One in 10 people will suffer with back pain, making it one of the most common ailments and one of hte leading reasons for employees being off sick from work. So why is it so common, and can we prevent some of the more common forms of back pain? Prof Seamus Morris is Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Beacon Hospital and he leads The National Spine Institute there - he had plenty of advice for sufferers.

Today is World Heart Day, and who better to feature on The Hard Shoulder Health Check than Dr. Robert Kelly, Consultant Cardiologist and Lifestyle Medicine at Beacon Hospital.  He answered listener queries about everything from post-vaccine palpitations, arrhythmia, and high cholesterol.

UTIs are very common among the adult population but children are just as prone to these nasty infections. The challenge with children is that they may only have the ability to vaguely describe their discomfort or they could be too young to tell you at all.   In this weeks Health Check Fardod O’Kelly, Consultant Paediatric and Adolescent Urological Surgeon at Beacon Hospital joined Kieran with advice on what to look out for and how best to treat childhood urinary tract infections.

In this weeks Hard Shoulder Health Check Anthony Pierce a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist at the Beacon Hospital joined Kieran to discuss Plantar Fasciitis, which is more commonly known as heel pain. Anthony explained who would be most at risk of experiencing it and how best to address the condition.   

Pain usually eases over time, but for sufferers of chronic pain that's not the case. It's estimated 600,000 people in Ireland deal with chronic pain, be it aches, muscle weakness, or lack of energy. Dr. Basabjit Das, Consultant in Pain Medicine at the Beacon Hospital, joined us to explain more about chronic pain. And, how it can be managed over time. The Hard Shoulder Listen and subscribe to The Hard Shoulder on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

After those weekend scenes at the Euro’s with Christian Erikson, Kieran was joined on The Hard Shoulder by Dr Robert Kelly, consultant in cardiology and lifestyle medicine in Beacon Hospital, to explain why it’s so important to be heart healthy, even if you’re a fitness bunny!

What we experience in our early life will most likely lie the basis for how we operate in our adulthood. Meanwhile we still poorly understand the link between our mental issues and the environment we come up with. Enda Murphy, the psychotherapist and director of SeeMe.ie joined Kieran to discuss what is the dynamic that causes anxiety and depression that you’ve never heard of before.  Listen and subscribe to The Hard Shoulder on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Pale and freckled skin, red hair, blue eyes. A blessing and a curse of Irish beauty. Unfortunately this comes with the price. Three in every four people in Ireland are prone to skin burns while exposed to the sun rays. That greatly increases their risk of skin cancer.  Yasmin Ismail, Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon in Beacon Hospital, with a specialty in skin cancer joined Kieran to discuss how to enjoy sunny weather without risk of skin cancer disease. The Hard Shoulder Listen and subscribe to The Hard Shoulder on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

We’ve all felt the impacts of not getting enough sleep, the yawning, the drooping eyes, not to mention the crankiness. Enda Murphy, Psychotherapist and Director of SeeMe.ie joined Kieran on the Hard Shoulder to give you some tips on how to avoid experiencing that feeling again. Listen and subscribe to The Hard Shoulder on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

May is Bladder Cancer awareness month. And, Karen Thomas, Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Beacon Hospital told Kieran how surprisingly common it is in Ireland. As well as that she explained the symptoms and what can be done to prevent it. The Hard Shoulder Listen and subscribe to The Hard Shoulder on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

In a submission by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Government has been told that remote workers may be forced to accept invasive technologies that monitor the number of mouse clicks they make in a minute There are concerns around rolling out artificial intelligence technology that can count keystrokes and emails, and record time spent on social media. To discuss, Kieran was joined on The Hard Shoulder by Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent, Jess Kelly, as well as the Managing Director of The HR Suite, Caroline McEnery.

It's asthma awareness week! Dr. Seamus Linnane, deputy medical director of Beacon Hospital, and consultant in respiratory & general internal medicine told Kieran all about it. The Hard Shoulder Listen and subscribe to The Hard Shoulder on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Jacintha O’Sullivan, Professor in Translational Oncology at Trinity College Dublin, joined Kieran on The Hard Shoulder, on Lollipop Day, to discuss the issues around oesophegeal cancer.

This week Kieran was joined by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Turlough O’Donnell to speak about chronic joint pain.

On The Hard Shoulder Health Check this week, Kieran Cuddihy spoke to Enda Murphy, psychotherapist and Director of SeeMe.ie, about motivation. Despite what we might think, it's not magic, but action that spurs us on.

On the Hard Shoulder Health Check this week... Kieran Cuddihy talked about toxic relationships and how to survive them during lockdown with Enda Murphy, a psychotherapist and Director of SeeMe.ie. Listen and subscribe to The Hard Shoulder on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Who should be worried about their cholesterol? And what can you do if yours is high? Those are some of the questions we asked Dr. David Barton, Consultant Cardiologist at Beacon Hospital, on this week's Hard Shoulder Health Check.

On The Hard Shoulder Health Check this week, Kieran Cuddihy spoke to Enda Murphy, psychotherapist and Director of SeeMe.ie, about our mammy’s role in our lives ahead of Mother's Day.  Listen and subscribe to The Hard Shoulder on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

On The Hard Shoulder Health Check this week... March 7th to 13th is World Glaucoma Awareness Week and Kieran Cuddihy was joined by Graeme Rogers, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Beacon Hospital, to talk about glaucoma prevention and treatments. Listen and subscribe to The Hard Shoulder on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

In this week's Hard Shoulder Health Check Enda Murphy Psychotherapist and Director of SeeMe.ie joined Kieran to discuss narcissism. He explained what traits can signal a narcissistic personality and what issues they can cause within a relationship.