As recommended by the College of Podiatry in the UK here is a 6 Step Work Out to keep your feet strong and stable. Like I’ve said before – a strong foundation means everything above it works better. You walk better, taller, slimmer and more stable. So take off your socks, wriggle your toes and let’s go! 1. Towel Grabbing Sit on a chair and put a (old!) towel on…
Having a strong “core” has been the mantra for many physios, pilates teachers, yoga teachers, fitness experts for quite a few years now. But what if the key to better posture and less injuries was a bit lower? Good Foundations I read a fantastic article from Matt Fitzpatrick , a consultant podiatrist at the College of Podiatry discussing his belief that if you strengthen and exercise your feet you will reduce…
Often people with back pain are told that their “core” isn’t strong, that they should “strengthen their core” to relieve their back pain. What is your core? Roughly speaking, when people refer to the core they mean the muscles between the base of your ribs and your hips: The pelvic floor muscles transversus abdominis multifidus internal and external obliques rectus abdominis erector spinae (sacrospinalis) especially the longissimus thoracis the diaphragm the latissimus dorsi gluteus maximus trapezius Is your…
For those of you at our party last week, you may have noticed a friendly group of chaps in matching stripy shirts. Nope, this isn’t a new fashion, these are the Walking Football Spain team and now Bodyworks Clinic are proud to announce that we sponsor them! Why we sponsor Walking Football Spain – because movement matters! There is a huge wealth of research showing that keeping active and moving…
Bettina Hoy is admired as one of the best riders in the world. She is also a Mobiliser user! Here she explains the benefits that she has found in using it regularly. Bettina says: Since buying her Mobiliser to take to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing Bettina has experienced: Headache Reduction Improved Sleeping Improved Riding Improved stamina Headache reduction Bettina explained that for as long as she can remember…
One of the things I think is extremely important for any medical professional is constantly updating their skill set. My training in the RAF gave me a much wider and varied range of experience than many physios but that was, “ahem” a little while ago now and things have moved on a teeny bit! Medical Fashion Much of the way I was initially trained has come back into medical fashion…
For keen athletes, in an ideal world, every time you train you would do as the professionals do and see a physiotherapist to untangle any kinks. However in the real world we rarely have the time and resources to follow every ideal. So here are my 4 top tips and tricks for keeping you going even when you haven’t got a physio at home. 1. A tennis ball – A…
Few things are more frustrating for a runner than shin splints. They’re painful, restrict your movement and training and seem difficult to treat. What are Shin Splints? This is a useful “catch all” term for pain in the leg below the knee. But true shin splints are painful on the inner part of the shin. Although the pain starts intermittently, running and walking may quickly become extremely painful. If you…
Since I set up the Headache Clinic many people have asked what is actually involved, what is it I do when you come to see me? No cracking I think the first point to make is that you won’t get your neck “cracked”. As a physiotherapist I don’t do the strong spinal manipulations that some chiropractors use. All of my physical therapy tools are gentle and you won’t be pulled or cracked…
In a world where we sit to work, sit to relax, sit to travel we should understand the impact that sitting has on us all. We weren’t designed to sit (or slouch!) so get moving!!