Author: Peter Saunders
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It’s all in the wrist?
The winter wrist and hand: why typing and phones start to hurt A common February complaint sounds like this: “My hands feel tight.”“My wrist aches by the afternoon.”“I keep getting tingling in my fingers.” There is usually no injury. Instead, winter quietly changes how we use our hands. We spend longer indoors, type more, scroll…
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THE WINTER BACK..AGAIN
The winter back that “just went” It’s one of the most familiar winter stories in clinic. “I bent to put my socks on… and my back went.” No heavy lifting. No accident. Just an ordinary movement that suddenly became very difficult. The sock wasn’t the cause — it was simply the moment your back finally…
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What Winter Olympians Can Teach a London Body
Why do more back and neck problems appear in cold, wet London weather than in the mountains? The body was built for movement and variation — not hours of stillness. This short article explains what winter athletes accidentally teach us about everyday stiffness, slips on wet pavements, and simple ways to protect your spine during…
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Visiting a friend in hospital: the questions that really help
Recently, I spent time visiting a close friend who was in hospital as a patient. What struck me wasn’t the quality of care — the clinicians were professional, thoughtful, and under real pressure — but how much difference it made when the right questions were asked. Not challenging questions. Not medical jargon. Just calm, clarifying…
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What the Australian Open teaches us about cramps — and why they matter even in a winter night
Today’s Australian Open semi-final was one for the history books. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz endured severe leg cramps part-way through the match but still found a way to win a five-hour epic against Alexander Zverev — one of the longest matches in the tournament’s history — to reach the final in Melbourne. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0} From…
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Why winter breathing habits quietly drive neck and upper-back pain
By this point in winter, a familiar pattern shows up in my clinic. People don’t usually arrive with a clear injury. They come in saying:“I feel tight all the time.”“My shoulders won’t drop.”“My neck feels tired rather than painful.”“I keep getting headaches by mid-afternoon.” What often sits underneath these symptoms isn’t posture or lack of…
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Winter stiffness isn’t inevitable — but it is predictable
Every winter, the same conversations arrive quietly in my clinic. “I didn’t do anything unusual.”“I just woke up stiff.”“It’s worse when it’s cold.” What’s interesting isn’t that people feel worse in winter — it’s how reliably it happens. Not dramatically, not all at once, but through small changes that add up: less daylight, less movement,…
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Cold bodies and hot bodies behave differently… but they fail in familiar ways
I’m watching the Australian Open from London, where winter is doing its quiet, grey thing — around 7–9°C this weekend and hovering around 7°C on Monday. Then you glance at Melbourne: it may be sitting at a comfortable 25°C right now, but it’s forecast to hit an extraordinary 45°C on Tuesday. (There was a time…
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🌿 Staying Well This Winter: Osteopathic Tips for Prevention and Recovery
Osteopath Peter Saunders shares practical tips to prevent stiffness, ease recovery after illness, and stay strong during the winter flu and COVID season
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The Hidden Power of Sleep in Recovery| Chiswick Osteopath
Discover how sleep supports recovery, tissue repair, and pain relief, drawing on neuroscientist Matthew Walker’s research and osteopathic insights.
Chiswick Osteopath - Peter Saunders 