"Pain" Free
According to one osteopath I saw, chronic back pain (pain that has been ongoing for some time) is much harder to treat than acute back pain (sudden onset of back spasm). It is inevitable at some stage in our life that we will all have the odd back twinge as the very nature of our lives dictates we do some activities on a daily basis like driving, sitting for extended periods of time, decorating, digging in the garden, jogging on the treadmill or carrying a baby on one hip.
By doing something on a routinely basis or repetitively, we are overusing certain muscles, creating a particular posture with some muscle imbalances. This can lead to injury if neglected. For those who have chronic pain for musculoskeletal reasons (muscles and skeleton), it is possible to alter the neurological pathway (the nerves) and its responses to pain. For a normal person who is pain free, a walk in the park would be just that - a pleasurable amble enjoying the scenery. For someone with chronic back pain, this walk could bring on pain in their area of weakness. It is a muscle memory when you have had pain ongoing for such a long time, the body remembers it and triggers it with all sorts of activities. It could be sitting down in a car, or at a desk, lifting weights in the gym or planting seeds in the garden. Sometimes, we do have to ride the pain and stay active as bending backwards to accommodate back pain (excuse the pun) can be counter productive and lengthen the rehabilitation time after an injury. It is not all in the mind but that can play a huge part in prolonging the recovery period. Naturally you need a good diagnosis to take this step so see an osteopath or physio first before doing any cartwheels!
Spring into Spring
The Warm Up
Before any stretching you need to be warm. Take a warm shower, walk around your local park and spot some crocuses or snow drops or drop in to one of your gyms local classes. I am going to be biased here as i am training as a pilates teacher but pilates is a fabulous way of mobilising the joints and recruiting muscles in the correct way for more intensive sports. It is an endurance form of exercise which also strengthens muscles and improves flexibility which is a vital part of fitness.
The Fitness Jargon
Total Fitness: According to my textbook, it encompasses physical fitness, mental/ social/emotional/medical and nutritional health. In other words, you have discovered the art of balance in your life(work, home, play) meaning you have the mental and physical capacity to face whatever life throws your way!
The key principles of physical fitness:
- Cardiovascular endurance (swimming, jogging, dancing, cycling)
- Muscle strength
- Muscle endurance
- Flexibility
- Body composition
Why Stretch?
It feels good but that is not reason enough. More importantly, it helps to prevent an injury happening in the first place.
- Improve range of movement: This basically means how far we can lengthen our muscles around a joint. Take the hip, you can kick your leg forwards, backwards, out to the side, across your body and you can even make circles with your foot on the floor. It is a very versatile joint if you have the flexibility to do any of the above! By stretching our leg muscles, we can kick our legs higher into the air which is useful for footballers. By stretching our back muscles we can bend over easier to do the gardening and lift our children. By lengthening muscles, we increase the distance our limbs can move before damage occurs to the muscles or tendons. It also makes us move better with greater ease and comfort.
- Reduce post exercise muscle soreness: Muscles can feel tight, sore or stiff if we start a new exercise class or run a long way without any stretching afterwards. This soreness is a result of micro tears (tiny tears within the muscle fibres), blood pooling and accumulated waste products like lactic acid. Stretching alleviates this soreness by lengthening the individual fibres, increasing blood circulation and removing waste products.
- Improve posture
- Develop body awareness so you get to know the areas of your body that need more attention
- Improve coordination
- Promote circulation
- Increase energy
- Improve relaxation by reducing muscle tension
- Reduce stress and feels fabulous!!!
Clinic News
Vanessa has completed her class teaching stage of her pilates teacher training so has lots of useful tips for improving core endurance (those muscles that support the spine and prevent back ache) . She also recently qualified in thai yoga massage which greatly improves flexibility!
If you would like to book a remedial massage, a thai yoga massage or a pilates session for one or two people, please contact Vanessa on 01491 577480 or 07906186912.
