Kayaking from beginner to representing Ireland

I joined the club soon after and started going on river trips and learning the skills needed for whitewater and river running. Since then I have progressed through my level 2 and level three skills and am currently working on level 4 skills and potentially becoming a qualified instructor in the future.

Facing Scoliosis Surgery as a Young Athlete

When we found out that I had scoliosis and was in need of corrective surgery I decided to try everything that I wouldn’t be able to do for a year during the recovery process. I had my surgery in 2014 when I was 13 years old.

2022 has been an incredible year. We celebrated our 1st Birthday this year and our team has grown from two to five! We are loving the buzzing atmosphere in the clinic and enjoy seeing our regulars as well as lots of new faces coming in.

Siobhan O’Connell has had the biggest impact on my career and has helped to shape me into the Physio and the person I am today. I worked in Siobhan’s physio clinic, Trimetrics, when I lived in Vancouver.

As a team we are thrilled to be able to bring Dr. Deirdre Walsh, counseling psychologist, to McGowan Physio. So often our patients struggle not only with physical problems but also with their emotional health. This is completely normal and all part of the human experience.

Insights from our transition year student.
This week during my work experience placement I got to see some patients who are hypermobile. In this short written piece I’m going to try to explain why people with hypermobility are more likely to get injured, using the knowledge I received from Niamh, Garett and the, “Too Flexible to Feel Good” book by Celest Pereira and Adell Bridges.

Hello, my name is Mia Keane and this week I’ll be doing my work experience placement in McGowan Physio. I’m 16 years old and I’m from Dublin. I wanted to do my Transition Year work experience in McGowan Physio for a number of reasons. First of all, I have always had a great interest in the area of healthcare, as I think I would suit a job where I could help and talk to people every day.

This month, McGowan Physio is one year old. What an incredible year it has been.
We have taken this month to reflect on the year; to consider what has gone well, what we can improve and what else we want to achieve. It feels like this journey is very much just beginning.

Dr. Manuel Rigo is top in the field of the conservative management of Scoliosis. It was a dream achieved to get to study with him and to learn his concepts and strategies. Garett and I both felt extremely grateful to get the opportunity to go and we fully embraced our time on the course.

September is one of my favourite months. It used to be because of all the GAA finals but now I enjoy the change of pace from the busy and fun summer back to routine which brings with it lots of fresh ideas, new energy and the possibility of change.

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (aka PoTS) is a form of orthostatic intolerance. The onset of PoTS may be linked to a physical or emotional stress on the body such as infection, trauma, surgery or psychological stress. PoTS is commonly associated with conditions such as hypermobility spectrum disorder and Ehlers Danlos syndrome.

We have launched our brand new website. We are delighted to have it up and running at last and I am happy to take a step back from all of the typing and to enjoy more time moving around in the clinic again. I certainly got a great insight into why so many desk workers have back and neck pain!!

At present, standard care for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) includes observation, bracing or surgery. However, for conservative management of curves up to 45 degrees Physiotherapeutic Scoliosis Specific Exercise (PSSE) is becoming more widely used. Recent research suggests that PSSE used in combination with bracing is the most effective form of conservative management.

We work closely with Ciarnaid Hayes from Orthotic Solutions. Orthotic Solutions is paired with Ortholutions in Germany. They make Rigo-System-Cheneau braces. The braces are unique and are made specifically for each individual based on the information gathered from photos, x-rays and Ciarnaid’s measurements. The brace is checked regularly as the individual is growing to ensure any adjustments needed are made.

There was a long-held belief that resistance training such as weight machines, free weights etc was only suitable for adults and should be avoided by children and adolescents. We now know for fact that this is untrue.

Walking helps many of the systems in our body. It will help your musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, digestive and nervous systems. Ensure that you listen to your body and try to stop your walk before any pain or fatigue sets in. This will allow you to try again later that same day and to keep going the following day. If you do it this way, then quickly you will regain strength and endurance in your muscular system and this in turn will help alleviate stiffness and pain.

Sleep is crucial for tissue repair following your surgery. When we are asleep our body goes into healing mode. Good quality sleep will also leave you feeling refreshed and so you will be able to do more activity each day after a good night’s sleep…