Recovery vs Rest: What's Best for Muscle Injuries?

Recovery vs Rest: What’s Best for Muscle Injuries?

by Matthew Bennett If you’ve pulled something gardening, tweaked your back lifting a grandchild or in the gym, the instinct is usually to stop moving and wait it out. It’s a reasonable instinct, but for most everyday muscle strains it isn’t the fastest route back to normal. A short period of protection in the first…

The Complete Guide to Tennis Elbow: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Recovery

The Complete Guide to Tennis Elbow: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Recovery

By Matthew Bennett If you are anything like us, you may have been inspired by recent play at Wimbledon to pick your racquet up again. If you now have a nagging ache on the outside of your elbow that flares up every time you lift the kettle, turn a key or shake someone’s hand, there’s…

Preparing Your Body for Summer Holidays: Avoid Travel-Related Back and Neck Pain

Preparing Your Body for Summer Holidays: Avoid Travel-Related Back and Neck Pain

By Matthew Bennett Summer in Sussex tends to mean one thing for a lot of our patients: it is finally time to get away. Whether that is a long-haul flight, a road trip down to the coast or a few nights somewhere with an unfamiliar mattress, travel puts your back and neck through a set…

Can Spinal Manipulation Help Older Adults with Chronic Back and Neck Pain?

Can Spinal Manipulation Help Older Adults with Chronic Back and Neck Pain?

By Matthew Bennett and Matt Cunningham If you have been living with persistent back or neck pain for months or even years, you are far from alone. Chronic spinal pain is one of the most common reasons people over 50 seek help, and it can quietly chip away at the things that matter most: walking…

MRI Delays, NHS Backlogs and Back Pain: Why the Right Assessment Often Matters More Than a Scan

MRI Delays, NHS Backlogs and Back Pain: Why the Right Assessment Often Matters More Than a Scan

by Matthew Bennett If you have been trying to get an MRI scan through the NHS and finding the wait frustrating, you are not alone. Across Sussex, and across England more broadly, waiting times for diagnostic imaging have stretched considerably in recent years. For anyone living with back pain, neck pain or a persistent joint…

Am I Too Old To Start Strength Training?

Am I Too Old To Start Strength Training?

By Matthew Bennett It’s one of the questions we hear most often at our Brighton clinic and it almost always comes from someone who already suspects the answer, but wants to hear it confirmed by someone they trust. Am I too old to start strength training? Is it too late to make a difference? And…

Why Your Lower Back Pain Keeps Coming Back (And What Actually Works)

Why Your Lower Back Pain Keeps Coming Back (And What Actually Works)

By Matthew Bennett There’s a particular kind of frustration that comes with recurring back pain. It starts to ease, you feel like yourself again, and then a few weeks later it’s back. You’ve rested, you’ve stretched, you’ve probably tried a new chair or gone down a YouTube rabbit hole. And yet, here you are again.…

Is It Your Ears, Your Spine or Your Brain? Understanding the Causes of Dizziness

Is It Your Ears, Your Spine or Your Brain? Understanding the Causes of Dizziness

by Matthew Bennett Feeling dizzy, unsteady or like the room is spinning? You’re not alone and you’re not imagining it. Dizziness is one of the most common reasons adults over 45 visit their GP, yet it’s also one of the most misunderstood. This guide explains what might be causing your symptoms, what the research says…

The 90-90-90 Rule and Other Posture Hacks You Need in 2026

The 90-90-90 Rule and Other Posture Hacks You Need in 2026

by Matthew Bennett You are probably reading this on a screen right now. There is a reasonable chance your chin is slightly forward, your shoulders are rounded and your lower back is not particularly well supported. You are not unusual: according to recent figures, forward head posture affects close to 83% of regular desk workers…

Back Pain: Why It Hurts, What's Happening in Your Body and What You Can Do About It

Back Pain: Why It Hurts, What’s Happening in Your Body and What You Can Do About It

By Matt Cunningham & Matthew Bennett If your back has been aching for a week, a month or considerably longer, you have probably found yourself asking the same question: what is actually going on? Why does it hurt so much and why won’t it just go away? You are not alone. Back pain is one…