Are you now at the stage of your life where you want to be able to continue doing the things that you love?
Do you have ambitions to continue playing sport, being active or keeping up with your kids as you get older?
There is nothing that we can do to prevent the ageing process. However, there is a lot that can be done to maintain physical and mental health as we age.
If you have a real interest in your health for the long term then maybe Longevity training is for you.
Longevity Exercise Training refers to a specialized approach to physical activity aimed at promoting overall health, well-being, and not only extending one’s lifespan but health span as well. It emphasizes exercise strategies that have been shown to have a positive impact on longevity and overall health outcomes.
This month, Lesley Wyles from Bristol Physiotherapy Sports and Injury Clinic provides us with information about Hypermobility.
What is Hypermobility?
Hypermobility refers to an increased range of motion in joints beyond what is considered typical for a person’s age and gender. It is often used to describe a condition called hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) or hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), which is a group of inherited disorders affecting connective tissues.
The ligaments and tissues surrounding the joints are more lax and elastic than usual which allows the joints to move beyond their normal range, leading to increased flexibility and sometimes instability. Hypermobility can affect various joints in the body, such as the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles.
Hypermobility can present differently in different people. Some people with hypermobility may experience few or no symptoms, while others may develop joint pain, chronic fatigue, recurrent dislocations, or subluxations (partial dislocations), soft tissue injuries, and muscle weakness. Other associated symptoms may include joint clicking or popping, double-jointedness, easy bruising, and skin that is soft, stretchy, or prone to scarring.
When hypermobility is accompanied by symptoms which impact on your quality of life, physiotherapy can make a real difference.
How can Physiotherapy help you?
Strengthening Exercises: Create exercise programs tailored to your needs, focusing on strengthening the muscles around the affected joints. Stronger muscles help provide better support and stability to the joints, reducing the risk of dislocations or subluxations.
Joint Stabilization Techniques: Specific techniques to improve your joint stability which may involve exercises targeting proprioception (awareness of joint position), balance training, and neuromuscular re-education. These techniques help you develop better control over your joint movements which should reduce the risk of injury.
Range of Motion Exercises: Although hypermobility involves excessive joint movement, you may still have areas of restricted movement or muscle tightness. Strengthening exercises can be used to improve your flexibility and maintain optimal joint range of motion. Care will be taken to avoid overstretching or exacerbating instability.
Pain Management Techniques can help you cope with discomfort which may include manual therapy techniques such as joint mobilization, soft tissue manipulation, or modalities like heat or cold therapy to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation.
Postural and Movement Correction: Poor posture and inefficient movement patterns can contribute to joint instability and pain. Our specialist physiotherapist can assess and address postural imbalances, gait abnormalities, and faulty movement patterns through postural re-education and corrective exercises. Helping you to understand the potential risks, advice on proper joint alignment and body mechanics and provide advice on lifestyle modifications, ergonomics and strategies to prevent joint injuries.
If you would like to see Lesley for a Hypermobility Assessment you can book an Initial Assessment with Lesley. The Initial Assessment is one hour and the follow-up appointments are 30 minutes.
If you thought physiotherapy was just for people with sports injuries or those recovering from surgery, think again. PhysioNet Bristol’s directory will link you to expert chartered physiotherapists in Bristol, Bath, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire that can help with common issues such a back pain not just from sporting injuries but from every-day tasks. Keith James Physiotherapy, a partner clinic of PhysioNet Bristol discusses how to prevent back injury and to avoid feeling stiff when gardening this Spring.
The sun is out, and the garden is coming back to life! It’s tempting to get out there and really get stuck in to clearing and planting. But it’s important to take things slowly and remember to look after your back when crouching and bending. Back pain and problems affect people of all ages and can make gardening a painful experience. By following some simple rules, you can make gardening easier on your back and help you stretch your muscles and prevent any injuries or pain.
Warm up before starting to garden by gently stretching your muscles, especially if it’s cold outside and wait until later in the day when it’s warmer. Some of the best stretches take an inspiration from Yoga which give a gentle but effective stretch to help prevent injury and stiffness in your back, lower or upper and your hamstrings.
Cat stretch Get ready to embrace your inner cat. Begin on all fours on the floor and arch your back towards the ceiling and hold. Then arch your back towards the ground and hold. Hold each stretch for 5 seconds, repeat 10 times.
Touch your toes Bend forward from your hips, dropping your arms down towards the floor and stretch as far as you can towards your toes. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, are as long as you can.
Hamstring stretches Begin by sitting on the floor with one leg straight, and the other bent towards your inner thigh. Keeping your back flat, lean forward from the hip to your out stretched leg until you feel stretch is behind the thigh on your hamstring. Repeat on the other leg. Hold each stretch for 10 seconds, repeat 5 times.
Some further notes
Avoid repetitive garden work
Alter your position regularly as you work, take regular breaks and drink plenty of liquid
Don’t lift heavy objects. If you must lift something, remember to bend your knees and keep your back straight
Use a wheelbarrow to move objects where possible
Wear belts that support your back if necessary
If you do find that your back is causing you problems, find a specialist back pain physiotherapist near you with PhysioNet Bristol’s handy postcode search to help treat your pain and prevent further injuries.
If you’re a triathlete wanting to maximise your bike to run transitions and prevent injury – read on!
Every triathlete will share with you their tips and tricks for a speedy transition from bike to run, but when it comes to strength and conditioning exercises to help prevent injury and improve form, they are a little stumped. Most triathletes focus on speed when it comes to transitions but strengthening and injury prevention exercises will determine if you finish the race at all.
Transitioning from bike to run is extremely brutal on your body. Your glutes are lengthened from all the peddling, and your hip flexors are tight from being in a crouch position. Now you’re asking your glutes to work in a shorter range of movement and your hip flexors to stretch out immediately, with no adjustment period and for 6.2 miles.
This shift puts quite a bit of strain on the body and if you haven’t built up stability in your lower back and quality hip range, you are increasing your chance of a range of injuries, such as lower back pain, anterior knee pain, Achilles tendinopathy and shin splints.
PhysioNet Bristol’s directory for finding a private physiotherapy clinic near you, can help you find a specialist physiotherapist to help prevent further sports injuries and provide you with expertise advice. Experienced chartered physiotherapist, Alex Smart owner of TheraSmart, one of PhysioNet Bristol’s partner clinics shows you 4 exercises to help you build strength and prevent injury not just for triathletes but those with lower back or hip pain.
Single leg squats from a chair – 4 x 20 reps on each leg
From a sitting position, stand up on one leg. Keep your pelvis level and be careful not to twist it back. There is a tendency on the non-weight bearing side for the hip to rotate back. This means you are opening out your hip instead of engaging your glutes properly. Keep your shoulders and pelvis square and knee in line with your second toe. Also, be mindful to stand straight and not to side bend or arch your lower back.
Standing hamstring curls (done well) – 4 x 20 reps on each leg
Standing hamstring curls are rarely done well. Most people tend to sway their hips forward when curling their leg back, so the weight moves to the ball of their foot and they have to grip with their toes. The aim is to keep your pelvis in line so the weight is evenly spread through your foot. Make sure your lower back is flat and your tummy is engaged. If you are doing it correctly you should feel your glute and hamstring working together.
TIP: do this exercise holding onto something in front of you and with a mirror to your side to make sure you are doing it correctly.
Seated leg extensions with a football – 4 x 20 reps
From a seated position sitting upright, squeeze the ball between your ankles and start to lift your legs to straighten your knees. When your hamstrings are tight you are going to want to round your back – so fight against this urge. Maintain the pressure on the ball throughout the movement up and down. This will work your quads and VMO which is important to combat anterior knee pain. Only extend the legs as far as you can maintain a straight back.
Four-point kneeling torso rotation – 4 x 20 reps on each side
On all fours, your hands should be directly below your shoulders with straight arms, and your knees should be directly below your hips. Make sure your back is nice and straight with your head in line with your torso. Be careful not to drop your head towards the floor. Place one hand on your hip and rotate your torso towards the non-weight bearing side so you open up your shoulders. Hold for a count of 5 seconds.
PhysioNet Bristol’s member Toll House Clinic , a Bristol based Physiotherapy Clinic, help us to understand what Tennis Elbow is and what treatments are suitable for treating it. Julie from Toll House provides us with some further information about treatments available both with and without a Physio.
Tennis elbow (or lateral epicondylitis) is a common problem and is characterised by pain felt on the outside of the elbow. This is often due to inflammation of the tendons in this area and can be due to over-use.
What can I do to help ease Tennis Elbow?
The use of ICE on the painful area will help with pain relief and help reduce inflammation.
Seek the advice of a chartered physiotherapist who will undertake physical treatment and give you exercises that will help resolve your problem and prevent its further recurrence.
Acupuncture is also an option that our fully trained physiotherapists can carry out as part of their treatment.
Try a tennis elbow clasp, this helps to alleviate the pull on the tendons that are inflamed.
Remember the longer you delay treatment the longer it will take to resolve.
As a last resort your GP may suggest that you have a steroid injection into the elbow, these can also be carried out by Physiotherapist.
You may consider using ibuprofen which is an anti-inflammatory as long as you do not have any gastric problems or are asthmastic as anti-inflammatories can aggravate these conditions.
We are just over half way through 2017. Think back to January, did you have new year fitness resolution? Have you kept it up? This month Donna from Blue Sky Sports Physiotherapy gives us information about getting back on track!
Most people start with great intentions at the beginning of the year, however, slowly they start to fall back into old habits and it becomes a circle each year of not necessarily achieving the goals that you started with.
A fair few people stop their exercise because of pain, strain, a weakness or other injury. PhysioNet members are here to get you back on that track to achieving your fitness goal.
All our member practices are able to assist you with :
A thorough assessment by a senior Chartered Physiotherapist trained at the highest level
A diagnosis of any current conditions or pain syndromes
A comprehensive treatment programme
An exercise plan will be designed specifically for you
Strategies to help you manage any chronic aches and pains
Referral to orthopaedic specialists or radiologists if needed
To book a visit to a Chartered Physiotherapist, please use the find a physio on our home page – there’s plenty to pick from!
Diane from Birdwell Clinic in Long Ashton, Bristol advises us on pain and how sometimes its not where we thing it is…
‘Overuse’ injuries are where there is no specific injury, just a gradual onset of pain. However, your pain may not be where your problem is. For example, knee pain may be a hip problem, groin pain may be a back problem and elbow pain may be a shoulder or neck problem.
The pain slowly gets worse over weeks or months or keeps recurring over time. Treatment to the area of pain only, just provides temporary relief.
What is the Answer?
A comprehensive physiotherapy evaluation to determine the root cause of the problem is required. Then either specific advice, exercise programme or a course of physiotherapy treatment is required. The length of time it takes to help these problems is related to the length of time you have had the symptoms. The quicker you get help the simpler they are to treat.
Typical problems we see in the clinic are :
Back pain as a result of an arthritic hip
Thigh pain which is referred from the back
Achilles tendon pain can be referred from the spine
Arm pain referred from the neck
Are you looking for a Physiotherapist in the Bristol area? Maybe your pain just won’t shift and you need some advice? Either way, PhysioNet Bristol can help. Please contact us for further information.
1st Elite Physio, a leading Physiotherapy Practice in Weston Super Mare & PhysioNet Bristol’s local practice service Weston, World and surrounding areas have provided some helpful exercises that you can do at home.
From stretching out your legs after going for a run, or simply assisting with daily stretched, you are sure to find the below videos useful to run along side your Physiotherapy treatment plan.
Are you suffering from Back Pain? Do you have injury from exercising? Get in touch to find out how one of our specialists can help.
Complaints of back pain in the UK have increased 75{0661fa795f6129d97d2131c2b645b916a5c5447911c5e6eadfce9744cabfcd5e} year on year according to a survey completed by the Telegraph in 2015.
Back pain for office workers is becoming more common with the computer lifestyle and increased lengths of time working at a desk or computer station.
PhysioNet Bristol physiotherapists can help – our clinics offer advice and treatments for individuals suffering from back, shoulder and neck pain.
We have put a few exercises below to help you if you are currently suffering, this can help reduce the strain on your body and aid the recovery when you partnership them with treatment from a practitioner.
Knee rolls
Lie on your back with a small pillow or towel under you head. Keep your chin tucked in and head and shoulders relaxed. Keeping your knees bent and together and your arms outstretched to the side, gently roll your knees to one side, followed by your hips. Remember not to rock your shoulder as you roll, keep these on the floor. Hold the stretch for one deep breath and return your legs to the starting position. Repeat 6 to 8 times, alternating sides.
Cat stretch
Get on the floor on your hands and knees, and gently arch your back towards the ceiling (like a cat arching its back). Keep your head relaxing looking at the floor; don’t bring it up to look outwards when you arch. Continue the arch until you feel a gentle stretch in your back. Hold for 10-15 seconds. Return to the start position and repeat 8-10 times.
Would you like to get some assistance with the “Pain in the neck”, click Find a Physio to locate your closest physio professional.
A consortium of Bristol based Physiotherapists, set up to provide treatments through a network of physio practices, PhysioNet Bristol allows organisations to utilise a direct group of practices for their staff’s occupational requirements and cut out the administration costs of using 3rd party intermediaries.
Developing the service offering, Keith James, Chairman of PhysioNet Bristol, explains how companies can benefit from using PhysioNet Bristol.
“Our aim from the start was to enable individuals to be able to have easy access to a Physio within the Bristol area. As a group, we are able to offer patients locations that are likely to be close to both their home and place of work, depending on when and where they would like to be treated. We want to enable people to have the very best treatment without having to go through their insurance companies or having to wait a long time to be seen. We are often able to see patients within 24 hours once their employer has agreed the initial treatment cost”
PhysioNet Bristol has over 35 locations across the Bristol area and all practices are privately owned.
Do you work for an employer who would like to provide healthcare solutions to their staff. Do you work in Occupational Health and are looking for a quick, easy and cost effective route for employees to get treatment. If so, please get in touch through the contact page.
