction video, here, before continuing to the exercise programme videos below.
Please watch the introduction video, here, before continuing to the exercise programme videos below.
I would like to give you a metaphor to make it easy to understand. Let us assume that the tyre of the car requires 40 PSI of air pressure to keep it well inflated. If the tyre is well-inflated with 40 PSI of air pressure, the car drives well without issues.
Unfortunately, if the tyres are not well inflated and let us assume that the tyre pressure is only 20 PSI, then as the car is being driven, there is instability, and the car is likely to wobble side to side.
This instability or the tendency to wobble side to side will strain the shock absorber excessively. This excess strain on the shock absorber will cause the shock absorber to fail prematurely.
Rectifying this problem does not mean replacing the shock absorber with a new shock absorber. The primary issue is that the car tyres are under-inflated, and we need to pump up the car tyres.
Similarly, in the human body, if the muscles surrounding the joint are strong, then as the joint moves, there is no abnormal mobility, and the movement is smooth and congruous.
This is how strong muscles help to prevent or even decrease the rate of arthritis.
Research evidence shows that non-surgical treatment, including exercises, can delay or even avoid the need for a total joint replacement.
Evidence in knee arthritis / knee pain
Skou ST, Roos E, Laursen M, Arendt-Nielsen L, Rasmussen S, Simonsen O, Ibsen R, Larsen AT, Kjellberg J. Cost-effectiveness of total knee replacement in addition to non-surgical treatment: a 2-year outcome from a randomised trial in secondary care in Denmark. BMJ Open. 2020 Jan 15;10(1):e033495. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033495. PMID: 31948990; PMCID: PMC7044888.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7044888/
This research showed that exercise therapy in conjunction with other non-operative interventions decreased or delayed the need for total knee-replacement by two years in 68% of the patients. Out of the 50 patients who were randomised into the non-surgical group, only 16 patients required a total knee replacement within the two-year follow-up period.
Evidence in hip arthritis / hip pain
Clausen S, Hartvigsen J, Boyle E, Roos EM, Grønne DT, ErnstMT, Arnbak B, Skou ST. Prognostic factors of total hip replacement during a 2-year period in participants enrolled in supervised education and exercise therapy: a prognostic study of 3657 participants with hip osteoarthritis. Arthritis Res Ther. 2021 Sep 7;23(1):235. doi: 10.1186/s13075-021-02608-6.PMID: 34493331; PMCID: PMC8422712.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8422712
In this research study, 40 patients out of the 100 who were wait-listed for total hip replacement at inclusion did not require a total hip replacement during the two years. Only 60 patients (60%) required a total hip replacement.
In the following pages, you will find exercises to help with back pain, neck pain, hip pain and knee pain. You can view each of the exercises as a video.
I will be shortly releasing books providing details of these exercises. Back pain / Lumbar spondylosis / Disc prolapse / Spinal Canal stenosis Neck pain / Cervical spondylosis Hip pain / Hip arthritis Knee pain / Knee arthritis.
This website is intended to provide general educational information only. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Each patient and their conditions are unique, and solutions, treatments, and results vary. Please do not rely on anything in this website without first seeking professional advice from a qualified physician or other health specialist.
I work as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Royal Liverpool University Hospitals and also consult privately at Southport, Liverpool, Manchester, and London. In addition, I teach at the School of Medicine, University of Liverpool.
After years of surgical practice, I now specialise in treating people with back, neck, hip, knee, feet and other musculoskeletal problems without surgical intervention if possible.
I help patients with the following medical complaints:
I perform surgical interventions in the NHS but do not perform surgical interventions privately. If you know for sure that you need a surgical intervention then there is no advantage in seeing me. My main focus is to help you find a solution for your pain without the need for surgical intervention. However if you have been listed for surgery and want a second opinion on whether surgery is required or not then I am happy to provide an opinion
The greatest gift I can give you is a professional opinion, kindness, love, respect, and help overcome your pain with the right exercise and lifestyle modifications. Hopefully, we can work together and avoid the need for surgical intervention.
When I give with joy, I seem to get back many times more than what I give!!
