Clinical Articles
Sports injuries in female versus male athletes
Female participation in Australian Rules Football (AFL) grew from 200,000 in 2014 to 530,000 in 2018 while female participation in cricket grew over 10% from 2016/17 to 2017/18. International research reveals that women playing various sports are more susceptible to concussion and ACL injuries than men. Read More...
The fabella – it’s role and problems
The fabella is a sesamoid bone found in the head of the lateral gastrocnemius muscle. It is present in about 12-15% of the population, although there have been studies suggesting much higher rates, probably because they are frequently cartilaginous and therefore missed on plain X-rays. Read More...
Sports injuries – are they over treated?
Most people would be familiar with the story of Tiger Woods having years of intense therapy, ‘core’ exercises, back taping, medications, spine injections and four back surgeries for his back pain. Despite some symptom reduction, his back pain remains ongoing and limiting. Read More...
Asthma and Obesity
The prevalence of asthma in adults in Australia is about 10%; obesity about 20%. We know that long-term oral steroid therapy often causes weight gain, sometimes obesity. Is the relationship between asthma and obesity bidirectional? Read More...
Assessing asthma
Approximately 10% of the adult asthma population have severe asthma, which if uncontrolled is associated with substantial physical and mental consequences as well as airway remodelling leading to an estimated 32- fold risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Read More...
Update on pneumococcal vaccination
Vaccination is one of the most important medical advances yet remains controversial. News headlines distract us from the important benefits for individuals and communities and focus on the small or potential harm for individuals. Read More...
Childhood asthma – what has obstetrics got to do with it?
There is emerging evidence that epigenetic paradigms, particularly DNA methylations affecting gene expression, influence the likelihood of children having asthma and other allergic diseases. Read More...