Training for a marathon isn't just about pushing your limits; it's about finding the delicate balance between endurance and injury prevention. That's where the expertise of a physiotherapist can make all the difference to your training and preparation.
ACL injury is one of the most common injuries in field sports. This injury requires long-term rehabilitation and commitment from the injured individual, which can take two forms; either conservative or non-conservative management.
There is no cure for arthritis, but physiotherapy has been proven to be very effective for managing the symptoms, improving joint function and mobility, strengthening the joints, and improving quality of life for individuals living with this condition.
Text neck refers to the strain and discomfort that result from prolonged periods spent looking down at electronic devices, leading to poor posture and potential long-term health consequences. In this blog post, we'll explore what text neck is, its effects on the body, and practical strategies to reduce its impact and promote better posture.
Have you ever experienced intense soreness or stiffness in your muscles about 24 to 48 hours after an intense workout? This phenomenon is often referred to as DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, and is a result of tiny, microscopic tears in your muscle fibres as a result of high intensity exercise.
Have you recently started playing golf? Are you an experienced player tired of taking longer than your golf friends to get around the course? Everyone is competitive, it’s in our nature. No matter what task is at hand, we always strive to do our best. It’s no different when it comes to playing golf.
Pilates is a form of low-impact exercise that aims to strengthen muscles while improving postural alignment and flexibility. Pilates moves tend to target the core, although the exercises work other areas of your body too. You can do Pilates with or without equipment making it accessible to all. Also, no matter what, you can expect the moves to involve slow, precise movements and breath control.
Be it on the road or in the gym, cycling is fun, great for your health and anyone can do it. However, knowing the fine art of how to set up your bike can be the difference between an efficient workout and a wasted one. If you can get your positioning and pedal stroke just right, you will work your legs, glutes and core evenly and you’ll reap all the benefits from your workout.
It is important to complete the appropriate type of exercise for your specific goal. If your aim is to lose weight and improve your fitness then you should be taking part in aerobic exercise. Looking to get strong and build muscle? Then resistance training is the type of exercise for you. But try and incorporate a variety of exercise into your weekly lifestyle.
Regardless of age, exercise is a very important aspect of everyday life. It is important for kids to exercise daily and for parents to ensure that kids are reaching the appropriate amount of physical activity levels.
Different physical activity guidelines have been set out for children, based on their age. The amount of physical activity a 3 year should be getting throughout the day differs from that of a 13 year old. So the question is are your kids getting enough exercise?
According to the physical activity guidelines set out in the UK, children younger than 1 year of age should be physically active in a variety of ways throughout the day. Physical activity can be achieved in this particular age group through the use of tummy time and floor-based activity, such as crawling.
Children aged 1-4 years should be completing at least 180 minutes of physical activity per day. Children aged 1-2 years of age can achieve these physical activity levels through active and outdoor play, such as going to the playground, running and jumping. Children aged 3-4 years of age can achieve these physical activity levels through active and outdoor play such as swimming, cycling, walking and playing.
It is also important to incorporate 3 days of exercise focused on strengthening muscles and bones throughout the week. For example, sports like football, basketball, rugby and tennis will help strengthen both muscles and bones, by putting weight through the legs and completing activities such as running, jumping and kicking.
Exercise is a type of physical activity. Playing sports like football, hurling, basketball or swimming for example, will ensure that children reach the appropriate daily physical activity levels. In 2010, it was reported that less than 30% of children aged 5-17 were achieving the recommended daily physical activity levels. That number has only lowered in recent years with the rise of technology and the use of smartphones, games consoles and tablets at home.
It is important that parents promote physical activity to their children. Completing 2 days of sport in school per week is not enough to achieve the recommended exercise levels. Encouraging children to go out and play or introducing them to team sports will ensure that children reach the appropriate exercise levels.
A child does not have to complete 1 hour straight of moderate or intense exercise, this can be split into multiple 15-30 minute blocks throughout the day. The take home message here is to make sure that your child is completing 1 hour of exercise per day. Below is a list of the benefits of exercise for children.
Social benefits (making friends, engaging with other children, self-expression)
Improves coordination and balance
Strengthens muscles and bones
Helps maintain healthy joints
Helps maintain a healthy body weight
Improves mood, reducing anxiety and depression
Improves sleep
Improves performance academically
Improves posture
Improves heart and lung function
For more information about exercise or if you want a guide on how to incorporate exercise into your child’s lifestyle you should contact a physiotherapist. A chartered physiotherapist can provide you with a guide for exercise at home, help design an exercise plan and provide you with simple home exercises to improve your child’s flexibility, strength and overall fitness.
For further information on the importance of keeping kids active, read more here.
World Health Organisation: https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_young_people/en/
MedlinePlus: https://medlineplus.gov/benefitsofexercise.html
Great Ormond Street Hospital, NHS: https://medlineplus.gov/benefitsofexercise.html
UK Chief Medical Officer’s Physical Activity Guidelines, 2019: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/832868/uk-chief-medical-officers-physical-activity-guidelines.pdf
January can be a tricky month when it comes to fitness and injury. You’ve had a considerable time away from the office during the holidays, enjoyed time spent with friends and family, and perhaps over-indulged over the festive season. Now you are starting to think about the new year and what your goals might be.
If you have any sort of interest in fitness, or even just a friend with a smartwatch, you’ve probably heard that we’re all supposed to take 10,000 steps a day. The idea of taking 10,000 steps every day has helped a lot of new people take an interest in their levels of physical activity. But is this all just a marketing technique, or something with an actual scientific basis?
