Drink Like A Bird – Not Like A Fish

Growing up and now living back in the Top End of Australia there are things I know that are unique when it comes to my home town – The Noonamah Frog Races, using the word “Bruzzy”  rather than “Buddy” & the copious amounts of alcohol which is consumed in the wet season to escape Mango Madness (Look it up!). Today though is no rant regarding our insatiable thirst and the humidity that precludes it, rather an insight into a simple movement pattern that can save your back but probably not quench your thirst unless your reaching into the Esky.

It’s All In The Hips

Getting Amongst It

If you are a Gen X’r or Baby Boomer then you would be able to identify these little guys. Millennials may have a slightly tougher time however they used to be a common source of entertainment even though they were a scientific toy that utilised a heat engine mechanism to give them the unique dipping ability. Now whilst they were commonly thought of as a health risk due to the highly flammable liquids held inside or the shards of glass that would be created if broken, their movement is one that I commonly use as an analogy to explain correct back motion.

It’s Centrifugal motion, It’s Perpetual Bliss

Ahh Faith – you couldn’t have said it any more simply. The problem with our movement mechanics today is that we are adverse in using our derrières. Due to an uptick in sitting and the seemingly socially acceptable protection of our booties we do not bend from the hips. If you look at yourself from side on we commonly seem like a C-Shape when we bend forward – the T-Spine (Middle Spine) generating the motion and our lower back acting like the ballast holding everything up. Problem with this though is simple physics in that the further we bend forward and the more weight we place in our hands, not to mention the length of our reach, increases our lever arm. If our core cannot stabilise this force then we will often end up in an injured state – beginning the often disastrous cycle of lower back pain if not addressed quickly.

Boot-I-Licious

Sing It B!

Sounds simple right…bend forward and take your head into a pond of water which will cause all of our troubles to go away. I wish that was the case, however if you have already experienced a lower back injury there are a lot of factors that need to be addressed which we will discuss at another point in the galaxy. But if you feel pretty good I want you to try this experiment. Next time you go to pick the kids toys off the ground, pat your dog or hide from someone in the supermarket – picture yourself getting a package out of the boot of a small car. As to not smack your head you will have to bend at your hips and bend your knees when appropriate. This “drinking bird” motion encourages global stomach activation and incorporates the use of the dangling objects that are attached to our trunk which seem to be forgotten at times. You may seem restricted in range and this will be because you are finally moving with true range…not compensated techniques that lead to overload and injury.

Help From The Bench

Who knew a simple 1940’s invention could be the way forward when it comes to fixing spinal movement. Thanks science for creating such a wonderful object that has made my explanations for the past 9 years not seem completely crazy.

It’s all in the Disc – Which Type are you?

Ahhhh its the age old question isn’t it…how stiff is too stiff? Don’t worry this is a SFW article however today’s topic is definitely one that brings up a few giggles in the clinic when I mention it. This concept was brought to my attention in my first year as a practitioner in 2009 by Anna-Louise Bouvier from Physiocise when she visited Northern NSW to teach us about habitual retraining. For some reason this idea of teaching people correct movement patterns to assist with their often chronic conditions stuck a cord with me. To be honest it was probably the simplicity as Forrest says it the best…

But more than this Anna-Lousie brought up “Stiffies”which as a 22 year old with a phallic driven brain also resonated with me. Most simply put individuals flexibility will vary depending on their genetic makeup. When thinking of this logic there are important notions to keep in mind. Firstly when thinking flexibility we aren’t just talking muscles – nerves, joints, cartilage all comes into play as our body isn’t a segmental machine. It is designed to work in synergy and what seem like seperate area’s are actually connected via collagenous tissue called fascia thus are linked from tip to tail. Secondly not all of us are inherently “flexible” and what may feel like a tight area may not necessarily be tight at all (This will be a concept I address at a later date).

A Little Column A, A Little Column B

Anna-Louise categories patients as “Stiffies”, “Floppies” and “Flippies” as to allow people to address where they may fit on the spectrum. It’s genius in the way that it individualises mobility protocols and streamlines the classes at Physiocise as to ensure the most successful program for each person. “Stiffies” are those of us that often have to work very hard to maintain the flexibility that we have. This is due to a reduced elastin nature of our collagenous tissue (Elastin = Think less elastic) which leads to reduced chain move ability globally. “Floppies” are our hyper mobile crew or the friends that used to pop their shoulders out as a party trick (my favourite is when a floppy comes into the clinic showing me this pronouncing “I’ve always freaked people out by doing this”). Floppies inherently have a more mobile collagenous makeup thus can move seemingly more freely than Stiffies. Now we may think this is a blessing however it can be a double edged sword as Floppies can feel tightness as well (Notice I said tightness not stiffness). Which leads us to “Flippies”, a hybrid of the two who generally are quite flexible however end up with some stiff bits (Insert laugh here).

Please Explain

So this is where the bread is buttered. Say you are a Flippy that has flexible muscles around the neck & shoulder however a stiff joint capsule. If you are stretching incorrectly you may actually be over stretching your nerves or overloading your joint. Your body will let you know that computer says no and try to protect you via natural symptomology. As a result you will stop stretching all together because of the noxious stimuli where it’s possible that a more targeted approach to your mobility issue would be appropriate. “So how do I know what to Stretch and How oh wise, handsome one” I can hear you all hollering from the rooftops. The key is to first know where you fit into this classification. Always been diagnosed as Hypermobile – then I’d say you would be a Floppy. Been fairly flexible but just end up with troublesome areas that stiffen up – get in the Flippy box. Stiffer than a brick or a stick – you my friend are a Stiffy.

Help From The Bench

I will always be grateful that my old boss at Yamba Physiotherapy was always looking outside the box and organised for Anna-Louise to come and visit that Thursday night. The Physiocise website can be found here.

Pharmaceutical Dosage of Habits

One of the most common questions I get asked is “How often should I be doing that for” when it comes to exercise prescription & it causes me to casually bang my head on the table for a few seconds before composing myself for a moderated answer. Although we may think it this isn’t societies fault as we live in a cause and effect pharmaceutical based world. Firstly we get sick or injured & realise we need to get better quickly as it isn’t convenient to not be running on all cylinders (although that’s mainly due to our health not being our number one priority!). So we purchase medication that we take for a week as directed which make us feel like we remember feeling at the start of that week. Therefore we go back to “Normality” and thus the habits that caused us to get sick & injured in the first place. So no wonder when exercise gets lumped in with sickness or injury that society goes  “well I only need to take the Pharmaceutical Dosage”.

Exercise As A Drug

I am by no means bagging on medication as it may seem as I definitely discuss its use in treating certain physiological conditions. What I am bagging though is the notion that its not important for exercise to be habitual when it comes to injury rehabilitation and subsequent prevention. There is a reason that people continue to present with similar injuries and illnesses to physiotherapy/chiropractic/doctors clinics year in and year out & unfortunately we as practitioners contribute to this. We focus in on the micro; the short game which is often get in, get better then get out so the person sitting in the waiting room looking at their clock can get their exercise prescription. All too often we are in the business of making people feel better – not truely getting them better. This leads us to treating exercise like a drug.

Listen To The Verve

The trick for us as practitioners and what you should expect as autonomous health consumers is to treat rehab & pre-hab as habitual notions. How many times a day is it good for us to brush our teeth, have a shower, eat a meal…their is no definitive science behind it but we do all of these things at least once per day as it always makes us feel better when we do (and for some reason our significant other doesn’t love the musky creation of wine and garlic). These things are habitual and engrained in us from when we are young as our parents knew it was in our best interest. Exercise for pain relief used to be this way as we had no mechanical mode of transport, no desks and no computers to do the “heavy lifting”. So just like brushing your teeth think about performing exercise whether you are injured or not at least once a day – chances are it will also increase your chances of getting a kiss at the end of the night!

Help From The Bench

The main hep today comes from the great websites that provided the pictures in this blog – mainly The Natural Society! Oh and of course who could forget the Verve – Hey the Drugs don’t work they just make you sweat a lot when you lace up the shoes again.

My Health Mantra #2017

Here is a sneaky little exert into the Why, What & How I was able to delve into during my 2016 post year review last night – more can be found on the “I is what I am” page. Lets crash tackle 2017 and dive into the start of the health adventure!!

WHY  – “I loves hearing peoples individual stories regarding their health”. This includes the steps and thoughts that have lead each person to that place. In health care we are too often told what is best for us by one or two people rather than taking charge of our physical & emotional destiny. Luckily just like a choose your own adventure book you can step back and travel in another direction.

WHAT – “The strength of Education via Entertainment & Empowerment”. Developing a health development model with the assistance of likeminded individuals utilising the connectivity of technology.

HOW – Awesome posts will be uploaded every Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 8AM ACST as well as a special 5PM ACST Sunday evening chronicling my individual health journey as I want you to be apart of my journey as well – blisters and all.

Help From The Bench

I love this picture from https://twitter.com/Q13FOX – It epitomises the breaking of not only a new day and year but also a new outlook!