Don’t let Spring Fever Lead to Spring Injury!

As Easter draws nearer and the days grow longer, it is the time to reach for the Washing up Gloves and the antibacterial spray! At this time of year many of us decide, for some unknown reason, to spring clean the house from top to bottom. Every nook and cranny receives a cleaning attack.

Before you start, spare a thought for your body which has just spent the winter in hibernation! Avoid the shock to the joints and muscles by pacing your cleaning rather than trying to do it all in one day. Plan to do one room/area at a time and vary your tasks. If you have to bend down try to use your knees or kneel down if possible using a mat or cushion under the knees.

If you have been bending make sure you stand up straight and tall afterwards, place your hands in the small of the back and arch backwards 4 or 5 times as the picture shows.

Avoid straining your neck especially if you need to look upwards, and don’t put your head at an awkward angle e.g. when trying to clean inside low or high cupboards.

When cleaning out the kitchen cupboards take the opportunity to arrange your plates, dishes and pans so that the most used and heavier items are placed at waist height. This will avoid extensive bending and stretching throughout the year.

After finishing a spell of cleaning it is so tempting to slump down on the settee with a well-earned coffee. This is the best way to bring on an attack of low back pain – so sit straight with a cushion in the small of your back, or better still have a short walk or go for a swim. A hot bath or shower before bed will help to soothe any aching muscles and help to prevent stiffness the next morning.

So follow this advice and enjoy freshening up your house without paying the price of pain.

Mary’s Lent plans & some healthy tips for you

Mary has decided to use Lent as her kick for being healthy again and as of today she will be quitting Chocolate, Coffee and Tea!

What are your plans for keeping or getting fit, healthy and active?

Healthy tips for Lent
The 40 days of Lent are a good time to give up unhealthy habits and cultivate a few healthy ones.

Here are our top tips to have you feeling fitter by Easter:
• Move More: Commit to being active for at least 20 minutes every day. (10 minutes twice per day works too!) Take up walking. Even a few minutes a day can make a difference, so cut out lifts and escalators and leave the car behind.

• Drink More: Water that is. Commit to drinking 8 glasses of water every day and avoiding fizzy drinks. Keeping yourself properly hydrated reduces your craving for unhealthy drinks and food. If you want to take it one step further, give up alcohol. It will make you thinner, fitter and improve your sleep.

• Sleep More: Back away from the gadgets and get to bed earlier. Commit to sleeping at least 7 hours (more if you can) each night. Give up late nights. Sleep is good for you in so many ways, so substitute late night TV or computer games for a relaxing decaf tea and a good book (nothing too exciting – the idea is to send you gently to sleep!) To take it to the next level, give up your lie-in. Get up, get a shower, get moving and get things done. Lying in can leave you feeling listless.

• Eat More: Healthily. Eat a healthy breakfast. Starting the day the right way can give you the energy you need. Try to ensure that 1/3 of very plate is filled with fruit or vegetables. The next step would be to follow the current trend and give up sugar – refined sugar in fizzy drinks is one of the major causes of obesity and is linked to a range of health problems such as type 2 diabetes. Eat more fruit. This is a great substitute for sugar as well as a vital source of vitamins.

• Reflect More: It is easy to take what we have for granted. Commit to being truly grateful for at least one thing each day. Preventative physiotherapy – Regular visits to an expert physiotherapist will enable you to achieve the most out of your life and avoid unnecessary aches and pains. Start off from a pain-free/injury-free status. This is often overlooked in our quest to become fit. Ensure that any aches and pains that you do have are not exacerbated by any new exercise regime you start. Sometimes, the aches and pains may be a result of being inactive and therefore starting some gentle exercise programme will help relieve those aches and pains. Note the word gentle. A common mistake people make is to start a vigorous and intense exercise programme from Day 1 having not even walked to the local shops in the last few years. It wouldn’t be a real surprise therefore when aches and pains increase and even potential injury to muscles and joints will likely occur as a result of this. So if you do have some pre-existing injury or health condition and want to start a fitness programme, begin slow and gentle and always seek professional advice from a chartered physiotherapist to ensure that you are undertaking suitable exercise in a sensible manner. The last thing you want is to aggravate any existing injuries or acquire new ones due to inappropriate exercising.

Information about ruptured patella tendons

Fraser Forster goal keeper at Southampton is back playing 10 months after he ruptured his patella tendon.. After surgery to repair the tendon and months of Physio he had paid tribute to the physios who have helped him come back stronger than before.

Treatment & Rehabilitation
If the patellar tendon becomes completely ruptured across its width and thus surgical intervention is required to repair the damage. This involves suturing (stitching) the torn tendon.
Following surgery the patient will be advised on a specific rehabilitation plan which normally involves little or no weight-bearing on the affected knee and wearing a knee brace to prevent the knee from bending. This may be required for more than 6 weeks.
Once the knee brace has been removed exercises to regain full range of movement and build up the strength of the quadriceps muscle group should be carried out.
Rehabilitation from a patellar tendon rupture is extremely slow and it may take between 6 and 12 months before the patient is able to return to sports.

Walking for Health – February 2016

Walking is an excellent weight bearing exercise, meaning it is an exercise done standing up moving against gravity. As such, it is fabulous for bone density health too. Everyone thinks that walking is the poor cousin of running; however it is suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels and should not be underestimated.

Walking has beneficial effects on mental health, being outdoors in natural green spaces alone boosts your mood.

Getting Started
When starting out try to build up your time and speed gradually. As with any exercise, doing too much too soon can lead to injury. Ensure you wear clothes you can move in freely and a comfortable pair of shoes. If you lack motivation on your own, try to enlist a friend to go out with. Make it a regular date instead of that coffee and cake meet up! And with the darker months remember there is never bad weather for exercise, only poor choices of clothing!

Walking can be of great benefit to your fitness and cardiovascular health.
This is where you are walking fast enough, or uphill, making it hard to carry on a conversation.
You need to do this for at least 10 minutes to increase your cardiovascular health. However, just walking between two trees faster can be a first step. As with all exercise, moderation and variety is important, as is rest and good nutrition to feed the body.