Wednesday 16 April 2014

How Good Is Your Back?

The long dark nights of winter are over and many of us will have been busy getting out of hibernation mode especially as here in the UK we have had some very nice sunny mild weather.

There is nothing quite like a bit of sunshine to get us into spring cleaning mode - we love to sweep away the cobwebs and cold and damp to make way for the freshness of springtime and summer.

We also often look to ourselves to do a bit of internal spring cleaning - some people may decide to go on a diet, others may just decide to do a fast for a few days, others will maybe decide to just clean up their diet.  However we decide to tackle this the fact that we have made a decision to focus on ourselves is always a good thing.

Traditionally spring is a time we clean our homes too and this sometimes brings with it a few problems depending on how vigorously we tackle the job.

I know people who spend hours taking down curtains, scrubbing carpets, painting walls etc.  Hmmm, bit too much for me really but each to their own.

I also know a therapist who always says that people who do spring cleaning make very good business for him.  You see he is a physiotherapist and he gets to sort out all the muscular strains and sprains that result from too much stretching and not enough warm up.

So here are just a few tips to help to make you focus on cleaning like a maniac but to keep your back in good shape for the summer to come.
  • If you have the desire to be taking down curtains then do not do this alone.  By having help to hold and lift heavy curtains you are less likely to damage yourself in the process.
  •  Just as you might warm up before hitting the gym, warm up before getting yourself into full stretch mode - cold muscles will damage far more easily than warmed up ones.
  • Do not stretch beyond your capacity - do not over do it or you will live to regret it.
  • When lifting heavy objects remember to keep your knees bent and back straight.  Hold the object close into your body and get help if it really is too heavy for 1.
  • Make sure you eat well and drink plenty of good clean water to keep your body healthy and fit.
  • If you do cause a sprain or strain then make sure you do something about it and do not ignore it.  It might just be a slight injury which means it will get better by its self in a few days.  On the other hand it might take a bit longer and be rather painful in which case seeing a physio or massage therapist might be what is needed.
  • One important consideration is to make sure that your furniture is good and supportive especially your bed - just remember that we spend about a third of our lives in bed and so being comfortable in bed makes very good sense for a number of reasons. Not many people change their bed or mattress as regularly as they should do - tut tut.  We recommend those wonderfully comfortable electric adjustable beds where not matter what aches and pains you have you will always find a setting that works for you.  Our favourite supplier is The Electric Bed Co where they have the wonderful Prestige Ambience which starts at just £349 - the trouble is with this bed is that you do just wish you could hibernate all year long.