Help yourself

I’d love you all to be able to come and have as much treatment as you need to make your body the very best it can possibly be.  Realistically though, many of us (I include myself) have long standing issues that require a long period of sustained and intensive therapy to fully resolve.   Apart from the investment in time that can also mount up in terms of cost.  Not everyone (I include myself in this also) can afford to commit to open-ended weekly treatment.   So what happens is, the patient comes with a problem and if the pre-disposing factors, that is the underlying postural issues are long-standing, complex and slow to resolve then the patient stops coming, once their current pain or dysfunction is resolved…but then they are back 6 months later with the same problem or something else but caused by the underlying issue not being resolved.  So how can that be minimised?   Over to you, the patient, to take some control of the issue

1. Avoid the triggers – stop doing whatever it is you do that sets off the issue, if you can and if you can bear to.  If you are a baker you probably can’t stop kneading bread and if you live for gardening, let’s try and find a way to continue, but if it happens once a year when you go skiing, which you only do to please your mates, the answer is obvious.
2. Adjust your surroundings – If your car seat gives you sciatica, change your car or get a wedge to sit on, replace that awful mattress and most importantly make sure you are sitting correctly at your desk, the rules are pretty simple.
   1. Make sure you can sit with your screen and/or paperwork directly in front of you and that your eyes don’t have to strain to see the screen and you don’t have to stretch to write or use your mouse
   2. Your seat height should be such that you can type or write with your shoulders relaxed, your elbows at 90’ and your wrists dropping onto the keyboard
   3. If your knees are at more than 90’ in this position you may need a footrest, if significantly less than 90’ you may need a higher desk, so you can set up correctly
   4. The top of your screen should be level with your eyes.  If it is not adjustable you may be able to use something stable like an encyclopaedia type book to make it higher.  If you are using a laptop, think about getting either a separate screen or a laptop stand and separate keyboard
   5. That’s the basics, simple huh! If you want to dot the is and cross the ts there’s more at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ck1.htm
3. Keep mobile – much of the work I do with you is about increasing mobility, either to allow for postural correction or to share the load between areas and even to increase the force absorption capacity of an area.  You can do this yourself, even if you don’t increase your own mobility you can maintain the gains from your last round of treatment
   1. Swimming – front and back crawl are wonderful for shoulder, upper back and ribcage mobility.  If you have neck issues, backcrawl is better, especially if you don’t like swimming with your face in the water so end up holding your neck up in front crawl.  Breast stroke kick can be great for hip mobility but it can be tough on the low back, especially if, again, you swim with your face out of the water and it can aggravate sacroiliac joint issues.  There’s a new council swimming pool in Vauxhall, if you weren’t already aware.
   2. Pilates and/or yoga – some prefer one, some prefer the other, both will help you maintain mobility, stability and strength, both can be very varied in their approach and in the demands they place on you.  Make sure the class you attend is right for you.  If you are a beginner and/or have particular needs and/or limitations tell the teacher about it first.  Embody Wellness run yoga and pilates classes suitable for beginners…I go to John Hobbs’ Bodycare pilates, which I highly recommend and have booked my first session at Tash Sekar’s Gentle Yoga.    
   3. Walking – Particularly for those with a bad back walking can be very beneficial.  Almost all back conditions are improved by a gentle stroll.  Try and leave your hands free to swing, so use a rucksack if you need to carry anything and buy some gloves rather than keeping your hands in your pockets.  If walking is particularly painful for any reason, then get that resolved, if you possibly can.  Life is too short to put up with that.

Following these guidelines won’t prevent injury or totally remove the need to come for treatment but it may reduce your need for treatment and more importantly improve your quality of life between sessions