What are the opening hours?

Monday 8:30am - 9pm Tuesday 8:30am - 7pm Wednesday 8:30am - 9pm Thursday 8:30am - 7pm Friday 8:30am - 6:30pm Saturday 9am - 12pm

5th Element Sports Injury Clinic Sunderland and Durham

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5th Element Sports Injury Clinic Sunderland and Durham

If you wish to discuss anything with a member of the team, please call - 07753278904.

A team of skilled practitioners offering a variety of physical and manual therapies, including Physiotherapy, Osteopathy and Sports Massage to treat and manage all forms of musculoskeletal and sporting injuries over two locations in Durham and Sunderland. We are a team of skilled practitioners (including Osteopaths, Physiotherapists, Sports Rehabilitators and Sports Massage Therapists) offering a

variety of physical and manual therapies to help with all forms of musculoskeletal and sporting injuries over two locations in Durham and Sunderland.

11/08/2026

📍 Dry Needling: More than just needles.

Dry needling is an evidence-informed treatment that can be a highly effective addition to a rehabilitation programme for many muscle and tendon conditions.

By targeting myofascial trigger points and areas of muscle tension, dry needling can help reduce pain, improve movement and restore normal muscle function—allowing you to get back to training, work and everyday life more comfortably.

It's important to remember that dry needling isn't a "magic fix."The best long-term results come when it's combined with:

✅ A thorough assessment
✅ Hands-on treatment where appropriate
✅ Strength and rehabilitation exercises
✅ Load management
✅ Education about your condition

At 5th Element Sports Injury Clinic, we use dry needling when it's clinically appropriate—not simply because it's available. Every treatment plan is tailored to the individual and focused on helping you recover as quickly and safely as possible.

Dry needling may help with:

✔️ Muscle tightness and trigger points
✔️ Neck and back pain
✔️ Shoulder pain
✔️ Tennis or golfer's elbow
✔️ Hip and glute pain
✔️ Hamstring and calf strains
✔️ Achilles and patellar tendinopathy
✔️ Sports injuries and persistent muscle pain

Whether you're recovering from an injury, struggling with recurring muscle tightness or looking to improve performance, dry needling may be one of the tools that helps you move and feel better.

📍 Durham & Sunderland
📞 07753 278904
🌐 www.5thelementsportsinjury.co.uk
- Taking you from pain to performance

Have you ever tried dry needling?

👇 Tell us about your experience—or ask us any questions you've got. We're happy to help.

10/08/2026

🧊 Do ice baths really help you build muscle?

Ice baths have become one of the biggest recovery trends in fitness—but are they actually helping your gains?

The answer is... it depends on your goal.

Cold water immersion can be a useful recovery tool. It may reduce soreness, help you feel fresher.

However, if your main goal is building muscle and strength, regularly jumping into an ice bath immediately after resistance training may not be the best strategy.

Research suggests that cold exposure straight after lifting can reduce some of the inflammatory and cellular signalling processes that help your muscles adapt and grow over time.

That doesn't mean ice baths are "bad"—it simply means they should be used strategically.

💪 If your goal is muscle growth:
✅ Prioritise progressive overload
✅ Eat enough protein and calories
✅ Get quality sleep
✅ Allow time for recovery
⚠️ Think carefully before using an ice bath immediately after every lifting session.

Like most recovery tools, context is everything.

The best recovery strategy isn't always the most popular one—it's the one that matches your goal.

📍 Durham & Sunderland
📞 07753 278904
🌐 www.5thelementsportsinjury.co.uk

Taking you from pain to performance.

08/08/2026

🏃‍♂️ OUTER KNEE PAIN WHEN RUNNING? IT COULD BE ITB SYNDROME.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome, often shortened to ITB Syndrome or ITBS, is a common cause of pain on the outside of the knee, particularly in runners and cyclists.

Symptoms often begin as mild discomfort during exercise but can gradually become more persistent, eventually affecting training, stairs and everyday activity.

Common symptoms can include:
✔️ Pain or a burning sensation on the outside of the knee
✔️ Pain that worsens during running or cycling
✔️ Symptoms when running downhill
✔️ Tenderness around the outer knee
✔️ Tightness or discomfort around the outer thigh or hip
✔️ Occasionally a clicking or snapping sensation around the knee

ITB Syndrome is often described as simply having a “tight IT band”, but the problem is usually more complex than that.

Factors that may contribute include sudden increases in training volume or intensity, changes in terrain, reduced capacity around the hip and lower limb, movement patterns, previous injury and insufficient recovery.

That’s why simply stretching or foam rolling the IT band may not address the whole problem.

At 5th Element Sports Injury Clinic, our approach may include:
🔸 Detailed assessment of your symptoms and training history
🔸 Movement, strength and capacity assessment
🔸 Appropriate short-term training modifications
🔸 Treatment to help manage pain and improve movement
🔸 Progressive strengthening and load management
🔸 Running or movement advice where appropriate
🔸 A structured return-to-running or return-to-sport plan

The aim isn’t simply to settle the pain temporarily. It’s to help you understand the problem, rebuild your capacity and return to running, cycling, training or everyday activity,

📍 Durham & Sunderland
📞 07753 278904
📧 [email protected]
🌐 5thelementsportsinjury.co.uk

Taking you from pain to performance.

06/08/2026

🚨 Recovery isn't complicated... but many people focus on the wrong things.

Before spending hundreds of pounds on recovery gadgets, ask yourself:

😴 Are you sleeping enough?

🥩 Are you eating enough protein?

🍚 Are you replacing the carbohydrates you've used?

💧 Are you properly hydrated?

🚶 Are you moving the next day?

These fundamentals consistently outperform expensive gadgets when it comes to improving recovery and performance.

Over the next few weeks we'll be breaking down each recovery strategy individually, explaining what the science actually says and how you can recover smarter.

👇 Which recovery method do you swear by?

05/08/2026

💉 ONE INJECTION. LASTING RELIEF. KEEP MOVING.

Joint pain from osteoarthritis can gradually start to affect more than just the joint itself. Walking, exercising, training, sleeping and even simple everyday activities can become uncomfortable and frustrating.

Monovisc® injection therapy is a single-injection hyaluronic acid treatment designed to help reduce osteoarthritis-related joint pain and improve function.

Hyaluronic acid is naturally present within synovial fluid and plays an important role in joint lubrication and shock absorption. In osteoarthritis, the properties of the joint environment can change, contributing to pain, stiffness and reduced movement.

Monovisc® is designed to supplement the joint with a high-concentration hyaluronic acid injection, with the aim of:

✔️ Reducing osteoarthritis-related joint pain
✔️ Improving mobility and function
✔️ Supporting more comfortable movement
✔️ Helping you return to exercise and everyday activities
✔️ Providing longer-lasting symptom relief from a single injection

At 5th Element Sports Injury Clinic, injection therapy is never treated as a one-size-fits-all solution. Suitability depends on the individual, the affected joint, the severity of symptoms, medical history and your personal goals.

Where appropriate, Monovisc® can also form part of a wider treatment and rehabilitation plan—helping reduce symptoms enough to improve movement, rebuild strength and return to the activities that matter to you.

If osteoarthritis or persistent joint pain is slowing you down, contact us to discuss whether Monovisc® injection therapy may be suitable for you.

📍 Durham & Sunderland
📞 07753 278904
📧 [email protected]
🌐 5thelementsportsinjury.co.uk

Taking you from pain to performance.

04/08/2026

Treatment Tuesday - Dry Needling!

Dry needling is a treatment technique that uses fine, sterile needles to target sensitive areas within muscles, often referred to as myofascial trigger points.

Unlike an injection, no medication or substance is injected into the body. The technique is used as part of a wider treatment approach to help:

✔️ Reduce pain and sensitivity
✔️ Improve short-term movement and range of motion
✔️ Reduce muscular tension
✔️ Support rehabilitation and return to activity
✔️ Complement exercise-based rehabilitation and load management

At 5th Element Sports Injury Clinic, dry needling may be used alongside:

🔸 Osteopathy
🔸 Physiotherapy
🔸 Sports massage therapy
🔸 Exercise rehabilitation
🔸 Strength and conditioning advice

The aim is always the same: reduce symptoms, restore movement and help you build the capacity and confidence to return to the activities that matter to you.

If pain, muscular tightness or restricted movement is holding you back, get in touch to find out whether dry needling could be appropriate as part of your treatment plan.

📍 Durham & Sunderland
📞 07753 278904
📧 [email protected]
🌐 5thelementsportsinjury.co.uk

Taking you from pain to performance.

03/08/2026

Myth Busting Monday!

🏃‍♂️ MYTH: RUNNING RUINS YOUR KNEES ❌

It’s one of the most common things runners hear:

“All that running will destroy your knees when you’re older.”

But the research doesn’t support the idea that recreational running automatically leads to knee osteoarthritis.

For most people, sensible and appropriately progressed running can be a healthy form of exercise. Your knees are not simply components that “wear out” every time you go for a run—the body is adaptable and responds to appropriately managed load.

Regular running can help:
✔️ Maintain lower-limb strength
✔️ Support joint function
✔️ Improve cardiovascular fitness
✔️ Maintain a healthy body weight
✔️ Improve bone health
✔️ Support physical and mental wellbeing

Of course, runners can develop knee pain—but that doesn’t mean running itself is inherently damaging.

Knee pain can be influenced by a combination of factors, including sudden changes in training volume or intensity, insufficient recovery, reduced tissue capacity, previous injury and individual health factors.

The answer isn’t always to stop running completely. Often, the better approach is to identify what is contributing to the problem, temporarily modify training where necessary and progressively rebuild the capacity to run.

At 5th Element Sports Injury Clinic, our aim is not simply to get you out of pain. We assess the problem, help manage symptoms and build a progressive rehabilitation plan designed to get you back to running confidently.

📍 Durham & Sunderland
📞 07753 278904
📧 [email protected]
🌐 5thelementsportsinjury.co.uk

Taking you from pain to performance.

01/08/2026

🦵 Pain just below the kneecap? It could be patellar tendinopathy. 🦵

Patellar tendinopathy, is a common condition affecting the tendon that connects your kneecap to your shinbone. It’s particularly common in people involved in running, jumping, sprinting, weight training, and sports involving frequent changes of direction.

Common symptoms include:
✅ Pain just below the kneecap
✅ Pain during or after exercise
✅ Stiffness after periods of rest
✅ Pain with squatting, jumping, or going downstairs
✅ Tenderness directly over the patellar tendon

Patellar tendinopathy often develops when the demands placed on the tendon repeatedly exceed its current capacity to recover and adapt. Sudden increases in training load, inadequate recovery, and poor load management can all contribute.

The good news is that tendons can adapt and become stronger when they are exposed to the right type and amount of loading.

At 5th Element Sports Injury Clinic, we focus on:
✔️ A detailed assessment of strength, movement, function, and training load
✔️ Strategies to help manage pain while keeping you active where possible
✔️ Progressive strengthening to improve tendon capacity and resilience
✔️ Sport-specific rehabilitation to prepare you for the demands of your activity
✔️ A gradual, structured return to running, jumping, training, or competition

Patellar tendinopathy can be frustrating, but simply resting until the pain disappears often doesn’t address the tendon’s reduced capacity to tolerate load. The right rehabilitation programme is key.

📩 If pain at the front of your knee is affecting your training, sport, or daily life, get in touch and let us help take you from pain to performance.

book online - https://5thelementsportsinjuryclinic.janeapp.co.uk/

30/07/2026

Struggling to find a gift for someone who is always training, constantly complaining about an ache or pain, or simply deserves a bit of time spent looking after themselves?

A 5th Element Sports Injury Clinic gift voucher could be the perfect choice.

Our vouchers can be used towards treatments and services including:
✔️ Physiotherapy
✔️ Osteopathy
✔️ Sports massage therapy
✔️ Acupuncture and electro-acupuncture
✔️ Injury assessment and treatment
✔️ Individual rehabilitation and exercise programmes

Whether they’re recovering from an injury, dealing with persistent aches and pains, training hard or simply in need of some recovery time, they can choose the service that best suits their needs.

Rather than another pair of socks, a bottle of something they’ll forget about, or a gift that ends up in a cupboard… give them something that could actually help.

Gift vouchers are available in a range of values and can be used towards treatment at 5th Element Sports Injury Clinic.

📍 Durham & Sunderland
📞 07753 278904
📧 [email protected]
Book online - https://5thelementsportsinjuryclinic.janeapp.co.uk/

🎁 Give the gift of recovery.

Taking you from pain to performance.

29/07/2026

Why do my knees hurt when I squat?

Whether you're a beginner, recreational gym-goer or experienced lifter, knee pain during squats is usually the result of how your knee is being loaded, rather than the squat itself.

Most people don't need to stop squatting completely. Instead, small adjustments to technique, managing training volume and following the right rehabilitation programme can often reduce pain while allowing you to keep training.

👉 Swipe through this carousel to learn:
• Why your knees hurt during squats
• Common technical mistakes
• The most likely causes
• Simple changes you can make today
• When it's time to seek professional help
• How we help people get back to pain-free training

If your knee pain has been stopping you from training, climbing stairs, running or enjoying the gym, it may be time to find out why rather than simply pushing through it.

📍 Durham & Sunderland
📞 07753 278904
🌐 www.5thelementsportsinjury.co.uk

Address

1st Floor, 34 Front St, Framwellgate Moor, Durham/Anthony Road, Farringdon, Sunderland SR3 3HG
Durham
DH15EE

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 9pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 7pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 9pm
Thursday	8:30am - 7pm
Friday	8:30am - 6:30pm
Saturday	9am - 12pm

Website

http://5thelementsportsinjuryclinic.janeapp.co.uk/, http://www.5thelementsportsinjury.co.uk/

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