Tennis Elbow – diagnosis and management in one go
13th September 2025, NIA Diagnostic Imaging Lateral epicondylitis or ‘tennis elbow’, is a common overuse injury that occurs as a result of repetitive, resistance-based and wrist-extension activities (Luo et al. 2022). This impairment of the common extensor tendon (CEO) causes tenderness and pain over the lateral aspect of the elbow. While the suspicion is based […]
Creatine supplements – do they do anything?
22nd August 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo We always worry when athlete patients take supplements to improve their workout and performance. We don’t really know what these “supplements” are. We don’t really know whether they work or whether they are safe. One of the most commonly used supplements is creatine. Does it help muscle building […]
CT-guided spinal injections – precision pain management
14th August 2025, NIA Diagnostic Imaging Back pain remains one of the most frequent presentations in general practice across Australia. The underlying causes are varied and may include nerve root irritation (such as sciatica), inflammation of the facet joints, degenerative disc changes or muscle strain. While imaging plays a key role in identifying these conditions, […]
What happens if you do too much exercise?
28th July 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo We have explored the association between intensive endurance athletes and cardiovascular events in the past. Data on the dose–response relationship between long-term intensive endurance exercise and coronary heart disease has been rather conflicting over the years. While early studies suggest that regular endurance athletes have lower ischaemic heart […]
Plantar fasciitis – management in general practice
14th March 2025, NIA Diagnostic Imaging Plantar Fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain in adults affecting about 10% of the adult population. It is most common in women aged between 40-60 years. It stems from the degenerative irritation of the plantar fascia origin at the medial calcaneal tuberosity of the heel and […]
Shoulder bursitis – diagnosis and management
9th November 2024, NIA Diagnostic Imaging What is shoulder bursitis? Shoulder bursitis is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain and is referred as an inflammatory disorder affecting the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa (Faruqi & Rizvi, 2023). The subacromial-subdeltoid bursa is a fluid-filled sac lined with synovium which separates the supraspinatus tendon from the acromion, […]
Sarcopenia – can we measure it and how bad is it?
10th December 2023, A/Prof Chee L Khoo We don’t get old and weak. Actually, if we get weak, we become old. We all see that in practice. It doesn’t matter how old our patient is. When they become weak, they slow down. They can’t walk very far and they don’t. They become weaker and weaker. […]
Foot injuries – is that a Lisfranc injury?
30th November, Spectrum Medical Imaging The midfoot consist of 5 bones, cuboid, navicular and three cuneiform bones. These bones articulate with the base of the five metatarsals. In the Lisfranc injuries, it is these articulations (and their ligamemts) that are damage. Sometimes, there are fractures easily seen on plain xrays. Sometimes, one can see separation […]
CT-guided spinal injections – what to order?
12th September 2023, NIA Diagnostic Imaging Back pain has to be one of the most common ailments we see in general practice. Pain may originate from nerve root irritation, facet joint dysfunction, degenerative disc disease or poor muscle function or even osteoporotic fractures. There has been numerous systematic reviews and meta-analyses and most have highlighted […]
Wrist fracture – a cautionary tale
30th August 2023, Spectrum Medical Imaging 68yo female patient sustained a fall on an outstretched hand. Plain x-rays revealed a closed fracture to the right distal radius and ulna. This was reduced by the orthopaedic surgeon and held in a forearm plaster of Paris. Post op x-rays showed satisfactory alignment and she was discharged to […]
Testosterone Replacement Therapy – why can’t GPs prescribe them?
26th July 2023, Dr Chee L Khoo It is coming up to 10 years now when we, as GPs, were suddenly not allowed to prescribe TRT for our patients with low serum testosterone levels. The rationale cited at the time was that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) was potentially harmful because we were told that TRT […]
Knee MRI – the best investigation to elucidate the diagnosis
30th May, 2023, Spectrum Medical Imaging Knee injuries are one of the most common injuries we see in general practice. We always start with history to determine the mechanism of injury. Examination is not always straight forward especially, if there is severe pain and restriction of movement. MRI is an excellent tool for demonstrating injuries […]