If at First You Don't Suceed...

I found this wonderful image today, perfectly depicting the amount of hard work that goes in to making anything a success. This can apply to anything, but relating this image to Physiotherapy, many exercises or movements may be painful at first, but by building the foundations with smaller movements and Physiotherapy treatments, the end result is success and pain free activity

Sometimes it just takes time and persistence with a helping hand from your Physiotherapist.

Moral of the story..?

Never give up and success will follow

What a pain in the... Back!

So back pain, something statistics show that most people from a western culture will experience at some point in their lifetime. 

So what causes back pain? Unfortunately, that is a question that cannot be answered simply. There are a variety of causes which may provoke back pain, some of these are listed below: 

  • bending awkwardly or for long periods
  • lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling heavy objects
  • slouching in chairs
  • twisting awkwardly
  • overstretching
  • driving or sitting in a hunched position or for long periods without taking a break
  • overusing the muscles – for example, during sport or repetitive movements (repetitive strain injury). 

How do we treat it? Well, by analysing the mechanics of the injury and isolating the factors which may predispose someone to lower back pain. We can treat these problems with a variety of hands on treatments and exercise. Treatments may include massage, joint mobilisations, joint manipulations, Pilates based exercise, gym based rehabilitation, taping and acupuncture

How can you manage it at home? We have provided the image above which shows a few things you can do to keep you back pain at a minimum! 

Any issues? Come find us for an initial assessment and one of our highly experienced Physiotherapists can recommend the best way to move forwards! 

The Sexy Scalpel, does exercise need to be more sexy?

Do we need to make exercise more sexy?

Recent studies from highly recognised authors have shown that pain following surgery is no better than a course of Physiotherapy, providing an exercise based programme to increase control and strength.

So the big question is, WHY take the risks of surgery, when you can have a similar, if not better outcome with regular exercise as prescribed by a Physiotherapist. 

Please read the link to the BMJ blog by clicking here

Injury Holding You Back?

Ever feel like aches, pains and injuries are holding you back? This image depicts what injury and pain can feel like, and how if the injury isn't managed correctly, it may feel like someone is holding you back. 

Don't allow your injuries to hold you back from unleashing your maximal potential. 

Any issues, see one of our highly experienced team today! 

 

The forward head posture... How do we fix it?

Forward head posture, not only an aesthetic issue, but a mechanical issue. Which is renowned for causing numerous issues with the human body. 

Did you know? For every inch of forward head posture, the weight of the head on the spine increases by an additional 10 pounds. 

There is a large increase in the amount of people suffering from forward head posture, partly due to society's addiction of mobile phones and prolonged sitting. 

The increased weight, as much as 30 pounds in some cases, causes numerous effects to the body. 

Forward head posture can result in a 30% reduction of vital lung capacity, primarily due to the loss of cervical lordosis (the spinal curve), causing a weakness to a variety of muscles, one of which has the job of lifting the first rib during inhalation. 

Finally, 90% of the brains energy output is used to relate the physical body to gravity, this emphasises the importance of working WITH gravity, and NOT AGAINST it. The more of the brains energy output that is used to regulate posture, results in less being used for other functions such as metabolism, thinking, immune function and many more!

How do we fix it?

Very easy, balance out the muscular tone in your neck and upper back muscles, while increasing the strength of the muscles which have not been able to be utilised. 

Does this apply to you? Contact us for an initial assessment for a member of our team to work the magic! 

The importance of movement...

This image encapsulates what we try to achieve with Physiotherapy. The majority of aches and pain are down to poor movement control, and Thomas Myers has summed this up perfectly. 

 Just because someone can perform a movement quickly, which in turn reduces control and introduces factors such as momentum, does not mean they can complete the same activity with CONTROL...

“You would be surprised what the human body can achieve with just a small amount of movement correction...”

Pain, the multifactorial approach...

Pain, the theory behind what escalates and produces pain is forever changing. But this pie chart lists a few of the common ones now identified by the latest pain research. 

The main point to take away from this, treat the body as a whole and understand that there are many factors influencing and/or limiting your physical potential! 

As Physiotherapists, we are trained to ask the right questions to get to the root cause of your pain, be that physical or otherwise. 

 

Physiotherapy, just sports injuries? I think not!

Do you think all us Physiotherapists do is massage and treat sports people? Please watch this fantastic video demonstrating the enormous effects Physiotherapists can have on people and their lives. 

Some people assume all we do is treat sports injuries, in fact, Physiotherapists treat a wide plethora of issues from stroke rehabilitation, amputee rehabilitation, elderly mobility and a vast variety of neurological and respiratory disorders. 

For more information, don't hesitate to get in touch! 

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Knee pain? Try these must do key exercises!

A recent article formulated by Lack and others, suggested and proved the effect that poor hip function has in relation to knee pain. The study showed, completion of the exercises provided here equated to severely reduced pain at a one year follow up. 

Here at Catalyst Physiotherapy, we adapt our techniques and clinical reasoning dependent on the latest research! 

If you have these symptoms, see how we can help you today! 

Reference: Lack et al. (2015) Proximal muscle rehabilitation is effective for patellofemoral pain: A systematic review with meta-analysis.