Robin Jackson DO, Registered Osteopath, Member of the General Osteopathic Council, Roseneath, Mount Ararat Road, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6PA Tel: 020 8948 0371

 

 

Help Yourself

~An Analogy:   teeth get plaque – muscles get tight. It is a physiological certainty.

~ If you sit at a computer for hours, hardly moving, that means your body is stuck in first gear all day. Muscles need to contract and relax and joints need to move. The body is a fluid system and movement enhances blood supply to and from all tissues and in doing so sustains a healthy state.

~ So just as your teeth need cleaning every day, your body needs to go through a full range of movement everyday.

 ~ The easiest way to make your body ‘change gear’ regularly is to stretch. It’s easy, only takes a minute and feels good.

Upper Body

~The main cause of trouble with shoulders, neck and rib cage is lack of mobility.
 
So you need to move.

1. Stand at ease with your knees slightly bent.

2. Engage a pelvic tilt position (this will flatten your stomach and balance your lower back).

3. Breathe ~ emphasising expiration 5 times at least. Relax.

4. Imagine your upper body is inside a bubble, reach out in all directions as if to touch the bubble. Do this comfortably for at least a minute. Continue easy breathing throughout        relax.

~This simple routine will stretch all the muscles and joints of your upper body and stimulate circulation.

Upper Body Exercise
Upper Body Exercise
Upper Body Exercise

Middle Body

~One of the main causes of back trouble is poor abdominal tone.

~Don’t do sit ups, they can strain your back.

1. Sit on the floor or your bed in a rowing position, knees at 90°, arms reaching forward.

2. Curl back to engage abdominal muscles. Hold and breathe.

3. To engage oblique muscles make as if to touch right knee with left elbow and visa versa.

~Re educating abdominal muscles is vital for low back support, so be quite hard on yourself. You should be able to hold this position for at least 1 minute.

Middle Body Exercise
Middle Body Exercise
Middle Body Exercise

Legs

Leg Exercise

~Our sedentary life style shortens the muscle at the front of your thigh (quadriceps). Tight quads can pull the pelvis forward, which in turn increases load at the base of the spine.

Take time to stretch this big muscle.

Engage balance and think posture.
Leg Exercise

Posture

Posture is largely formed by habit which is difficult to change, so here is a simple solution which only involves walking and a little concentration.

“the 206 bone walk”

~You have 206 bones in your body. Imagine them pulled up against gravity and stabilised in a vertical form by the pull of tensile muscles, tendons and ligaments.

~Feel tall and weightless, stretch and take your bones for a walk! Moving in this way helps to unwind and centre you, leaving the constraints and tension of the day behind you.

Everybody has heard the expression “you are what you eat”. ”You are the way you stand” is just as relevant.                   (search biotensegrity to find out more)

Exercise

~The level of endorphins (natural painkillers that also stimulate the immune system) increases dramatically with exercise.

So please go for that walk!