Hi, I’m Louis Gifford, Chartered Physiotherapist, a clinician for over 30 years, and a lecturer and writer about ‘aches and pains’. You can read my story into, through, over and around pain:-  ‘Inspirations and Passions’,  here.

I am convinced that there is still a massive need for a more scientific, well reasoned and clinically biased understanding of pain, although there are some wonderful pockets of excellence here in the UK and around the world too.

From the early 1990’s through to 2007  I spent a great deal of time lecturing about pain biology, pain presentations, explanations, management and treatment.  There was a massive pain revolution in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s in physiotherapy and I was lucky to be around and very much involved in it.

I ran 3 courses:

• The Clinical Biology of Aches and Pains
• Nerve Root pain
• Graded Exposure.

These lectures form the foundations and basis of my forthcoming book.  I’m hoping that those of you who heard me lecture will be able to hear me still in the style of writing!  There’s a bit of swearing, a bit of reasonable niggling, plenty of thought provoking stuff, lots of science to clinical merging and a unique clinical perspective on pain and healing/recovery science. I tell the stories behind a lot of the material,  that’s while teaching but clincially too, and there’s a good smattering of clinical disasters… as well as the occasional triumph!

The book is my interpretation of what’s been found and what I’ve found and thought about. It’s for ‘me’ the clinician and ‘you’ the clinician, it’s for both of us struggling away with the complexities of musculoskeletal aches and pains presentations.  It should also help you explain things to your patients.

A great deal of the book contains illustrative patient examples and narratives, some are amazing, some tragic and many amusing, hopefully they are all instructive. I’m not sure what the book will be called, maybe like this blog, Gifford’s aches and pains!

I have always enjoyed being reasonably critical, but also happy to be criticised, that is what good science is all about and no one should be fearful of criticising – just do it nicely and not nastily.

When the book is ready to go, I will announce it on this blog!!

I have lectured at many conferences over the years. You can see what I did here.

You can view a list of my published material here.

Over the years I have written quite a number of book chapters and journal articles and it is the main aim of this blog to publish them here for free download.  Help yourself and enjoy, think about what you read, say nice things if you want, or constuctively criticise, whatever, it’s all welcome and won’t be censored!

I’m going to write occasional topical blog pieces too.  I’m hoping there will be some questions!

Louis Gifford, FCSP

Chartered Physiotherapist.