The Evidence, Explained

Evidence-based insights on musculoskeletal health, fascial mechanics, and the research shaping how we practice. Written for people who want to understand what is actually happening in their bodies — not just what to do about it.

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Research

The Cortisone Shot Won at Six Weeks. Physiotherapy Won at 52.

A landmark BMJ trial followed 198 tennis elbow patients for a full year. The results reversed completely between the six-week and twelve-month marks — and explain why injection alone so often fails.

Reading time: ~7 min
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Regional Guide

The Cervical Spine: Where Neck Pain, Headache & Dizziness Converge

The upper cervical spine sits at the intersection of nine distinct conditions. One assessment framework — and why they need to be considered together rather than treated in isolation.

Reading time: ~10 min
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Regional Guide

The Elbow, Wrist & Hand: Why Treating the Site Is Rarely Enough

From tennis elbow to carpal tunnel to trigger finger — the cervical spine, fascial loading, and tendon biology all contribute. Why local treatment alone so often produces incomplete results.

Reading time: ~9 min
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Regional Guide

The Hip: Why Getting to the Root Requires More Than Imaging

Hip pain in active people is frequently misattributed to imaging findings that don't correlate with symptoms. The research on gluteal tendinopathy, FAI, and proximal hamstring problems.

Reading time: ~8 min
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Regional Guide

Why Foot & Ankle Pain Is Never Just a Foot Problem

The plantar fascia is a sensorimotor organ, not just a passive structure. Why conditions from plantar fasciopathy to chronic ankle instability are rarely resolved by local treatment alone.

Reading time: ~8 min
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Regional Guide

Why Knee Pain Is Rarely Just a Knee Problem

Knee pain is almost always a hip and ankle problem expressed at the knee. The research on why treating the knee alone — without the chain above and below it — produces incomplete results.

Reading time: ~8 min
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Regional Guide

The Fascial Approach to Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain rarely begins in the shoulder. The scapular stabilisers, thoracic spine, and cervical fascia all contribute to how load reaches the rotator cuff — and what needs to be addressed.

Reading time: ~8 min
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Regional Guide

The Fascial Approach to Lower Back Pain

The thoracolumbar fascia and the four myofascial slings that converge on it form the load-sharing architecture of the lower back. Why treatment focused only on the pain site so often misses the bigger picture.

Reading time: ~9 min
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Clinical Insight

The Brainstem Blueprint: TCN & the Vestibulocerebellar System

Two overlapping neurological pathways explain why neck problems so often produce headache, dizziness, and visual disturbance simultaneously — and why assessment needs to span all of them.

Reading time: ~7 min
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Clinical Insight

The Neck, Jaw & Headache Connection

The trigeminal cervical nucleus connects the jaw, upper cervical spine, and headache in a single anatomical pathway. Understanding this circuit changes how these presentations are assessed and treated.

Reading time: ~7 min
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Research

Sore After Treatment? What the Research Says Is Happening

Post-treatment soreness after manual therapy has a specific biological explanation involving hyaluronan fragments. It also explains why anti-inflammatories after fascial work may be counterproductive.

Reading time: ~6 min
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Research

For the First Time, MRI Has Captured What Happens to Fascia After Manual Therapy

A 2020 study from NYU and Johns Hopkins used advanced MRI to image deep fascia before and after Fascial Manipulation. What it found was a first in the history of manual therapy research.

Reading time: ~6 min
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