Move better, feel better, know better
Practical, no-nonsense advice on pain, recovery, and movement, written by Dr. Malek Sleem, licensed physical therapist in Beirut.
Neck Headaches
Is my headache coming from my neck? The signs, and what each one is worth
Same side, starts at the back, worse with certain positions? Eight signs people notice, how strong a clue each one is, and what else it could mean.
Migraine
Can physiotherapy help migraines? An honest answer, graded by the evidence
Physiotherapy does not treat migraine itself. What the trials show for exercise, manual therapy and manipulation, where the neck fits, and who is a good candidate.
Online Physio
Does online physiotherapy work for headaches? What a video call can and can't do
Can a headache with a neck or jaw share be assessed by video? What the trials show, which parts of the exam hold up on camera, and when you need hands in the room.
Jaw & Headaches
Teeth grinding and headaches: how they're linked, and what the research can't tell you
Grinding and clenching are linked with headache, but less neatly than you've been told. What the research shows, what it can't, and how to tell if your jaw is part of yours.
Choosing Care
Physio, osteopath or chiropractor for headaches? What matters more than the title
The research compares techniques, not job titles. What the trials show, how safe neck manipulation is, and the signs of a good clinician, whoever you see.
Recovery Time
How long does it take to fix neck-related headaches?
What the trials of neck-related headache actually measured, how long treatment ran, what slows recovery, and when to reassess if your headache diary is not moving.
Migraine vs Neck
Migraine or your neck? How to tell the difference, and why it's often both
Same side, behind the eye, stiff neck: the two can look identical. How each is actually diagnosed, the clues that lean one way, and what to do when it's both.
Teeth Grinding
Do you grind your teeth at night? How to tell, and what actually helps
Most people who grind never hear it. The signs that actually count, the causes that get missed (cigarettes, coffee, reflux), and why the morning headache may not be the grinding.
Neck & X-Rays
Your X-ray says your neck is straight. Is that why it hurts?
Told you have a straight neck? It shows up in plenty of people with no pain at all. What the finding means, and what to check instead.
Tech Neck
Tech neck and headaches: is your posture really to blame?
Where the 27 kg figure comes from, what the research on posture and headaches actually shows, and the neck exercise that helps.
Whiplash
Whiplash: why your neck and head still hurt months after the crash
The X-ray was clear, but the neck and head still hurt. How long whiplash lasts, the joint behind the headaches, and the jaw nobody checks.
Jaw Clenching
How to stop clenching your jaw, and why so many of us in Lebanon do
One in five Lebanese adults screened positive for a jaw disorder, and it tracked stress. What a guard, Botox and bite adjustment actually do, and how to retrain the daytime habit.
TMJ
Your ear hurts. The ENT says your ear is fine.
Ear pain, a blocked feeling, ringing, with a clean exam every time. The jaw joint sits millimetres from your ear canal and shares its nerve supply. Two checks you can run today.
Jaw Pain
TMJ FAQ: the questions people actually type into Google
Ear pain, clicking, dizziness, whether it'll go away on its own. The most common TMJ questions, answered plainly, and why the neck keeps coming up in the answers.
Neck & Dizziness
Can your neck make you dizzy?
Unsteady rather than spinning, and every test came back clean. Cervicogenic dizziness is real, but it’s the last answer, not the first. What to rule out before the neck gets any credit.
Headaches
Headache behind one eye: what it usually means
Five common explanations, three that need same-day care, and one that's missed for a decade on average. How to tell them apart, and where the neck and jaw genuinely fit.
Headaches
Your night guard is protecting your teeth. It was never going to stop your headaches
The guard is a shield, not a brake. What the research says it can and can't do, why it only covers eight of the twenty-four hours, and the half of the system nobody assessed.
Headaches
Headaches that come from your neck, and how to know if yours do
Years of headaches, clean scans, painkillers that stopped working. What cervicogenic headache is, how to tell it from migraine, and why imaging can't see it.
Online Rehab
Online TMJ & neck pain programs: do remote rehab plans actually work?
Clenching and tech neck are surging across Lebanon and the Gulf. What the evidence says about treating them over video, and who still needs hands-on care.
Rehabilitation
Home physiotherapy in Lebanon: rehabilitation without leaving the house
Rehabilitation needs are rising while getting to a clinic gets harder. Why home-visit physiotherapy is growing in Beirut, and who it helps.
Jaw Pain
TMJ & jaw pain: why it happens and how physiotherapy fixes it
Clicking, aching, or a jaw that locks? What causes TMJ, how physiotherapy treats it, and what you can do today.
Back Pain
Lower back pain from sitting all day? 5 fixes that actually work
Desk work is quietly wrecking your lower back. Here's what a physical therapist actually recommends, no gimmicks.
Nerve Pain
Sciatica pain: why it happens and how to finally fix it
That shooting pain down your leg has a name, and a fix. Causes, symptoms, and the treatment that works.
Recovery
Cupping therapy (Hijama): benefits, marks & what to expect
What the circles actually do, what the science says, and who should (and shouldn't) try cupping.
Performance
How to recover faster after training: a PT's playbook
Progress happens between workouts. Sleep, active recovery, pressotherapy: what actually speeds you up.
Pain that won't go away on its own?
Reading helps. Treatment fixes. Book a session and let's get you moving.