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Showing posts from 2017
Need more energy? Want to give your morale a boost ? Try introducing activities into the working day. Exercise helps us to be  motivated and gives our  concentration a boost.  Some things that you might try.  - Cycle or walk to work and home again.  Get off the bus a stop earlier than usual. An old one but it would add a few minutes of walking to your routine every day.  Take the stairs.   Short bursts of activity during the day build up over the week.Running ,walking or other activities during lunch time are a great way to give you a boost during the day. Has your work Place installed a fitness room ? Or maybe there is a gym close to where you work ?  - Go to Yoga or Pilates sessions at lunchtime, before or after work. Both are good ways to stretch and unwind if you are sitting a lot during the day.   - encourage colleagues to join a gym or go to a class together. Company means you are more likely to stay with a new routine. - organise/join lunchtime walking
Osteopathic leadership   One of my goals this year has been to work with other osteopaths and broaden the scope of my practice beyond the clinical setting. I was very pleased to be given a place on this years Osteopathic leadership course which started in London in June this year.  I was one of twenty Osteopaths who were selected to take part in the course. As a group we looked  at leadership styles and the way we can lead in our profession.We did this through e learning, personal study and working as part of a team on a group project. The people I met and had the pleasure of working with were very inspiring. Before the course began many of them had already begun projects which would benefit Osteopathic Practice in the U.K. There are in Scotland many advantages in terms of lifestyle but as osteopaths we also have a disadvantage professionally as there is a lot less on offer in the way of CPD and networking. I'm very pleased to be part of this innovative new project. 
Sitting  We were designed for movement, sitting all day without regularly moving can lead to stiffness and muscle fatigue.  What to do ? -   Above all create good habits  if you have time, take regular breaks, stand up, stretch and move around.  Keep hydrated  Stand while you are on the phone, it gives your voice a better sound as well as helping your back and neck to keep moving.  Try a sit fit .Not for everyone but these air filled cushions help to get you moving and engage your core muscles.  If you don't have time.Stand up and sit back down again every twenty minutes. You can keep typing or reading. The regular movement ensures that you don't over strain muscles and may prevent poor posture from developing. Each time you move you use your spinal muscles and gluteal muscles which ensures that they get a fresh blood supply and a new nerve impulse. You will increase your daily movement by about twenty this will leave you feeling more flexible at the end of

Could your bag be giving you backache ?

    Could your bag be giving you backache ? Weigh your handbag or rucksack.You may be surprised how heavy it is. 8 kg is the heaviest that I have seen carried on a daily basis. This was at the start of the day not including anything that was added in the way of shopping.  Check your bag regularly and take out anything that you don't need. This a good habit to decrease the weight of your bag.  Change the side you wear your bag. Alternating the side spreads the load on both sides of your back.  Wear your bag across your body when possible.  Try not to carry your bag on your elbow as this can increase the pressure on one side of your upper back and shoulders. Holding in in your hand is less stressful for your upper back. 

Walking with children

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Walking with children   Give yourself permission to play (and exercise more ) As we get older we stop playing ,it's a sad truth many of us forget the joy of running along just for the joy of it not because we want to get something done in a hurry.Remember how you loved playing ?Rolling down a hill well just because you can? Here are a few suggestions to get you and your children moving playing and having fun together. When walking together  pretend you are walking like animals. Take turns and each of you suggest an animal,then you all walk like you think this creature would walk. Unless of course the animal goes very quickly and which case be prepared to run. My favourite is a chimpanzee lots of opportunity to be silly and act out chimp like grooming if children or other grown ups don't join in or you can catch them. All animals work well but tigers, squirels, frogs,cats and dogs are a few to get you started. With young children it is a great way to d
  Why I love being an osteopath ? There are so many possible answers to this.I love osteopathy because I like helping people, also I am nosey, it is a pleasure to hear about what people do at work and home. I enjoy hearing people's stories from the stiff neck from sitting in a draft on a first date to the calf strain that was kept at bay during a marathon. I love to have a good chat about anything from the day to day to world news.  One of the best aspects of Osteopathic practice is that I get to uncover why something has happened with my patients and come up with constructive things they can do in the future to prevent their injury happening again.This is true for all patients but I have a special interest in treating patients who present with chronic conditions or are suffering with persistent pain. Sometimes we can't change a presenting condition but by problem solving with patients, working through what might be able to change in their environment or behaviour the
Osteoarthritis  Last week, whilst researching exercises for osteoarthritis of the knee, I stumbled across the Arthritis Research UK website. For those of you who are interested, it is a great tool, with lots of sensible information and advice on many arthritic conditions. The key message that I took from the website with regard to osteoarthritis, was that when patients are diagnosed with osteoarthritis, they often panic, they stop exercising or doing the things they enjoy, through fear of making the condition worse. This is understandable, but it is really important to remember that although there isn’t currently a cure, it doesn’t necessarily get worse over time, and most importantly, there is a lot that you can do to help yourself, such as: ·          Maintaining a healthy weight , to decrease strain on the joints. ·          Cardiovascular and muscle strengthening exercises , to help with weight loss/maintenance, improve cardiovascular fitness and to keep the muscles
  Is injury stopping your marathon training? Training for a marathon is no easy task, especially if injury rears its ugly head.   Knowing what to do to get to back on schedule is often difficult.  With the right advice, you can hopefully reduce injury time, any long term problems developing and possibly end up a little bit stronger. Most commonly injuries occur through training errors such as running too fast too soon or too long too early. With the usual areas being the foot, ankle and knee. Inflammation of various tissues around these joints is most often the cause of the pain.  Hot spots are often a combination of minor faults in running technique, poor footwear, muscular imbalances or previous injuries. Osteopaths are trained in diagnosis and enjoy finding what the problems are and the reasons why you are affected. Through assessment of your muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints and of course your story we can treat you. We will work out a plan with you to get
Headaches :Did you know one cause can be tension or strain in the muscles and joints of the neck and upper back? Did you know the most common cause of headaches is tension or strain in the muscles and joints of the neck and upper back?  It is something that I see again and again. People sitting on chairs that are too low or at desks that are too low. They hunch over and work away bending more as the day progresses. They are so industrious that they don't notice the pain build in their backs and necks. Does this sound a familiar pattern to you?  The tension headache Treatment from an osteopath may help. Tension headaches are often helped by treating tight muscles of the neck and upper back. Sometimes we use manipulation to loosen the joints of the neck and back to relieve the build-up of muscular tension that may lead to headaches. This is something we can do for ourselves too! Looking back over my past day or week what has lead me to have this headache now?