Weeding the Vegetable garden

Before you start gardening warm up muscles and joints by performing simple stretching exercises.  Start with smaller, less stressful jobs, and take regular breaks.

A great deal of research has been put into this area over the last few years and the way we deal with back pain has changed considerably. You might already have experienced this with the way your GP “treats” you.
An attack of back pain can be very frightening, even a minor strain can be very painful and it is natural to think that something serious might have happened, however it has been shown that there are lots of things that you can do to help yourself.

What you do about back pain yourself is actually more important than the exact diagnosis or treatment. With acute back pain, rest for more than a day or two usually does not help and may actually prolong pain and disability. Your back is designed for movement, the sooner you get it moving the sooner you will feel better.
The acute pain usually improves within days or a few weeks, the long term outlook is good.

Your spine is one of the strongest parts of the body, it is made of strong bony blocks joined by discs to give it strength and flexibility. It is reinforced by strong ligaments and surrounded by large powerful muscles that protect it. Most simple back strains do not cause any lasting damage.

Most back pain comes from a simple strain to the “working” parts of your back, for example a ligament, muscle or small joint. Ideally, you start to move correctly to get the part working properly again which, stimulates the body’s natural ability to recover. It is when we compensate and move abnormally that a vicious circle starts resulting in chronic pain and dysfunction.

Rest or stay active?

If you rest for too long when you are in pain you feel stiff, the muscles get weaker, you lose general fitness and feel down, this is turn can make the pain feel worse and therefore it is harder to get going again. It really is “use it or lose it”!
The advice now is to keep going and rest for short periods only.
Your whole body must keep active to stay healthy, with activity the body releases natural chemicals which reduce the pain.

Activities that are good for you include walking, swimming, the exercises bike, dance, pilates, yoga, and most everyday activites and hobbies.
Different things suit different people, try out and decide what is best for you. Your goal is to get moving and increase your level of activity.

It goes without saying that if you suffer from recurrent episodes of back pain, then the interval between exacebations is a great time to try and avoid a future onset of pain.

It is worth while having an assessment to determine the probable reasons for your back to be prone to problems. For example restricted range of movement and specific weakness of muscles – in particular the core.
These are all areas that can be worked on with a specific exercises programme or by joining in one of our beginners Pilates sessions, which is tailored to suit people who do not feel confident to start an exercise programme without being supervised by a Physiotherapist who has knowledge of the factors that will benefit or cause harm to their back.

So if you suffer from episodes of back pain or are currently struggling with back pain then please feel free to contact me if I can offer any further advice or information. All of the advice that I have written above can be found in “The Back Book” which you can obtain from your GP. So take control,

“The sooner you get active – the sooner your back will feel better”

There has been lots of speculation in the news that flying in relatively cramped conditions on planes combined with inactivity may increase the risk of blood clots in the legs.

Circulation in the legs relies greatly on the calf muscles acting as a pump. Each time the foot is moved up and down the calf muscle contracts, and so massages the deep veins in the leg, squeezing the blood back towards the heart.

At rest the blood is still in circulation but more slowly. In situations where the blood flow is more sluggish, its oxygen supply is diminshed causing it to be more sticky, which can result in blood clots forming.

If the clots, or emboli, reach the heart and lungs they can block the normal flow of blood through the organs, this can lead to breathlessness and can in extreme cases be fatal.

Symptoms include:

• pain in the calf
• breathlessness

Reducing the risk:

• get up and walk around frequently
• avoid excess alcohol
• keep hydrated – drink plenty of water
• do not take sleeping tablets
• do lower limb exercises
• wear loose clothing
• wear support tights correctly

At risk:

smokers / pregnant women / women taking the contraceptive pill / those with poor circulation

Exercises

• Clenching buttocks – hold for two seconds. Repeat 10 times.
• Lift leg off the ground, move ankle up and down, stretching as far as possible in each direction
• with feet flat on the floor, lift heels up and down
• get up, walk to the end of the aisle, rise up onto the toes 10 times.

Training should start a minimum of 6 weeks before you hit the slopes to achieve the conditioning your body requires. Your training should include:

Muscle strength and endurance – of the core, quadriceps, gluteal, calf and lower back muscles. Squats, lunges and step -ups work specifically towards strengthening the leg muscles.

Flexibility – of the calf, quadriceps, hamstrings muscles and the lower back can reduce the risk of “straining” your muscles due to an inability to lengthen.

Balance – specifically practicing the skiing and snowboarding positions and actions on one and both legs. Gym balls can be used to further develop balance.

Aerobic Fitness – Due to the effect of high altitude on your body aerobic conditioning is a vital component to injury prevention. Using the cross trainer, bike or running works the aerobic and muscular systems for snow sports.

Equipment – always check your equipment is specific and safe to use.

When you are heading off to the slopes each day, try to ensure you are both physically and mentally prepared. The lack of a pre-ski warm up (increasing your heart rate and preparing your muscles for activity) and a post-ski warm down (stretching) routine is one of the main contributions to injury. Tiredness can also significantly contribute to sustaining an injury.

For specific advice on a programme to address your needs then see your physiotherapist. We can assess any tightness and relative weakness, to give you a programme for you to work on to reduce / eliminate the factors that may affect your fitness.

If you are away and sustain an injury, then don’t forget your basic injury management.

R I C E

Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation

Ice should be used for up to three days following an injury, this will help reduce the amount of pain, muscle spasm, swelling and soft tissue damage, by decreasing the circulation to the area. A damp towel should be applied between the ice pack and the skin to avoid an “ice burn”. Applications should be approximately 10 minutes depending on the depth of the injury. This can be repeated every two hours.