Do you need an Osteopathic ‘MOT’?
Osteopathic ‘MOT’ as we get older
Our bodies can be likened to a car that needs regular servicing and maintenance as we get older! We can sometimes feel aches and tensions in our body frame as we get older. A presumption is made that this is to be ‘expected’ and all part of getting older. Osteopathic treatment aims to release strains and stresses that have often accumulated over the years. Osteopaths treat the whole person not just conditions. A wide variety of problems that are affecting us can be helped. Do you feel your body needs an Osteopathic ‘MOT’?
Is it too late to do anything about it?
Advancing years can often be associated with the insidious onset of health problems. Osteoarthritis, heart and lung problems, circulation problems in the legs, effects of falls/accidents and general symptoms of declining health. However, suffering pain, stiffness and poor health are NOT an inevitable part of getting older!
Many of us will have suffered trauma at some point in our lives, such as from car accidents, sporting injuries or falls. Often people injure themselves at the time and then recover. Sometimes these strains can have a longer effect on the body tissues. These can have consequences years later. The body tissues can lose flexibility and elasticity. This makes the joints more vulnerable to arthritic changes.
Osteopathic treatment is effective at releasing the residual strains from past traumas. As a result it allows the body to function more efficiently. Gentle osteopathic treatment releases tension in the diaphragm and muscles of the chest. In doing so encouraging normal breathing movements. This helps the heart and lungs to work to their best potential. It can improve circulation around joints, improving mobility and slowing the rate of further deterioration in the joints.
An occasional ‘MOT’, every few months, would mean keeping everything working well so you can enjoy an active lifestyle. I can also give you advice on preventative exercises, as well as diet and lifestyle.
For more information in Wilmslow call:
07547 631679
Avoiding back pain in golf
Poor technique, carrying heavy golf bags, lack of warming up can contribute to neck or back strain.
Follow these tips to avoid back pain in golf and enjoy your sport:
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Warm Up – Many golfers don’t warm up at all before a game. If muscles and joints are not prepared before a game then this can increase your chances of strain and injury. If the middle back and hips don’t rotate enough during the swing, it can take it out on the lower back. Follow this guide for avoiding back pain in golf with these pre game stretches: https://golfshub.com/golf-stretches-to-improve-flexibility/
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Watch Your Posture – Try to avoid an hunched over posture where the curve of the lower back is lost because of tucked under hips, or an over-exaggerated curve in the lower back due to over arching the lumbar spine. Ask a friend to watch you as you swing to see which posture you’re adopting.
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Watch your Swing – try to avoid over arching your low back in the back swing which can lead to back strain. See here for further advice and for avoiding back pain in golf.
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Watch What You Caddy – Pulling a trolley instead of carrying a golf bag may not be the best way to caddy clubs. They can cause unnecessary strain from pulling. An electric caddy is better.
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Bend Ze Knees! – when bending over to plant/pick up tees, replacing divots etc, bend from the hips and knees rather than the back.
Did you know the average golfer will walk 12 000 steps during one round of golf?
Osteopathic treatment can be helpful in improving joint and spine flexibility. to improve your game. Consider Sports Osteopathy to improve your game. Please Contact me for more information in Wilmslow.
An Introduction to Nordic Walking
What is Nordic Walking?
Founded in Finland and used as a cross-country skiing summer training method. Nordic walking uses specially designed poles to engage the upper body during fitness walking. Involving the upper body takes some of the effort from the lower limbs and propels the body forward. This makes walking distances seem easier, especially up hills and inclines.
I offer to help clients, who wish to become more active (and lose weight by getting back into regular exercise) to learn Nordic Walking. Nordic Walking Technique can help improve walking gait and posture. This can be done during hour long one-to-one sessions or small group sessions. We use local parkland areas such as The Carrs and Styal Country Park, as well as small urban parks such as Meriton Park, Handforth.
Benefits of Nordic Walking
- Uses 90% of the skeletal muscles
- Burns up to 46% more calories than ordinary walking
- Reduces the pressure on the knees and joints.
- Poles propel the walker along, making it easier to move faster than normal without feeling the effort.
- Increases upper body strength.
- Ideal for neck, shoulder and back problems
Lifetime Activity
- Great for weight loss and general conditioning.
- It is a total body workout!
- It is a great social activity and you can enjoy with friends and family for a lifetime.
For those who have difficulty walking and need to have more stability from a walking pole, I can provide Activator Poles, which allows for greater weight bearing through the pole which can increase confidence with walking.
For more information Walk This Way…
Thank you for your attention …ready to have a go?!
Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month
In the UK, one in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 will fracture a bone.
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the usually strong support struts that make up the inside of most bones becomes thinner. This can lead to bones becoming fragile and breaking easily, resulting in pain and disability.
In the UK, one in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 will fracture a bone. This is mainly due to poor bone health. However, osteoporosis is often a silent condition. It gives no pain or symptoms until the worst happens and a bone breaks. Many people living with osteoporosis are unaware that they have fragile bones until this happens.
What are the risks for osteoporosis?
Those that smoke or drink in excess of the recommended daily alcohol intake are at greater risk. However, gender, genetics, age, race and low body weight are all contributing factors.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. There is a lot you can do to prevent the condition, and to reduce your chance of breaking a bone if you do get it.
I can give you dietary and lifestyle advice, and advise you about weight bearing exercise. This can help manage your risk factors to reduce the impact of the condition on your lifestyle.
To find out more about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, contact the National Osteoporosis Society by visiting their website at: www.nos.org.uk
Is Back Pain Treatment Useless?
“Experts warn Back Pain treatment is useless…”
The Times, 22 March 2018 had a front page article about the current medical treatments for back pain:
Back pain is the world’s leading cause of disability. A series in ‘The Lancet’ medical journal stated it is routinely badly treated. In Britain, one in seven GP appointments is for muscle and nerve problems, mostly back pain. It reported that millions of people are receiving treatments of drugs, injections and surgery. This can make the problem a lot worse.
Doctors prefer to offer useless and often harmful treatments rather than tell patients that staying active, exercise and psychological therapy work for most cases of chronic back pain. Most people wrongly believe the myth that rest is best for the condition.
Patients understandably look for solutions and a cure. The reality is we don’t understand what causes the vast majority of back pain. A positive attitude and job satisfaction are among the strongest indicators of whether it will turn into a serious disability or not. The evidence underpinning invasive treatments is very weak. They can also cause harm. Studies show that a third of British patients are given opioid medication such as Tramadol and Morphine. However, the evidence is that they can make your pain worse and patients are becoming hooked and suffering dangerous side effects. So is conventional back pain treatment useless?
The value of early physical therapy
Several studies have investigated the effect of early intervention. Gelhorn et al (2012) found that those that received physical therapy in the first four weeks of their first recorded episode of back pain coped better long term. These had a significantly reduced likelihood of subsequent lumbar surgery, injections. Also fewer visits to a doctor over the following year compared to those that received physical therapy over three months from onset.
The fear associated with the pain can prevent a person feeling they can carry on with a normal daily routine. They get into a vicious circle of ‘not doing things’ to avoid pain. As an osteopath, I try to help patients find ways to cope and manage their pain. This is through gentle osteopathic treatment to get some initial ease, followed by supportive remedial exercises. I give advice about improving activity levels and lifestyle advice, with some help from over the counter medications if necessary, to build up their confidence and regain some control.