In 2020, many people suddenly stopped their normal work or exercise routines and instead, found themselves sitting for longer in front of screens, whether TVs or laptops. Many of us had no option but to work or study from the couch, dining table, or even our beds, snatching hours to get things done in between childcare or working late as we shared computers.

With gyms, classes and sports restricted, exercise was limited. The stress, anxiety and fatigue didn’t help. Whenever you have a change in lifestyle like this it can influence your health. Inevitably, after a few months, backs, necks, shoulders may have started to ‘complain’. Sometimes this is new, sometimes it has led to a flare-up of old symptoms.

So, let’s break those habits that have led to these issues and get you moving again!

Move better with osteopathy!

Your osteopath can provide more advice, care and treatment to help you get moving better. Taking a whole-person approach to your health, your osteopath will help you think about the changes that have affected you and what you might do to bring more comfort and ease to your body.

The post Have you got ‘Lockdown back’ or ‘tech neck’? appeared first on Lisa Ives Osteopathy.

Anxiety is our mind and body’s response to stressful and / or unfamiliar situations. Everyone experiences anxiety at times – in fact, it is a natural reaction to certain situations.

Anxiety can cause our heart to race, feel sweaty, shaky or short of breath. It can also cause changes in behaviour, such as becoming overly careful or avoiding things that trigger anxiety.

A certain amount of anxiety helps us to stay alert and aware. When anxiety becomes overwhelming, our worries can be out of proportion to the situation at hand and can interfere with our daily lives.

Here are some tips to help you manage day-to-day feelings of anxiety. If your anxiety is affecting your daily life or causing you distress, consider seeking further professional support.

Identify your triggers

Certain things can cause us to feel anxious. These are known as anxiety triggers. Sometimes they can be obvious for example drinking caffeine or alcohol or not getting enough sleep. Other times they are not so obvious and can take time to figure out for example, work or financial related matters. Identifying your triggers can help figure out the best action to take.

Change your environment

To help stop anxious thoughts, sometimes the best thing is to walk away from the situation and change your environment. Go for a walk outside, exercise, make a cup of tea, dance to some music etc. Taking time to focus on your body rather than your mind can help stop anxious thoughts.

Question your thoughts

Slowing down your thoughts and questioning them can help to identify the negative thoughts. Challenge your fears by asking if they are true. Watch this reframing unhelpful thoughts video by the NHS to help tackle anxiety.

Face your fears.

Our expectations of a situation are often worse than the reality. By facing what we have been worried about, a positive outcome often helps us learn to better manage and reduce our anxiety in the future.

Practice deep breathing

Try to slow down your breathing by counting in for 4 and out for 4 for five minutes in total. This will help to reduce tension and bring perspective to the situation. Try an NHS recommended relaxation exercise.

NHS Every Mind Matters has plenty of resources to help cope with anxiety.

The post Quick tips for managing anxiety appeared first on Lisa Ives Osteopathy.

It is important that you feel comfortable during your osteopathic treatment, particularly around matters of modesty and privacy.

At the start of your first session we will ask questions about your medical history and lifestyle as well as your symptoms. This is very important as it will help us to make an accurate diagnosis and suggest appropriate treatment.

This information is kept confidential in conjunction with the Data Protection Act 1998 and GDPR.

We will need to examine the area(s) of your body causing discomfort. Sometimes the cause of the problem may be in a different area to the pain, (for example, a difference in leg length may result in compensations in the upper back which might result in neck pain) so we may need to examine areas that affect the problem area also.

We will need to feel for tightness in the muscles and stiffness in the joints and may need to touch these areas to identify problems. We will explain this as we go along, but not without your consent, if you are uncomfortable with any part of this then let us know, we can discuss this with you or stop if you prefer.

As with a visit to a GP or other medical professional, for us to examine you effectively it may be necessary to ask you to remove some clothing as appropriate for the condition.

This may mean undressing to underwear in order to fully assess and see how you are moving and gain a fuller picture of your problem.

Your modesty is paramount to us, therefore should you be uncomfortable we can provide paper gowns and a private curtained area to allow privacy.

You are welcome to bring along a friend/colleague/partner with you for all or part of your consultation. Under 16’s should always be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Remember, if you have any questions we will be happy to discuss this with you.

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