How Good Is Your Back?

The long dark nights of winter are over and many of us will have been busy getting out of hibernation mode especially as here in the UK we have had some very nice sunny mild weather.

There is nothing quite like a bit of sunshine to get us into spring cleaning mode - we love to sweep away the cobwebs and cold and damp to make way for the freshness of springtime and summer.

We also often look to ourselves to do a bit of internal spring cleaning - some people may decide to go on a diet, others may just decide to do a fast for a few days, others will maybe decide to just clean up their diet.  However we decide to tackle this the fact that we have made a decision to focus on ourselves is always a good thing.

Traditionally spring is a time we clean our homes too and this sometimes brings with it a few problems depending on how vigorously we tackle the job.

I know people who spend hours taking down curtains, scrubbing carpets, painting walls etc.  Hmmm, bit too much for me really but each to their own.

I also know a therapist who always says that people who do spring cleaning make very good business for him.  You see he is a physiotherapist and he gets to sort out all the muscular strains and sprains that result from too much stretching and not enough warm up.

So here are just a few tips to help to make you focus on cleaning like a maniac but to keep your back in good shape for the summer to come.

• If you have the desire to be taking down curtains then do not do this alone.  By having help to hold and lift heavy curtains you are less likely to damage yourself in the process.
•  Just as you might warm up before hitting the gym, warm up before getting yourself into full stretch mode - cold muscles will damage far more easily than warmed up ones.
• Do not stretch beyond your capacity - do not over do it or you will live to regret it.
• When lifting heavy objects remember to keep your knees bent and back straight.  Hold the object close into your body and get help if it really is too heavy for 1.
• Make sure you eat well and drink plenty of good clean water to keep your body healthy and fit.
• If you do cause a sprain or strain then make sure you do something about it and do not ignore it.  It might just be a slight injury which means it will get better by its self in a few days.  On the other hand it might take a bit longer and be rather painful in which case seeing a physio or massage therapist might be what is needed.
• One important consideration is to make sure that your furniture is good and supportive especially your bed - just remember that we spend about a third of our lives in bed and so being comfortable in bed makes very good sense for a number of reasons. Not many people change their bed or mattress as regularly as they should do - tut tut.  We recommend those wonderfully comfortable electric adjustable beds where not matter what aches and pains you have you will always find a setting that works for you.  Our favourite supplier is The Electric Bed Co where they have the wonderful Prestige Ambience which starts at just £349 - the trouble is with this bed is that you do just wish you could hibernate all year long.

Ways To Stop Back Pain

Back pain truly can be one of the most painful and debilitating health issues we can face.  Just think about it you use your back/spine in just about everything that you do.

• walking
• running
• moving
• lifting ......

Your spine is at the centre of your body and its muscles are interconnected with all body parts as are the nerves that radiate out from the spinal cord.  If there is damage to just 1 muscle then the knock on effect is that many other muscles will also be out of alignment - it is a bit like a domino effect cascading through.

Those of use who have suffered with back pain at one time or another really will understand that the pain and lack of movement really can impact massively on your life.

So, the moral of this tale is to make sure that you keep your back in good health to start with and then the risk of doing damage is going to be minimised right from the start.

Keeping the spine supple with regular exercise is key to good spine health and yoga is a very good way to do this - see this article in the Huffington Post.  Any sort of exercise that keeps your strong and supple is good providing you do these correctly and using the correct posture as you do them.

Investing in good furniture that supports your spine correctly is also essential so take a good look at your bed and mattress - hint - our bodies are not flat so why sleep in a flat bed on a flat mattress?
Electric adjustable beds are the beds for the future as they give customised support in such a way that a normal bed could never achieve.  Having a good nights sleep every night means that the body can get on with what it is supposed to be doing as we sleep - repair and regeneration.

Having a good healthy diet and drinking plenty of clean clear water will make sure that your body has the correct nutrients to stay strong and healthy and of course the body needs the nutrients to repair any damage.

If you do injure your back then do not waste time before getting professional help from a Chiropractor or Physiotherapist, delays in seeking professional help can cost you dearly.

A Trip To The Physio

For the last 16 months I have had a hip pain - nothing that makes me cry out but one of those insidious toothache type nagging pains that is always there lurking just under the surface.

My Dr gave me it a fancy name and some painkillers and off I went.  The next stop off point was the Podiatrist who gave me some very nice inserts for my shoes and off I went again.
Of course neither of these worked to any great degree :(  and I kind of lived with the pain for the next few months.

So, eventually (just last night) I visit the physio who agrees with the quacks diagnosis but not with the treatment regime.  You see a good physio has far more working knowledge of joints and muscles than the average GP and as they specialize in just sorting out aches and pains they are rather good at it.

I knew that the physio would spare me no mercy on the painometer and he did not - in fact the first time he 'hit the spot' I very nearly hit the roof.  Talk about a 'trigger point'!

He kept on at the spot for what seemed like forever but as the minutes clicked by the pain was less intense as the muscle gradually gave in to his pressure.  As I left his clinic just last night there was a marked improvement on the last 18 months of discomfort and pain.  There is no way I am not going to do my daily exercises now.

So, what else could I be doing to help this muscle to recover properly?
Well, not damaging it in the first place might be a good starting point I suppose :(
But as it is now a damage limitation exercise ...

• Do my exercises religiously every day
• Make sure I keep my next appointment next week
• Have some massage or even a reflexology treatment
• Even consider investing in a good supportive adjustable bed

Ahh well nature heals and I suppose that I have had it for long enough so a few more weeks should not hurt any more than it already does.  The moral of this particular tale I suppose is get it sorted right from the start.

Getting A Good Nights Sleep

Come on now let's have a poll and see just how many people really do have a great nights sleep - Do you?

The majority of people really do not sleep well at all, they toss and turn, they fail to get comfy, they are kept awake by partners snoring etc. etc.  Then they wake up next morning feeling like they have done 2 rounds in the ring with Mike Tyson - Aggghh!

I always tell my massage and reflexology clients that in order for the human body to do all the repair and regeneration it needs to do you need to get quality sleep 6 nights out of 7.

So why do we suffer from 'bad sleepitis'?

Well, one of the main reasons is based on the type of bed that most people sleep in - a 'normal' flat bed.  You see a traditional mattress being flat does not give the 'curvy' body the support it needs in the places it needs it.  Whereas an adjustable bed with an adjustable mattress does just that - it adjusts.

Adjustable beds adjust in the 5 major areas that need extra support - the head, neck, back, hips and knees.  This means that the beds settings are tailor made to that person on that particular day to ensure the correct support.  These beds are so good for a number of health related conditions as they not only get you comfy in bed but being adjustable they also mean it is much easier to get into and out of bed.  If you suffer from arthritis or any mobility problems this is a great help and of course for the elderly it can mean that they retain independence and dignity for longer.

Adjustable beds are also great for people who need some elevation in bed such as those who maybe have oedema of the legs or maybe even suffer from gastric reflux or have a hiatus hernia - they can be elevated at which ever end of the body they need.

Take a look at the video here to get some idea of how comfortable an adjustable bed can be and next time you are tossing and turning trying to get comfy just consider how good an adjustable bed could be.