WE LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT!
"I can't understand why I have such a bad back...I don't do anything"
I hear this several times a month from many of my new clients...
Well there's a clue in there...it's because you don't do anything, that you have a back ache.
You see we, as humans designed to move, to run, to jump...this all new modern lifestyle can easily get the better of us unless we take a little positive action to counter the effects.
Let's imagine a typical 24 hours in the life of a busy office worker...Wake up at 7am from an 8 hour (if you're lucky!!) foetal position, all curled up and cosy. Sit down for a quick breakfast. Jump in the car, or sit on the bus or tube, to dash into work to have a seat at your work station until lunch. Have a stretch as you walk to that new sushi bar, hopefully you'll get a seat. Sit down, eat lunch and back to work. Have a seat until 5. Have a wrestle for a seat on the way home... Phew! What a day!!...pour a glass of wine and take a seat for dinner. A few hours on the sofa to catch up with your favourite box set...and off to curl up in bed we go.
Now, all that sitting down, has slowly but surely progressively shortened the hip flexors, weakened the gluteal muslces, contributed to making the hamstrings long and weak and left us with a less than adequate set of abdominals. Unfortunately all this rotates and tips the pelvis in all sorts of directions from a comfortable neutral. The lumbar region gets compressed as the hips tip forward, with the small gap between the vertebrae where the nerves exit getting tighter and tighter until...PINCH! BOOM! BACKACHE!!
On top of all this your body is naively trying to help, by supporting you in this contorted shape, laying down extra supportive connective tissue, because that is where it thinks you want to be!! Oh Dear!
We as massage therapists, can and do get those shortened muscles lengthened, soften and stretch the connective tissue and will even teach you the strengthen exercises to work towards re-addressing the balance. We certainly do love to move it, that's why we're in the business of massage therapy.
HOWEVER we all need to take a little responsibility for our own health...and now for a fantastic cause. Now that your awareness has been peaked, it's not so easy to plead innocence when it comes to getting into gear and start the blood moving. Try taking on our 3 Movement challenge, make a small contribution and YOU and those on the receiving end will feel a whole lot better for it.
It's time for you to MOVE IT, MOVE IT!
Joseph O'Dwyer is a qualified Sports and Remedial massage therapist. He is also qualified to deliver Holistic and Deep Tissue massage. He aims to reduce tension, free muscle restrictions and adhesions, improving postural balance to get people back to their chosen activity, be it sports and everyday activities.
