Ellen, our physiotherapist, is coming back to you, offering a lower-body stretching and strengthening exercise program.

This is a great program both for office workers and active sports lovers. It will show you how to stretch and release the muscular tension and build the strength of your lower limbs while minimising the risk of pain.

We hope you will enjoy our program.

If you would us to prepare an individualised exercise session for you, do not hesitate to contact us on 08 9246 0882 or send us an email to contactus@greenwoodphysio.com.au.

During these challenging times, it is easy to just stay at home, Netflix binge-watching while enjoying a glass of wine and minimise any physical activity.

It is easy, but you need to answer one question: is it really worth it, looking from a long term health perspective?

Numerous patients that struggle from adverse effects of the so-called “Sitting Disease” are visiting our practice every single day.

Some of these negative effects can cause and lead to:

• Increased chance of developing a mental disorder

• Increased weight

• Reduced cardiovascular health

• Reduced metabolic health

• Developing Venous thrombosis – blood clots

• Lower back pain and other physical conditions associated with poor posture.

People who sit down more (regardless of exercise) are more likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, cancer and associated death. That includes up to 90% higher risk of diabetes and up to 15-20% higher risk of dying from these conditions.

We don’t want to overwhelm you by showing these numbers but make you realise that following an active lifestyle is even more crucial than ever.

What can you do to break through this negative cycle?

1. We have said it before, but we will constantly be reminding you of introducing regular physical activity.

There are plenty of ways to exercise from home using household objects and your body weight, for example; Create a circuit of 7 simple exercises, 1 minute for each exercise, 15s rest between exercises, 3 rounds of the circuit (with 2-minute breaks in between rounds). It will take almost exactly 30 minutes. Simple, but effective. Make sure the exercises are challenging!

If you would like more advice on what exercises to do or if you would like an exercise program designed for you or loved ones, please contact us!

2. Regularly break up the periods of prolonged sitting

We suggest getting up from the seat every 20-30 minutes and introduce a gentle physical activity that can be performed at home.

What are some simple ways to do this?

• Set alarms/timers

• Get up and walk around after every TV show or a business meeting if you are working from home

• Some Smart Phones and Smartwatches have Breathe, Stand-up and Exercise goals/reminders which you can calibrate to your preference.

• Walk around the house when taking phone calls if able.

3. Set up an ergonomic work station and make sure that you have a proper posture while sitting.

Sitting for long periods is closely associated with many forms of neck pain, shoulder pain and headaches. Moreover, a poor sitting posture can bring on these issues quicker.

What can you do? First of all, make sure that you educate yourself on how to keep a proper sitting posture and, second of all, be more mindful and correct your current sitting patterns. We have recorded an educational video on how to set up an ergonomic station. You can watch it HERE!

4. Perform simple stretching and strengthening exercises while sitting at your desk.

There has been interesting evidence recently showing that performing light strengthening exercises at your desk has helped reduce neck, shoulder and headache symptoms. We have also prepared a simple stretching and strengthening program for you so that you can try it yourself. All you need is some light weights (1-2kg) and 5 minutes. You can check our instructional video HERE.

5. Your motivation should be followed by dedication and discipline.

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, it is challenging to find the motivation to introduce positive changes in life. But to be honest, motivation is not enough on many occasions. It is a great tool, to begin with, but it can be fleeting.

Dedication and discipline are also required to continue once you have started. Even when you see improvements and are feeling better, you must continue exercising to keep it that way and to improve further!

If you are struggling with dedication or discipline, the best way to counter that and make yourself accountable – is to find a buddy! Another way is to create a schedule or choose exercises that you really enjoy doing. Our advice is always: “Find what you enjoy doing, and go and do it regularly!”

Avoiding pain should not only be the main intentive to exercise regularly. Many studies have shown that regular physical activity (alongside with numerous other health benefits);

• Increases the quality of life

• Improves mood

• Decreases psychological stress levels, and

• Calms the nervous system

In one sentence: You will feel happier, more fulfilled and peaceful, so the benefits of exercises are unquestionable.

So many of us struggle from an overly sedentary lifestyle and sit in front of the computer for many hours a day.

There are two things we can to minimise the adverse effects of the “sitting disease“.

First of all, we should learn how to set up an ergonomic work station and keep a proper posture while sitting. We have prepared an educational video in our resource section on this subject.

Second of all, we need to do breaks while working and introduce exercises that can be performed while sitting on the chair.

 In this video, we will go through some stretches and exercises for your upper body for when you are working from home.

They will minimise the risk of headaches, shoulders and neck pain.

We hope that you find this video useful.

Sciatica is a word that everyone knows, but most people don’t understand what it actually means. So let’s start busting the myths and learning the facts about this common complaint.

The sciatic nerve starts in the lower spine and travels underneath the gluteal muscles. Once at the top of the leg, it splits and forms multiple nerves. The role of these nerves is to innervate the muscles of the lower limb and send sensory information back to the brain.

Contrary to popular belief, sciatica is not actually a diagnosis. Sciatica is a set of symptoms that can occur for a multitude of reasons.

Below are some of the symptoms you may have if your sciatic nerve is irritated:

• Pain leg and/or back (usually described as burning or like an electric shock)

• Pins and needles

• Numbness

• Weakness of muscles in the leg

• Difficulty walking

The symptoms may be worsened by:

• Coughing or sneezing

• Bending forwards or backwards

• Walking

• Prolonged standing

The sciatic nerve passes through a vast number of structures, and any of these can trigger irritation. Below are some of the common causes:

• Disc pathologies such as a herniated disc

• Overactive muscles in the buttock that compress the nerve

• Stenosis (narrowing) of the spinal canal

• Bony spurs growing on the spine

• Age-related degenerative changes in the spine

How is it treated?

A physiotherapist can provide a wide range of treatment strategies to resolve these symptoms. The first thing they will do is a comprehensive physical assessment to determine the cause of these symptoms. Once this has been achieved, a management strategy will be formulated to maximise your recovery. This may involve:

• Mobilisations of spinal joints

• Massage

• Dry needling of over-active muscles

• Exercises targeting mobility and strength

• Stretches

• Heat or ice therapy

Exercise therapy is an essential part of treating these symptoms. Different movements or postures can be pain-relieving and will be utilised in your recovery. It’s important to do your exercises as often as the physio recommends to gain the maximum benefit. People with these symptoms commonly have restricted movement, which can cause irritation; this is treated with mobility exercises. It is also likely that specific muscles will be underactive, which can be treated with strengthening exercises. Sciatic nerve irritation can be caused by tight, over-active muscles. This is treated with massage, dry needling, stretches and heat.

Unless specifically told so by a doctor or physiotherapist, bed rest is rarely indicated. In fact, it can make everything worse by tightening muscles and stiffening joints even further. It’s important to keep active and moving as much as you’re able to. It might mean going for shorter walks, or using lighter weights at the gym – as long as you keep active in whatever way you can.

Physiotherapists are experts in exercise and can give you advice on an appropriate fitness regime until you’re back to normal.

Contact us if you are struggling with sciatica and book a consultation with one of our experienced physiotherapists.