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NIS: Restoring communication throughout your body

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 10:31:25 GMT

Neurological Integration System

Restoring communication throughout your body

The Neurological Integration System (also referred to as Neurolink in New Zealand) aims to identify the underlying causes of the symptoms and signs of a wide-range of health problems and dysfunctions.

An NIS consultation involves a prioritised set of treatment protocols that evaluate your neurological circuitry and the body functions they represent.

In simple terms this could be thought of like a list of 'checks' similar to one a mechanic would use when you put your car in for a service. The protocols evaluate all the causes that may have translated themselves into symptoms and the practitioner is the facilitator in asking the patients brain to recognise the data.

What happens at your NIS consultation?

1. We discuss your problem

Your osteopathic consultation takes a full history of your current problem and your past medical history in order to firstly check that osteopathic and NIS treatment is the most suitable choice for you.

It is important that we don't just look at what is hurting now: the brain regulates all body functions. A disturbance in the information transfer between your brain and a particular muscle can therefore cause a dysfunction in the related part of the body. If it affects the joints of the lower back, for example, the result could be lower back pain or pain potentially anywhere along the kinematic chain (feet, ankles, hips or knees).

2. Examination

By stimulating the involved body systems through contacting various locations or muscles on your body, the nerve pathways that relate to a particular body system can be checked. Using simple muscle tests, feedback on function is obtained by assessing the muscle’s response.

3. Treatment

The 'somatosensory' area of the brain regulates the connection between the brain and the body. When a disturbance is recognised under examination by a weakened muscle, the nerve pathway not appropriately being governed by the brain is stabilised by simultaneous stimulation (gently tapping) of the somatosensory area while holding specific contact points. This is known as 'integration'.

the theory behind this practice has been backed up by recent neurophysiological research: measurements of corticomuscular coherence between oscillatory signals in the brain and electrical activity recorded in muscles, has found the location of the control system to be within the somatosensory cortex [Kasuga et al., Neuroscience Research 2018; Witham et al., Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 2010]

4. Result

Following 'integration' the nerve pathway has better stability and so the consequent affected body function is improved, for example inhibited ('weaker') muscles become engaged ('stronger').

Now the body can adapt to corresponding challenges in a more optimal way which typically means symptoms begin to improve.

Self-correction : once the brain 'recognises' the fault, it can initiate its own healing protocols to restore the circuit.

Key Goals:

Restore communication between the brain and the immune, hormonal, and musculoskeletal systems.
Address the root cause of symptoms (like chronic pain or fatigue) rather than just treating the symptoms themselves.

NIS is a completely safe, non-invasive, interesting and comfortable treatment. It does not involve any drugs or manual manipulation and is suitable for all ages.

Consultations and treatment usually last about an hour. The first appointment may take a little more time.
Results sometimes occur immediately, but usually after a few days.
Depending on the duration and complexity of your problem, several appointments may be required.
Please contact a practitioner to discuss your needs.

Our body is a community of billions of cells

NIS is a system of investigation to both isolate and correct faults in the cellular signaling process derived from all human neurological interactions

How our nerve cells communicate

At the cellular level, a single neuron may receive thousands of signals from other neurons. The volume of the signal determines if an electrical impulse (action potential) is stimulated to fire.

The integration of information by the brain

On a larger scale, the brain integrates information from different senses (sight, sound, smell, taste & touch) to help you navigate the world. For example, when you catch a ball, your brain integrates:

Visual data = the ball's path
Proprioceptive data = the position of your limbs
Motor data = the timing of your muscle contractions

Physical, emotional, or chemical stress can cause 'signal disconnects' (which could be compared to a blown fuse) between the brain and the body’s systems

NIS protocols aim to restore those signals.

The integration of information by the brain

Image: Dorsal and lateral views of the connectivity backbone of human brain. Labels indicating anatomical subregions are placed at their respective centers of mass. Nodes (individual ROIs) are coded according to strength and edges are coded according to connection weight (see legend). Hagmann P, Cammoun L, Gigandet X, Meuli R, Honey CJ, Wedeen VJ, Sporns O, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Communication between points on the body

Nerve receptors

The surface of our body, our skin and the connective tissue just below it, is covered in nerve receptors that constantly send information via our nerves back to our central nervous system (spinal cord and brain).

Connective tissue

Not only that, but every part of our body is connected by our connective tissue (the clue is in the name!), often referred to as fascia . Some schools of thought talk about the fibres of the connective tissue, or fascia, as being like electrical wires that communicate a little like nerves. But those fibres are actually made from collagen and elastin, both of which are stable long molecules and are not actually able to conduct electricity.

However, those fibres do lie in a matrix of water, minerals, and larger molecules, and this matrix is able to conduct electricity

water containing minerals is an excellent conductor.

All the cells of our body live within the web of our connective tissues, constantly busy maintaining, repairing and reorganising it:

osteophytes live in our bones
tenocytes live in our tendons
fibroblasts live in our fascia, ligaments
muscle cells are wrapped into bundles by connective tissue to form muscles
neurons are wrapped into bundles to form nerves
endothelial cells are layered within connective tissue membranes to form skin, mucous membranes and the walls of our blood vessels

Image: Fibroblasts in their web of connective tissue matrix. Judyta Dulnik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

And so those cells are also all connected by the extracellular fluids that are continuous with the connective tissue matrix, our blood, our cerebrospinal fluid and even the fluids (cytoplasm) within the cells themselves!

our cell membranes, blood vessels and the more specialised blood-brain-barrier simply moderate the flow of substances between these specialised fluids, protecting our cells from possible damage by excess nutrients and waste.

every cell in our body is connected by the flow of fluid and therefore by electricity!

Image: The continuum of fluid flow throughout the body. SEER, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Glymphatics - helping your brain to wash itself while you sleep

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:11:59 GMT

The Glymphatic System

Washing your brain while you sleep

Just like the lymphatic vessels that clear waste products from our arms, legs and abdomen, the brain has its own glymphatic system , that washes the neurons of the brain and drains into the lymphatic glands of the neck.

We are going to dive straight into the 'hows' - how to help your glymphatic system to do its job as well as possible.

For more information on the 'whys', the anatomy and physiology of the system, see the box further down this page.

Promoting the Glymphatic System

When is the glymphatic system most active?

Subsequent research has generally shown that the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid through the glymphatic system:

is much higher during sleep and is
suppressed by wakefulness , particularly in response to noradrenaline , a hormone and neurotransmitter that is associated with the sympathetic nervous system.
is suppressed by sleep deprivation
is reduced in older people
is reduced in people with neurodegenerative diseases, that are characterised by the build up of protein waste such as amyloid-ß, tau and synuclein, e.g. Alzheimer's.

Is this one of the reasons that we, and all animals, need to sleep?

And one reason why chronic stress is so debilitating?

Certainly, helping our glymphatic system to work as efficiently as possible can only promote the best health in our main control centre, our brain .

Norepinephrine

release is lowest during sleep , rises during wakefulness, and reaches much higher levels during situations of stress or danger, in the so-called fight or flight response.

In the brain, noradrenaline

increases arousal and alertness,
promotes vigilance,
enhances formation and retrieval of memory, and focuses attention;
it also increases restlessness and anxiety.

In the rest of the body, noradrenaline

increases heart rate and blood pressure,
triggers the release of glucose from energy stores,
increases blood flow to skeletal muscle,
reduces blood flow to the gastrointestinal system, and
inhibits voiding of the bladder and gastrointestinal motility.

Optimising the cleansing of our brain

Sleep
promote good sleep habits
no search engines or social media scrolling for at least an hour prior to bed
cool room, comfortable bedding
warm shower or bath before bed (not too hot, we need to be a little cooler to drop off to sleep
use a body brush or shower spray to gently stroke up your legs and arms towards your body to aid relaxation of your nervous system and promote lymphatic drainage
visualisation relaxation e.g. visualise your Tai Chi routine in your mind
Lymphatic drainage,
good breathing techniques
gentle movement
incorporate a simple lymphatic drainage routine into your nightly ritual
Stress reduction
noradrenaline impedes the glymphatic system and chronic stress is particularly hard on your body.
Meditation or movement therapy
Tai Chi is a wonderful means to promote the enhancement of your natural electromagnetic field, which has a balancing effect on your whole body and mind.
Optimise
nutrition
hydration
exercise
recuperation
Cranial osteopathy
may help to promote good CSF circulation

Eat enough ◊ Move enough ◊ Rest enough ◊ Live enough = play, party, potter, pamper, progress...

It's all about achieving a healthy balance:

For example we actually need noradrenaline for good focus and attention (it is low in ADHD sufferers), as well as for effective use of our muscles when exercising.

So stress can be healthy, but everyone is different!

Do something exciting, scary, fun… for you , every day.

Relaxation is healthy, but everyone is different!

Do something calming, relaxing, soothing… for you , every day.

Moderation in everything.

Variety is the spice of life!

It's all about achieving a healthy balance:

For example we actually need noradrenaline for good focus and attention (it is low in ADHD sufferers) as well as for effective use of our muscles when exercising.

So stress can healthy, but everyone is different!

Do something exciting, scary, fun… for you , every day.

Relaxation is healthy, but everyone is different!

Do something calming, relaxing, soothing… for you , every day.

Moderation in everything

Variety is the spice of life!

Drug use, whether medical, recreational, or even foodstuffs like sugar caffeine or even due to other excessive or addictive behaviours like computer games and social media all affect our hormonal and neurotransmitter balance.

It is our parental responsibility to try to limit the need for children to seek out artificial or excess chemical stimulation by supporting them to balance their body as naturally as possible. We are all different as are our children.

Support them in their chosen pleasures - sport, music, dance, cookery, singing. Do not force!

And seek variety if possible, variety is the spice of life! - but moderation in everything!

Once we do not have (or respond to!) parental guidance, it is up to us!

It is your responsibility to take care of your body, its brain and its organs,

nobody else's.

And it is never too late to star t.

Glymphatic = 'glial-dependent lymphatic system'

Glial cells are non-neurological cells that support and maintain the neurons of the brain tissue.

Astrocytes are a type of glial cell that form part of the blood-brain barrier as well as maintaining a balanced chemical environment for good neuronal signalling. As part of the blood-brain barrier they play an essential role in the glymphatic system (see box below for more details).

Other types of glial cells include:

Oligodendrocytes , which wrap the neurons of the central nervous system to form a myelin sheath, damage to which is caused by multiple sclerosis, or MS.
Ependymal cells, which line the ventricles of the brain and central canal of the spinal cord and assist in the production of cerebrospinal fluid.
Microglial cells , which act like macrophages as scavenger cells that clean up cell debris as a result of normal cell turnover or damage.

Image: Glial cells of the CNS. OpenStax, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The circulation of CSF around the brain

Image: CSF Circulation. OpenStax, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The brain is covered with three layers of coverings, the meninges , that help protect it. The outer most layer is connected to the bony skull and is called the dura mater . It is lined by the arachnoid mater , which has a web-like consistency that helps support the blood vessels that surround the brain. The entire undulating surface of the brain is covered in a thin covering called the pia mater - the deepest of the three meningeal coverings of the brain. Between the arachnoid mater and the pia mater is the subarachnoid space .

The subarachnoid space carries the arteries and veins carrying blood to and from the brain substance and is also filled with cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF ). The CSF is produced in reservoirs, called ventricles, within the brain and flows continuously around the brain and spinal cord. It helps to support the brain - the brain literally floats within the skull, and it assists with fluid and electrolyte balance within the brain tissues.

The Blood-Brain Barrier

Arteries and veins penetrate deep into the brain in order to supply the billions of neurons it contains with oxygen and vital nutrients including glucose, vitamins and minerals.

The pia mater that tightly covers the surface of the brain, also coats these penetrating arteries and veins forming a ' perivascular space ' that is continuous with the subarachnoid space and that is also filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

The csf-filled perivascular space continues along the blood vessels, but as the vessels infiltrate into deeper structures they branch and become finer and finer, and the pia mater surrounding them gradually becomes thinner. Finally at the level of capillaries the pia is no longer present. With the absence of the pia mater in this level there is a need for a barrier that restricts the passage of molecules from the blood to the nervous tissue. This is achieved in two ways:

The capillaries within the brain tisssue are formed from highly specialised endothelial cells that have much tighter ' pores ' that the cells that form the capillaries in the rest of the body. These pores tightly limit the type of substances that can enter the extracellular spaces around the neurons of the brain substance.
since they are no longer separated from the brain by the pia mater, they are instead wrapped by astrocytes , which form a membrane around the vessel wall with the use of their end-plate processes . Astrocytes are non-nerve cells that live amongst the neurons of the brain, playing a varied supporting role.

The astrocyte end-plates also restrict entry of many molecules and ions, and the combination of the specialised capillary walls and the astrocyte end-plate covering forms the ' blood-brain barrier '.

Image: Blood-brain barrier. Gaixia Xu, Supriya Mahajan, Indrajit Roy, Ken-Tye Yong, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Note: Pericytes are cells that help to support and maintain the capillary endothelial cells.

The Glymphatic System

As the central nervous system is so well protected by the blood-brain barrier, it used to be thought that larger protein waste products from the cells of the brain were degraded locally by the glial cells that support the neurons, the 'main workers' of the brain. This was in contrast to the cells and organs of the rest of the body, much of whose waste is transported away by the lymphatic system.

However, in 2012, Maiken Nedergaard and colleagues, working at the University of Rochester and University of Copenhagen, discovered that the astrocyte membranes of the blood-brain barrier contain large protein channels that allow water from the cerebrospinal fluid to flow into the extracellular (interstitial) fluid that bathes the neurons that make up the substance of the brain.

Image: Glymphatic clearance. Neuroscience: Exploring the brain, 5th ed. 2025

This fluid washes the neurons of the brain and is then collected again in the perivascular space that surrounds the veins

so the perivascular space around the venous capillaries acts in exactly the same way that the lymph vessels of the body collect waste lymph fluids (see box below).

From the perivascular space around the collecting veins, it is drained back into the cerebrospinal fluid of the subarachnoid space, but is kept separate by a membrane (the subarachnoid lymphatic-like membrane , or SLYM) before finally draining into the body’s lymphatic system , which collects debris and toxic metabolites from all the cells in our bodies.

Nedergaard called this novel brain-washing machine the glial-lymphatic, or glymphatic system .

Lymphatic system of the body

The lymphatics of the body collect waste fluids that can't get back into the blood capillaries

some small proteins and particulate can't easily diffuse back into the high-pressure environment of a blood capillary
if they stayed there, they would increase the osmotic pressure of the tissue, trapping even more water and causing massive swelling (oedema)
this is a relatively common problem when the lymphatic system doesn't function effectively e.g. after breast cancer surgery to remove axillary lymph nodes

The lymphatic system is a very low-pressure environment, making it the path of least resistance for excess fluid so it can be filtered by lymph nodes and eventually dumped back into the veins near the heart.

this also acts as a security system. By forcing a portion of the interstitial fluid through the lymphatic system, your body ensures that tissue fluid is constantly being sampled by your immune cells in the lymph nodes.

Image: The circulatory system of the body.

Arteries pump blood through the capillary beds of the body tissues. Fluid carrying oxygen, fuels and nutrients escapes in to the interstitial spaces of the body tissues to feed the body's cells.

Waste products from those cells are then picked up by the venous capillaries and carried back to the heart. Some of the waste, about 10 to 20%, is not picked up by the blood system, but instead is 'mopped up' by the lymphatic system. It then passes through lymph nodes before re-entering the blood system via the vena cava, just before heart. Author's own .

Image: Glymphatic clearance. OpenStax, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Good hydration

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:11:11 GMT

Good hydration

Make sure your body has the right amount of water to keep it flowing!

Striking the right balance between water & salt

Water is vital for transporting nutrients and waste products around the body,

too little and your body systems and organs literally 'dry up'!
too much, or without enough electrolytes, and you actually become more de-hydrated
e.g. from diarrhoea/vomiting or after heavy exercise (muscle cramps)

Likewise salt, (which on a cellular level divides into sodium and chloride ions) is essential for the nerve conduction, your ‘electrical wiring’.

Sodium & chloride ions (along with others) facilitate:

Muscle contractions
Allowing you to move, your heart to beat, and your lungs to breathe.
Nerve impulses
Sending signals from the brain to the rest of the body.
Digestion
Chloride is a key component of bile and stomach acid (HCl), which breaks down and digests your food.

Salt, the water magnet

Think of salt (it's actually sodium that creates this effect) like a magnet for water .

Too much salt
traps water in your tissues (this is why you get puffy fingers or ankles after a salty meal).
This stagnant water puts a heavy burden on your lymphatic system because it has to work much harder to move that extra weight.
Too little salt
Water won't stay in your bloodstream or your cells; it will just run right through you.
If you drink a gallon of plain water but have zero salt, you'll just pee it out without actually hydrating your lymph fluid.

How much salt do you need?

The average modern diet is already high in sodium . Even if you don't add salt, it is naturally present in most packaged foods. If you are eating a standard diet, your focus should be on increasing plain water to help balance the salt you’ve already consumed.

However, you might need extra salt if:

You are eating a very 'clean', whole-food diet with no processed foods.
You just finished a heavy workout or a sauna session where you sweated a lot.
You drink a lot of tea, coffee or alcohol (which are diuretics and flush out minerals).

Best types of salt

Sea Salt or Himalayan salt:
These contain trace minerals (like potassium and magnesium) that help regulate the 'pump' of the lymphatic vessels better than plain sodium chloride.
Coconut Water:
This is often called 'nature’s IV' for the lymphatic system because it has a great balance of potassium and sodium, which helps pull fluid out of the tissues and back into the drainage system.

Signs of too much or too little salt

Your lymphatic system is like a pressure gauge - it reacts quickly when the salt-to-water ratio is off.

Here is how to tell which way your balance is tilting:

Signs you have too much salt:

When you have excess sodium, your body holds onto water to dilute it. This creates 'stagnant' fluid that the lymphatic system struggles to move.
thirst : your brain (hypothalamus) is already calling for water to help flush the excess sodium out.
' salt headache ': a dull, throbbing headache often caused by increased blood volume and pressure
ring test : your rings feel tight, or you have 'sausage fingers' in the mornings
pitting oedema : if you press your thumb into your shin or ankle for 5 seconds and it leaves a visible "dent" or pit in the skin.
shiny , stretched skin : swelling in the lower legs that makes the skin look tight or glossy.

Signs you have too little salt:

If your sodium is too low (hyponatremia), your cells can’t hold onto the water they need, and your 'lymphatic pump' loses its 'prime'.
muscle cramps or twitches : sodium is essential for the electrical signals that tell muscles to contract and relax.
dizziness when standing : also known as a 'headrush'. This happens because your blood volume is too low to maintain pressure when you change positions
brain fog or fatigue : you feel 'spaced out' or lethargic despite drinking plenty of water.
'running through you' : you drink water and have to pee 15 minutes later, but the urine is crystal clear.
This means the water isn't actually staying in your system to hydrate your lymph.

The Simple 'Bathroom Test'

You can actually check your status every time you go to the toilet:

Dark yellow + strong smell:
You are dehydrated => drink more water.
Clear as water + frequent peeing :
You might be low on salt/electrolytes -> the water isn't 'sticking' => eat some food or have an isotonic drink

Pale straw/lemonade color:
This is the 'Goldilocks zone' = your salt and water are in balance.

Too much sugar can also cause dehydration

Just like salt, too much sugar can also lead to dehydration, but it happens through a different biological mechanism called osmotic diuresis.

Under normal conditions, a your body breaks down sugar (glucose) and uses it for energy or stores it as glycogen. However, if your blood sugar levels spike too high:

Sugar is osmotically active, meaning it is a 'water magnet'. As excess sugar travels through the kidneys and into the bladder, it drags body water with it in a 'sugar flush'.
this result in more frequent urination , and in large volumes, stripping the body of the hydration it needs.

High sugar intake also triggers a massive release of insulin . While insulin’s main job is to move sugar into cells, it also affects how the kidneys handle electrolytes.

high insulin levels can sometimes cause the kidneys to dump sodium.

if you lose sodium, you lose the 'thirst trigger', making you even less likely to drink and replace the water you have just lost to the 'sugar flush'.

Excess salt = increased blood sodium = increased thirst = re-hydration

Excess sugar = reduced blood sodium = decreased thirst = chronic dehydration

Excess Salt -> increased blood sodium -> increased thirst -> re-hydration

Excess sugar - > reduced blood sodium -> decreased thirst -> chronic de-hydration

Lymphatic flow routine

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:54:12 GMT

A lymphatic flow routine

Gently clear your body of blockages - especially useful for tight neck and shoulders

Gently waking up your lymphatic system can have a profound effect on muscle tension and joint stiffness.

Your lymphatic system carries waste products, from your arms, legs, pelvis and abdomen, back to your heart where it re-enters your blood circulation.

Tight muscles tend to restrict the lymph vessels causing the lymph fluid to stagnate and so further impairing drainage from those muscles and their surrounding joints and organs. A build up of waste products causes pain and discomfort.
Conversely, directly releasing those lymphatic vessels will clear the waste and so relax your muscles. Not only that, but because, for example, your neck and shoulder muscles are released, you will find that your shoulder joints move more freely.

It is a very simple and comfortable technique to do on yourself.

This 5-minute routine is designed to be done in the morning, to wake up your system and get fluid moving.

However, if you have a specific problem, for example, solid shoulders or swollen ankles, you can also do mini versions of it throughout the day.

In fact, if you have trouble sleeping, going through this routine in bed, helps to soothe your body and ease you off to sleep.

Try it as a ‘lymphatic reset’ twice daily for two weeks; then continue daily if you have found it helpful.

We always ‘clear the drains’ near your neck and abdomen first, so that the fluid from your limbs then has somewhere to go.

You can use your hands to gently, like stroking a cat, move the lymph around your body.
Or try using a soft body brush - the handle can help you reach areas of your body more easily.
You can even use the spray from your shower - just direct and move the spray as if it were your hands.

The 5-Minute Morning Flow

Minute 1: Clear the Main Drains

The lymphatic system empties into the bloodstream at the base of the neck. If these ‘drains’ are plugged, nothing else will move.

The Collarbone Pump:

Place your fingers in the hollows just above your collarbones. Gently pulse downward toward your heart 15–20 times.

Don’t poke, just pulse.

The Neck Sweep:

Use flat palms to stroke gently from behind your ears down to your collarbones. Use the pressure you’d use to stroke a kitten - very light.

Minute 2: The Deep Pump (Diaphragm)

The largest lymphatic vessel (the thoracic duct) sits right behind your ribcage.

Deep Breathing:

Place your hands on your lower ribs. Inhale through your nose so your ribs expand outward, then exhale forcefully through your mouth. Repeat 5–10 times. This physical expansion ‘pumps’ the deep lymph nodes.

Don’t take too big a breaths in, concentrate on the forceful out breath

Minute 3: Underarm & Abdominal Clearing

The Armpit Scoop:

Reach across your body and use a cupped hand to gently ‘scoop’ upward into your armpit 10 times. Repeat on the other side.

The Belly Circle:

Place your palm on your belly button and rub in a slow, clockwise circle with light pressure. This follows the path of your colon and stimulates the deep nodes in the gut. Repeat 10 times.

Minute 4: The Lower Body Sweep

The Groin Fold:

Gently ‘karate chop’ or pulse the crease where your legs meet your torso 15 times.

The Leg Slide:

Starting at your ankles, use both hands to ‘bracelet’ your leg and stroke upward toward your groin. Do 3–5 long strokes per leg.

Minute 5: The ‘Rebounder’ Finish

Now that the paths are open, we use gravity to move the fluid.

Heel Drops:

Stand tall and rise onto your toes, then drop your heels firmly to the floor. The ‘thud’ creates a vibration that moves lymph. Do this for 60 seconds. Alternatively, just dance or shake your whole body vigorously!

Three Tips for Success

Hydrate:

Lymph fluid is 95% water.

If you're dehydrated, the fluid becomes sludgey and won't move regardless of how much you massage.

Light Touch:

Lymphatic vessels are right under the skin.

If you press too hard (like a deep tissue massage), you actually flatten the vessels and stop the flow.

Consistency:

Doing this routine several times a week will lead to progressive improvements in the health of your whole lymphatic system.

How does lymphatic drainage work?

To understand why these steps work, it helps to visualize the lymphatic system as a series of one-way ‘streets’ that all lead to a single ‘main highway’ in your chest. If there is a traffic jam at the highway entrance, the side streets (your arms and legs) will stay backed up no matter how much you try to move the ‘cars’.

Here is the physiological ‘why’ behind each stage:

1. Clearing the collarbone & neck

The lymphatic system has no central pump like the heart. Instead, it relies on pressure gradients. All lymph fluid eventually drains into the subclavian veins located right behind your collarbones.

By pulsing this area first, you are ‘emptying the trash can’ so there is room for new waste to enter. If you skip this and start with your legs, the fluid has nowhere to go and simply stagnates.

2. Deep diaphragmatic breathing

The thoracic duct is the largest lymphatic vessel in the body, running from your abdomen up through your chest.

This duct sits right against your diaphragm. When you take a deep, belly-expanding breath, the physical movement of the diaphragm acts as a manual pump, literally squeezing the lymph upward toward the neck. This is often called the ‘lymphatic pump’.

3. Underarm & abdominal clearing

These areas contain high concentrations of lymph nodes (the filters).

Lymph nodes act as checkpoints that catch bacteria and toxins. In the armpits (axillary nodes) and the gut (cisterna chyli), fluid can often get ‘thick’ or sluggish. Light stimulation encourages the nodes to process the fluid and move it along the chain.

4. Lower body sweeps - the uphill battle!

Because of gravity, fluid naturally pools in the ankles and calves (edema).

Lymphatic vessels have tiny one-way valves. By stroking upward toward the groin (where the inguinal nodes are), you are helping the fluid overcome gravity and push through those one-way valves.

5. Heel drops & shaking

The lymphatic vessels are wrapped in a thin layer of smooth muscle that reacts to vibration and muscle contraction.

The jarring motion of dropping your heels or shaking your limbs creates a vibration that ‘unsticks’ fluid from the tissues. Additionally, when your calf muscles contract, they physically squeeze the lymphatic vessels, forcing the fluid toward the torso.

The Golden Rule - light pressure

The most important scientific fact to remember is that 70% of your lymphatic vessels are superficial, meaning they sit just under the surface of the skin. They have much thinner walls than your arteries or veins so if you press too hard (like a deep tissue massage), you collapse these tiny tubes, and the fluid stops moving entirely.

You only want to move the skin, not the muscle - use the same pressure as if you were stroking a kitten or puppy!

If it hurts, you are pressing too hard!

Is your horse getting enough salt?

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:05:07 GMT

Is your horse getting enough salt?

Why we all need salt and what happens when we don’t get enough

I think that my horse might be more spooky when he is not getting enough salt. Is that possible?

This question was put to me by an owner recently, and she is absolutely right, it’s actually a very common and very easily rectified cause of excess excitability and spookiness in horses. She had noticed that when she gave her pony extra salt he seemed much calmer than usual.

The commonest cause of lack of salt is of course sweating. But this is not just in the heat of summer, many horses actually sweat more in the winter due to heavy winter coats.

[ For info on how to feed enough salt to your horse, go to the end of this post ]

It is absolutely normal—and actually scientifically logical—for a horse to become spookier, more reactive, or ‘on edge’ when they are low on salt.

Salt (specifically the sodium ions, Na+) are vital for the electrical conduction of the nervous system. When those electrolyte levels dip, the horse’s ‘wiring’ starts to misfire.

Here is why a salt deficiency turns a calm horse into a jumpy one:

1. ‘Static’ in the nervous system

Sodium and potassium work together to create the electrical impulses that travel along nerve fibers. When sodium is low, the threshold for these nerves to ‘fire’ can change.

Result: The horse’s sensory perception (sight and hearing) can become hypersensitive. A rustle in the bushes that they would normally ignore suddenly feels like a high-voltage alarm to their brain.

2. Muscle tension - the coiled spring

Sodium is required for muscles to both contract and relax. A salt-deficient horse often carries a lot of latent physical tension.

Result: Because their muscles are tight and ‘primed’, they are physically prepared to spook or jump. They lose that relaxed, fluid state of being, making them feel like a coiled spring under the saddle.

3. Heightened cortisol (stress)

Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances are physiological stressors. When a horse's body is struggling to maintain its internal balance (homeostasis), it stays in a state of low level stress.

Result: This keeps the horse in a ‘fight or flight’ mindset. Their brain is already flooded with stress hormones because they don't feel physically well, so it takes very little external stimulus to trigger a full-blown spook.

4. Brain fog and confusion

Just like humans get irritable or ‘foggy’ when dehydrated or low on electrolytes, horses lose their ability to process information calmly.

Result: A horse that can't ‘think’ through a scary object will default to their survival instinct: Run first, ask questions later.

We are all different!

Remember, we are all different and so are our horses! You may feed or supply the same amount of salt to your horses, but that doesn’t mean that they are all getting what they need. Some may sweat more than others, but some may just need more

humans are often categorised in to those who tend to crave salty and savoury foods, and those that crave sweet foods.

horses are just the same (except they all seem to go for sweets too!).

This client’s question particularly hit home with me because my Irish ☘️ cob, Houdini, seems to need twice as much salt as my other two horses. And my TBx rarely bothers with the free salt that I supply!

But surely too much salt leads to dehydration as the body tries to expel it?

This is a classic "it depends” scenario in biology! It is absolutely true that in a vacuum, salt pulls water toward it (osmosis). If a horse eats a massive amount of salt and cannot find water, they will become dangerously dehydrated as the body tries to flush the excess sodium through the kidneys.

However, in a healthy horse with unlimited access to fresh water , the opposite happens.

Here is why the "salt leads to dehydration" rule works differently for horses than it does for, say, a human stranded at sea:

1. The sodium-water magnet

Sodium is the primary electrolyte that holds water in the bloodstream and in the spaces between cells.

Without enough salt, the horse's body literally cannot ‘hold on’ to water. They drink, but it passes right through them as thin urine because there’s no sodium to ‘anchor’ the fluid in their tissues. This leads to chronic dehydration .

When you add salt, the sodium acts like a sponge, pulling water into the blood vessels and keeping the horse hydrated at a cellular level.

2. The kidney ‘flush’

Horses have incredibly efficient kidneys. If a horse eats more salt than they need:

The brain triggers an immediate, powerful thirst .
The horse drinks a large volume of water.
The kidneys filter the excess sodium and send it out via urine.
The net gain: Because the horse drank so much extra water to handle the salt, they actually end up more hydrated than they were before.

3. When does salt cause dehydration?

No access to water: If you add salt to your horse’s hard feed, but the horse's automatic waterer is broken or the bucket is empty, the body will pull water from its own tissues to try and process that salt. If this happens for a prolonged period of time, especially if associated with sweating, this can cause ‘salt poisoning’.
Frozen water: Similarly, in winter, horses often stop drinking because the water is too cold. If you add salt then, you can actually worsen dehydration because they won't drink enough to keep up with the sodium intake.

Action: Add salt to diet

Result with water: Salt -> Triggers thirst -> Horse drinks -> Hydration increases

Result without water: Body pulls water from cells -> Severe dehydration.

A lack of salt can lead to other behavioral changes. Because sodium and chloride are fundamental to the nervous system, a deficiency essentially causes a ‘glitch’ in how the horse's brain and body communicate.

Here are the most common behavioral shifts you might see:

1. Compulsive cravings

The most distinct behavioral sign is the craving and consumption of non-food items. If a horse isn't getting enough salt, it will go searching for minerals in strange places.

Eating Dirt (Geophagia): Licking or consuming soil to find trace minerals.
Chewing Wood or Bark: Gnawing on fence posts or trees.
Licking Objects or humans Obsessively licking metal gate latches, tool handles, or even the skin of their human handlers (to get the salt from your sweat).
Eating Manure: While this can also signal other issues, it is a common red flag for mineral imbalance.

2. Lethargy and ‘flat’ performance

Interestingly, dehydration can also lead to a shut down, lethargic horse - unfortunately withholding water used to be a rather common way of exerting control over horses.

Because sodium is required for nerve impulses and muscle contractions, a horse low on salt will often seem depressed or sluggish .

Lacking ‘spark’: You might notice they are less energetic in the pasture or seem "lazy" and unwilling to move forward under saddle.
Early fatigue: They may tire much faster than usual during exercise because their muscles aren't firing efficiently.

3. Irritability and Anxiety

Electrolyte imbalances can make a horse feel physically unwell - much like a human feels with a severe hangover or dehydration. This physical discomfort can manifest as:

Grumpiness: Increased irritability during grooming or saddling.
Poor concentration: Difficulty focusing on cues or tasks because their neurological system is stressed.
Reduced interaction: A normally social horse may become withdrawn or stop interacting with herd mates.

4. Anorexia (Loss of Appetite)

In chronic cases, a lack of salt can actually cause a horse to stop eating their regular feed or hay. Sodium is vital for the transport of nutrients across cell membranes; without it, the digestive process slows down, and the horse may simply lose the ‘drive’ to eat.

More about why horses need supplemental salt

Salt (sodium chloride) seems to be the only mineral horses will actively seek out to meet their nutritional needs.

While grass and hay provide plenty of potassium, they are notoriously low in sodium, therefore feeding salt as a supplement is a vital part of their diet.

1. The Thirst Trigger

Horses are massive animals with a unique challenge: they don’t always know when they’re dehydrated. Sodium is responsible for triggering the thirst response in the brain. Without enough salt, a horse’s body may not realize it's running low on water, leading to dehydration even if a full bucket is standing right in front of them.

2. Electrolyte Balance & Sweat

Horses are prolific sweaters. Unlike humans, horse sweat is hypertonic , meaning it contains a higher concentration of salt than their blood.

On a hot day or during a workout, a horse can lose liters of sweat containing significant amounts of sodium, potassium, and chloride.
If these aren't replaced, it can lead to muscle tremors, fatigue, and ‘thumps’ (synchronous diaphragmatic flutter).

3. Nerve and Muscle Function

On a cellular level, sodium and chloride are essential for the nerve conduction, the ‘electrical wiring’, of the horse. They facilitate:

Muscle contractions: Allowing the horse to move, heart to beat, and lungs to breathe.
Nerve impulses: Sending signals from the brain to the rest of the body.
Digestion: Chloride is a key component of bile and stomach acid (HCl), which breaks down all that forage.

4. Colic Prevention

By encouraging the horse to drink more water, salt helps keep the contents of the digestive tract moving smoothly. Dehydration is a leading cause of impaction colic , where dry feed material gets stuck in the large intestine.

How much do they actually need?

At a bare minimum, an idle 500 kg horse needs about 20 grams, approx. 2 tablespoons, of salt per day. This requirement can double or even triple if the horse is working hard or living in a humid environment.

salt blocks are common, but some horses find them abrasive on their tongues and won't lick enough.
loose salt in a bucket or feeder is more effective
adding salt directly to the hard feed meal is the most effective way of ensuring your horse gets enough.

If your horse is ignoring their salt block, it’s rarely because they don't ‘need’ the salt. Usually, it's a texture issue: salt blocks were originally designed for the rough, sandpaper-like tongues of cattle. Horses have much softer tongues, and licking a hard block can eventually become abrasive or even painful for them.

Switching to loose salt (granular salt) is the most effective way to ensure they get their daily requirements. Here is how to introduce it safely:

1. Mixing with their hard feed meal

The easiest way to get salt into a horse is to add it directly to their existing feed, preferably dampened.

Start small: Don't just dump 2 tablespoons in at once - it may put a fussy eater off thier feed. Start with 1 teaspoon mixed thoroughly into their feed.
Increase gradually: Over the course of a few days, slowly work your way up to the target amount (usually 1 tablespoon or roughly 15 grams for a 500kg horse, more if they are sweating a lot).
Add water: Dampening the feed helps the salt to dissove and stick to the feed so a fussy eater can't sift it to the bottom and leave it behind.

N.B. Do not feed the whole ‘theoretical’ salt dose in this way. All horses are different, and too much salt is as bad as too little . Look on this as a basis that the horse can top up themselves from free-choice loose salt and licks.

2. Free-Choice Loose Salt

If you want the horse to regulate their own intake (which most horses are very good at), you can provide loose salt in a separate bucket or feeder.

Location: Keep it in a covered area (like the stable or field shelter) because rain will turn loose salt into a solid, unappetizing brick.
The two bucket rule: Some people like to add salt to their horse’s water to encourage drinking, always provide a second bucket of plain, fresh water. Some horses find salty water unpalatable and will stop drinking entirely if they don't have a choice.

3. Choosing the Right Type

You don't need expensive special salts. Standard plain white table salt or iodized salt from the grocery store works perfectly.

Avoid: Stay away from red mineral blocks or bags if your horse is already on a balanced commercial feed or ration balancer, as these can sometimes provide too much of certain trace minerals.
Coarse vs. Fine: Coarse salt or livestock-grade loose salt is often preferred because it's less likely to blow away in the wind.

Personally, I add about a tablespoon of iodised or plain salt to their feeds (less for my TBx else he won’t eat it!). I avoid table salts that have added anti-caking ingredients.
Then I throw a handful of coarse sea salt and a handful of plain coarse salt into a feed skip each night for them to take what they want.
There is also a salt lick in a holder in their field and stables. I avoid the ‘Himalayan’ salt blocks nowadays because our ground and water is rather high in iron already.

4. Water is Key

Never provide supplemental salt if the horse does not have unlimited access to fresh water . Salt poisoning is rare, but it can happen when a horse eats a large amount of salt and then cannot find enough water to flush it out.

Human vs. horse neuroanatomy

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 19:07:30 GMT

Comparative anatomy of the human vs. horse sensorimotor pathways

Variations in the 'wiring' for different lifestyle and survival priorities!

Comparing the neuroanatomy of humans and horses is a fascinating study in how evolution prioritises different survival needs. While the basic 'wiring' is very similar - using upper and lower motor neurons and specialized sensory receptors—the scaling and complexity of these pathways differ significantly.

1. Key Structural Differences

Horses have really long nerves

You thought human nerves were long - a lower limb motor neuron can be well over a metre long to reach from its cell body in, for example, the S2 segment to the intrinsic muscles of the foot. But because horses are much larger, their axons must be incredibly long. A single motor neuron in a draft horse can be over two metres long - in fact the longest nerve in a horse is the recurrent laryngeal nerve that reaches from its nucleus in the brainstem, all the way down the neck to the the aortic arch and then loops back on itself!

To maintain speed of transmission over these distances, horses rely on heavy myelination and large diameter axons to prevent "lag" in their reflexes.

Proprioceptive Loading

Horses have a much higher density of muscle spindles in their neck muscles compared to humans. This provides the brain with constant, high-speed feedback about the position of their heavy head and neck, which acts as a 'balance beam' for the rest of the body.

Cerebellar size

The horse's cerebellum is relatively larger (unlike their overall brain size!) than the human's and is already well developed at birth.

The human cerebellum is almost empty at birth, with the cerebellar stem cells developing over the first few years of infancy and childhood - that's why children 'toddle' and fall over rather a lot!

2. Motor Pathways: Precision vs. Power

The primary difference lies in the cor ticospinal tract (CST) , which governs voluntary movement.

Human Motor Pathways

Direct Control: Humans have a highly developed corticospinal (pyramidal) tract that connects the motor cortex directly to spinal cord neurons. This allows for conscious voluntary control with incredible dexterity and fine motor skills (like typing or surgery).

Decussation: About 90% of fibers decussate (cross over), leading to strong contralateral control.
Decussation allows for a massive amount of 'discussion' between the two hemispheres via the corpus callosum .
This is vital for complex tasks like walking or galloping , where the left and right sides must be perfectly synchronised but independently adjustable.

However, decussation is absolutely critical for language and speech. While language is primarily 'lateralised' to the left hemisphere in the majority of people, the physical act of speaking requires massive, high-speed coordination of muscles that are inherently decussated.

Focus: Significant cortical space is dedicated to the hands, face, and tongue.

Equine Motor Pathways

Indirect Control: In horses, the cortical spinal tract is much smaller and less influential. Instead, they rely heavily on extrapyramidal pathways (like the rubrospinal and reticulospinal tracts).
these pathways have many connections with the cerebellum, basal nuclei, pons as well as the cerebrum.
they also have more connections at the spinal cord level leading to more

automation: These pathways are better suited for rhythmic, powerful movements like galloping and maintaining posture. Horses are essentially 'hard-wired' for locomotion from birth .

Brain vs. spine: A horse's spinal cord has more direct reflex arcs at the local spinal levels. It therefore can coordinate complex gaits with less input from the higher brain.

Fig 1: Corticospinal (pyramidal) tract

High levels of voluntary control.

Fig 2: Vestibulospinal (extrapyramidal) tract

High levels of reflex and unconscious reactions.

3. Sensory Pathways: Fine Touch vs. Environmental Awareness

Both species use the dor sal column-medial lemniscus (fine touch/proprioception) and sp inothalamic (pain/temperature) pathways, but the sensitivity profile is specialised:

Your gut is a factory!

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:08:14 GMT

Your gut is a factory

Give it a chance to process the throughput!

This was a response to a patient contacting me while they were on holiday with a concern about possible gastroenteritis following a bout of suspected food poisoning. They had eaten a very large portion of home-cooked beef stew; nobody else in the group had suffered any after effects, but they were locals.

It does sound most like meat originated food poisoning. It is always possible that it just happened to be the part of the meat that you ate that was affected. And also possible that the ‘locals’ have a different gastrointestinal environment and biome that is more protective.

Large quantities of food overwhelm the GI tract’s first line of defence , the stomach acid . This gastric acid not only starts the process of digesting proteins, but also protects against microbial pathogens.

When you have a lot of food in the stomach it literally dilutes that acid , raises the pH, and weakens the defence against microbes.

Give your food processing factory, otherwise known as your gastrointestinal tract a chance:

Don’t eat too much at one meal!
Think about your gastrointestinal tract as a food processing factory - each part ( mouth , stomach , small intestine , colon ) has a job to do and supplies chemicals and enzymes in order to process the various food stuffs.

But there are is a finite supply of those chemicals, and if too much food is allowed into the ‘factory’, those chemicals will be exhausted and some food will not be processed in time in the correct part of the factory.
The excess will enter the wrong areas and cause problems!

Why can't I stand on one leg!

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 19:11:16 GMT

Why is more difficult to stand on my right leg?

A common question in clinic

Patients often comment that they find it more difficult to stand on one leg (usually the right) than the other.

Even more frequently, I notice the asymmetry and instability on normal standing examination.

They have normally complained of some kind of back pain and also have a history of knee and hip issues.

Essentially, their leg isn't staying centred because the forces acting on it are winning against the structures meant to stabilize it.

On strength testing, we often find a major weakness or lack of activation of the gluteus maximus , and the other hip extensors - however many squats you do, they never seem to get any stronger.

The Sacro-iliac Connection

Sacroiliac dysfunction is a major structural cause of instability of the whole body, and is incredibly common, not least due to most of us being 'right footed' - we have an inherent preference for using the right foot to, for example, kick a ball. And interestingly, even most left-handed people are also right footed!

This asymmetry predisposes us to a dysfunction of the sacroiliac joint, usually consisting of a right rotation and counter-nutation of the sacrum.

The relationship between the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) and the hip extensors:

Because the gluteus max imus attaches directly to the ligaments of the SIJ, the position of the joint dictates how well this muscle can fire.

The SIJ (sacroiliac joint) moves in a subtle rocking motion called nutation and counter-nutation .

1. SIJ Nutation (Stability for Extension)

Nutation occurs when the top of the sacrum tips forward relative to the ilium (pelvic bones). This is the same movement as leaning or arching your body backwards.

The gluteus maximus is attaches to the dorsal sacroiliac ligaments.
When the sacrum is nutated, the gluteus maximus has a stable anchor point to pull from.
this allows for maximum force production during hip extension.
If your SIJ is 'stuck' in counter-nutation (sacrum tipped back), the gluteus maximus often becomes neurologically inhibited because its 'anchor' is unstable.
this is often only the case on one side of the sacrum, usually the right.

2. Asymmetry (SIJ Torsion)

If one side of the SIJ is nutated and the other is counter-nutated (a pelvic torsion ):

You will experience asymmetrical glute firing .
one leg will feel powerful during hip extension (the nutated side), while the other may feel 'disconnected' or weak. This is a common culprit behind chronic one-sided glute or hamstring pain.

Nutation vs. counter-nutation of the sacrum

Left: nutation = sacral base moves forwards/coccyx moves backwards = lumbosacral extension = increase in lordosis

Right: counter-nutation = sacral base moves backwards/coccyx moves forwards = lumbosacral flexion = decrease in lordosis

N.B. both movements can occur in forward or backward bending of the body depending on the relative positioning of the pelvis. E.g. bending forwards can take place with either a concave lumbar spine (nutation) or a convex lumbar spine (counter-nutation)

The sacrum should 'float' between the ilia so that the ilium is not dragged forwards or backwards. 'Locking' or a 'fixation' of a sacroiliac joint (usually the right) means that the ilium sticks with the sacrum. This leads the sacrum to rotate and causes local irritation of the sacroiliac ligaments as well as disrupting the anchor points of muscles such as the gluteus maximus, piriformis and hamstrings.

Muscle attachments at the sacroiliac joint

The hamstrings attach to the sacrotuberous ligament of the pelvis. This means:

when the sacrum is in nutation, the sacrotuberous ligament is under tension
therefore the hamstrings, specifically the long head of biceps femoris tends to be stretched and under high tension.
can make them overactive and prone to strain.

The gluteus maximus attaches to the ilium, sacrum and the dorsal sacroiliac ligament. This means:

disruption of the normal floating of the sacroiliac joint
inhibits gluteus maximus acti vation.

Testing the hip extensors - gluteus maximus

When you move into a 'frog leg' position—combining hip external rotation , abduction , and knee flexion —the mechanics of hip extension shift significantly.

In a neutral position, your gluteus maximus and hamstrings share the load of extension. However, in this specific orientation, the hamstrings are 'disarmed' due to active insufficiency , forcing the glutes and specific adductor fibers to do the heavy lifting.

Why?

Mechanical Advantage: The gluteus maximus is not only a powerful extensor but also a primary external rotator.By pre-rotating the hip, you place the muscle fibers in a shortened, highly active state.

Why it dominates: Because the knees are bent, the hamstrings (which also cross the knee) are shortened, making them less effective at generating force at the hip. This forces the gluteus maximus to take on nearly all the work of extension.

One of the best ways to test gluteus maximus is to inhibit the hamstrings by externally rotating the thighs.

The next stage is to use a single leg pelvic lift, still with the lifting leg externally rotated.

What to do about it!

It may be possible for you to relieve your own sacroiliac dysfunction using a simple right sided lunge position. However, an osteopath will also be able to assess and treat this problem, often very easily and with 'miraculous 'results!

I also use the patient's breathing as a vital part of my method of realigning and stabilising the sacroiliac joints.

Here's why!

Breathing - the hidden stabiliser of the SI joint

You can think of your core as a pressurized canister: the diaphragm as the lid, the p elvic floor as the base, and the transverse abdominis forming the walls.

If the 'lid' (breathing) isn't working correctly, the 'base' (where the sacroiliac joint lives) cannot stabilize, causing the hip extensors, your glutes and hamstrings to lose their foundations.

1. The Intra-Abdominal Pressure (IAP) Effect

When you inhale deeply into your belly (diaphragmatic breathing), the diaphragm moves downward. This increases intra -abdominal pressure (IAP) .

This pressure pushes against the spine and the inside of the pelvis, forcing the sacrum into that stable nutation we discussed.
High IAP creates a rigid 'pillar' that allows the Gluteus Maximus to contract with maximum force. This is why powerlifters take a massive belly breath before a squat.

2. The Diaphragm-Psoas Connection

The diaphragm and the i liopsoas (the glute-inhibiting hip flexor) are anatomically linked via a piece of connective tissue called the medial arcuate ligament .

Chest breathing: If you breathe shallowly into your chest, the diaphragm never fully drops. This can keep the psoas in a state of constant tension/shortness.
As we know, a tight psoas inhibits the glutes through reciprocal inhibition . Simply learning to breathe into your lower belly can "reflexively" relax your hip flexors and let your glutes work.

3. The Pelvic Floor Synergy

The pelvic floor muscles attach to the same bones that form the SI joint.

As you exhale, the pelvic floor and the deep abdominals should naturally lift and tighten .
This 'co-contraction' provides the final squeeze that locks the SIJ.
Without a proper exhale during the 'work' phase of an exercise (like the upward part of a glute bridge), the SIJ remains 'loose', and the hamstrings will likely cramp as they try to compensate for the instability.

The Stability Chain

Diaphragmatic Breath → Increased IAP → Sacral Nutation (SIJ Stability) → Glute Activation

If any link in that chain is broken, you'll likely feel tight hamstrings or weak glutes regardless of how many squats you do.

Other causes of leg instability

There are of course, other factors that may lead to leg instability:

1. Hip Abductor Weakness (The "Trendelenburg" Effect)

This is the most common culprit. Your Gluteus Medius and Gluteus Minimus are responsible for keeping your pelvis level when you stand on one leg.

The Chain Reaction: If your hip is weak, your pelvis drops on the opposite side. To keep from falling over, your trunk shifts over the standing leg.
The Result: This shift moves your Center of Mass (COM) to the outside of the knee, pushing the joint into a bowed position.

2. Ankle and Foot Mechanics

What happens at the floor dictates what happens at the knee.

Over-supination: If you have high arches or an "inverted" foot, your weight stays on the outer edge of your foot. This naturally drives the knee outward.
Stiff Ankle: If your ankle lacks dorsiflexion (the ability to pull your toes toward your shin), your body might compensate by "bowing" the knee to find a path of least resistance during movement.

3. Glute Max & External Rotator Weakness

While the side of your hip (Glute Medius) handles the levelness of your pelvis, the Gluteus Maximus and deep rotators control the rotation of your thigh bone (femur).

The Collapse: If these muscles are sleepy, your thigh bone rotates inward and slides toward the midline. Since your foot is fixed on the ground, the knee has no choice but to buckle inward.

4. Foot Pronation (Flat Feet)

If your arch collapses or your ankle rolls inward ( over-pronation ), it creates a "bottom-up" effect.

The Chain Reaction: As the arch drops, the shin bone (tibia) rotates inward, which forces the knee into a valgus position. It’s like the foundation of a house shifting; everything above it tilts.

4. Quadriceps Imbalance

If your outer quad (Vastus Lateralis) is much stronger or tighter than your inner quad (Vastus Medialis / VMO), it can pull the kneecap and the joint alignment toward the midline during weight-bearing.

5. Tight Adductors (Inner Thighs)

If your inner thigh muscles are overactive or "short," they act like a tight bungee cord, constantly pulling your knee toward the center of your body.

6. Structural or Ligamentous Laxity

Sometimes the issue is "hardware" rather than "software":

LCL Laxity: If the Lateral Collateral Ligament (on the outside of your knee) is overstretched or injured, it can’t pull the joint back into alignment.
Meniscal Issues: A loss of cartilage in the inner (medial) compartment of the knee can cause the joint to collapse inward, making the outward bow look more prominent.

7. Neuromuscular Control

Sometimes your muscles are strong enough, but your brain hasn't "mapped" the correct movement pattern. This is common after an old injury where you learned to compensate by shifting your weight to avoid pain.

When your fat cells get too big!

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 16:19:31 GMT

What happens when your fat cells get too big

Remember: your fat cells need to live too!

When fat cells (adipocytes) are pushed beyond their limits, they don't just sit there quietly holding onto extra energy. They actually go through a series of biological ‘stress responses’ that can impact your entire body.

When you gain weight, the fat reservoir in your fat cells gets bigger. Although the fat cell itself will also increase in size, the rest of the cell contents - the nucleus, mitochondria and other important maintenance organelles get squashed into a corner of the cell.

This impairs the access of oxygen and nutrients into these vital parts of the cell and the elimination of the waste products.

Plus, as the fat cells expand, they can actually outgrow their own blood supply. They become so large that oxygen from nearby capillaries can't reach the center of the cell. This creates a state of hypoxia (oxygen deprivation).

Chronic Inflammation

Because these oversized cells are ‘ suffocating ' and stressed , they start sending out SOS signals . They release pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines. This recruits immune cells (macrophages) to the fat tissue:

Instead of being a healthy energy storage site, the fat tissue becomes a source of low-grade, chronic inflammation that travels through your bloodstream and upsets your whole body .

The extracellular matrix (the ‘scaffolding’ that holds your cells together and supports them around your organs) becomes stiff and scarred , a process called fibrosis . This makes it even harder for the tissue to function normally or for the body to mobilize that fat later for energy.

Insulin resistance

When a fat cell is overstuffed, it becomes insulin resistant . Essentially, it stops listening to the hormone that tells it to store fat and starts leaking fatty acids back into the blood.

These fats then end up in places they don't belong , like your liver , pancreas , and muscles .

This ‘ectopic fat’ is a primary driver of Type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty acid liver disease (NAFLD).

Luckily your fat cells are incredibly resilient: when you reduce your weight by following a balanced, lower calorie diet, they ‘deflate’, the inflammation calms down, and their metabolic signaling begins to normalize.

Visceral vs. Subcutaneous Fat

Not all fat is created equal. Your body stores fat in two main ways, and they behave like two completely different organs when they get ‘overstuffed’.

The Personal Fat Threshold

Think of your subcutaneous fat as your primary ‘bathtub’. It’s designed to hold water. As long as that tub has room, your metabolic health stays relatively stable.

However, everyone has a ‘personal fat threshold’. Once your subcutaneous ‘bathtub' is full:

visceral fat starts to expand rapidly.

Visceral fat cells are much more sensitive to stress hormones like cortisol and have a higher density of receptors that trigger fat breakdown. When they get too fat, they become hyperactive, dumping inflammatory signals directly into your internal systems.

This is why ‘belly fat’ is often used as a primary marker for health risks—it’s a sign that the safe storage areas are full and the ‘over-flow’ is starting to affect your organs.

When you cross your personal threshold, the fat has nowhere safe to go. This is when ‘ectopic fat’ occurs. The fat begins to spill over into organs that are not designed to store it:

2. the liver becomes ‘fatty’, leading to inflammation and poor glucose contro l. This triggers the liver to produce more glucose and ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, leading to a metabolic domino effect ;

3. the pancreas - fat buildup here can damage the beta cells that produce insulin ;

4. the muscles - fat interferes with the muscles' ability to take in glucose for fuel. This ‘ insulin resistance ’ leads to further stress on the body to try to remove excess glucose from the blood stream.

Why the Post-Menopausal Context Matters

Menopause changes the way your body handles fat. When oestrogen levels drop:

Fat Redistribution: Fat shifts from the hips and thighs (subcutaneous) to the belly (visceral).
Liver Sensitivity: Oestrogen is actually protective of the liver. Without it, the liver becomes more prone to storing "ectopic fat" (fat that has over-flowed from overstuffed fat cells).
Metabolic Slowdown: The body becomes slightly less efficient at processing glucose and fats, making it easier to hit your Personal Fat Threshold.

Luckily, dropping even a small amount of weight (5–10%) can ‘empty the tub’ enough to clear the fat out of the liver and pancreas, often reversing metabolic issues.

Patient Example: what your blood results show

When you start to reach or exceed your personal fat threshold, your blood chemistry acts like an early warning system. Long before a doctor might diagnose you with a disease, these markers show that your fat cells are ‘full’ and beginning to affect your health.

This is an analysis of an example set of blood results.

Lipid Profile

When fat cells are overstuffed, they leak fat back into the bloodstream. This is often the first sign of trouble.

Triglycerides

Standard Normal (non-fasting): Under 2.3mmol/L.

Optimal (Heart UK): Under 2.0mmol/L (non-fasting).

Your result : A level of 2.58mmol/L suggests that your fat cells may be struggling to store more energy, and ‘fat’ is beginning to linger in your bloodstream.

TC/HDL Ratio

This is calculated by dividing your Total Cholesterol by your HDL (‘good’) cholesterol.

Optimal Marker : Below 6

Optimal : Below 4 (TC<5/HDL>1.2).

Your result : A ratio of 5.58 is a signal of increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Insulin Resistance

HbA1c

This measures your average blood sugar over 3 months.

Optimal Marker : Below 42 nMol/Mol. Anything from 42 to 47 is considered pre-diabetes (the ‘tub’ is officially overflowing).

Your result : 34 mMol/Mol . This shows that your pancreas is managing your blood sugar levels well.

Liver Health

When you exceed your personal fat threshold, the liver is the first place ‘ectopic’ fat settles.

ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase)

ALT is a liver enzyme that is a specific marker for liver cell injury. Raised levels are associated with higher fat mass levels and, in post-menopausal women, fat redistribution from the gluteofemoral (hips) to the abdominal region (‘belly’ or visceral fat).

Standard Normal : Less than 34 U/L.

Optimal Marker : Below 25 U/L (Men) or 20 U/L (Women). Even if it's in the ‘normal’ range, a rising ALT often indicates fat is physically accumulating in the liver.

Your result : 33 U/ L. This is a classic example of a result that is normal by lab standards but not optimal by metabolic standards.

GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase)

GGT is an enzyme found in the liver that is extremely sensitive to toxins and oxidative stress.

Standard Normal : Less than 38 U/L

Your result : 19 U/L . This is excellent. A low GGT suggests that your liver is not currently dealing with significant oxidative stress, heavy alcohol use, or bile duct issues. It also suggests that while there may be some ‘ectopic fat’ settling in the liver (causing that ALT of 33), it hasn't progressed to a state of significant inflammation or liver stress yet.

The Triglyceride Connection

When you pair your TG level of 2.58 mmol/L that with an ALT of 33 U/L , a clear picture emerges:

Your fat cells are likely at their limit ( hypertrophy ).
The ‘overflow’ is circulating in your blood as high Triglycerides .
That overflow is now beginning to settle in your liver, causing the ALT to creep up.

GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase) of 19 U/L and HbA1c of 34 mmol/mol are actually very positive news: while your Triglycerides (2.58 mmol/L) and ALT (33 U/L) are hinting at some metabolic ‘overflow’ , these GGT and HbA1C values provides some important context that your liver and overall metabolism aren’t under major stress .

Interpreting your blood results

Your TG level of 2.58 mmol/L and ALT level of 33 U/L, indicate that you are in a ‘amber’ zone: you are in a state that researchers sometimes call ‘Metabolically Healthy, but at the Threshold’. Because your HbA1c is so good, your pancreas is still winning the battle to keep your blood sugar normal. However, the high Triglycerides and the creeping ALT tell us that your pancreas is likely working overtime to keep it that way.

Your ‘Subcutaneous Bathtub’ is full, and the ‘over-flow’ is just starting to reach the liver. The good news is that you’ve caught this at the perfect time . Since your blood sugar (HbA1c) hasn't moved into the pre-diabetic range yet, your body is still very ‘plastic’ and responsive.

Since your HbA1c (34 mmol/L) is excellent but your Triglycerides (2.58 mmol/L) are high, your body is effectively saying, "I can handle the sugar for now, but I've run out of room to store the fat."

So your body isn't yet dealing with the ‘sticky' damage that high blood sugar causes (glycation). This means:

Your insulin sensitivity is likely still decent in your muscles, so increasing your muscle mass will help to increase your fat burning potential.
Plus, muscle acts like a ‘ sponge ' for glucose. The more muscle you have, the more slack you give your metabolic system, effectively raising your threshold for handling excess energy.

Focused efforts to lower those Triglycerides (like reducing refined carbs/alcohol or increasing movement) will likely result in a very quick drop in ALT.

Other results

Low Free Thyroxine may be related to low vitamin D levels. Retest after taking your vitamin D supplement for three months.

What can be done?

The liver is the most resilient organ in the body. If you lower the ‘pressure' on your fat cells, the liver is usually the first place to clear out.

Focus on reducing the ‘over-flow’: Reducing refined carbohydrates and sugars (especially fructose) can lower Triglycerides quickly, which stops the "inflow" of fat to the liver.
The 5% Rule: Research shows that losing just 5% of body weight can significantly reduce liver fat and bring ALT levels back down into the optimal range.

The ‘Post-Menopausal Pivot’

In the post-menopausal phase, your body is essentia lly ‘re-wiring' how it stores energy. Because your GGT is healthy, you are in a prime position to reverse these trends before they become a more serious issue (like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and/or Type 2 Diabetes).

The fact that your ALT is elevated but your GGT is low often points directly to fructose (table sugar, cakes, sweets) and refined carbohydrate (bread, pasta, rice) intake rather than general liver damage.

Fructose is processed almost exclusively in the liver and is a primary driver of high triglycerides and elevated ALT in the absence of high GGT.

In post-menopause, weight loss can be stubborn. So focus on ' Triglyceride lowering '. This often feels easier—it's less about the scale and more about clearing the 'gunk' out of your blood.

1. Cut out fructose

Fructose is a unique sugar because it bypasses your muscles and goes straight to the liver to be turned into fat. This is the fastest way to drive up both Triglycerides and ALT.

You don't need to give up whole fruit (which has fibre), but look for hidden fructose in processed foods, flavoured yogurts, and sweetened drinks (even ‘healthy’ ones like orange juice).

2. Swap ‘white’ for fibre

Since your triglycerides are high, your liver is likely converting excess starches into fat. Fibre acts like a broom that helps clear excess fats and bile from your system.

Focus on fibrous carbohydrates , carbs that are still trapped inside a plant cell wall. Think beans, lentils, berries, and cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli) rather than bread, pasta, or rice.

3. Omega-3 fatty acids

Think of omega-3s as the ‘anti-sludge’ for your blood. They help the liver stop producing excess triglycerides and help with chronic inflammation, killing two birds with one stone.

Incorporate oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel) twice a week, or consider a high-quality fish oil supplement.

5. Movement:

Because your ‘bathtub' of fat is full, you want to use your muscles as the ‘over-flow drain’.

The ‘After-Dinner Burn’: A simple 15-minute brisk walk after dinner.
Why it works: When you move your muscles right after eating, they ‘eat’ the glucose and fats directly from your blood before your liver has a chance to turn them into triglycerides.
High intensity exercise using your whole body will increase your muscles’ ability to absorb glucose and fat.

Summary Checklist

Reduce : Added sugars and refined flours.
Increase : Fibre and Protein (to protect muscle).
Add : Omega-3s and a post-meal walk.

A Note on Alcohol : If you enjoy a glass of wine, be aware that alcohol is a primary driver of high Triglycerides and ALT.

Circadian Time Restricted Eating

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:18:47 GMT

Circadian-Aligned Time-Restricted Eating (TRE)

The best diet for post-menopausal women

In your 50s, your body isn’t playing by the same rules it did in your 30s. Between shifting hormones (lower oestrogen) and the cortisol spikes from stress, your body tends to hold onto ‘visceral fat’ (your belly) as a survival mechanism.

The goal here isn't a ‘crash diet’—that would just spike your stress more. Instead, we’re focusing on metabolic flexibility and cortisol management.

For a post-menopausal woman dealing with high stress, the ‘standard’ 16:8 fast (skipping breakfast and eating late) can actually be counterproductive. Skipping morning fuel often leads to a cortisol spike , which can leave you feeling "tired but wired" and encourage the body to store fat around the middle.

The most effective approach for your specific stage of life is Circadian-Aligned Time-Restricted Eating (TRE).

N.B. Remember there is no magic formula to losing weight - you have to eat less calories than you are using - just because you are intermittent fasting or using time restricted methods does not mean you can eat the same amount! However, following the guidelines below should help you to eat less calories and not feel deprived.

Should you eat breakfast?

Most women benefit from eating breakfast

This chart above illustrates the physiological difference between a woman who eats a high-protein breakfast and one who skips it, based on the findings from th e Witbracht study (2015) [ doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.12.044 ].

What the chart shows:

The Green Line (Breakfast Eaters): Notice how, after waking up with naturally high cortisol, the introduction of a protein-rich breakfast signals to the body that it is 'safe'. This causes cortisol to drop quickly, allowing your metabolism to switch from a 'stress-state' to a 'burn-state' for the rest of the morning.

The Red Line (Breakfast Skippers): Because the brain receives no fuel signal, it keeps cortisol elevated to break down its own tissues for energy (gluconeogenesis). This keeps your body in a prolonged 'alert' or 'survival' state for 4-5 extra hours.

The 'Lunch Rebound': The most critical part of the chart is the sharp spike after lunch for the skippers. When the body has been 'starving' all morning under high cortisol, it over-reacts to the first meal of the day. This massive hormonal surge is a primary driver of fat storage around the midsection.

This effect is not the same for men!

While men do experience a natural cortisol rise in the morning, their bodies generally handle fasting (skipping breakfast) with much more "metabolic resilience" than women—especially post-menopausal women.

Here is how the research distinguishes the two:

1. The "Starvation Alarm" Sensitivity

Women have a much more sensitive hypothalamus (the command center of the brain). Because women’s bodies are biologically designed to protect reproductive and hormonal health, any sign of nutrient scarcity (like skipping a morning meal) is interpreted as a major stressor.

Women: The brain perceives a "famine" and keeps cortisol high to preserve fat for survival.
Men: Often respond to fasting by increasing fat oxidation (burning fat) and growth hormone, making it an effective tool for many men to lose weight without a major stress spike.

2. Muscle vs. Fat Preservation

Research, including a study published in Nutrients (2020), found that skipping breakfast can have paradoxically different results based on sex:

In Men: Skipping breakfast often leads to a more efficient use of stored fat and better preservation of lean muscle mass.
In Women: The elevated cortisol caused by skipping breakfast can actually trigger muscle breakdown (catabolism) to create glucose, while simultaneously signaling the body to store fat around the midsection as a protective measure.

3. HPA Axis Reactivity

The HPA axis (your stress response system) is more reactive in women.

Men: Their baseline stress response is generally more stable. They can often go 16+ hours without food before the body triggers a significant cortisol "panic."
Post-Menopausal Women: Due to lower estrogen (which normally helps buffer the stress response), your HPA axis is "on a hair trigger." Missing breakfast doesn't just feel like "being hungry"; it feels like a physical emergency to your endocrine system.

The Ideal Window: 12:12 (summer) or 14:10 (winter)

Instead of jumping into long fasts, start with a gentle window that aligns with your natural light-dark cycles.

Eat between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM (winter) or 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM (summer)

Eating earlier in the day improves insulin sensitivity. As the sun goes down, your body naturally prepares for melatonin production; eating a heavy meal late at night interferes with this, raising core temperature and ruining sleep quality.

Why ‘Front-Loading’ Works for Stress:

Cortisol Management: Eating a high-protein breakfast shortly after waking signals to your brain that ‘food is scarce’ is not a threat, helping to lower morning stress hormones.
Better Sleep: Closing the kitchen 3 hours before bed allows your liver and digestive system to rest, which is the secret for deeper, more restorative sleep.
This gives your liver a chance to clean your blood system, and all your body’s cells get a chance to rest and recuperate (autophagy), while you sleep.
Hormonal Harmony: Post-menopausal women are often more sensitive to the stress of fasting. A 14-hour fast is usually the ‘sweet spot’ that provides the benefits of autophagy (cellular cleanup) without triggering a starvation response.

Stress Management

If your cortisol is high, your body will refuse to let go of fat, no matter how little you eat.

The 5-Minute Reset: Try ‘Box Breathing’ (inhale for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4) when you feel overwhelmed.
Sleep Hygiene: Stop screens 60 minutes before bed. Menopausal weight gain is heavily linked to poor sleep quality.
Limit Alcohol: It spikes cortisol, disrupts sleep, and adds empty sugar calories that go straight to the belly.

How to Structure Your Eating Window

To keep your blood sugar stable and stress low, follow this rhythm within your window:

Break-Fast (Opening the window): Focus on protein and healthy fats. This prevents the glucose roller coaster. Think eggs and avocado, not toast and juice.
helps keeps you full and prevents muscle loss (sarcopenia).

Lunch (fuel the day): The largest meal of the day. Include complex carbs (sweet potato, quinoa, beans, lentils) here to fuel your brain.
Dinner (closing the window): A lighter meal focused on protein and fiber. Avoid high-sugar desserts, as they will cause a ‘crash’ in the middle of the night, likely waking you up at 3:00 AM.

Hydration is Key: During your fasting hours (evening and early morning), stick to water, herbal tea, or black coffee. However, be cautious with caffeine if stress is high; try to limit coffee to 1–2 cups after you've had some protein.

Exercise

Over-exercising (like heavy cardio) can actually prevent weight loss in post-menopausal women by raising cortisol too high. We want to work smarter:

1. Resistance training, twice weekly

Muscle is metabolically active tissue - the more you have, the more calories you burn at rest. Plus, exercise improves bone density, which is critical post-menopause.

Focus on: Squats, lunges, overhead presses, and press-ups.

2. Conversational cardio, daily

Zone 2 cardio is ‘conversational’ cardio (walking briskly or light cycling). It burns fat without putting the body into a stress state.

Walking: aim for 8,000–10,000 steps. It’s the best low-stress fat burner.

3. Mobility & Recovery, daily

Yoga, Tai Chi or Pilates. These help with flexibility and, more importantly, activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the ‘rest and digest’ mode).

This metabolic flexibility way of eating and exercising is designed specifically for a post-menopausal profile. It focuses on high protein (to protect muscle), high fibre (to clear triglycerides), and low fructose (to lower that ALT).

The goal isn't starvation - it’s about eating in a way that tells your liver to, “stop storing and start clearing.”

You are navigating a major physiological shift.

Consistency will beat intensity every single time. Give your body grace as it adapts to this new rhythm.

Circadian-Aligned Daily Schedule

This sample daily schedule will align your biological clock (circadian rhythm) with your metabolism. It’s designed to keep your blood sugar steady, which is the fastest way to lower cortisol and tell your body it is safe to release stored fat.

Re-cap

Research [ doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.12.044 ] supports the idea that skipping breakfast can disrupt the hormonal rhythms of women, particularly regarding cortisol. While "post-menopausal" specific studies are a growing field, the existing evidence on women and "circadian-aligned" eating provides a clear picture of why skipping that morning meal can be a stressor.

Here are the key findings regarding cortisol and breakfast skipping:

1. Extended High Cortisol (The "No Reset" Effect)

Under normal conditions, cortisol peaks in the morning to wake you up and then should steadily decline. Research published in Physiology & Behavior found that habitual female breakfast skippers have higher circulating cortisol from the morning through mid-afternoon compared to breakfast eaters. Essentially, without the "reset" signal of a morning meal, your body stays in a high-alert, high-stress state for longer.

2. Exacerbated Stress Response

The same research noted that when breakfast skippers finally do eat (usually at lunch), their cortisol reaction to that meal is significantly larger. For a woman already dealing with high stress, this creates a "double spike" effect—high baseline stress followed by an exaggerated hormonal surge when fuel finally arrives.

3. The "Famine Signal" & Belly Fat

In perimenopausal and post-menopausal women, estrogen levels are already lower, which naturally makes the body more sensitive to stress. Studies suggest that:

Low Blood Sugar = High Cortisol: When you fast too long into the morning, your blood sugar drops. To compensate, the body releases cortisol to trigger the release of stored glucose.
Storage Mode: This chronic elevation of cortisol is a primary driver of visceral adiposity (weight gain around the midsection), as the body interprets the lack of morning food as a "stressful environment" where it needs to conserve energy.

4. Circadian Misalignment

A systematic review in Nutrients highlighted that the window matters. Skipping breakfast can "shift the diurnal curve of cortisol to the right," meaning your hormones are peaking and dipping at the wrong times. This often leads to:

Lower morning energy.
Higher evening cortisol, which causes the "tired but wired" feeling and disrupts the deep sleep necessary for weight loss.

Summary:

For a post-menopausal woman, the goal of Time-Restricted Eating should be to 'front-load' the window. By eating a high-protein breakfast, you 'lower the alarm' in your brain, stabilize your blood sugar, and allow cortisol to follow its natural downward path throughout the afternoon.

Sit-ups and how to improve yours

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 17:50:09 GMT

Sit-ups can tell you a lot about your core strength

To do a good sit up a lot of muscle groups have to be in balance:

strong, activated, abdominals
activated gluteals
stable hip flexors/iliopsoas
stable hamstrings

Should I have my knees bent or legs straight to do sit ups?

The short answer is: Keep your knees bent.

Knees Bent:

Primary muscle worked = Abdominals

Back Safety = Protects the lower spine

Effectiveness = Better isolation of the 'six-pack'

Why Straight Legs Can Be Problematic

When your legs are flat on the floor, your hip flexors do the heavy lifting. Because these muscles are attached to your lumbar spine (lower back), as they contract to pull your torso up, they tug on your spine, often causing it to arch aggressively. This is a common culprit for lower back pain after a workout.

However, learning to do a straight leg sit-up without over-activating your hip flexors is a great test for balancing your abdominals, hip flexors and glutes.

Tips for Proper Form

To get the most out of your sit-ups:

The 90-Degree Rule: Bend your knees at roughly a 90-degree angle with your feet flat on the floor.
Don't Pull the Neck: Avoid interlocking your fingers behind your head; instead, graze your temples or cross your arms over your chest. This prevents you from 'yanking' your neck upward.
The "C" Curve: Think about curling your spine one vertebra at a time rather than lifting your back like a flat board.

I can only go half way with my knees bent, but can go all the way to sitting with them straight. Why is that?

The reason you can sit all the way up with straight legs—but not with bent knees—comes down to biomechanics and muscle recruitment.

1. The Lever Effect

When your legs are straight, they act as a heavy counterweight. Think of your body like a see-saw. Having that long, heavy weight extended out makes it much easier to pivot your upper body upward. When you bend your knees, you shorten that lever and bring the weight closer to your center, removing the "counterweight" advantage.

2. Hip Flexor Hijacking

This is the main reason. Your hip flexors (the muscles that connect your thighs to your lower back and pelvis) are much stronger than your abdominal muscles:

Straight leg sit-up: Your hip flexors are at an optimal length to fire with maximum power. They essentially 'yank' your torso up, allowing your abs to just enjoy the ride.

vs.

Bent knees sit-up: This position puts the hip flexors in a shortened state, which mechanically puts them at a disadvantage. It effectively 'turns them off' or inhibits them (or at least turns them down).

More about muscle inhibition

The Result: Without the hip flexors doing the heavy lifting, your abs are forced to do the work alone. If you can only go halfway, it simply means your abdominal strength isn't quite ready to lift your full torso weight without help yet.

Is the "Halfway" Point Bad?

Actually, no! In the fitness world, that 'halfway' point where you’re shaking and can’t go further is often called the point of maximum contraction. Staying in that range is actually better for building a strong core than using momentum and hip strength to sit all the way up. If you keep working in that 'halfway' zone (often called a ' crunch '), your strength will eventually increase until you can do the full movement.

How to Bridge the Gap

If you really want to master the full sit-up with bent knees, try these:

The "Butterfly" Sit-up: Lay with your knees bent but dropped open to the sides (soles of feet touching). This further disables the hip flexors and is a favorite in CrossFit.

Eccentric Lowers: Sit up straight (use your hands to help), then try to lower yourself back down to the floor as slowly as possible—count to five!

The Weighted Counterbalance: Hold a small weight (like a milk jug or a 5lb plate) out in front of you. It sounds weird, but the weight acts as a "reach" that helps pull your torso up.

DO NOT:

hook your feet under something or get someone to hold your feet down
all this does is allow your hip flexors to activate and pull you up
this is because your hip flexors are also trunk flexors when your feet are anchored.

The Frog-Legs Sit Up

The Frog-legs Sit-up is a classic 'hack' used in sports like CrossFit specifically to isolate the abdominals by taking the 'cheating' muscles out of the equation.

Here is why it works and how it helps you get stronger:

1. It shuts down the hip flexors

When your knees are bent and feet are flat (the standard way), your hip flexors are in a prime position to pull.

By opening your knees out like a butterfly, you put the hip flexors in a shortened, mechanically disadvantaged state .

Because the hip flexors can’t 'grip' as well, your brain is forced to recruit the abdominals to do the heavy lifting.

2. It Improves Range of Motion

Standard sit-ups are often stopped short by the hip flexors taking over.

The frog legs version allows your spine to move through a larger arc. This helps you build strength at the bottom of the movement, which is usually where people are weakest.

3. It Prevents Back Arching

By 'turning off' the hip flexors, you reduce the forward pull on your lower spine. This makes it much easier to keep your back slightly rounded—which is exactly what you want for a sit-up.

A flat or arched back is usually what causes that 'stuck' feeling.

Exhale on the way up: Start your exhale just before you move. This "pre-tenses" the abs so they are ready for the load.

Note:

Because the Frog-Legs Sit-up forces the abs to work harder, you might find you can actually do fewer reps at first than you could with your feet anchored. Don't let that discourage you! That just means you've successfully stopped 'cheating' and are finally hitting the target muscle.

Why can’t I do a sit up in the morning, but often can later in the day?

This is actually a very common problem, and it’s usually caused by a mix of spinal biomechanics and nervous system 'sleep inertia'.

1. Spinal Disc Hydration (The "Stiff Board" Effect)

While you sleep, your spinal discs (the "cushions" between your vertebrae) soak up fluid and expand. This is why you are actually slightly taller in the morning.

Because your discs are plump and pressurised, your spine is naturally stiffer and more resistant to bending.
Since a sit-up requires your spine to curl (flexion), your brain senses that extra pressure in your discs and inhibits the abdominals to prevent you from forcing a bend that might hurt your back. It’s your body's built-in safety brake.

2. The "Shortened" Hip Flexors

Most people sleep in a 'fetal' position or with knees slightly bent.

After 7–8 hours in that position, your hip flexors (psoas) become physically tight and short.
When you wake up and try a sit-up, those tight hip flexors immediately yank on your lower spine, pulling it into an arch. Once your back arches, your abdominals are mechanically 'turned off'.

3. Neural "Sleep Inertia"

Your nervous system operates at a lower voltage when you first wake up.

Motor Unit Recruitment: It takes time for the brain to start efficiently recruiting high-threshold motor units (the ones needed for a 'fast-twitch' power move like an unassisted sit-up).

4. Body Temperature

Core body temperature is at its lowest right when you wake up. Cold muscles and tendons are less elastic. If the tissue doesn't want to stretch (like the muscles along your back), the opposing muscles (your abs) will be inhibited to avoid a 'tug-of-war' that could cause a strain.

More about muscle inhibition

Inhibited muscles & how to re-activate

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:55:55 GMT

What is are inhibited muscles?

And how can I re-activate my muscles?

In simple terms, muscle inhibition is like your nervous system putting a 'speed limiter' on a muscle. It occurs when your brain or spinal cord sends signals to prevent a muscle from contracting fully or effectively.

It’s rarely a problem with the muscle fibres themselves; rather, it's a communication glitch between the nerves and the tissue.

Why Does It Happen?

Your body usually inhibits muscles as a protective mechanism. Here are the most common triggers:

Pain & injury: If a joint is injured or swollen, the brain shuts down the surrounding muscles to prevent further damage. This is known as Arthrogenic Muscle Inhibition (AMI) .

Overactive neighbours: If one muscle is extremely tight or overworked, its "partner" on the opposite side of the joint often gets signaled to relax. (e.g., tight hip flexors can inhibit the glutes).
This is also a normal physiological response, the same one as is tested with a deep tendon reflex i.e. the patella reflex. It means that when you are using/contracting a muscle, the one on the opposite side of the joint relaxes to allow the movement - otherwise it would get torn.
E.g. if you are straightening your knee (using the muscles on the front of your thigh, your quads), you need your hamstrings (the muscles on the back of your thigh) to relax or they could get torn - this is why hamstrings are vulnerable to tearing in high stress situations like on the football pitch!

Restricted joints: Sacro-iliac dysfunction is just one area that often causes inhibition of the hip, pelvic and/or abdominals due to asymmetry and unstable movement patterns.

Fatigue: When you push a muscle to its absolute limit, the nervous system reduces the power & speed signals to those fibers to prevent a tear.

Post-surgery: After procedures like an ACL reconstruction, the quadriceps often 'go to sleep' and become very difficult to flex voluntarily.

How It Feels

You might notice muscle inhibition if you experience:

'Giving way': A feeling that a joint (like the knee) is unstable or might collapse.

Muscle weakness: You try to squeeze the muscle hard, but it feels "mushy" or unresponsive.

Compensations: Other muscles start hurting because they are doing the work for the inhibited one.

How to "Wake Up" the Muscle

Addressing inhibition usually requires more than just heavy lifting; you have to retrain the neural pathway.

Isometrics (muscle energy techniques): Holding a contraction without moving the joint helps re-establish the nerve connection.

Neuromuscular Stimulation: Using an e-stim device to artificially force the muscle to contract.

Soft Tissue Work: Massaging the "overactive" opposing muscle to stop it from signaling the other to shut down.

Mind-Muscle Drills: Slow, deliberate movements focusing entirely on the "feel" of the target muscle.

Note: Osteopathic techniques and Neurological Integration are both extremely useful for helping your body re-align and 'releasing the handbrake' on your muscles.

Example 1: The abdominals = why can't I do a sit up?

It’s a common frustration! If you can do a 'crunch' but get stuck halfway up, (or can't even get your shoulders off the floor!) you're likely dealing with a tug-of-war between your core and your hips.

In a sit-up, the rectus abdominis (the 'six-pack' muscle) handles the first 30° of the movement. After that, the h ip flexors are supposed to take over to pull your torso toward your thighs.

Here is the breakdown of what is likely happening:

1. The Underactive Muscles

These are the muscles that aren't providing enough "oomph" to complete the arc:

Rectus Abdominis: If these are weak or inhibited, you can't get your shoulder blades off the floor to begin the move.
Transverse Abdominis (TVA): This is your internal 'corset'. If it isn't bracing, your spine lacks the stable base needed to leverage yourself up.
Obliques: These help stabilize the trunk as you move through the "sticky point."
Gluteals: If your glutes/hip extensors aren't active, then the hip flexors/iliopsoas will be even more over-active.

2. The Overactive Muscles

When the core isn't firing correctly, other muscles try to 'cheat' to finish the rep:

Hip flexors (Iliopsoas): If your feet fly off the floor when you try to sit up, your hip flexors are working too hard. Ironically, if they are too tight, they can actually pull on your lower back, making it harder for your abs to contract.
Because the psoas attaches to your spine, it pulls your back into an arch. An arched back makes it mechanically impossible for the abs to shorten and pull you up.
Neck flexors: If your neck hurts afterward, you’re likely pulling with your head to create momentum because the core isn't doing the lifting.

Why You Get Stuck

Most people get stuck at the transition point where the ribcage has to move over the pelvis. This is often due to lack of spinal articulation . If your back is stiff as a board, you’re trying to lift your entire torso like a heavy lever. If you can roll your spine one vertebra at a time, it requires significantly less raw strength.

Why are my abdominals inhibited in the morning?

Why can’t I do a sit up in the morning, but often can later in the day?

This is actually a very common problem, and it’s usually caused by a mix of spinal biomechanics and nervous system 'sleep inertia'.

1. Spinal Disc Hydration (The "Stiff Board" Effect)

While you sleep, your spinal discs (the "cushions" between your vertebrae) soak up fluid and expand. This is why you are actually slightly taller in the morning.

Because your discs are plump and pressurised, your spine is naturally stiffer and more resistant to bending.
Since a sit-up requires your spine to curl (flexion), your brain senses that extra pressure in your discs and inhibits the abdominals to prevent you from forcing a bend that might hurt your back. It’s your body's built-in safety brake.

2. The "Shortened" Hip Flexors

Most people sleep in a 'fetal' position or with knees slightly bent.

After 7–8 hours in that position, your hip flexors (psoas) become physically tight and short.
When you wake up and try a sit-up, those tight hip flexors immediately yank on your lower spine, pulling it into an arch. Once your back arches, your abdominals are mechanically 'turned off'.

3. Neural "Sleep Inertia"

Your nervous system operates at a lower voltage when you first wake up.

Motor Unit Recruitment: It takes time for the brain to start efficiently recruiting high-threshold motor units (the ones needed for a 'fast-twitch' power move like an unassisted sit-up).

4. Body Temperature

Improving your sit-ups

To get your core "awake" and stop your hip flexors from taking over, we need to focus on sequencing . The goal is to ensure that the deep abdominals are ready to brace before the movement even starts.

Perform this circuit once, slowly, focusing on 'feeling' the muscles rather than rushing through the reps.

1. The 'Posterior Tilt' (the wake up)

Before you can sit up, you have to find your core.

The Move: Lie on your back with knees bent. Try to flatten the small of your back against the floor so there is zero space between your spine and the ground.
The Feel: You should feel your lower abs tighten.
The Goal: Hold for 5 seconds, breathe out, and repeat 5 times. If you can't hold this tilt, a full sit-up will always be a struggle.

2. Dead Bugs (The Bracing Drill)

This teaches your core to stay engaged while your limbs move - essential for spinal stability.

The Move: Lie on your back with arms reaching toward the ceiling and legs in 'tabletop' (knees bent at 90°).
The Action: Slowly lower your right arm and left leg toward the floor simultaneously. Only go as low as you can without your lower back arching off the floor.
The Reps: 5 per side, alternating.

3. Hollow Body 'Rock' (The Integration)

This mimics the mid-point of a sit-up where most people get stuck.

The Move: Lie on your back, arms at your sides. Lift your head, shoulders, and feet about 2–3 inches off the floor.
The Action: Shape your body like a banana. Press your lower back into the floor.
The Reps: Hold for 15–20 seconds. If your back arches, tuck your knees in slightly to make it easier.

4. The "Roll Down" (going backwards to go forwards!)

Instead of going up, we go down. This uses gravity to help your brain learn the movement pattern.

The Move: Start in a seated position with knees bent.
The Action: Hug your knees to your chest to round your back. Slowly let go and try to roll down to the floor one vertebra at a time .
The Challenge: Try to take a full 10 seconds to reach the floor. If there is a part where you 'drop' that is the exact spot where your muscle inhibition is occurring and you are losing control - really try to recognise when your low back starts to try to arch (hip flexors/iliopsoas are taking over) and stop before that point.
The Reps: 5 slow descents (only as far as you can absolutely control it).

5. The 'Frog-legs' Sit Up

If you want to try a full sit-up after this routine, try the Frog-legs Sit-up :

Sit with the soles of your feet together and knees dropped out to the sides (like a tailor stretch).
This position mechanically relaxes the hip flexors , forcing your abs to do 90% of the work.

The Frog-Legs Sit Up

The Frog-legs Sit-up is a classic 'hack' used in sports like CrossFit specifically to isolate the abdominals by taking the 'cheating' muscles out of the equation.

Here is why it works and how it helps you get stronger:

1. It shuts down the hip flexors

When your knees are bent and feet are flat (the standard way), your hip flexors are in a prime position to pull.

By opening your knees out like a butterfly, you put the hip flexors in a shortened, mechanically disadvantaged state .

Because the hip flexors can’t 'grip' as well, your brain is forced to recruit the abdominals to do the heavy lifting.

2. It Improves Range of Motion

Standard sit-ups are often stopped short by the hip flexors taking over.

The butterfly version allows your spine to move through a larger arc. This helps you build strength at the bottom of the movement, which is usually where people are weakest.

3. It Prevents Back Arching

By 'turning off' the hip flexors, you reduce the forward pull on your lower spine. This makes it much easier to keep your back rounded—which is exactly what you want for a sit-up.

A flat or arched back is usually what causes that 'stuck' feeling.

Note:

Because the Frog Legs Sit-up forces the abs to work harder, you might find you can actually do fewer reps at first than you could with your feet anchored. Don't let that discourage you! That just means you've successfully stopped 'cheating' and are finally hitting the target muscle.

More about sit-ups

Quick Self-Test

Try a sit-up with your feet unanchored (nothing holding them down).

If your feet fly up: Your hip flexors are dominant and your abs are inhibited.
If you can't move at all: It’s a foundational core strength and "firing" issue.

N.B. If your back is tends to be stiff, particularly in the mornings, wait until later in the day to work on your sit-ups.

How to Fix It

Instead of struggling through 'bad' sit-ups, try these to wake up the right muscles:

Eccentric Sit-Ups: Start at the top (sitting up) and lower yourself down as slowly as possible (count to 5). This builds the neural pathway without the "stuck" point.
The 'J-Curl': Practice tucking your chin and rolling your spine down and up one inch at a time.
Dead Bugs: These teach your TVA to stabilize your spine while your limbs move.

How do I know if my abdominals are inhibited?

And if they are, how do I activate them?

Since muscle inhibition is a neurological shutdown, you can't always just exercise your way out of it - you have to convince your brain that it’s safe to use the muscle.

The 'Lower Ab' Inhibition Test

This is the quickest way to see if your brain has 'muted' your core connection.

The Setup: Lie on your back with your legs straight.
The Test: Slide your hand under the small of your back (the natural arch). Now, try to squash your hand using only your stomach muscles.
The Results:

Active: You can crush your hand firmly without your butt lifting or your neck tensing.
Inhibited: You struggle to close the gap, or you find yourself holding your breath or "shoving" with your heels to make it happen. If you have to hold your breath to create tension, your deep core isn't firing automatically.

How to Activate Them (The 'Wake-Up' Protocol)

If the test above was difficult, use these three steps to re-establish the connection.

1. The Tactile Cue (The Wake-Up Call)

Your brain follows your touch.

While lying on your back, find your hip bones. Move your fingers two inches inward and one inch down.
The Action: Cough or laugh. You’ll feel a muscle "pop" up under your fingers. That is your Transverse Abdominis (TVA) .
The Drill: Try to make that muscle firm up under your fingers without coughing. Poke it gently as you do it. This tells your brain exactly where the work needs to happen.

2. The Forced Exhale (The Neural Trick)

The diaphragm and the abdominals are neurologically linked. You can use your breath to "force" the abs to turn on.

The Action: Take a deep breath in. As you exhale, blow out through pursed lips like you are blowing through a tiny straw.
The Goal: Blow out until you have zero air left. You will feel your abs start to "shrink-wrap" and tighten at the very end of the breath. That is a 100% contraction.

When you move from this routine into your actual sit-ups, keep these two things in mind:

Exhale on the way up: Start your exhale just before you move. This 'pre-tenses' the abs so they are ready for the load.
Look at your belly button: This keeps your chin tucked and your spine rounded. If you look at the ceiling, your back will straighten, and you’ll get "stuck" again.

3. Sensory Isometrics

Before you try a sit-up, perform a 'Stiff Plank'

Get into a standard forearm plank.
Instead of just hanging out there, pull your elbows toward your toes and squeeze your glutes as hard as possible.
Do this for only 10 seconds. It 'shocks' the system into high-tension mode.

Why this helps your Sit-Up

When your abs are inhibited, your hip flexors (psoas) do all the work. Because the psoas attaches to your spine, it pulls your back into an arch. An arched back makes it mechanically impossible for the abs to shorten and pull you up.

Activation "re-sets" your pelvis so the abs are in the right position to actually win the tug-of-war.

'Bracing' correctly versus just 'sucking in' your stomach?

This is a crucial distinction! Most people 'suck in' because they want to look thinner, but for a sit-up, sucking in actually weakens your structural integrity.

Think of your core like a tin can. A full, unopened tin can is incredibly strong; you can stand on it. But if you dent the side (sucking in), it collapses under pressure.

1. Sucking In (The 'hollow' mistake)

What it is: Pulling your belly button toward your spine and moving your ribs upward.
Why it fails: It uses the "vacuum" effect of your diaphragm. While it looks flat, it actually creates a narrower base. It’s hard to breathe while doing this, and it doesn't stabilize your lower back for the "pivot" part of a sit-up.
The Feel: You feel "tight" in the front, but your back feels unsupported.

2. Bracing (The 'Shield' Technique)

What it is: Expanding your midsection slightly in all directions (front, sides, and back) and then tightening it.
Why it works: It creates Intra-Abdominal Pressure . This pressure acts like an internal airbag that supports your spine from the inside out.

The Feel: It feels like you are getting ready for someone to punch you in the stomach!

Example 2: Gluteus maximus

For the Gluteus Maximus , the primary inhibitors are its functional opposites:

1. The Hip Flexors (The Primary Inhibitors)

This is the most common cause of "Gluteal Amnesia." When these muscles are tight or overactive (often from prolonged sitting), they signal the glutes to stay relaxed.

Iliopsoas: Comprised of the psoas major and the iliacus. This is the strongest hip flexor and the glute's direct antagonist.

Rectus Femoris: Part of the quadriceps group that crosses both the hip and the knee.

Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL): A muscle on the side/front of the hip that can become dominant if the glutes are weak.

2. The Synergists (The "Bullies")

Sometimes, instead of the opposite muscles inhibiting the glutes, the muscles that are supposed to help the glutes take over the job entirely. This is called Synergistic Dominance .

Hamstrings: As we discussed, if the glutes aren't firing well, the hamstrings will try to do all the work of hip extension.
Erector Spinae: If your glutes are "quiet," your lower back muscles will often overwork to tilt the pelvis, mimicking hip extension but actually causing back strain.

3. The Adductors (In specific ranges)

Adductor Magnus (Anterior fibers): While the posterior fibers help the glutes extend the hip, the anterior fibers can act as flexors, contributing to that reciprocal inhibition if they are chronically tight.

Why This Matters: "Sitting Disease"

When you sit for hours, your hip flexors are held in a shortened position. Over time, they become "tight," and through reciprocal inhibition , your brain keeps the glutes in a state of neurological relaxation. This is why many people find it hard to "feel" their glutes working even when doing exercises like squat s.

Equine tooth eruption and ageing

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 10:59:26 GMT

What happens to your horse's teeth as he gets older

And how to help your senior horse maintain health & condition

Skull of a colt, 21 years old, sculptured to show embedded parts of teeth.

Both permanent and deciduous cheek teeth are shown. I 1 = first permanent incisor.

Di 2 and D 33 are second and third deciduous incisors. Dc = deciduous canine.

C= permanent canine. P 1 = first premolar ("wolf-tooth"). 1, 2, and 3 are deciduous

premolars. P 2 = first permanent premolar. M 1 = first molar.

Notice how close the upper molar teeth are to the eye socket and the maxillary sinuses.

Skull of an 28 year old horse, sculptured to show embedded parts of teeth.

Notice how space is now left around the maxillary sinuses.

It’s a common misconception that horses have bottomless teeth. In reality, horses are born with a finite amount of tooth length, and the way those sockets (alveoli) change over time is a fascinating act of biological engineering.

Here is what happens as a horse ages:

1. Continuous eruption

Horses have hypsodont teeth, meaning they have extremely long crowns (up to 4–5 inches) hidden beneath the gumline. This means that in younger horses, under about 8 or 9 years, the upper molars reach almost to the eye sockets!

Rubbing their eye could actually be due to dental pain!

The Process: As the horse chews abrasive forage, the chewing surface wears down. To compensate, the tooth "erupts" (pushes out) at a rate of about 2–3mm per year .
The Socket: As the tooth moves upward, the dental alveolus (the bony socket) doesn't just stay empty. It begins to fill in from the bottom with new bone.

2. Bone remodeling

The empty space left behind at the root is reclaimed by the jaw.

Filling the Gap: As the tooth migrates toward the mouth, the body deposits alveolar bone at the base of the socket.
Sinus Changes: In the upper jaw, the roots of the cheek teeth actually sit inside the maxillary sinuses. As the horse gets older and the teeth erupt, the sinuses actually become larger because there is less tooth structure occupying that space.

3. The 'gummy' stage

Eventually, the 'reserve' crown runs out. This usually happens when a horse is in its late 20s or early 30s.

Shallowing Sockets: The alveoli become very shallow because there is almost no tooth left to hold.
Tooth Loss: At this stage, the remaining nub of the tooth (the senile stump ) loses its grip in the shallow socket and often falls out or becomes loose.
Gingival Recessions: The gums may recede, and the bone underneath smooths over, leading to what horsemen call a 'smooth mouth'.

You can roughly estimate a horse's age by looking at the angle of their incisors. As the teeth erupt and the sockets change, the profile of the teeth shifts from vertical to a much more acute, protruding angle

Why This Matters for Senior Horses

Food impaction and 'quidding'

As the teeth erupt and the sockets become shallow, the teeth themselves often become narrower and smaller (since horse teeth are slightly tapered).

The Problem: This creates gaps ( diastemata ) between the teeth.
The Result: Chewed grass and hay get packed into these gaps. Because the sockets are shallow, this trapped food can quickly cause periodontal disease:
Inflammation of the remaining socket , which can then track directly into the enlarged maxillary sinus.
Infection: Bacteria can travel down the shallowing alveolus into the jawbone.
Signs of a problem:

You might notice the horse 'quidding' - dropping partially chewed clumps of hay.

Nasal discharge that is often thick & creamy or even discoloured by active infection.

How does the gradual enlargement of the maxillary sinuses as the teeth erupt cause problems in the older horse?

While the enlargement of the sinuses itself isn't in itself a problem, it is a normal physiological process after all, it can make older horses more vulnerable to specific health issues:

1. Increased risk of infection: secondary sinusitis

In a young horse, several inches of tooth and dense bone act as a sturdy barrier between the mouth and the sinus.

The Problem: As the horse ages and the roots get shorter, that barrier becomes paper-thin.
The Result: Bacteria from the mouth can more easily migrate up through the shallowing dental socket and into the now-larger sinus cavity. This causes s econdary sinusitis , which usually manifests as a foul-smelling, one-sided nasal discharge.

2. Drainage Issues

The equine sinus system relies on a very small, specific opening (the nasomaxillary opening) to drain mucus.

The Problem: In an older horse, the sinuses are larger, but that 'drainage hole' stays the same size or can even be blocked by age-related inflammation.
The Result: If an infection does start, the larger volume of the sinus can hold a significant amount of pus or "inspissated" (dried, cheese-like) material, making it much harder to clear with simple antibiotics compared to a younger horse.

3. Fragility and Facial Swelling

The bone overlying the maxillary sinuses becomes thinner as the horse ages.

The Problem: The structural integrity of the upper jaw is slightly reduced.
The Result: Older horses are more prone to facial bumps or swellings. If they have a sinus infection or a growth (like a sinus cyst or tumour, which are slightly more common in seniors), the thin bone may actually bulge outward visibly.

Signs to watch out for in a senior horse

Since dental and sinus issues in senior horses are often 'silent' until they become quite advanced, spotting these subtle shifts early can save your horse a lot of discomfort.

Here is a checklist of signs that may indicate the shallowing of dental sockets or sinus enlargement is causing trouble:

1. Nasal Signs

One-sided discharge: Is there mucus coming from only one nostril? If it’s thick, yellow/green, or persistent, it’s likely a sinus issue.
Smell: This is the most distinct sign. Sinusitis caused by dental decay has a foul, rotting odor that you can smell even from a few feet away.
Airflow: Check if the horse can breathe equally well through both nostrils by feeling for 'puffs' on your hand.

2. Eating Behaviors

Quidding: Do you see 'cigars' of wet, chewed hay dropped on the ground or in the water bucket? This happens when gaps (diastemata) between teeth make chewing painful.
Slow eating: Does the horse take much longer to finish their grain than they used to?
Tilted head: Does the horse tilt their head to one side while chewing? This is often an attempt to move food away from a painful, shallow socket.
Dunking hay: Some seniors start 'souping' their hay in the water bucket to soften it because their teeth can no longer handle the mechanical pressure of dry forage.

3. Physical Changes to the Face

Facial asymmetry: Stand directly in front of your horse and look down the bridge of the nose. Does one side of the face look slightly fuller or bulged?
Swollen lymph nodes: Feel under the jaw (the intermandibular space). Enlarged, firm 'marbles' there often indicate the body is fighting a chronic oral or sinus infection.
Sensitivity to touch: Does the horse pull away when you brush or touch their cheek/upper jaw area?
Rubbing their face: Does your horse try to rub his cheek on you? Or are there scraped areas where he's been rubbing on a tree or the stable?

4. General Condition

Weight loss: Even with plenty of food, a horse with dental/sinus pain will lose condition because they aren't grinding their food efficiently for digestion.
Whole oats/grains in dropping: Check the dropping. If you see whole, undigested grains or long stems of hay, it means the teeth have run out of grinding surface (the 'smooth mouth' stage).

Managing your older horse

Free access to pasture is often the best mental health therapy for an older horse, but from a purely nutritional standpoint, it is rarely enough to sustain them once their dental sockets have shallowed or they have a "smooth mouth."

The answer depends on which teeth are most affected by age:

1. If they have missing incisors (front teeth)

The Struggle: Incisors are the "clippers." If these are missing or angled too sharply (as they often are in seniors), the horse can't "grip and rip" short grass.
The Solution: They do much better on mid-length, lush grass (4–6 inches) that they can pull into their mouth using their lips and tongue rather than clipping it with teeth. They will struggle on a tightly mown or overgrazed pasture.

2. If they have missing molars (back teeth)

The Struggle: Even if they can rip the grass, they can't grind it. This is where the risk of choke or impaction colic becomes high. If you see your horse "quidding" (dropping green wads of chewed grass), they are not getting the nutrition from the pasture.
The Risk: Swallowing unchewed grass "plugs" can lead to life-threatening blockages.
The Solution: Pasture should be for entertainment and fiber only . You must assume they are getting zero calories from the grass and provide the full 100% of their nutritional needs via soaked feeds.

3. Fresh Grass vs. Hay

Grass is much easier: Fresh grass is about 80% water and much softer than dried hay. Many senior horses who can no longer chew hay can still manage to "gum" soft, young spring grass.
The Vitamin Boost: Fresh pasture is a powerhouse of vitamins A and E, plus omega-3 fatty acids, which are lost when grass is dried into hay. This is great for an older horse's immune system.

4. Turnout is Vital:

The movement keeps their joints from stiffening (osteoarthritis) and helps their digestive tract stay "moving" to prevent gas colic.

But, don't rely on the pasture for feed:
if a horse can't chew the grass, they are effectively starving while standing in a green field. This leads to rapid loss of condition and even gastric ulcers.

N.B. Seniors can get bullied away from the best patches of grass. Ensure they have a quiet area where they can graze without competition.

Is my senior horse actually eating the grass?

The Manure Test: Is the manure formed into normal balls, or is it loose and full of long, unchewed blades of grass? (If it's long blades, they aren't digesting it).
The Quid Check: Look for "green cigars" on the ground.
Body Condition: Is the horse losing weight despite being on "good grass"?

Feed Preparation Guidelines

Consistency: The mash should be wet enough that the horse doesn't have to "chew" it, but can essentially "slurp" it. This prevents choke , which is a high risk for horses with poor teeth.
Temperature: Use warm water (not boiling) to help the pellets break down faster and make the meal more palatable, especially in winter.
Frequency: Because their stomach is small and they can no longer graze 24/7, you should ideally feed this mash in 3 to 4 smaller meals per day rather than two large ones.

The "Separate Table": If your senior lives with other horses, they will be the slowest eater in the field. You must separate them during mealtime so others don't steal their mash. It may take a senior 45 minutes to finish a meal that a younger horse would bolt in 5.
Hydration: Senior horses with shallow dental sockets often drink less because cold water can hurt their sensitive teeth. The mash helps keep them hydrated, but always provide tempered water if possible.
Salt: Add a tablespoon of loose salt to the mash to encourage them to keep drinking from their bucket.

Warning: Never give a "smooth mouth" horse chaff or 'chop'. They will try to eat it, but they can't grind it. This leads to impaction colic , as the unchewed long fibers get stuck in the digestive tract.

How does dental care differ for older horses?

Over about 18 years old, a biannual dental exam is much better than a yearly one. Because the sockets are shallow, a tooth can go from "slightly loose" to "severely infected" much faster than in a younger horse.

Rasping (or floating) teeth in a senior horse is rather different to with a young horse. In a young horse, the goal is often correction (shaping the teeth); in a senior, because the dental alveoli are shallow and the teeth are short, the goal is preservation .

1. Less is more"

In a young horse, an equine dentist can be relatively bold in removing sharp points. In a senior, the mantra is "do the least amount necessary."

The Risk: If you file a senior tooth too aggressively, you risk making it so short that the horse can no longer grind forage at all.
The Goal: Just take off the 'razor edges' that might be cutting the cheeks or tongue. You aren't trying to make the teeth look perfect; you’re just making them comfortable.

2. Managing Loose Teeth

Since the sockets (alveoli) are shallow, teeth can become wobbly.

Young Horse: Teeth are anchored like fence posts deep in the ground.
Senior Horse: Teeth are more like a loose brick in a wall.
The Difference: A dentist must be extremely careful not to accidentally dislodge or loosen a tooth further with the power float. If a tooth is already 'expired' (lost its attachment to the bone), it is often better to extract it to prevent a sinus infection.

3. Dealing with 'wave mouth'

Over time, horse teeth can wear unevenly, creating a 'wave' shape where some teeth are high and others are worn down to the gumline.

Young horse: You can often level a wave over several years.
Senior horse: You cannot fix a severe wave. If you try to grind down the high teeth to match the low ones, you might expose the pulp (the nerve) of the tooth because there isn't enough reserve crown left. You simply smooth the edges of the 'highs' and leave the rest alone.

4. Focus on the Gaps (Diastemata)

For seniors, the most important part of the dental visit isn't the grinding—it's the cleaning .

Because the teeth are narrower and the sockets shallower, food gets packed between teeth and forced into the gums.
The dentist will spend more time using pressurized water and special picks to clear out rotting forage. If left alone, this packed food causes "periodontal pockets" that lead straight to the bone infections we discussed earlier.

Unlock Clear Vision: Discover Simple Exercises for Eye Relaxation

183:827925229 (Julia Williams) — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 07:41:13 GMT

Changes to focusing on distant objects to close objects is called 'accommodation'.

When you try to look at something near to you, your parasympathetic nervous system activates your oculomotor nerve (cranial nerve III). This nerve serves the internal oblique muscle and makes your eyes converge - more 'cross-eyed'.

It also serves the muscles around your pupil and makes your pupil constrict.

And thirdly, it serves the ciliary muscles of your lens and makes the lens more rounded to focus the image.

Looking at close objects for long periods means that these various muscles are contracted for long periods and just like the rest of our body muscles, this leads to tension and difficulty in relaxing them. But we need to relax them in order to see distant objects.

The key is to practise relaxing these various muscles:

The extrinsic eye muscles, including that internal oblique,

The pupil by resting the eye in darkness, away from that bright computer screen!

And the ciliary muscles by allowing our eyes to look into the distance, to de-focus and use our peripheral vision.

Age-related long-sightedness.

Almost everyone starts to have difficulty with seeing close up as they get older, after about 45 years of age progressively worsens. This is due to hardening of the lens and so it doesn't

Simple exercises to improve your eyesight

The importance of eye relaxation

Eye relaxation is a crucial aspect of maintaining healthy vision. In today's digital age, where screens dominate our daily lives, our eyes are constantly exposed to strain and fatigue. The constant use of electronic devices, coupled with factors like poor lighting and prolonged periods of reading or focusing, can lead to eye tension and discomfort. Therefore, understanding the importance of eye relaxation techniques becomes paramount in preserving clear and sharp vision.

Understanding the accommodation reflex

The accommodation reflex is a natural response of the eye to focus on objects at varying distances. It involves changes in the shape of the lens to allow for clear vision. However, excessive use of the accommodation reflex, especially in activities like reading or staring at screens for extended periods, can lead to eye strain and fatigue. To counteract this, it is essential to incorporate regular breaks and eye relaxation exercises into our daily routines.

How the pupil reflex affects eye relaxation

The pupil reflex plays a significant role in eye relaxation. The pupil, the black circular opening in the center of the iris, adjusts its size based on the amount of light entering the eye. In bright conditions, the pupil constricts to reduce the amount of light, while in dim lighting, it dilates to allow more light in. However, prolonged exposure to bright screens or harsh lighting can cause the pupil to remain constricted for extended periods, leading to eye strain. By engaging in eye relaxation exercises, we can help the pupil reflex to relax, allowing the eyes to rest and recover.

The impact of shortsightedness on eye tension

Shortsightedness, also known as myopia, is a common refractive error where distant objects appear blurry, while close objects remain clear. This condition can contribute to eye tension, as the eyes constantly work harder to focus on distant objects. The excessive effort required by the eyes to compensate for shortsightedness can lead to eye strain and fatigue. Incorporating eye relaxation exercises into the daily routine can alleviate the strain on the eyes, promoting a more relaxed and comfortable visual experience.

Common causes of eye strain

Eye strain can be caused by various factors, including prolonged use of electronic devices, improper lighting, poor ergonomics, and inadequate breaks. Staring at screens for extended periods without breaks can lead to digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome. The eyes become fatigued, dry, and irritated. Insufficient lighting or glare from bright lights can also contribute to eye strain. Additionally, poor posture and ergonomics can place unnecessary stress on the eyes. By addressing these common causes and incorporating eye relaxation exercises into daily routines, individuals can significantly reduce eye strain and discomfort.

Simple exercises for eye relaxation - blink exercises

Blink exercises are simple yet effective techniques to relax the eyes. Blinking helps to spread tears across the surface of the eyes, keeping them moist and reducing dryness and irritation. To perform blink exercises, individuals can consciously blink their eyes every 5-10 seconds, focusing on a complete and gentle closure of the eyelids. This exercise helps to refresh the tear film and provides a momentary break for the eye muscles.

Simple exercises for eye relaxation - palming technique

The palming technique is a popular eye relaxation exercise that involves covering the eyes with the palms of the hands. To perform this exercise, individuals should sit comfortably with their elbows resting on a table or their knees. They can then cup their palms and gently place them over their closed eyes, ensuring no pressure is applied to the eyeballs. The warmth and darkness created by palming help to relax the eyes, reduce strain, and encourage a sense of calm. This exercise can be practiced for several minutes, allowing the eyes to rest and rejuvenate.

Simple exercises for eye relaxation - eye rolling exercise

The eye rolling exercise is an effective way to release tension in the eye muscles and improve blood circulation. To perform this exercise, individuals can sit or stand in a relaxed position and slowly roll their eyes in a circular motion. They can start by looking up and then move their gaze in a clockwise direction, completing a full circle. After a few rounds, they can reverse the direction and roll their eyes counterclockwise. This exercise helps to relieve eye strain and stimulate the muscles responsible for eye movement.

Additional tips for eye relaxation

In addition to the mentioned exercises, there are several other tips that can contribute to overall eye relaxation. Maintaining proper lighting conditions, where the light source is not too bright or too dim, can help reduce eye strain. Adjusting the screen brightness and contrast of electronic devices to comfortable levels is also beneficial. Taking regular breaks from screen time and engaging in activities that involve looking at distant objects can give the eyes a much-needed rest. Lastly, practicing good posture and maintaining a comfortable distance from screens can alleviate strain on the eyes and neck.

Seeking professional help for eye relaxation

While incorporating eye relaxation exercises into daily routines can greatly contribute to maintaining clear vision, it is essential to seek professional help when necessary. Optometrists and ophthalmologists can provide comprehensive eye examinations to detect underlying vision problems and provide tailored recommendations for eye relaxation techniques. Regular eye check-ups can help identify any potential issues early on, ensuring proper management and care for long-term eye health.

Conclusion

In conclusion, eye relaxation is a crucial aspect of maintaining clear vision in today's digital world. By understanding the accommodation reflex, the pupil reflex, and the impact of shortsightedness, individuals can appreciate the importance of incorporating eye relaxation exercises into their daily routines. Simple exercises such as blink exercises, the palming technique, and the eye rolling exercise can provide much-needed rest and rejuvenation for the eyes. Additionally, following tips for eye relaxation and seeking professional help when necessary can further enhance overall eye health and well-being. By unlocking the power of simple exercises for eye relaxation, individuals can discover the path to clear vision and long-lasting eye comfort.

CTA: Take charge of your eye health today by incorporating these simple exercises for eye relaxation into your daily routine. Start with blink exercises, try the palming technique, and explore the benefits of the eye rolling exercise. Remember to also follow additional tips for eye relaxation and seek professional help when needed. By prioritizing eye relaxation, you can unlock clear vision and enjoy a world of visual clarity and comfort.

Tips to help you sit!

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 09:27:33 GMT

Back pain & sitting posture:

How to keep your back healthy and pain free

The best sitting posture

What a great illustration of the best advice to all those who have to sit for long periods of time: the ideal sitting position is one that continually changes [Callaghan & McGill, 2001 (b)].

Despite the myths perpetuated in many ergonomic guidelines regarding an “ideal” sitting position or posture, the ideal sitting position is actually one that constantly changes, thus preventing any single tissue (muscle, ligament or disc) from accumulating too much strain.

Prolonged sitting in general, is linked to an increased risk of disc herniation (slipped disc).

Sitting slouched minimizes muscle activity - the main reason that most people will adopt a slouched or curled up position when sitting if left to their own volition. Unfortunately, that slouched position, or flexion, of the lumbar spine increases stress on the vulnerable, posterior parts of the disc annulus.

On the other hand, prolonged upright sitting leads to higher activation of the psoas and back extensors, which impose their own compressive stresses on the lumbar spine.

Changing lumbar postures causes a migration of loads from one tissue to another (...) and suggests that no single, ideal posture exists; rather, a variable posture is recommended as a strategy to minimize the risk of tissue overload [McGill 2002]. This advice, of course, could be extended to the whole spine, neck and head position, as well as arms and legs - take note those who sit cross-legged...

Get Fit to Sit

So what can you do to improve your sitting posture? Well, you need to be Fit to Sit!

General body fitness is arguably even more important when you are in a sedentary occupation. This means active walking, cycling, dancing, climbing stairs... anything that raises your heart and breathing rate enough to make it a little difficult to hold a conversation, for preferably for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. (Look out for a post coming soon about recommended exercise levels, a little preview: it’s no longer 10,000 steps a day...)
Strengthening your core stability muscles helps you to be able to sit in a wide variety of postures and positions, including standing. But take care, sit-ups are not the way to strengthen your abdominals and core: sit-ups will damage the backs of most people. Much better are the bird-dog, side-bridge and single-leg pelvic bridge. (More about core stability exercises coming soon).
Perform a back and disc relieving stretch when getting up from sitting: standing with knees very slightly bent, imagine that there is a high shelf up in front of you, but don’t look up at it, aim the top of your head at it. Slowly bring both arms up in front of you until you are reaching up to that shelf. Take good note of your back - your back should feel slightly stretched; and of the front of your rib cage - your rib cage should not raise up, but rather stay held down by an automatic activation of your abdominal oblique muscles.
Change your position regularly. Use your chair to help: either have two or more different chairs, preferably at different positions to your desk, or make sure you use your adjustable office chair to its full!
Use a rolled or folded towel, cushion or cushions to help support you and take the strain off your muscles.
Try standing for short periods to work - maybe use the top of a filing cabinet to do some work.
Experiment with a wobble cushion #dynaircushion for your desk chair or even a gym ball (but build up usage times slowly).
Most importantly, get up and do something else for at least 5 minutes in every hour.

10 top tips for back care

Keep moving and stretching
Take regular exercise
Take frequent breaks between repetitive tasks and vary the rhythm
Change position – avoid ‘computer hump’
Pace yourself when the work is heavy eg. gardening
Adjust car seats, and on long journeys, have breaks and stretch
Watch children’s posture – don’t let them carry bags on one shoulder
Avoid strain when lifting especially when shopping and with small children
Is your bed the right bed or is it getting old?
Seek osteopathic advice earlier rather than later

Discover Biodynamic Osteopathy

Sat, 15 Apr 2023 09:10:45 GMT

Discovering the Biodynamic Approach to Osteopathy:

A Holistic Path to Wellness

Biodynamic osteopathy is an approach to healing that takes into account the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and spirit. It is a very gentle, yet powerful, form of osteopathy. In this article, I will provide an overview of biodynamic osteopathy and how it can help you achieve optimal wellness.

Introduction to Biodynamic Osteopathy

Biodynamic osteopathy is a form of osteopathy that emphasizes the body's natural ability to heal itself. It is based on the principles of embryology, anatomy, physiology, and the body's inherent wisdom.

Biodynamic osteopathy recognizes that the body is a self-regulating organism and that health is a state of balance and harmony.

In biodynamic osteopathy, the osteopath works with the body's natural rhythms and movements to facilitate healing.

The osteopath uses a gentle touch to assess the body's structure, function, and vitality. The goal is to identify areas of tension, restriction, or imbalance and to facilitate the body's natural healing process.

Understanding the Principles of Biodynamic Osteopathy

Biodynamic osteopathy is based on several principles:

The first principle is that the body is a self-regulating organism. This means that the body has the ability to heal itself, given the right conditions.
The second principle is that the body is a dynamic system that is constantly changing and adapting to its environment.
The third principle is that the body is interconnected and that all parts of the body are interrelated.

In biodynamic osteopathy, the osteopath works with the body's inherent wisdom to facilitate healing. The osteopath uses a gentle touch to assess the body's structure, function, and vitality. The goal is to identify areas of tension, restriction, or imbalance and to facilitate the body's natural healing process. Biodynamic osteopathy recognizes that the body is a self-regulating organism and that health is a state of balance and harmony.

The History of Biodynamic Osteopathy

Biodynamic osteopathy was developed in the 1960s by Dr. James Jealous, an American osteopath. Dr. Jealous was inspired by the work of Dr. William Sutherland, the founder of cranial osteopathy.

Dr. Jealous believed that the cranial rhythm was just one aspect of the body's natural rhythms and that there was a deeper level of vitality that could be accessed through biodynamic osteopathy.

Differences between Biodynamic and Traditional Osteopathy

Traditional osteopathy is based on the principles of anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics. It recognizes that the body is a self-regulating organism and that health is a state of balance and harmony. Traditional structural osteopathy focuses on the musculoskeletal system and the body's structure and function. Structural osteopathy uses a variety of techniques, including manipulation, mobilization, and massage, to treat musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction.

Biodynamic osteopathy uses a gentle touch to assess the body's structure, function, and vitality. The goal is to identify areas of tension, restriction, or imbalance and to facilitate the body's natural healing process. Gentle touch, positioning and holds allow your body to make it own changes, supported by the osteopath's presence.

Benefits of Biodynamic Osteopathy

Biodynamic osteopathy has many benefits. It can help to improve overall health and well-being by addressing the underlying causes of pain and dysfunction. Biodynamic osteopathy can help to reduce stress and tension in the body, improve circulation, and enhance the body's natural healing process.

Biodynamic osteopathy can also help to improve mental and emotional well-being. It can help to reduce anxiety and depression, improve sleep, and enhance overall mood. Biodynamic osteopathy can also help to improve cognitive function and mental clarity.

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy

Biodynamic craniosacral therapy is a specific form of biodynamic osteopathy that focuses on the craniosacral system. The craniosacral system includes the bones of the skull, the spinal column, and the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord.

Biodynamic craniosacral therapy uses a gentle touch to assess the craniosacral system and to facilitate healing. The goal is to release any restrictions or tension in the system and to facilitate the body's natural healing process. Biodynamic craniosacral therapy can help to improve overall health and well-being by addressing the underlying causes of pain and dysfunction.

How Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Works

Biodynamic craniosacral therapy works by accessing the body's inherent wisdom and vitality. The osteopath uses a gentle touch to assess the craniosacral system and to identify any areas of tension, restriction, or imbalance. The osteopath then uses a gentle touch to facilitate the body's natural healing process.

Biodynamic craniosacral therapy can help to improve overall health and well-being by addressing the underlying causes of pain and dysfunction.

It can help to reduce stress and tension in the body, improve circulation, and enhance the body's natural healing process. Biodynamic craniosacral therapy can also help to improve mental and emotional well-being.

Conditions Treated with Biodynamic Osteopathy

Biodynamic osteopathy can be used to treat a wide range of conditions. It can help to reduce pain and improve function in the musculoskeletal system. It can also help to improve overall health and well-being by addressing the underlying causes of pain and dysfunction.

Biodynamic osteopathy can be used to treat conditions such as headaches, neck and back pain, joint pain, digestive problems, respiratory problems, and menstrual problems. It can also be used to treat mental and emotional conditions such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Finding a Biodynamic Osteopath

If you are interested in trying biodynamic osteopathy, it is important to find a qualified and experienced practitioner. Look for a practitioner who has trained in biodynamic osteopathy and who has experience treating your specific condition. You can also ask for referrals from friends or family members who have tried biodynamic osteopathy.

Conclusion: Integrating Biodynamic Osteopathy into Your Wellness Routine

Biodynamic osteopathy is a holistic approach to healing that can help you achieve optimal health and well-being. By working with the body's natural rhythms and movements, biodynamic osteopathy can facilitate healing and balance in the body, mind, and spirit. If you are interested in trying biodynamic osteopathy, be sure to find a qualified and experienced practitioner who can help you achieve your wellness goals.

Cranial osteopathy for children & babies

183:827925229 (Julia Williams) — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 11:39:25 GMT

Discover the Benefits of Cranial Ost eopathy for Children and Babies

Cranial osteopathy is a form of osteopathy that focuses on the cranial bones, the sacrum, and the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. It is a safe and effective way to help children and babies overcome a wide range of health issues, from colic and reflux to ear infections and developmental delays. In this article, I will explain what cranial osteopathy is, how it can benefit children and babies, and what to expect during a cranial osteopathy session.

What is Cranial Osteopathy?

Cranial osteopathy is a form of osteopathy that was developed in the early 1900s by Dr. William Sutherland. It is based on the idea that the bones of the skull are not fixed in place but are instead capable of small, rhythmic movements. These movements are believed to be caused by the movement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in and around the brain and spinal cord.

During a cranial osteopathy session, the osteopath will use gentle touch and pressure to assess the movement of the cranial bones and identify tensions and blocks in the mobility of the whole body.

They will then use gentle manipulations to restore normal movement and balance to the cranial bones and to the connective tissues that link every part of the body - not just the spine and the limbs, but also the chest and the tummy and the digestive organs and lungs within. This can help to promote healing throughout the body.

Despite the name, cranial osteopathy is not just about the head! Many cranial osteopaths now use the term ' biodynamics ' to describe cranial osteopathy as it better describes what we are doing - improving the flow, balance and mobility of the whole body.

How does Cranial Osteopathy Benefit Children and Babies?

Cranial osteopathy can benefit children and babies in many ways. One of the key benefits is its ability to help the body heal itself. By restoring normal movement and balance to the cranial bones and the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, cranial osteopathy can help to improve the function of the nervous system and promote healing throughout the body.

Cranial osteopathy can also help to relieve tension and stress in the body. This can be especially beneficial for children and babies who may be experiencing discomfort or pain due to colic, reflux, or other issues. By relieving tension and stress, cranial osteopathy can help to reduce pain and discomfort and improve overall well-being.

Another benefit of cranial osteopathy is its ability to support the development of the nervous system. The gentle manipulations used in cranial osteopathy can help to stimulate the nervous system and promote healthy development. This can be especially important for babies who are still developing their nervous systems.

Understanding the Cranial Osteopathy Process

The cranial osteopathy process typically begins with an assessment of the child or baby's medical history and current health status. The osteopath will then use gentle touch and pressure to assess the movement of the cranial bones and the flow of CSF. Based on their assessment, they will develop a treatment plan that is tailored to the child or baby's specific needs.

During the treatment session, the osteopath will use gentle manipulations to restore normal movement and balance to the cranial bones and the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. This may involve gentle pressure on specific areas of the skull or spine, or it may involve gentle movements of the arms or legs. The goal of the treatment is to promote healing and improve overall well-being.

What to Expect During Your Child's Cranial Osteopathy Session

During your child's cranial osteopathy session, you can expect a gentle and non-invasive experience. The osteopath will use gentle touch and pressure to assess the movement of the cranial bones and the flow of CSF. They will then use gentle manipulations to restore normal movement and balance to the cranial bones and the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Your child may feel some gentle pressure or movement during the session, but this should not be uncomfortable.

The session may last anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the child's needs.

After the session, your child may feel more relaxed and calm. They may also experience some changes in their body, such as improved digestion, better sleep, or improved motor function. These changes are a sign that the body is responding positively to the treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cranial Osteopathy

Here are some frequently asked questions about cranial osteopathy:

Is cranial osteopathy safe for children and babies? Yes, cranial osteopathy is a safe and non-invasive therapy that can be used for children and babies.
How many sessions of cranial osteopathy will my child need? The number of sessions will depend on your child's specific needs. Some children may only require a few sessions, while others may require more.
Will cranial osteopathy be painful for my child? No, cranial osteopathy should not be painful for your child. The manipulations used in cranial osteopathy are gentle and non-invasive.
Can cranial osteopathy help with colic and reflux? Yes, cranial osteopathy can be beneficial for children and babies who are experiencing colic, reflux, and other digestive issues.

If you are considering cranial osteopathy for you r child or baby, I encourage you to speak with a qualified cranial osteopath to learn more about the potential benefits.

Other Health Benefits of Cranial Osteopathy

In addition to its benefits for children and babies, cranial osteopathy can also be beneficial for adults. It can help to relieve tension and stress in the body, improve posture and alignment, and promote overall well-being.

Cranial osteopathy can also be beneficial for people who are experiencing chronic pain or other health issues. By promoting healing and improving overall function, cranial osteopathy can help to reduce pain and improve quality of life.

The Importance of Maintaining Good Health for Children and Babies

Maintaining good health is important for children and babies, as it can help to support healthy growth and development. This includes eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and staying active. Regular check-ups with a healthcare provider can also help to ensure that your child is growing and developing properly.

If your child is experiencing health issues, such as colic, reflux, or developmental delays, cranial osteopathy may be a safe and effective way to help them overcome these issues. By promoting healing and improving overall well-being, cranial osteopathy can help to support healthy growth and development.

Conclusion

Cranial osteopathy is a safe and effective way to support the health and well-being of children and babies. By restoring normal movement and balance to the cranial bones and the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, cranial osteopathy can help to improve the function of the nervous system and promote healing throughout the body.

If you are considering cranial osteopathy for your child or baby, I encourage you to speak with a qualified cranial osteopath to learn more about the potential benefits.

Foraging for Food - Dandelions!

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 09:19:54 GMT

Foraging for food - Dandelions

Dandelions are painting the countryside yellow just now - take advantage to add a fantastically nutritious herb to your meals, and let your pony take a healthy foraging break on your next hack!

The whole plant is very useful - flowers, leaves and the root. Dandelion are a ubiquitous weed, they are very plentiful so you don’t need to worry about digging them out by the roots!

The roots do need to be young roots though, dug up before the plant flowers, or they become very woody.

Benefits - almost too many to mention!

High in vitamins & minerals

Blood sugar and cholesterol regulation :

Dandelion leaves are especially good for helping regulate blood sugar - so good for laminitic ponies too!

Digestion & bowel health :

Dandelion leaves are also good for the digestion - high in fibrous prebiotics and as a mild laxative.

Liver function :

Dandelion root is good for liver function and bile production, and the leaves also aid good metabolism of sugars and fats within the liver, improving fatty liver states.

Promotes immune function :

Dandelion roots and flowers boost the immune system, showing anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral activity.

Diuretic :

High in potassium, it encourages your kidneys to release sodium and therefore also water. This may assist in lowering blood pressure.

How to use

Your horse or pony will happily munch through dandelion and even dig up its roots when they feel they need its benefits.

Our digestive systems are not quite as effective at breaking down such a fibrous plant so for us, it is best to cook it - steam or wilt, or simply add to a soup or stew.

You can also add it to a smoothie - but it is high in potassium so take care if your bowels can be reactive!

Make tea. A few leaves and flowers makes a pleasant instant tea (especially mixed with cleavers).

Or even coffee. Dandelion root was traditionally roasted and then boiled to make a coffee alternative.

Cautions:

Always consult your GP or professional health consultant before using herbs, if you are concerned about your health or currently taking medication.

N.B . Always choose your spots carefully for gathering herbs - this patch made a lovely photo, but I would actually avoid gathering too close to cultivated crops (unless you know they haven’t recently been sprayed) or next to busy roads. Look for unkempt, wild spaces!

Finding great posture!

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 11:49:55 GMT

Poor posture is just bad hab its

Many of us spend much of our time hunched over a desk or a phone or the steering wheel of a car, and so our bodies develop an habitual, rather squashed posture, that remains even when we are standing, moving around and even lying in bed.

Our shoulders become rounded and forward, our neck is squashed back with our chin jutting forwards, our upper back is stiff and low back compressed, and our pelvis is tipped forwards.

This results in tight back muscles, long abdominal muscles, tight hip flexors and tight gluteals and hamstrings. This is because you are using the wrong m uscles to control your posture!

Power muscles vs. Postural muscles

These big, (often sore!) outer muscles of your body are your ’ power ’ muscles. These muscles are designed to generate lots of force through large ranges of motion for short periods of time - basically for movement .

The muscles that are designed to stabilise your body and posture are the smaller ’ postural ’ muscles. They lie deeper in your body, surrounding the joints of your spine (and all your other joints). They are designed to work for long periods of time at low power and through very small ranges of motion - they are for stability .

Activating your postural muscles

Luckily the solution is actually quite easy - we simply need to re-stack the bones of our spine!

Notice I said re-stack the bones. For this exercise, I want you to ignore your muscles and just concentrate on your bones. This will automatically result in those big, tight, outer muscles relaxing and releasing, and your deep postural muscles will quietly go to work.

To achieve great posture, simply pulling your head or shoulder back, isn’t enough.

You need to reduce the curves in both your thoracic and lumbar spine, bringing your overall alignment back to a neutral position.

Once your spine is elongated and the curves are corrected, your pelvis will naturally settle into a level position.

Releasing your shoulders

Let’s start with your shoulders. Your arms are quite heavy and long and, if they are allowed to hang too far forward, they put a lot of extra, unnecessary weight on your upper body and neck. Many of us allow our shoulder blades to lie on the side of our ribcage (like a dog or a horse!), but humans are designed to have our shoulder blades on the back of our ribcage. So let’s put them there!

(1) Shrug up each shoulder in turn up towards your ears, then roll it backwards so that your shoulder blade lies on your back. Try not to force it. Just pick it up, put it back and let it lie.

This will automatically release your collar bones . Before they were squashed and rolled forward. Now they are lying like a yoke across your shoulders. And yokes are designed for carrying! So now your arms are being easily carried by your collar bones.

Great! Now we need to release your spine.

Remember, don’t try to do these movements, allow them to happen.

This is the most difficult part! We are so used to using our power muscles to do things.

Now we need to allow our postural muscles to take gentle care of our stability.

Releasing your spine & pelvis

Luckily you have several small muscles that connect your head to the top of your neck. These muscles are vital for communication between your brain and your spine - they also help to align our eyes and our ears, which are an important aspect of balance, coordination and therefore posture.

Unfortunately our habitual squashed neck and jutting chin posture impairs the ability of these little muscles to communicate, and they sit there compressed and unhappy!

To release these little muscles and allow your whole spine to lengthen and de-compress, imagine you are hanging from a string coming out of the top of your head, like a puppet.

(2) Try this: with your hand, pull gently on some hair directly above your ears. As you do, you'll notice your face aligning perpendicularly to the ground, your chin gently tucking in, the front of your neck softening, and the back of your neck stretching slightly. Be mindful of the direction: if you pull hair too far forward, your chin will stick out, and the back of your neck will feel compressed. If you pull hair too far back, your chin will push into your neck, squashing your throat. Adjust the pull until you find the balanced, aligned position.

(3) Put your fingers on either side of the top of your neck, in the space between the joint of your jaw and the front of your ears - this is in line with the uppermost joint of your neck, the occipito-atlantal joint . This joint is a flat hinge joint - it allows your skull to roll forwards and backwards on the top of your spine.

Feel that action now: gently roll your head just a couple of millimetres forward and back. Let the rest of your neck stay relaxed - see if your can move just that very top joint.

(4) Allow your whole head to float upwards from this point that you have discovered on your scalp, as you allow your head to softly nod forwards on your occipito-atlantal joint. Notice how your shoulders softly relax downwards, your upper back lengthens and your low back releases. Your sacrum releases down and under, and your pelvis rolls lightly under you while your tummy muscles gently activate to support you.

Sitting Posture

Practising these postural releases when sitting is actually easier. When we are sitting, on an upright, firm chair or stool, our hip muscles are much less active, so when you release your head and neck, you will find that your low back and pelvis release more easily.

Sitting for long periods on a stool or on a soft chair is not so easy, your postural muscles simply get tired - after all you haven’t used them properly for many years! So you need to use cushions to help support you.

Despite the myths perpetuated in many ergonomic guidelines regarding an “ideal” sitting position or posture, the ideal sitting position is actually one that constantly changes , thus preventing any single tissue (muscle, ligament or disc) from accumulating too much strain.

the ideal sitting position is one that continually changes [Callaghan & McGill, 2001 (b)].

Posture in movement

Ok, so there you are standing in perfect posture, but how do you move!

The key is to gently and repeatedly allow you head to float up whilst keeping your face perpendicular to the ground.

Tai chi is arguably the most powerful exercise to support your new found great posture in movement - it teaches you to find your centre of mass, and therefore of power, and to move with balance and grace .

It can be very helpful to assist this rehabilitation process with activities such as tai chi, yoga, pilates, Alexander Technique, Somatics, Feldenkrais or with rehabilitation exercises that target particularly weak or unbalanced muscles.

Unfortunately because we have been using the inappropriate muscles to control our posture for so long, this results in muscle imbalances through the body.

Some will be very strong, others will be weak.

Simply constantly gently realigning our shoulders and head will go a long way to helping these muscles rebalance.

An Introduction to Hydrotherapy

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:07:56 GMT

Discovering the benefits of hydrotherapy:

The therapeutic use of water

Well with all the rain we've been having recently, water seemed an appropriate subject for this weekend's post!

Hydrotherapy is the therapeutic use of hot and cold water to promote healing and health.

This photo of Lake Zell from a couple of winters ago reminds me of my favourite form of water - snow!

So let's start with cold water hydrotherapy!

Ice to stop bruising

Long duration cold subdues the local circulation

So ice packs, cold hosing or ice gels for ten to thirty minutes, are absolutely the best tools to help your body to limit damage immediately after injury.

Take a look at The Body's Response to Injury to find out why.

What makes water so special?

Water has low thermal conductivity, which makes it an ideal carrier of heat and cold. Not only that, but it is very readily available!

Practised at home, alternating hot and cold water treatments will stimulate the circulation and strengthen the body's immune defence system. It forms the basis of the famous Kneipp Cure.

Hydrotherapy Uses Water to Achieve Therapeutic Benefits

Water can be used in a number of ways:

It can be applied to various areas of the body

The body, or parts of it, can be immersed in water

๏ Additives such as essential oils, clays or Epsom salts can be used to alter its effects

๏ It can be used for its buoyancy and resistance to facilitate exercise and movement

๏ Short, cold applications stimulate circulation

๏ Long cold applications (>1min) depress circulation and metabolism

๏ Long hot applications leave the area congested and require cold applications to restore normality

๏ Short, hot applications (>5mins) stimulate circulation but long, hot applications drastically depress both circulation and metabolism

Hot is defined as between 37 and 40ºC

๏ Cold is defined as 12 to 18ºC

๏ Ice has the effect of rapidly closing blood vessels and so helps reduce bruising

Cold Sprays

Finish your bath or shower with a cold shower for about 1 minute.

This is a constitutional remedy, which guards against infections (Hanover Medical School, 1990).

Foot and Leg Sitz Sprays

At the end of your normal bath or shower, turn the shower to cold and spray from the soles of your feet up your legs in turn (as you reach your thighs use your hands to help accustom your thighs to the cold). Continue to let the cold water run down and over your legs for about a minute. Repeat daily, preferably at the end of each bath or shower.

This has beneficial effects on the circulation of the legs and pelvis so helping with postural oedema, varicosities, pelvic congestion, atonic colon.

Cold Compress

Wring out a tea towel in cold water so that it is damp but not dripping wet and place directly onto the affected area. Immediately cover it with a towel and fasten snugly in place. Leave in place for at least one hour – the cloth should be dry when it is removed. Wash the cloth after use, as it will absorb waste from the skin. Repeat four times a day until relief, ideally leave on overnight.

N.B. If the cloth feels cold after about 10 minutes, remove and dry the skin briskly – your body is not responding vitally or the compress was too loose.

Try again later.

A reflex stimulus takes place when the cold material first touches the skin, leading to a flushing away of “old” blood from the tissues and a return of fresh oxygenated blood.

As the compress slowly warms there is a deeply relaxing effect and a reduction of pain. It is beneficial for painful joints, mastitis, sore throat, backache, bronchitis (see also chest pack).

Ice Pack

Use either a commercially available ice pack, frozen peas or crushed ice wrapped in a tea towel.

Place on the affected area for up to half an hour as soon after injury as possible.

Repeat after one hour and then move on to cold compresses.

In emergencies, alternatives such as a cold bottle or canned drink can be placed on the injury, but if using a frozen surface cover the skin first to avoid burns. See R.I.C.E Protocol .

Cold compresses provide relief to injuries such as bruising, strains and sprains, bursitis, toothache, haemorrhoids, bites.

See my earlier post on How Your Body Heals for more information on why ice is so useful in limiting damage from injuries.

Hot Fomentation

Lightly wring out a hand towel in very hot water, fold and wrap in a large towel.

Apply the insulated hot towels to the painful area and cover with another towel.

Change to another fomentation after 5 minutes, placing a cold flannel briefly on the area between applications.

Repeat 3 or 4 times.

If you begin to sweat, place a cold flannel on your forehead.

After the last fomentation is removed, rub the area briskly with a cold flannel and then rest for half an hour.

The heat of fomentations promotes sweating and elimination of toxic wastes.

It also relaxes local spasm and relieves pain.

It is useful for muscle pain and spasm, lumbago, neuralgia, dysmenorrhoea and renal colic.

Body Packs

These are particularly useful for easing congestion and encouraging elimination in conditions such as chronic asthma, bronchitis, cough, sore throat, colitis, IBS, constipation, dysmenorrhoea, eczema, acne, cystitis, diverticulitis, hepatitis, urticaria, kidney or pelvic inflammation.

Chest Pack

You need:

small sheet of cotton large enough to wrap round and cover your whole chest from armpits to lower ribs e.g. tea towel, pillow case

small thin towel (approx. size of sheet)

large thick towel

dressing gown

warm socks

Method :

Put on your warm socks.

Wring out the sheet in cold water and place flat on the thin towel.

Wrap both layers round your chest with the damp sheet next to your skin and pin in place. Wrap the large towel over the top and then put on your dressing gown.

Get into bed or otherwise relax in a warm room.

The cold, damp cotton should warm very rapidly next to your skin.

Notes: If it fails to warm within 5 minutes, take it off and rub your skin rapidly with a dry towel; abandon the treatment for that day as your body is not responding vitally. Seek advice as to maybe trying a hot fomentation instead.

Otherwise keep the pack on for ideally 3 to 4 hours (or overnight) – the sheet should be dry when you take it off.

Repeat the pack every 2 days (or as directed) but wash the sheet before reuse as it absorbs waste products from the skin.

Trunk Pack

You need: as for the chest pack but make sure the sheet will cover from at least your mid-chest to over your hips.

Follow directions as for the chest pack.

Stabilising your spine with biofeedback

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 15:13:31 GMT

These instructions are taken from the Chattanooga STABILIZER Pressure Bio-feedback device, with some editing and additions for clarity.

Unfortunately it is difficult to source this device at the moment, but there are other similar devices on sale from physio supplies. A simple manual blood pressure cuff (sphygmomanometer) is also an excellent substitute - simply mark the dial with coloured lines:

40 mmHg = orange

70 mmHg = brown

Using a pressure biofeedback device to re-train your core stability

The deep muscle system in the lumbar spine and pelvic region is directly responsible for stabilizing the vertebral segments and sacro-iliac joints. The larger, more superficial muscles are involved in moving the trunk.

The deep muscles are under-active in low back pain and the more superficial muscles are often over-active.

A biofeedback pressure device can help you to retrain the deep muscles so that they activate and support your spine appropriately throughout your normal daily activities as well as when you are exercising or training.

General instructions

The cuff of the biofeedback device is placed between the part of the body requiring monitoring and a firm surface (e.g., floor, back of chair, plinth, bed, wall).

Tighten the screw at the base of the pressure gauge.
Pump to inflate the pressure cuff until it molds between the body part and the supporting surface. A pressure of 40 mmHg ( orange band ) is suitable for the resting pressure of the inflated cuff.
The initial baseline pressure may decrease initially as the air back-flows into the tube. Re-inflate before commencing exercise.
Changes in body weight on the cuff will register a pressure change on the gauge.
Pressure on the cuff can be increased, decreased or maintained depending on the exercise/movement required.
After exercise, air is released by loosening the screw.

The biofeedback device can be used to help you to learn to stabilise your lumbar spine and core while activating various upper and lower limb muscles.

This will help you to perform training exercises more effectively as well as improving your body use and posture throughout your normal daily activities.

1. The Prone Test for Transversus Abdominis & Internal Oblique

Place the pressure cuff under the abdomen and inflate to baseline of 70 mmHg (brown band)
Draw abdominal wall up and in without moving the spine or pelvis.
Pressure should decrease 6-10 mmHg.
Hold 10-15 seconds, breathe normally.
Perform 10 repetitions.

2. Training the Corset Action of Transversus

Abdominis in Supine

Place the pressure cuff under the lumbar spine and inflate to a baseline of 40 mmHg (orange band).
Draw in the abdominal wall without moving the spine or pelvis.
Pressure should remain at 40 mmHg (i.e. no movement of the spine).
Hold for 10-15 seconds; breathe normally.
Perform 10 repetitions.

3. Training the Corset Action of Transversus

Abdominis with Leg Loading

Practise this exercise in lying and standing.

Place the pressure cuff behind the lumbar spine and inflate to baseline of 40 mmHg (orange band).
Draw in the abdominal wall without moving the spine or pelvis.
Pressure should remain at 40 mmHg (i.e. no movement of the spine) while leg lifts.
Hold for 10-15 seconds; breathe normally.
Repeat 10 times with each leg.

Figs d & e illustrate the effect of using the pressure biofeedback to control core stability and lumbar spine control during leg movements.

The b iofeedback device can be used to help you to learn to stabilise your lumbar spine and core while activating various upper and lower limb muscles. This will help you to perform training exercises more effectively as well as improving your body use and posture throughout your normal daily activities.

4. Lumbar Stabilization During Stretching

Techniques.

These exercises use the biofeedback device to help you to continue to stabilize the spine while adjacent body segments are moved in order to stretch the appropriate muscles.

For each muscle test/stretch, follow the basic stabilization procedure and maintain pressure during the stretch.

1. Test/stretch for tight hip flexors

(Thomas' Test)

2. Test/stretch for tight Rectus Femoris

3. Test/stretch for tight Latissimus Dorsi and Pectoralis Major

4. Test/stretch for tight Tensor Fascia Lata

Have patient lying on their side.
Place pressure cuff between lateral trunk (lumbar spine level) and supporting surface.
Inflate pressure cuff to 40 mmHg (orange band)
Maintain lumbo-pelvic stability by maintaining pressure at 40 mmHg during the stretching manoeuvres.

Remember to keep breathing steadily and quietly throughout all the exercises.

5. Lower Trapezius

Trapezius should be correctly activated through a range of shoulder and arm activities including pull-ups and press-ups.

This exercise uses the biofeedback device to help you to maintain stability of your lumbar spine while activating trapezius.

Place the pressure cuff under abdomen and inflate to baseline of 70 mmHg (brown band)
Draw abdominal wall up and in as described in exercise 1 (prone test for transverse abdominis and internal obliques).
Lift one arm and draw the scapula down and in, towards the spine. The pressure must remain constant.
Hold for 5 seconds.
Perform 10 repetitions.

Isolating hip flexion & extension

A surprising amount of low back pain is caused by over-use of the lumbar spine muscles.

Many of us spend large amounts of our time sitting - as part of working lives or when relaxing at home. This leads to chronic shortening of our hip flexors (at the front of our hips and spine) and chronic lengthening of the gluteal muscles of our buttock.

This means that these sets of muscles become weak and 'de-activated', while your spinal muscles become over active, tight and reactive .

The biofeedback device can be used to monitor your spinal muscle activity in order to detect substitution for the tested muscle’s action and to help you re-train those muscles so that they activate appropriately.

6. Iliopsoas

Place the pressure cuff behind the lumbar spine and inflate to baseline of 40 mmHg (orange band)
Draw in abdominal wall without thoracic or pelvic movement.
Pressure should increase 8-10 mmHg.
Lift one leg slowly to test position with the other leg unsupported (i.e. no stool). Pressure should remain constant at 48-50 mmHg.
Hold for 5 seconds.
Perform 10 repetitions.

7. Gluteus Maximus

Place the presssure cuff under the abdomen and inflate to baseline of 70 mmHg (brown band)
Draw abdominal wall up and in as described in Exercise 1 (prone test for transverse abdominis & internal obliques).
Extend hip by lifting knee up 5 cm (2 in) off supporting surface. The pressure must remain constant.
Hold for 5 seconds.
Perform 10 repetitions.

Monitoring of unilateral lumbar spine stabilisation for safety & precision of exercises and for protection of the lumbar spine

These exercises use the biofeedback device to monitor the appropriate use of the muscles required in the stabilisation and protection of the lumbar spine during lower limb movements.

The cuff is placed under the opposite side of the spine to the leg movements in order to monitor the correct balancing and stabilisation of the spine and core.

Stabilization Procedure

Place the pressure cuff longitudinally under the back of the side on the spine opposite the limb being lifted in exercise and inflate to baseline of 40 mmHg (orange band)
Control the back position during limb loading activities and keep the pressure on the cuff constant.
In addition, a presetting action of the abdominals may be performed prior to limb loading.

Either

Presetting as for Exercise 2. The pressure will increase 8-10 mmHg. Keep pressure constant.

Presetting with a pelvic tilt position. The pressure will increase 20-50 mmHg. Keep pressure constant.

8. Training of the Deep Cervical Flexors

You will need to mark additional points on the pressure dial:

20 mmHg = red
22 mmHg = green
24 mmHg = yellow
26 mmHg = blue
28 mmHg = grey
30 mmHg = black

Position the pressure cuff under the neck so that it abuts against the occiput. Do not let it slide down to the lower cervical area.
Inflate to a baseline of 20 mmHg (red band)

NOTE: Do not inflate the cuff before insertion behind the neck so as to not disturb your normal cervical curve.

The movement to perform is a gentle nodding of the head as if saying “yes”.
Place the tongue on the roof of the mouth, lips together but teeth just separated. This will discourage substitution with the platysma or hyoids.
Gently nod to target 22 mmHg, just one mark on the pressure dial (green band). See if you can hold the position steadily. If successful, relax and repeat at each target position of 24 mmHg through 30 mmHg (yellow, blue, gray & black bands)
The pressure that the patient can hold steady, with minimal superficial muscle activity, is the one on which you will measure endurance capacity. (i.e. 10 repetitions held for 10 seconds each).

Using the inappropriate muscles to control our posture results in muscle imbalances throughout the body.

Some will be very strong, others will be weak.

Retraining your core stability using pressure biofeedback will go a long way to helping these muscles rebalance.

Vitamin D - health from the sun!

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 16:33:38 GMT

Vitamin D - take a daily capsule of the sun's goodness throughout the winter

Get Fit to Ski

Sun, 28 Nov 2021 15:13:20 GMT

The body's response to injury

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 16:09:11 GMT

The body's response to injury

Almost every fun activity (riding, skiing, base jumping...) has its downside - a risk of injury!

Knowing how your body responds to injury and how it heals, helps you to understand the best ways to help it . Next week, I'll cover what to do to help your body heal as efficiently as possible. Take a look at the slides below for more detail on what happens when you get injured - whatever or wherever the injury, the body's response is basically the same:

Immediate Response Phase

The immune system is constantly primed to respond to any injury: injury releases alarmins (antigens and mediators). Alarmins interact with immune cells to initiate the inflammatory responses.

Blood clotting at the site of injury: Platelets and clotting factors stop bleeding, seal the site from the outside world using a plug of fibrin and also create a barrier between the injury and the rest of the body.
Histamine causes vasodilation and increased permeability of the local capillaries to allow entry of platelets to seal the site, white blood cells that are sent to clear dead tissue and pathogens by phagocytosis and antimicrobials to protect from infection.
Increased permeability also results in excess fluid loss into the tissues.
This is where ice packs and compression can help (see next post for the PRICE protocol) to limit further tissue damage (bruising etc.) from leakage into the surrounding areas.
Local Lymph node actvity is increased to drain waste products safely away.

N.B. Blocking this initial response with anti inflammatory drugs will interfere with this vital protective stage : do not take before at least two hours after injury e.g. paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen (unless instructed to do so by a medical professional)

The body also very quickly releases a counter-inflammatory reaction to control and limit excess inflammatory response (using regulatory T cells, anti-histamines etc.)
Again, this is where ice packs and compression can help (see next post for the PRICE protocol).

Initial healing:

Healing of the damaged tissues by proliferation:

Collagen deposition and granulation tissue formation by fibroblasts, chondroblasts or osteoblasts, depending on the tissue, to form a new, provisional matrix of tissue. These cells tend to contract in order to close the gaps i.e. wounds.
Excessive activity at this stage can lead to scarring. Conversely, too slow laying down of new tissue also leads to scarring as the second phase is not activated.

Second phase healing:

Remodelling

Fibroclasts, chondroclasts, osteoclasts etc. nibble away at the new tissue and programmed cell death (apoptosis) removes excess cells that are no longer needed.
Collagen is realigned under the lines of tension or stress created by using the injured area again.

This is when external scarring can be minimised by massage etc.
And internal scarring is minimised by careful exercise and rehabilitation.

High intensity interval training

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 11:40:00 GMT

High intensity short interval training

Various studies have found consistently improved fitness and body composition effects from high intensity, short interval training, including increased aerobic (yes, surprisingly aerobic fitness is improved compared to normal aerobic type exercise routines) and anaerobic fitness.

Twelve weeks of brief intense interval exercise improved indices of cardiometabolic health to the same extent as traditional endurance training in sedentary men, despite a five-fold lower exercise volume and time commitment (1).

improved skeletal muscle strength and endurance capacity,
decrease fasting insulin and decreased insulin resistance.

Given the markedly lower training volume in the training groups, our results suggest that intense interval training is indeed a time-efficient strategy to induce rapid metabolic and performance adaptations (2).

Professor Izumi Tabata (3), was one of the early researchers of high intensity interval training. He investigated the effects of 20 seconds of very high intensity activity followed by 10 seconds rest, repeated for eight cycles over a total training period of 4 minutes.

He found that the athletes showed improved cardiac and respiratory capacity and fitness compared to a group of athletes following a traditional aerobic routine (medium intensity, medium duration).

Abdominal fat levels are also shown to be consistently reduced by high intensity, short duration training regimes, as compared to moderate intensity type exercise routines - which are often found to actually increase body fat levels, hypothetically due to increased chronic stress reactions in the body leading to a conserving type response.

The graphs below show that adrenaline and noradrenaline levels are significantly elevated after high intensity, short interval sprints.

Plasma noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (AD) concentration of subjects at rest (CON) and following each 6-second sprint (EX) (mean ± SD, n = 12). *Indicates a significant difference from equivalent CON value (P < .05). (4)

This significant response to high intensity interval training is in contrast to that from moderate, steady state aerobic exercise, which results in only small increases in adrenaline and noradrenaline. This adrenaline response to high intensity interval exercise is an important feature of this type of training as catecholamines, especially adrenaline, have been shown to drive lipolysis (fat burning) and are largely responsible for fat release from both subcutaneous and intramuscular fat stores. Even more significantly, more β-adrenergic receptors have been found in abdominal (visceral) fat compared to subcutaneous fat suggesting that high intensity interval training may have the particular potential to lower abdominal fat stores (4).

At the same time, explosive type muscle action results in the recruitment of large motor groups. A motor group is a group of muscle fibres that are all innervated by a single motor nerve. Small motor groups are used for low intensity, fine movements e.g. for postural control, steady movements e.g. walking, and complex movements e.g. typing. Large motor groups are used for high intensity, power movements e.g. lifting heavy loads, running and jumping. Large motor groups consist of large numbers of big muscle fibres and so if you want to build muscle quickly, these are the activities that you should employ.

Larger, more powerful muscles use more energy even when they aren't working and therefore will burn body fat more effectively.

N.B. : if you are already at your ideal body weight, you need to feed muscles effectively too - re-fuel with carbohydrates , for energy stores , and protein for maintaining and building the muscle fibres and their associated connective tissues.

However, no one exercise is perfect:

Compared with other regimens, such as slow, steady weight-bearing exercise e.g. walking, hiking, jogging, classic aerobic routines or resistance exercise such as body-weight training e.g. press-ups, squats, pull-ups or free-weight training, short duration interval training may not be as effective for improving bone mass or core stability.

And high intensity training should be balanced with lots of very low intensity movement in order to re-oxygenate your muscle fibres effectively.

How To Do High Intensity Short Interval Training

The best thing about this type of exercising is not only do you not require any special equipment, you also don’t need much time. The whole routine, including 3 or 4 minutes warm-up beforehand and cool down afterwards, should only take about 10 minutes.

The most important aspects of this type of training are:

Intensity factor : this is not about a brisk walk - you have to really go for it! You should be “out of breath” at the end of each sprint interval.

Duration : it’s a really short time - the intensity has to be so high that you can only sustain it for a maximum of 20 seconds. And note, as your fitness improves you will find you have to up the ante as you will find it harder to get out of breath. So at first you will find that running up a couple of flights of stairs for 15 seconds is enough to get out of breath, but after a couple of weeks you will find this too easy. Then you could try adding a back pack with a few books in it to add resistance, or you could try a different exercise such as burpees (see below for some examples of activities to try)

Recovery Interval : this is interval training so you need to stop after each 10 to 20 seconds of activity and get your breath back. Allow yourself 20 to 40 seconds of recovery time (maybe enough time to walk back down the hill or stairs if that’s what you are using). Long enough for the blood to get back in your legs!, but not so long that your heart rate completely recovers.

Repetitions : Not too many! For the average person, I recommend 4 repetitions. By the end of the fourth repetition you should be feeling like you really don’t want to do another repetition. If you feel you could do more, you have not been exercising intensively enough!

Each routine should only take a maximum of about 10 minutes including your warm up and cool down.

Only highly fit athletes (who are also under the guidance of a coach or physio) can do up to 8 repetitions of the interval training, but it is still important to note all the above conditions to ensure the correct responses.

Post-Exercise Recovery : Only repeat this training 3 times per week (or every other day). It is important to allow your body, muscles and cardiovascular system time to respond to and recover from the interval training. Otherwise the benefits will be lost as your body will have not had time to heal and will go into a chronic stress response state: The interval training, like all types of exercise, puts acute stress on the body and your body should respond to this stress by healing in a stronger state.

High Intensity Short Interval Exercises

Ensure that you are thoroughly warmed up before performing your high intensity intervals: walk or cycle or gently jog on the spot for 3 minutes before you begin your high intensity reps.

You need to use movements that are explosive and incorporate a lot of body mass in order to reach the maximum effort level necessary:

• Sprinting up hill

• Running up stairs

• Sprint cycling

• Treadmill inclined sprints

• Squat jumps

• Burpees

• Lunge jumps

• Box jumps

• Lateral jumps

Some trainers suggest little mini routines e.g. 5 x burpees, 5 x jumping jacks, 5 x lunge jumps, however I find that this leads to excessive mental stress in trying to remember what you are supposed to be doing and therefore leads to reduced exertion levels and increased interval timings. Therefore, by all means add variety to your routines, but stick to one particular movement activity per workout/day.

If required, you can add weight to increase resistance to the exercise and therefore keep the duration timing to maximum exertion within the 20 second window. Try using a back pack filled with books or leg weights. But please take care: Add weight gradually to avoid straining muscles or injuries due to unbalancing yourself.

References

1. Gillen J, Martin B, MacInnis M, Skelly L, Tarnopolsky M, Gibala M. Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment. PLOS ONE. April 26, 2016.

2. Bayati M, Farzad B, Gharakhanlou R, Agha-Alinejad H. A Practical Model of Low-Volume High-Intensity Interval Training Induces Performance and Metabolic Adaptations That Resemble “All-Out” Sprint Interval Training. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. 2011;10(3):571-576.

3. Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, Hirai Y, Futoshi, Miyachi M, Yamamoto K, (1996). "Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max". Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 1996 28 (10): 1327–30.

4. Boutcher SH. High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss. Journal of Obesity. 2011;2011:868305

Mindfulness Technique 2 - transcript from course

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 13:53:50 GMT

Mindfulness Techniques, week 2.

VIDEO ONE

Welcome to week two. We are going to start straight away with a very simple exercise. Please find a piece of paper and pen or pencil so that you are ready to jot down your experiences when I ask you to. Press pause if you need to go and fetch them.

Imagine you are walking down a familiar street...

You see someone you know on the other side of the street...

You smile and nod or wave...

The person makes no response...

Just doesn't seem to notice you...

Carries on walking past without any sign of recognising your existence...

What are you thinking? How do you feel?

Write down your thoughts and feelings now.

Ok, nearly finished? Let’s think about:

The difference between thoughts and feelings.

Here are some examples of some thoughts and feelings that students have written before:

Thought: "He didn't even acknowledge me. What did I do to upset him?" Feeling: Worried

Thought: "I wonder why he didn't look at me?" Feeling: Curious

Thought: "She doesn't like me. Nobody really likes me." Feeling: Depressed

Thought: "You must have seen me. Fine, if that's how you feel. Do what you want." Feeling: Angry

Thought: "She was probably preoccupied with something. I hope she's ok." Feeling: Concerned.

Can you recognise the difference between the thoughts and the feelings? Thoughts are what we often articulate to ourselves in our minds as words, sentences or images. Feelings are those states of emotion that you actually experience both in your mind and, at the same time, actually feel in your body. Maybe as sadness, heavy heart, warmth, welling anger, pressure in the head, tension in the throat.

Take a few moments to think about what you wrote down yourself and see if you can see the difference between your thoughts and your feelings.

Have you noticed how you and the other students have experienced a similar situation in several very different ways. Which one was right?

Well of course we have no way of knowing. The point is all we are doing is interpreting a situation based on

how we are feeling at that particular moment ourselves - our mood at that moment.

our past experiences

our feelings about the future.

Thoughts are not facts.

Thoughts are simply mental events. Those mental events are in your mind. They are not reality. Thoughts are our interpretations of events.

And our emotional reactions reflect the interpretations that we give to situations. They do not reflect the actual situation.

And our moods affect how we interpret events in ways that tend to keep those moods going.

In a depressed mood, we tend to interpret events negatively: we think someone is deliberately ignoring us rather than that she might be preoccupied with troubles of her own. These negative interpretations: she doesn't like me, nobody likes me, I'm not worth liking... take us on a downward spiral of depression.

If we are feeling tense and anxious, we are in a heightened state of alertness to what might go wrong and so we interpret the situation

The more time that you devote to interpreting situations, predicting situations, carefully producing possible conversations and interactions in your mind, with your thoughts, the more your emotional state will be dictated by these, lets face it, fictional situations.

If we think someone is ignoring us because we have done something to upset them, we feel worried; if we think someone is deliberately ignoring us for no reason, we feel angry; if we think the person is preoccupied with his own worries, we feel concerned.

Maybe the other person was following their own interpretation of the situation based on their own feelings and experiences. Most significantly, our thoughts and emotions are so quick to express themselves that we are often unaware of how we are interpreting a situation. We just get taken off down a path of thoughts and emotions. Mindfulness can help us become more aware of how we are reacting and give us the ability to chose to respond differently.

Last week we did an exercise in eating with mindfulness. Our next exercise this week is moving with mindfulness.

END

VIDEO TWO

Week Two A Mindful Movement Exercise

For this exercise you ideally need enough space to reach your hands out to both sides and above your head. If possible do the exercise standing, but you can also follow the movements perfectly well while sitting. The important thing, as always, is that you do the exercise! Wherever and whenever you have the time. You don't need any special clothing. Preferably without shoes. You need about ten minutes.

Press pause while you prepare yourself.

Let's begin.

Standing or sitting with your feet flat on the floor a comfortable hip width apart. Feel the ground beneath your feet. The ground beneath your toes. Beneath your heels, beneath the arches of your feet. Beneath your right foot. Beneath your left foot. Wiggle your toes. Feel the movement of your toes, of your feet, your heels and your ankles.

Notice your calves, your knees. Wiggle your knees a little. Just a little. All your movements should feel comfortable. If they are not comfortable, do a little less.

Notice your thighs, the backs of your thighs, your hips, your pelvis. Wiggle your hips, pelvis and legs a little.

Notice the front of your pelvis, your tummy, your back, your ribcage. Wiggle your whole torso a little.

Notice your shoulders. Wiggle your right shoulder a little. Your left shoulder a little. Just a little, keep it comfortable.

Notice your hands, your fingers. Wiggle your right fingers, your left fingers.

Wiggle your wrists. Just a little.

Notice your forearms, your elbows. Wiggle your elbows just a little.

Notice your upper arms. Your shoulders. Wiggle your shoulders.

Notice your neck. Gentle wiggle your neck upwards.

Notice the back of your head, your scalp, your forehead, your eyes. Wiggle your eyes a little.

Your nose and your lips. Wiggle a little.

Your jaw and your tongue. Give them a little wiggle.

Now back to your feet resting on the ground and your scalp rising to the ceiling.

Look up to your right as if there was a branch of a tree just above you to your right. Only move your head and neck as much as is comfortable for you.

Imagine there is a beautiful bird sitting on the branch with a wonderful long tail of soft feathers hanging down. Reach up with both hands and gently stroke the tail between your hands from the top, down across your body to the tip of the tail. Feel the softness and airiness of the feathers as you stroke them.

Once again reach up and gently grasp the tail again, sweep down the tail once again, enjoying the sensation between your hands.

And once more, this time, if you can, rising a little on to your toes, a little more weight on your right foot than your left, reaching a little further with your hands, sweeping down the tail, across your body, right to the tip which is so close to the ground that you need to bend your hips and knees and ankles just a little.

And once again, looking up to the bird, reaching up from your toes and stretching up with your hands, arms, shoulders, waist and pelvis to stroke the tail all the way down, across your body, bending your hips, knees, ankles just a little, to sweep all the way to the tip of the tail.

Now standing upright again, feet on the ground, shoulders loose, scalp light and floaty towards the ceiling.

You notice a small stone, just a little way in front of you, slightly to your left. You look at this small stone with interest. Start to bend you ankles, knees and hips a little so you can look a little closer. Reach out gently with your arms and hands as if to pick it up. But only bend and reach as far as is comfortable for you. Your don't need to touch the ground. Use just one finger of your left hand to gentle imagine you are rolling the stone around on the ground a little. It doesn't matter if you can't reach the stone on the ground. You can still roll it around a little.

Now start to straighten again. Feel your buttock and thigh muscles work to straighten your legs. Feel the ground under your feet again as your weight evens out between your two feet again.

Feel the ground beneath your toes. Beneath your heels, beneath the arches of your feet. Wiggle your toes. Feel the movement of your toes, of your feet, your heels and your ankles.

Notice your calves, your knees. Wiggle your knees a little. Just a little. All your movements should feel comfortable. If they are not comfortable, do a little less.

Notice your thighs, the backs of your thighs, your hips, your pelvis. Wiggle your hips, pelvis and legs a little.

Notice the front of your pelvis, your tummy, your back, your ribcage. Wiggle your whole torso a little.

Notice your hands, your fingers. Wiggle your right fingers, your left fingers.

Wiggle your wrists. Just a little.

Notice your forearms, your elbows. Wiggle your elbows just a little.

Notice your upper arms. Your shoulders. Wiggle your shoulders.

Notice your neck. Gentle wiggle your neck upwards.

Notice the back of your head, your scalp, your forehead, your eyes. Wiggle your eyes a little.

Your nose and your lips. Wiggle a little.

Your jaw and your tongue. Give them a little wiggle.

Now back to your feet resting on the ground and your scalp rising to the ceiling.

Enjoy the sensations within your body for a little while.

Become more aware of the room around you again and bring your standing mindfulness meditation to an end.

END

Video THREE

A Week Three Daily Activity: Mindful Movement

Just as we did together, I would like you to repeat this exercise every day this week.

You can follow this video each day or use the audiofile attached to this lecture.

Press pause while you prepare yourself.

Let's begin.

Notice your calves, your knees. Wiggle your knees a little. Just a little. All your movements should feel comfortable. If they are not comfortable, do a little less.

Notice your thighs, the backs of your thighs, your hips, your pelvis. Wiggle your hips, pelvis and legs a little.

Notice the front of your pelvis, your tummy, your back, your ribcage. Wiggle your whole torso a little.

Notice your shoulders. Wiggle your right shoulder a little. Your left shoulder a little. Just a little, keep it comfortable.

Notice your hands, your fingers. Wiggle your right fingers, your left fingers.

Wiggle your wrists. Just a little.

Notice your forearms, your elbows. Wiggle your elbows just a little.

Notice your upper arms. Your shoulders. Wiggle your shoulders.

Notice your neck. Gentle wiggle your neck upwards.

Notice the back of your head, your scalp, your forehead, your eyes. Wiggle your eyes a little.

Your nose and your lips. Wiggle a little.

Your jaw and your tongue. Give them a little wiggle.

Now back to your feet resting on the ground and your scalp rising to the ceiling.

Look up to your right as if there was a branch of a tree just above you to your right. Only move your head and neck as much as is comfortable for you.

Once again reach up and gently grasp the tail again, sweep down the tail once again, enjoying the sensation between your hands.

Now standing upright again, feet on the ground, shoulders loose, scalp light and floaty towards the ceiling.

You notice a small stone, just a little way in front of you, slightly to your left. You look at this small stone with interest. Start to bend you ankles, knees and hips a little so you can look a little closer. Reach out gently with your arms and hands as if to pick it up. But only bend and reach as far as is comfortable for you. Your don't need to touch the ground. Use just one finger of your left hand to gentle imagine you are rolling the stone around on the ground a little. I doesn't matter if you can't reach the stone on the ground. You can still roll it around a little.

Now start to straighten again. Feel your buttock and thigh muscles work to straighten your legs. Feel the ground under your feet again as your weight evens out between your two feet again.

Feel the ground beneath your toes. Beneath your heels, beneath the arches of your feet. Wiggle your toes. Feel the movement of your toes, of your feet, your heels and your ankles.

Notice your calves, your knees. Wiggle your knees a little. Just a little. All your movements should feel comfortable. If they are not comfortable, do a little less.

Notice your thighs, the backs of your thighs, your hips, your pelvis. Wiggle your hips, pelvis and legs a little.

Notice the front of your pelvis, your tummy, your back, your ribcage. Wiggle your whole torso a little.

Notice your hands, your fingers. Wiggle your right fingers, your left fingers.

Wiggle your wrists. Just a little.

Notice your forearms, your elbows. Wiggle your elbows just a little.

Notice your upper arms. Your shoulders. Wiggle your shoulders.

Notice your neck. Gentle wiggle your neck upwards.

Notice the back of your head, your scalp, your forehead, your eyes. Wiggle your eyes a little.

Your nose and your lips. Wiggle a little.

Your jaw and your tongue. Give them a little wiggle.

Now back to your feet resting on the ground and your scalp rising to the ceiling.

Enjoy the sensations within your body for a little while.

Become more aware of the room around you again and bring your standing mindfulness meditation to an end.

END

VIDEO FOUR

A Week Two Activity: Walking with Mindfulness.

This activity is a continuation of this week's theme of mindfulness movement. Walking is great exercise and suitable for almost anyone. And of course you are included if you need a stick or a wheelchair to help you. You can walk as quickly or slowly as you like. And for as far as you like.

I'd like you to go for at least one walk this week. Your normal daily commute is included, although it would be great if you could find a different time to walk - use it as another habit releaser exercise!

As you walk, focus on your feet as they make contact with the ground. Feel the movement from your heels to your toes, the effect on the muscles of your legs (or your arms if you are propelling yourself in a wheelchair). Notice how your arms swing, how your whole body twists and sways as you walk.

Look around you. Look up at the buildings, at the trees. Notice what is happening around you. Stop and look for a while if you like. Notice all those things you wouldn't see at normal eye level. Stoop down and look around you as if your were a child or an animal - what would they notice? Look up at the top of the buildings, the top of the trees. What might a bird on the telegraph wires be able to see?

Notice the birds and the animals; the insects and the flowers. Smell the different aromas around you: the grass, the traffic, the smell of different buildings and businesses.

What can you hear?

Feel the heat from the ground, the pavement and the buildings.

Feel the air as it moves around you; the breeze on your face, the sound of the wind in your hair.

Wander along for a while at a slower pace. Then speed up. How does your body feel as you move faster through the air?

Now choose a colour. And for the rest of your walk look for that colour. It could be the colour red or it could be a particular shade of a colour such as lime green. Notice how widespread some colours or hues are and how even if you have chosen a colour you wouldn't expect to see very much in nature or in the town, it will be there. Notice how in finding the colours, you see so much more around you.

You can make notes of anything you noticed in Assignment Six.

END

Optimise your health and fitness

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:42:35 GMT

Optimise your health & fitness

Eat Enough ◊ Move Enough ◊ Rest Enough ◊ Live Enough

There is a wealth of information available on diet, nutrition, exercise and how to live your life. We are bombarded every day in newspapers, television, in magazines, online and even in your email in-box. Everyday, a new piece of research contradicts what was the definite answer only the week before. Often, the same piece of research is presented in different media with different recommendations

However, for the vast majority of people it is really very simple:

Eat a varied diet of nutritious food

Get enough rest and relaxation

Take regular exercise

Live enough: Play, party, potter, pamper, progress...

Of course if you suffer from certain health problems (illness, disability, dysfunctions, food intolerances, food allergies) it can be a little more complicated. However even for you, the general rules still apply, you may just need more help in some areas.

Which foods? What exercise? And how much?

In the Advice & Information section, you can find more detailed information about our recommendations and the research and evidence behind them.

About Naturopathic Medicine: An Integrated Approach to Better Health

Health is more than the absence of obvious disease. It is dependent upon the individual and is a reflection of a harmonious interaction with our environment - both internally, within our body, and externally. Dysfunction in one area invariably leads to disruption elsewhere.

People are genetically, biochemically, structurally and emotionally different from one another.

From the moment of conception, through birth, childhood, illness and injury, each person responds in a unique way to influences whether they are mental/emotional, structural, nutritional, social or cultural.

Naturopathic medicine aims to establish health on a cellular level by improving circulation and innervation, nutrition, detoxification and elimination.

Naturopathy is not a single therapy. It is not even a group of therapies. It is a philosophy of health that is at least as old as the time of Hippocrates and adheres to the principle of ‘ first do no harm ’. It is used by the naturopathic practitioner to assist in increasing the vitality of the individual and to educate the patient in the long-term attainment and continuance of good health .

Traditionally, naturopathic medicine follows a Triad of Health model.

The Triad of Health describes the connection and interaction between the structural, biochemical and mental/emotional components of all living beings.

Naturopathic medicine uses a broad range range of techniques including diet and nutritional medicine, detoxification treatments, herbal remedies, good breathing practice, hydrotherapy, postural re-education, relaxation techniques and emotional management techniques.

Osteopathy & the Neurological Integration System

Osteopathy complements naturopathy perfectly as the structural and mechanical component of the treatment.

The Neurological Integration System (NIS) assists in a complete naturopathic assessment, diagnosis and treatment protocol:

all functional areas of the human body - the musculoskeletal system, organ function, hormonal balance, the immune system, emotions and behavioural patterns - are monitored and coordinated by our central nervous system.
the Neurological Integration System reveals disturbed communications between all our body’s systems and enables a 'reset' of the normal connections. Comparable to an update for a troubled operating system of a computer, only many times more complex!

Live Enough: Play, Party, Potter, Pamper, Progress...

Naturopathic medicine also takes note of evolutionary living principles, which are based on the millennia we spent living as hunter-gathers. Then, as now in existing natural primal lifestyles in Africa, South America and the Arctic, we were strong, lean, fit, agile - both physically and mentally - and fertile. We interacted on a moment by moment basis with our environment; all five, possibly six, of our senses alive and active.

Whether at work in an office environment, in your hobbies, as a parent or as an athlete, being Fit-to-Live means having the energy, strength and enjoyment to live your life to the full.

Live Enough: Play, Party, Potter, Pamper, Progress...

Goldenseal - the best antibacterial

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 16:25:46 GMT

Goldenseal - the most versatile & effective antibacterial

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)

Goldenseal root is one of my favourite herbs. It seems to act as a general immune system booster with antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal properties.

I usually recommend it as capsules for helping winter illnesses such as coughs and generally for boosting the body’s immune response.

It seems to be effective against chronic infections, particularly

• chronic urinary tract infections

• respiratory tract infections

• allergic rhinitis and hayfever

• gastric irritation

The tincture can be diluted and used to ease inflammation of mucous membranes including:

• mouth ulcers

• sore, inflammed gums

• blepharitis (inflammed eyelids)

N.B as with all herbal remedies, please read the label and consult your doctor ir a professional herbalist or naturopath if you are unsure if you should use it and particularly if you already take other medications.

Goldenseal root has been over-harvested in the wild, but is now being grown commercially in North America and in Scotland (Poyntzfield Nursery). Quality products are not cheap and there are inferior products on the market.

My recommendations are the Natures Way Goldenseal Root capsules for ease of use, or Nature's Answer Goldenseal tincture if you wish to use it as a mouth wash or eye wash.

Fighting colds and 'flu

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 15:13:20 GMT

The 'ability to perform' triangle of health

The common cold and influenza are both viral illnesses and both can linger if not dealt with promptly! Swipe through the slides for what to do at the first signs of trouble: tiredness, aching joints, thick or sore throat, sneezing, coughing, runny nose....

Your Body’s Defence Mechanism

The key to fighting infections is to understand what the virus or bacteria want from your body – basically to multiply and spread through your own body and to other people!

Your body has various defence mechanisms to stop infections from first getting into the body and then spreading through the body:

Skin
nasal mucosa and hairs
saliva
tonsils
white blood cells
antibodies

Infections have ways of moving from person to person and they are clever – if you have a cold the rhinovirus (common cold virus) is careful not to make you so ill that you can’t go out and about to sneeze and spread the virus to other people!

In this way that particular rhinovirus gets stronger (more virulent).

Of course the human body is clever too – its immune system is constantly developing and so eventually fights off the virus. Some people will be able to fight the virus without it ever managing to develop at all and in time that particular strain of rhinovirus dies out.

The influenza (flu) virus is more powerful than the rhinovirus so although droplets also spread it, it is not necessary to sneeze – just normal breathing can spread the virus.

Flu can be a really nasty illness and it is important that you allow your body to fight it effectively.

First and foremost try to stay at home:

Stops the spread and so weakens the virus
By keeping warm you help kill the infection (it is no coincidence that colds are more common in the winter – they love cold noses!)
By resting you allow your body to focus on fighting the infection
Sniff Tea Tree Oil and eucalyptus oil
Eat healthily
Take Goldenseal root (ask me for the best source in your region)

Allow your body to fight the infection

When your body notices it is infected, it sends signals to your body to:

Raise your body temperature and create a fever (infections hate heat) so embrace and nurture a fever by keeping warm. Much of the muscle aches associated with flu are as a result of the body shivering to try to keep the fever going. Monitor with a thermometer, particularly in children (always seek medical advice for fever in young children), and only use cold flannels and paracetamol if the temperature goes above 102F.

Remove iron and sugar from your blood (infections need to eat too), which is why you feel weak when ill, so do not eat rich meaty or sugary foods.

Sends white blood cells to trap and eat the infection.

Stimulates little hairs (cillae) in the lungs and nose to sweep the infection up and out of the body so do not use cough suppressants.

Prevention

Use hand steriliser gel frequently. Particularly if you commute by public transport or work in an office or similar. They really do help to protect you from the spread of infections.

If someone has sneezed near you or at the first sign of your own sneezing, start sniffing Tea Tree oil - literally sniff straight from the bottle!

Help your body to fight the infection

Avoid taking painkillers if at all possible. They slow down your body’s immune response and prolong the infection.

Keep warm and try a hot bath with a couple of handfuls of Epsom salts or magnesium chloride salts with maybe a few drops of eucalyptus or Olbas oils

Eat (if you have an appetite) plenty of cooked vegetables with small amounts of meat, fish or tofu - preferably cooked together as a stew or soup to retain the nutrients.

Eat small amounts of fruit: apples, berries or pineapple. Avoid very sweet fruit like grapes or mango.

Avoid sugar and starchy carbohydrates (sweets, biscuits, cakes, rice, pasta) like the plague - they are easy food for your invaders and disturb your body’s defence systems.

Use steam inhalations with few drops of eucalyptus or Olbas oils to loosen sinuses and tight chests. Or simply sniff the bottles!

Blow your nose as necessary and dispose of the tissues in a closed bin or flush in toilet. Then wash your hands and use hand steriliser.

Take Goldenseal root - it is the best herb for fighting viruses and secondary bacterial infections (post coming soon with more info). Ask me for the best product available in your region.

Carrots are very high in carotenes, potassium and zinc, which are extremely effective immune system boosters as well as protecting mucus membranes of the nose, sinuses, throat and lungs. Hit a bug early by drinking the juice of 1kg of organic carrots twice a day for two days. (Juices aren’t normally on my recommended eating list, but this is a very particular exception)

Potassium broth – chop organic carrots, onions, cabbage, any other greens, celery, parsley, garlic, pinch of salt. Simmer in plenty of water for 30 minutes. You can drink whole or strain and just drink the broth.

Tight chests from coughing - try a chest pack. Look out for a post coming soon...

Wither wiggle

Sat, 07 Dec 2019 18:45:09 GMT

Working on the gorgeous Wijnand, currently performing @mondwind,

using a withers to sternum fluidity mobilisation

This is a lovely technique, which builds on releases achieved through the wither wiggle thoracic girdle mobilisation technique described below:

The Wither Wiggle

Mobilising your horse’s thoracic girdle is relatively straightforward and very rewarding.

Why?

The spinous processes of the first few thoracic vertebrae form the withers. Because they are so long, there is a lot of leverage created when you wiggle them just a mm or two. So you can have an effect on the whole chest area:

rib cage & sternum
lymphatics
fascia surrounding the mediastinum, lungs and thymus
muscles and fascia of the shoulder, neck, pectorals & serratus ventralis

Since the thoracic girdle takes so much strain during jumping as well as supporting the forehand for self carriage, any help you can give this area to improve its general circulation and the fluidity of the interconnecting fascia will be appreciated by your horse.

How?

Stand by your horse’s side facing his withers and using both hands take a soft hold of the highest point of his withers. These are the spinous processes of the vertebra and they are significantly longer in some horses than others - native ponies tend to have much shorter SPs, so adapt your grasp and don’t dig your nails in!

Now just start to gently push away from you and pull back towards you. Gently! We are only looking for 1 mm of movement - remember this will translate into much more movement of the ribs due to the long lever effect. Smile! & relax into the movement.

Get a feel for the rhythm and quality of the movement: some horses have a faster body tissue rhythm than others - it could be 2 or 3 swings per second or less than 1 swing per second. Constantly assess your horse or pony for comfort - if he or she shows signs of scepticism, go lighter!

If he is very tight, even what seems like only a little bit of movement may be uncomfortable for him. Do just a little every day and you should see improvements in freedom of movement, girthiness, ability to stretch out and release in work, willingness to jump.

Have fun!

Tai chi for health & well being

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 14:13:20 GMT

A step by ste p guide to get you started learning Tai Chi. Improve your balance and find inner calm. This course is for anyone who has been wanting to learn Tai Chi, but can't get to lessons or finds the instructor goes too quickly for them.

You will improve your balance beyond measure and directing your mind onto the exact ways in which you are changing your balance and moving your body, acts to sooth and calm your mind: mindfulness and meditation.

Guang Ping Yang Style T’ai Chi Ch’uan (Part 1, Movements 1 to 12)

Welcome to Tai Chi for Absolute Beginners.

I have taught this sequence of Tai Chi movements to clients and patients over the last 20 odd years and find it invaluab le as part of helping rehabilitate from back pain or other injuries or simply as a meditation and mindfulness method.

Even just the very first movement in the sequence, which takes just a few minutes to start learning, is a complete exercise in body awareness and balance in its own right.

I strongly recommend, that even if you don’t think you want to learn the whole Tai Chi sequence, that you go to that first video and learn Strike Palm, Ask for Blessings.

It’s available free as a preview and I would love for you to learn and practise that movement; I know it will bring huge benefits to your body, mind, energy and life!

Back pain and posture

Sun, 20 Aug 2017 06:12:07 GMT

Back pain & posture:

How to keep your back healthy and pain free

Trouble with your back does not simply produce pain in the back. Often it may cause symptoms in more remote areas such as the buttocks, groin, hips, and legs (commonly called sciatica). And problems in the spine and neck can also cause symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, clicking jaw, pins and needles.

Indeed research has shown that problems related to the back may affect over 60% of the UK’s population at some stage in their lives.

Keeping a healthy spine and joints

When young, the body can usually adapt easily to the stress and strain it is put under. As it grows older (over 25 yrs!) it begins to lose some of the elasticity which gives the flexibility to cope and adapt.

In particular this applies to the discs and joints between each vertebrae. These require regular movement to maintain their mobility and ensure good blood circulation and nutrition to the surrounding fluids and tissues.

10 top tips for back care

Keep moving and stretching
Take regular exercise
Take frequent breaks between repetitive tasks and vary the rhythm
Change position – avoid ‘computer hump’
Pace yourself when the work is heavy eg. gardening
Adjust car seats, and on long journeys, have breaks and stretch
Watch children’s posture – don’t let them carry bags on one shoulder
Avoid strain when lifting especially when shopping and with small children
Is your bed the right bed or is it getting old?
Seek osteopathic advice earlier rather than later

Osteopathy for back care

Osteopaths are trained professionals who are skilled in diagnosing problems, including those which may require further investigation if necessary. Osteopaths have treated thousands of patients successfully over the past one hundred years and continued success is demonstrated by reliable and practical results.

The osteopath will explain to you clearly what the problem is. If they can help they will explain what they can do to help and also offer advice on self-help treatments.

Please also see thefor more information.

The best sitting posture

What a great illustration of the best advice to all those who have to sit for long periods of time: the ideal sitting position is one that continually changes [Callaghan & McGill 2001b].

Prolonged sitting in general, is linked to an increased risk of disc herniation (slipped disc).

On the other hand, prolonged upright sitting leads to higher activation of the psoas and back extensors, which impose their own compressive stresses on the lumbar spine.

Get Fit to Sit

So what can you do to improve your sitting posture? Well, you need to be Fit to Sit!

General body fitness is arguably even more important when you are in a sedentary occupation. This means active walking, cycling, dancing, climbing stairs... anything that raises your heart and breathing rate enough to make it a little difficult to hold a conversation, for preferably for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. (Look out for a post coming soon about recommended exercise levels, a little preview: it’s no longer 10,000 steps a day...)
Strengthening your core stability muscles helps you to be able to sit in a wide variety of postures and positions, including standing. But take care, sit-ups are not the way to strengthen your abdominals and core: sit-ups will damage the backs of most people. Much better are the bird-dog, side-bridge and single-leg pelvic bridge. (More about core stability exercises coming soon).
Perform a back and disc relieving stretch when getting up from sitting: standing with knees very slightly bent, imagine that there is a high shelf up in front of you, but don’t look up at it, aim the top of your head at it. Slowly bring both arms up in front of you until you are reaching up to that shelf. Take good note of your back - your back should feel slightly stretched; and of the front of your rib cage - your rib cage should not raise up, but rather stay held down by an automatic activation of your abdominal oblique muscles.
Change your position regularly. Use your chair to help: either have two or more different chairs, preferably at different positions to your desk, or make sure you use your adjustable office chair to its full!
Use a rolled or folded towel, cushion or cushions to help support you and take the strain off your muscles.
Try standing for short periods to work - maybe use the top of a filing cabinet to do some work.
Experiment with a wobble cushion #dynaircushion for your desk chair or even a gym ball (but build up usage times slowly).
Most importantly, get up and do something else for at least 5 minutes in every hour.

What is osteopathy

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 16:07:54 GMT

What is osteopathy?

Osteopathy is the modern, scientific development of two of the oldest forms of treatment known to man - massage and manipulation.

It is essentially a natural therapy, which seeks to overcome the wide range of diseases, disabilities and pains which result from disturbances of the body's framework and moving parts.

The osteopath's job is to diagnose and treat faults that occur in this m echanical system due to injury, stress or any other cause, to ensure that it is functioning as efficiently as possible.

When our structure is in harmony and balance, just like a well tuned engine, it will function with the minimum of wear, stress and use of energy, leaving more vitality available for living!

What do Osteopaths Treat?

Osteopathy is most commonly related to low back pain - Britain's largest single cause of lost working days. But osteopathy and naturopathy can be used to treat a wide range of musculo-skeletal and systemic conditions.

These include:

Back and sciatic pain

Neck pain

Shoulder tension and headaches

Disc injuries

Sports injuries

Ligamentous and muscular strains

Tennis elbow &

Frozen shoulder

Knee, ankle and foot injuries

Osteoarthritis

Fatigue, post-viral and stress-related conditions

Postural problems

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Post-injury rehabilitation

Jaw, facial pain & Dental problems

Osteopathy is a manual therapy, which aims to improve health by enabling optimal mobility in the body.

Osteopathy uses many of the diagnostic procedures involved in conventional medical assessment and diagnosis. Its main strength lies in the unique way the patient is assessed holistically from a mechanical, functional and postural standpoint.

Treatment is aimed at improving mobility and/or reducing inflammation by using gentle manual osteopathic techniques on joints, muscles and ligaments.

This is achieved using gentle spinal release techniques, joint mobilisations, soft tissue and neuromuscular therapy. Osteopathic treatment stimulates and strengthens the body's inherent powers of recovery and improves the patient's vitality. Patients generally find the treatment to be pleasant and relaxing although there may be a short-lived exacerbation of symptoms as the body strives to return to good health.

Patients are given positive advice, related to their lifestyle, about how they use their body. Age is no barrier to osteopathy since each patient is assessed individually and treatment is gentle.

About Your Consultation

When you visit your osteopath for the first time you will be asked questions relating to your problem, such as how the problem started, what makes the problem better or worse and also about your medical history.

Your osteopath will then examine the area using specialised osteopathic techniques and other more general examination techniques which your doctor would be familiar with. In order to do this properly it may be necessary to remove some clothing; some people like to bring in shorts or wear light clothing for examination and treatment.

At this stage your osteopath will discuss their findings, what they feel the problem is and what they can do to help. Your osteopath will describe their initial diagnosis, what techniques they will use to treat the problem and how these techniques will help your condition. They will develop a personal and specific treatment plan to ensure the most prompt and appropriate course of action. This should include pain relief, prevention of a reoccurrence and long term structural, functional, and postural well being.

If your osteopath feels the problem is not suitable to be treated with osteopathy you will be advised as to the most appropriate person to consult, which may be your GP, for further tests or treatment.

It is not necessary to see your GP before seeing an osteopath. If further investigations are required your GP may be contacted, but only with your consent.

More about Osteopathic Treatment

Osteopaths treat a wide range of conditions, including changes to posture in pregnancy, babies with sleeplessness, repetitive strain injury, postural problems caused by driving or work strain, the pain of arthritis and sports injuries.

About 70% of patients present with back and/or neck pain, with or without radiating or radicular pain patterns. However osteopathy is effective for the whole range of joint and muscle dysfunctions including arthritic changes and trauma. Many presentations do also include a spinal aspect though.

For example, a 35 year old builder presented recently with right elbow and wrist pain. On questioning he had a history of neck pain and on occasion does a fair amount of joinery work. On examination the right lateral epicondyle of humerus was tender and swollen; he also had a fixed kyphotic dorsal region with exaggerated lordotic lumbar and cervical spine alongside a protracted shoulder girdle. If only the right wrist extensors and supinators were treated then although there may have been a little short-term relief, the problem would probably have soon returned. By treating the spine and shoulder girdle to improve mobility and normalise his posture the excessive work strain being put on his elbow was spread and absorbed through the rest of his body.

In general, patients require between two and six treatments for effective resolution of symptoms. In the case of chronic conditions such as arthritis, these treatments are usually spread over a number of months with the patient actively participating in learning exercises and management techniques to improve their long-term health.

Back injuries - facet joint pain

Thu, 11 May 2017 16:00:13 GMT

Back pain & injuries - facet joint pain

About spinal facet joint syndrome

Facet joint syndrome is a common cause of back pain.

A severe acute episode of facet joint pain may be due to sudden movement, which traumatises the facet joint.

More often, facet pain, or Facet Syndrome is chronic in nature - that is, the underlying cause is due to long term changes in the facet joint that are often associated with repeated injuries and degenerative disc disease.

The facet joints are situated at the back, on either side of the spinal column, between the discs and the vertebral bodies.

Each vertebra has bony prominences on each side that form a facet joint with the vertebra above and below. The facet joints are enclosed within a joint capsule and research has shown that in the lower back there can be a 'meniscoid' (cartilage disc) structure within the joint space, just like a mini version of the meniscus in the knee joint.

The role of the facet joints is to limit excessive movement and provide stability for the spine.

Symptoms

Typically, there is back pain just to one side of the spine.

This is normally made worse by side bending toward the affected side or extending the spine (backward bending).

The back will generally feel stiff in the morning.

In some cases there may be irritation of the nerve roots, which emerge from the spinal cord at the level of the problem, causing pain to refer to the buttock, groin or hamstring region. This is known as sciatica. In other cases, the pain may be felt in the front of the thighs.

Often this problem is made worse by prolonged sitting or standing in one position.

The diagnosis can usually be made based on the history of the condition, and the presence of the signs and symptoms listed above.

If there is any doubt, or if the pain does not resolve with treatment, it may be necessary to have an x-ray of the spine. A CT scan or MRI scan may also show the problem.

Treatment

Acute joint sprain:

Follow R.I.C.E protocol. Stop the activity, rest in a comfortable position, preferably lying down and apply ice or a cold pack for 10 minutes every hour for 6 hours to reduc e internal bruising to the muscle. The nearby muscles may tend to spasm for the first two or three days after injury. Alternate hot and cold compresses can help to ease the spasms. Avoid over-working the back for several days but do try to continue with as near to normal activities particularly walking to keep the area actively healing. See Ligament Sprains.

It is important to keep the region warm to relieve back pain and muscle spasm, but preferably using clothing, a pad or pillow avoiding hot water bottles or similar as these tend to cause congestion of the area.

Rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) drugs e.g. paracetamol, aspirin or ibuprofen should help settle the problem in a week or two .

Massage may help to ease the pain but care should be taken not to relax the surrounding muscles too quickly as this may lead to more severe reflex spasms as the back is attempting to protect the joints form further injury.

Gentle osteopathic mobilisations help to clear the inflammation from the joints and ease the tenderness. If the joint is ‘nipped’ manipulation may be used to free the joint.

Mild to moderate joint sprain:

This is usually noticed the next day when there may be significant pain and stiffness on getting up in the morning. A warm shower or bath, especially with Epsom salts will help to ease the stiffness. See the Hydrotherapy page. Again refrain from the offending activity but do keep on the move.

Osteopathic manipulation of the joint with a controlled thrust will reduce muscle spasm, free off nerves, open up the facet joint and break down early scar tissue, which may limit movement.

Memory tape strapping or a Back Brace can provide reassurance and support to the lower back

Causes of Facet Joint Sprain

Back pain from the facet joints may arise from several causes: a sudden accident including falls, jerks or car crash can cause facet joint ligament sprain if the surrounding muscles don’t contract quickly enough to protect the area.

Poor posture where the back is in one position for along period (usually flexed forward) e.g. sitting slumped or bending whilst working or gardening may cause the back muscles to become excessively tired and the ligaments close to the facet joint to become stretched. Then, when you try to stand up straight, the muscles do not behave properly, the facet joint may not straighten correctly into their proper position and become ‘nipped’ or ‘locked’.

Several theories have been put forward, including nipping of the facet joint capsule or the meniscoid tissue between the two bones. This may be mild or severe at the time but, as with trauma to any such joint, there is an inflammatory reaction with swelling and pain in the joint, which causes pain to increase over-night and may last for several days.

With chronic facet joint pain, the underlying cause is due to long term changes in the joint, meaning the pain does not go away in a few days. In most cases there is degeneration within the facet joint, causing an arthritic type problem. This may be a long term consequence of seemingly minor trauma in the past. See our web page about Spondylosis and Spondylitis

Rehabilitation & Protecting Your Back

Poor posture plays a major role in the development of Facet Syndrome.

Prolonged sitting and bending postures, where the lumbar spine is 'flexed' should be avoided as they increase the pressure on the discs. This can lead to disc degeneration and a loss of disc height. As the discs shrink the facet joints come into contact with each other and start to bear weight. This is not what they are designed to do.

In order to avoid disc degeneration, and excessive loading of the facet joints, it is important to take better care of back posture. An understanding of good posture is necessary to achieve this.

Viewed from the side, the spine consists of a series of curves that increase the load-carrying capability of the spine compared to if the spine was just straight.

The lumbar part of the spine consists of a forward curve and as long as this is maintained, posture will be reasonably good. It is important that this improved posture is maintained during all activities, particularly when sitting for long periods - slumping should be avoided.

A Lumbar Roll placed at the bottom of the back or a Seating Support can be effective when sitting.

In the long term, good posture is maintained by increasing the muscular stability of the spine. The osteopath will identify muscles that have become over-stretched or shortened, weak or tense and can then teach a range of exercises and techniques that will help to stabilise the back, including improving abdominal, pelvic floor and back strength. For more information please call or ask in the clinic or visit www.back-stability.co.uk.

Healing Time

Significant facet joint sprains take 6 to eight weeks to heal, but most will be significantly better within a few days.

However, in the case of poor posture or neglecting to avoid the activity or improve technique, the various ligaments and muscles surrounding the facet joints may become weakened and the joint chronically swollen leading eventually to spondylosis (or arthritic changes). Osteopathic treatment and rehabilitation can help to re-order and re-educate the muscles.

In a more chronic type of facet joint problem, particularly with arthritic changes resulting in spondylosis, regular maintenance treatment may be helpful to maintain mobility and strength. However, where there is persistent pain originating from a facet joint problem, an injection of long acting local anaesthetic and anti-inflammatory corticosteroid into the facet joint may be effective in relieving symptoms and, if successful, it confirms the diagnosis.

In order for this approach to work the injection is best done by a Consultant Radiologist under an image intensifier. This device allows the doctor to see exactly where the injection is going. This approach can give very good pain relief, but the effects may wear off after a while and of course there can be unwanted side-effects from the steroid including softening and weakening of the ligaments and cartilage. It may be necessary to repeat the procedure at a later date.

Back pain - structure of your spine

Sat, 22 Apr 2017 12:19:57 GMT

Back pain & injuries

About your back and the parts can cause pain

Structure of your spine

The bones in your spine are called your vertebrae, and you have 33 of them in your spinal column.

Your spine is divided into five regions, each with their own characteristics:

Cervical spine: The vertebrae in your neck are labeled C1-C7, meaning that you have seven vertebrae in that region.
Thoracic spine: Most adults have 12 vertebrae in the thoracic spine (T1-T12), which goes from your shoulders to your waist.
Lumbar spine: There are five vertebrae in your low back (L1-L5).
Sacrum: Your sacrum is made up of five vertebrae between the hipbones that are fused into one bone
Coccyx:. The coccyx is small fused bones at the very tail of your spine

The intervertebral discs

Between each of your vertebrae, you have intervertebral discs. These act like pads or shock absorbers for your spine as it moves.

Each disc is made up of a tire-like outer band called the annulus fibrosus and a gel-like inner substance called the nucleus pulposus.

The process of aging changes the discs and makes them less able to cushion your movements. As you get older, your intervertebral discs also become more prone to problems; they may bulge or herniate.

Together, the vertebrae and the discs provide a protective tunnel (the spinal canal) to house the spinal cord and spinal nerves.

These nerves run down the center of the vertebrae and exit to various parts of the body, where they help you feel and move. You can see the spinal cord running through the vertebrae in the image.

The facet joints

Your spine also has facet joints (also called apophyseal joints), which are on the posterior side (back) of your vertebrae. These joints (like all joints in your body) help facilitate movement and are very important to your flexibility.

The joint surfaces are covered by cartilage, which protects your bones as you move.

Without cartilage, your bones would rub together - this is very painful.

The joint is surrounded by the joint capsule, which is lined with synovial membrane, and bathed in synovial fluid. The joint capsule and synovial membrane contain a lot of blood vessels and nerves. Movement of the synovial membrane promotes the production of synovial fluid.

Cartilage gets most of its nutrition from the synovial fluid and therefore movement of the joints is essential to the health of the cartilage.

The joint is surrounded by ligaments. Ligaments are the strong, flexible bands of fibrous tissue that link bones together. They contain a lot of nerve endings and so that your body knows what each joint is doing all the time. This is called proprioception.

Muscles of the back

Your back also has muscles, tendons, and blood vessels.

Muscles are strands of tissues that power your movement and tendons connect muscles to bones.

They also contain lots of nerve endings to tell your body how stretched or contracted or tired each muscle is at any time. When we ignore warning signs from these nerve receptors, we risk injury.

Blood vessels provide nourishment to all these structures. The arteries and arterioles (mini arteries) carry oxygen attached to your red blood cells, glucose and salt-rich fluids to provide nutrition, white blood cells and platelets to repair damage.

The venules (mini veins) and veins carry away waste products included drained red blood cells, rubbish-laden white blood cells and fluids containing metabolic waste products including lactic acids.

When muscles are tight or tissues are inflamed through injury or disease, the blood vessels can also be damaged or impeded. This reduces their effectiveness to provide nutrition and drainage of waste products form the area and can further exacerbate the problem.

All these parts of your spine work together to help you move. When one part is injured, the resulting tension or instability will affect all the other structures. Strength and stability of the arms and legs also depend on stability of the back and trunk of the body to provide a firm base of support

when your back is injured or weak, your arms and legs do not have a stable base from which to function.

How your osteopath can help

Your osteopath can assess your whole spine and determine the cause of your pain or dysfunction. They will explain what is going on and what the best course of action is - either further investigations, i.e. blood tests or X-rays, or a treatment protocol.

The treatment usually consists of mobilisations and/or manipulations to improve mobility and restore good neurological balance alongside remedial exercises to build strength and stability.

Shoulder pain

Sat, 22 Apr 2017 06:51:02 GMT

Shoulder pain and problems

Structure an d function of the shoulder

The shoulder complex consists of the scapula, clavicle and humerus. For the purposes of this info sheet we will concentrate on the glenohumeral (ball and socket) joint of the humerus (arm bone) with the scapula (shoulder blade) and the coracoacromial arch above.

The shoulder joint allows the arm to be lifted forwards and backwards (flexion, extension), away from and against the side of the body (abduction, adduction) and rotated inwards and outwards (internal, external rotation). When the arm is abducted away from the side of the body, it can only raise so far before the arm bone impacts on the bony coracoacromial arch. Therefore, in order to raise your arm above about 90º, the arm must be externally rotated.

The shoulder joint has a huge range of movement. Unlike other joints, instead of using ligaments to limit and control excess movement, it uses 4 small muscles called the rotator cuff. If one of these muscles is injured and weak, the joint will sit slightly out of place, will move awkwardly and may be painful.

There are also several large muscles which add strength to the shoulder, including deltoid, biceps, triceps, pectorals, latissimus dorsi and rhomboids. If one of these muscles is injured, weak or overly strong it will cause dysfunction of the shoulder and may also cause pain in the neck or back.

Conditions affecting the shoulder

Rotator cuff tendonitis

The four rotator cuff muscles attach to the top of the arm bone. The supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor attach to the back of the scapula. The subscapularis attaches to the front of the scapula and therefore cannot be touched directly.

Overuse of any of these muscles may cause inflammation or a tendonitis. Weakness or strain of one or more of these muscles causes an imbalance in the movement of the shoulder joint and may lead to impingement of the tendons or bursa against the coracoacromial arch, aggravating the inflammation.

It causes pain and aching over the shoulder and top of the arm. It is usually worse at night and can be very sharp on certain movements such as putting on a coat.

If the arm is abducted away from the side, there is a painful arc between 60º and 120º. If the arm is fully externally rotated the abduction may be full range and painless.

It is important to avoid putting more strain and pain on the shoulder. As soon as possible start isometric exercises which should not be painful. Once all movements are pain free concentric strengthening exercises can commence.

If allowed to become chronic, a bursit is may develop, there is muscle wasting, loss of power and movements become more restricted. It may develop into a frozen shoulder.

Bursitis

A bursa is a sac of fluid which protects tendons from injury where they run over bone. There are many bursae in the shoulder but the commonest affected is the subacromial bursa. It protects and enables smooth movement of the supraspinatus tendon and head of humerus under the coracoacromial arch. Chronic injury to the supraspinatus tendon, rotator cuff imbalance or even carrying heavy shoulder bags may all cause the bursa to become inflamed.

Painful movements, usually abduction and external rotation should be avoided until the inflammation dies down. Avoid direct contact including massage and lying on the affected side.

Treat as for rotator cuff tendonitis. If the inflammation persists, a local steroid injection may be advised however it is important to rehabilitate effectively else it may return. More than 2 injections are not recommended as the tissue may be weakened by the steroid

Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)

Basically it is a sticky, inflamed shoulder joint.

The pain starts insidiously and gradually the shoulder stiffens until all movements are very limited, particularly abduction and internal rotation; the pain may radiate down the arm. After about 6 months the pain gradually subsides and the movements eventually start to improve. It may take 6 months to 2 years to resolve although good management can reduce this time significantly.

It often starts with a chronic tendonitis and bursitis and should be treated in a similar way whist accepting that once the entire joint is involved, resolution will take some time.

It is important to avoid increasing the pain. Rest and protect the arm. Avoid lying on the affected side to sleep. Gentle massage will help keep muscles comfortable and as the pain lessens, isometric exercises can be started.

More about Frozen Shoulder

Biceps tendonitis

This may occur on its own with a specific strain, usually lifting or weight training. More often it occurs alongside a general rotator cuff tendonitis. It causes tenderness at the front of the shoulder and weakness of flexion. It should be treated as for rotator cuff tendonitis.

If allowed to become chronic, the biceps tendon may suddenly snap. Maybe surprisingly, once the initial bruising has subsided, it causes little trouble or dysfunction.

Shoulder dislocation/chronic instability

Usually an acute sports injury or road accident, the shoulder usally dislocates through the front of the joint. Once it has been reduced, it is important to strengthen the joint effectively as the rotator cuff will have been disrupted and this could lead to chronic instability.

Acromioclavicular dislocation/recurrent subluxation

Usually a sports injury, the clavicle dislocates and protrudes above the shoulder. It is relatively easy to reduce but commonly remains unstable and subject to recurrent subluxation. It often remains a bony prominence but may give very little trouble although may result in arthritic changes later in life.

Osteoarthritis

Usually of the acromioclavicular joint due to recurrent injuries, subluxations and chronic rotator cuff tendonitis. Causes pain on reaching high overhead, which is therefore best avoided! Best managed by improving rotator cuff stability.

Of the glenohumeral joint itself, is more rare and is usually secondary to fractures or chronic stiffness due to rotator cuff tendonitis or frozen shoulder

As you get older

Sat, 22 Apr 2017 06:35:16 GMT

As you get older

Growing old actively!

Retirement can bring time for leisure, travel opportunities and interests to the older person. This is the chance to take up those sports and activities that you never had time for whilst working and bringing up your family, e.g. golf, gardening, badminton, fitness classes etc..

The body, however, has changed. It has lost some of its elasticity and ability to adapt. It has also experienced injuries and postural stress during those years, often resulting in repetitive strain injuries, stiffness and degenerative changes.

Quality of life is especially important for this age group when there are increasing concerns about loss of independence and mobility.

The onset of health issues such as high blood pressure, digestive and circulatory disorders and arthritis have all begun to have a noticeable effect on the body’s energy and ability to perform.

Many grandparents also help working parents by caring for their grandchildren – a pleasure for many but also a strain on the older body.

Keep active to stay strong

You actually need to be more active than you might think - older muscles and bones need constant stimulation to keep them healthy and strong, and you need to eat quality food with plenty of protein (meat, fish, eggs, cheese, beans and oats) with lots of vegetables (mostly cooked for easy digestion) and fruit to supply extra vitamins and minerals.

Osteopathy for older people

Osteopathy can also help greatly as you get older.

An osteopath will take a full case history so they can understand how the body has been affected so far.

Then, after a full examination and assessment, the osteopath will be able to offer treatment and advice to help improve mobility, circulation and immune function, and reduce joint stiffness so that the older person can enjoy a full and active life in retirement.

The treatment is gentle and aims to maintain health and prevent further injury.

Dietary advice may also be given to help maintain healthy bones and joints.

Remember:

Gentle stretching daily to maintain tissue elasticity and joint mobility
Walk as much as possible to keep circulation healthy and maintain muscle tone
The use of trainers or similar footwear may be more support than especially traditional women's shoes and can help to reduce wear and tear to the knee and hip joints, and can also help reduce back pain when walking on hard pavements.
A daily rest – to recover energy for the rest of the day’s activities

Osteopathy & dentistry

Sat, 22 Apr 2017 06:12:50 GMT

Osteopathy & Dentistry

How osteopathic techniques can help w ith jaw pain and dental dysfunction

The importance of the relationship between cranial osteopathy and dentistry cannot be overstated. Conditions affecting the mouth and teeth have a very direct effect on the rest of the body.

The face is composed of a number of different bones. Some of these bones are very delicate, and they are intricately linked together in a very complex way.

All the bones of the face, like those in the rest of the skull, are free to move very minutely, which they do in a gentle rhythmical way. This movement between the bones is important in maintaining drainage of the sinuses, and permitting the free passage of air through the nose.

Trauma to the face may restrict the normal movement between the bones, and can have very wide reaching effects in the whole body.

Problems with the bones of the face and jaw have links with:

Face pain
Headache
Migraine
Congested sinuses
Ear infections, blocked ears
Neck and back pain
Knee pain
Fatigue
Poor concentration

Dental procedures and their effects on the body

Extraction of teeth

The forces used to extract teeth may be transmitted through to the articulations and joints of some of the delicate bones of the face. This may strain and disrupt their normal movement.

Common Symptoms

Sinus and ear problems, headache, migraine, neck or lower back pain.

The immediate pain and tenderness after an extraction can mean that one side of the mouth cannot be used for chewing, thus creating an unequal bite with resultant strain on the rest of the face, head and neck. This situation can persist if there are gaps left between the teeth, particularly if more than one gap exists.

Dentures and plates

An upper plate or denture has the effect of holding the bones of the upper jaw rigidly together, preventing or severely limiting their natural movement.

Common Symptoms

Headache, congested sinuses, ear problems, eye strain.

Prevention

Plates and dentures should be removed at night to allow the face to free itself off for some hours during each 24 hour cycle.

Loss of all the teeth leads eventually to a loss of bone from the face. It is important that the correct distance or height between the upper and lower jaw is maintained. If the height of the teeth is wrong this can cause imbalance in the action of the jaw muscles and a marked degree of tension in the face and jaw.

Dentures should be replaced regularly as they wear down, and may have to be built up to allow for bone loss over a period of time.

No back teeth

Occasionally people have all their back teeth removed leaving just the front incisors. If no dentures are worn, all biting and chewing is done on the front teeth. This places enormous strain on the structures of the head and neck. It almost always leads to a great deal of neck tension, causing headaches and neck pain.

Braces and Orthodontic work

Orthodontic treatment has a dramatic effect on the normal functioning of the face, and can have repercussions throughout the whole body. Enormous stresses are imposed through the bones of the face as the teeth are forcibly moved in their sockets. This restricts and disrupts normal motion of the facial bones.

Common Symptoms

Headache, clicking jaw, painful joints, irritability, reduced concentration, neck pain, lowered immunity and an increased vulnerability to musculoskeletal strains.

After the brace is removed the stresses do not always dissipate, and are almost always palpable many years later in adults.

Osteopathic treatment is strongly recommended before the brace is fitted, to reduce the underlying stresses as much as possible. During the time the brace is being worn, occasional treatments to help the body accommodate the additional load reduces the secondary symptoms and also helps the teeth to move quicker. After the brace is removed, osteopathic treatment to reduce its long term effects.

Bridges

Bridges generally cause no problem within the mechanics of the face. The exception is a midline bridge across the two upper front teeth. In this situation the bones of the upper jaw become permanently fixed together, which prevents normal movement between the bones.

Common symptoms

The stress induced by a fixed midline bridge will highlight any area of weakness in the body. Symptoms can be almost anything including headache, sinus or ear problems, neck and back pain, even knee and foot pain.

Clicking Jaw

Pain and clicking in the temperomandibular joint (TMJ) is fairly common. There are many causes, one of which may be imbalances and stresses through the face or teeth, and osteopathic treatment can sometimes help.

Bruxism (grinding teeth)

Many people grind their teeth at night or clench their jaw when they are concentrating or under stress. In children, night grinding may be the result of pressure in the head or face from retained birth compression.

Common symptoms

T ension, tenderness and irritability in the muscles of the face, head and neck.

How can Osteopathy Help?

It may seem after reading this that any dental treatment should be avoided!

This is definitely not the case, and much dental work is skilfully performed with the minimum of stress to the mechanics of the face. However, it does highlight the very important connection between stresses resulting from dental treatment, and the types of problems that osteopaths see. The wide subject of facial mechanics is a fascinating one which is often relevant to the patient's presenting symptoms.

Many of the above problems can be successfully treated osteopathically. Obviously if there is a dental problem that is consistently aggravating and causing stress, it is important to have this dealt with by a dentist.

It is worth noting that o steopathic techniques used to treat strains within the face are very gentle .

Sports injuries

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 09:59:39 GMT

Spo rts injuries & how osteopathy can help

Sports activities are a regular way of life for many of us now, and involve people from across all age groups from those who have an avid interest to those who just wish to keep fit; from the elite professional to the casual participant.

Why sports injuries happen

Many of the injuries are the result of overuse i.e. playing too hard and too often e.g. tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and biceps tendinitis, or from not warming up properly beforehand or not cooling down after exercise.

Sometimes incorrect equipment can lead to injury - ill-fitting footwear can cause hip, knee and foot injury (e.g. Achilles injuries).

Sports injuries in older people

Reduced joint flexibility will affect the degree of performance and may result in injury if the player is unaware that they cannot perform to the same level as they used to.

For example golfers who cannot turn at the waist as well as they used to, and the enthusiastic older footballer whose knees do not bend as well as they once did!

Young people & sport

Young people especially are vulnerable in sport as their growing bodies are often expected to perform to high standards - putting exceptional physical demands on them.

Treating injuries promptly helps them to heal in the most effective way possible, reducing the risk of additional stresses on the rest of the body.

Reducing training intensity at times of high growth rates means that their body will come back stronger and more able, setting them up for a successful sporting career.

Osteopathy and sports injuries

An osteopath can help improve performance as well as treat the injuries being suffered.

By using their knowledge of diagnosis and highly developed palpatory skills they can help to restore structural balance, improve joint mobility and reduce adhesions and soft–tissue restrictions so that ease of movement is restored and performance enhanced.

For those of you wishing to keep fit, the osteopath can help you keep supple and improve muscle tone so reducing the risk of injury to soft-tissues unaccustomed to the extra work they are being asked to do.

Remember:

Begin slowly and build up, especially after an injury
Warm up first, and then cool down with stretches afterwards
Drink plenty of water when exercising
Exercise regularly, and try to alternate the types of exercise that you are doing every day.
Following a joint injury
Ice the area for 10 minutes, every hour, if practical.
Apply a bandage to compress the tissues.
Elevate and rest if possible.

The good news is that although sports injuries are common, those who are fit tend to recover more quickly and easily from their injuries.

Work & driving

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 09:58:07 GMT

How an osteopath can help occupational injuries

Reducing risk and helping you back to work

Occupational injuries account for many millions of working days lost each year in Britain.

No matter whether your work is in the office or outside on the land you need to be able to cope with the individual demands made on your body by the style of work you do.

Osteopathy and lifting

Manual work inevitably carries the inherent risk of injury caused by heavy and often awkward lifting, overstretching, and periods of prolonged bending causing back and disc injuries, sciatica, and muscle strains.

Osteopathy and working at a desk

In the office where desk work is more common, there are the dangers of ‘computer hump’ and ‘mouse wrist’, whilst frequent telephone use affects the neck and shoulders causing headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome etc..

Osteopathy and driving

Those who drive for a living need to be aware of their driving position as it affects not only their back, neck and shoulders but also can affect hips, knees and feet.

How osteopathy can help reduce your risk of injury at work

Going to an osteopath demonstrates to your boss that you are taking an active role in trying to improve your health and reduce your injury.

The osteopath will help you look at the style of work you are undertaking and help you find ways of improving the situation and how to prevent a recurrence of your injuries. You will be treated and offered advice on posture and lifting.

An osteopath can also provide you with a sick note if you need time off work.

Tips for reducing pain related to work

Frequent short breaks away from the desk and computer will help avoid back, neck and eye strain.

Make sure if you are driving that you make time to stop, get out and do some brisk exercise for a few minutes every so often on a long journey.

When lifting at work, judge whether you can do this safely or whether you need help. Never be afraid to ask for assistance

For Employers

Osteopathic treatment will usually help to resolve work related injuries earlier so that your work force is more efficient and productive and it will reduce time-off through ill-health.

Some companies already benefit from using an osteopath as part of their care programme for employees thereby improving morale and increasing productivity.

Empowering you to recognise the risks involved with different activites, assess the individual situation, plan and safely complete the task.

Parents & children

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 09:04:08 GMT

Discover the benefits of osteopathy for mothers, babies & children

Osteopathic treatment from pregnancy to adulthood

Osteopathic treatment offers a wonderfully gentle way of helping the body adapt to the changes which are taking place during pregnancy, helping to relieve aches and pains as the mother’s body tries to accommodate the growing baby.

Mothers

Osteopathic treatment can help with low back pain, hip and pelvic pain, neck and shoulder pain, heartburn, indigestion, SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction), post-natal coccyx (base of the spine) pain, mid back pain due to breast feeding – to name just a few.

Osteopaths may also advise on posture and show some self-help techniques for the mother and her partner to do during labour.

The mother is usually advised to return from between 4 to 6 weeks after birth for a post-natal check-up to restore pelvic joint function.

Osteopathy for babies

Not all babies cope well with the powerful processes of birth as they pass down the birth canal. Tension in the skull can keep the baby in an alert state so the baby has difficulty sleeping.

Cranial osteopathy is a very gentle, safe and effective form of osteopathy, and is offered to babies to help them overcome these difficulties.

Often the baby is relaxed after the treatment and sleeps well. Others become more energetic for a while but sleep well that night, whilst others may take a few days to settle after a treatment.

Osteopathy for children & te enagers

Toddlers become children and children become teenagers - and for all of them, their bodies undergo considerable and often rapid change.

A younger child may be susceptible to ear, chest and sinus infections, whilst an older child may have asthma, and the young footballer may be diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatters disease.

For the teenager the school bags become heavier whilst their posture develops the ‘slouch’ - especially with the increasing use of laptops.

During these years, many young people take part in a high level of various sports and recreational activities frequently resulting in injuries which if not treated when young can become a problem later in life.

Many older teenagers also start to take on part-time work which introduces them to yet more physical demands on their still growing and changing bodies.

These difficult and increasing demands carry the risk of injury and structural stress that if not treated now can lead to more chronic conditions in adulthood.

So called growing pains are frequently no more than this. However, all teenagers complaining of back pain should be examined and assessed in order to be clear of the underlying cause.

How an osteopath can help your child

Osteopaths are trained professionals skilled in being able to examine, assess, diagnose and treat those injuries and conditions.

The osteopath will help the body to adapt to the growth changes and to accommodate the effects of hormones, including their effects on the circulation and metabolism as well as on the musculo-skeletal system.

The osteopath will also be able to offer advice on posture and exercise so that the postural stress has less chance of becoming a postural habit.

Some osteopaths may recommend annual check-ups for your child to prevent these injuries/stresses developing or becoming a problem in later life

Speak to your osteopath about “spinal assessments”. Osteopaths can make a full spinal assessment of your child to ensure that any spinal curvatures are detected early on in development. This will aid in monitoring changes and help with any future treatment programme. The osteopath can offer lifestyle advice, or onward referral to another specialist if necessary.

Principles of Osteopathy

Thu, 02 Feb 2017 15:49:32 GMT

An Introduction to the Scope of Osteopathic Treatment

Principles and Practice

Part 1

The Four Osteopathic Principles
The Osteopathic Lesion (Somatic Dysfunction)
The Commonest Osteopathic Presentation - Low Back Pain

Part 2

Osteopathic palpation
An overview of osteopathic techniques
Common Osteopathic presentations
Neck Pain
Headaches

Part 3

The Fascial Influence
The Lymphatic Influence
Postural Influences
Common Osteopathic Presentations
Repetitive Strain Injuries of the Wrist and Hand
Achilles Tendonitis

Part 4

Osteopathy and Arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Osteopathy and Irritable Bowel Disease
Osteopathy and Dysmenorrhoea
Osteopathy and Pulmonary Dysfunction

Part 1 The Four Osteopathic Principles

The body is a unit

Each body part works for the optimum efficiency of the whole organism.
The health of the physical body interacts with the mental and spiritual well-being.

The body has self-regulating mechanisms

The body is dynamic and will attempt to maintain homeostasis or form compensations to external and internal stresses.
Our environment, air, water, food, heat, light, protection, rest all influence health.
Over-compensation may eventually lead to dysfunction - 'the final straw'.

Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated

An individual's structure will determine that person's ability to perform certain tasks.
Functional demands on the body invoke structural changes in an attempt to meet these challenges.

Rational treatment to meet the other three principles

Osteopathic manipulation of the thoracolumbar region aims to improve:
E.g.1: local mobility and support and so aid mobility & posture of the whole body.
E.g.2: posture and so relieve stresses on the diaphragm and epigastric region and improve the self-regulating mechanisms of he body.
E.g.3: the structural balance and therefore the function.

The Osteopathic Lesion (or Somatic Dysfunction)

Impaired or altered function of related components of the somatic (body framework) system: skeletal, arthroidal, myofascial structures and related vascular, neural and lymphatic elements.

Finding the somatic dysfunction enables the osteopath to:

Confirm the structural (or visceral) diagnosis.
Treat the structural component of the patient's problem.
Diagnosis and treatment of areas to support the body's self-protecting and self-regulating mechanisms.

Osteopaths practice the skills of observation and palpation to find the somatic dysfunction

Tissue texture change
Asymmetry
Restriction of motion
Tenderness

The Commonest Osteopathic Presentation - Low Back Pain

Most low back pain is described by patients as originating from an area dubbed 'the multifidus triangle' with its base level with L4 and its apex at the coccyx.

Pain producing structures in this area include:

The posterior muscles of the back
Superficial layer of latissimus
Intermediate layer of erector spinae group
Deep layer of multifidi and rotators
The anterior muscles of the back and abdomen
Quadratus lumborum, iliopsoas, transverses abdominis, obliques
The anterior, posterior longitudinal ligaments, ligamentum flava, supra- and interspinous
ligaments
The posterior longitudinal ligament is narrow at the lumbar level leaving weak unsupported areas at the posterolateral part of each lumbar disc.
The joint capsule and capsular ligaments
A fairly rare cause of sudden, relatively non-traumatic lumbar spasm is due to 'facet joint lock' caused by pinching of the joint capsule. These can be released by manipulation of that joint and are the so called 'miracle cures' of osteopathy.
The bone
Fractures, pars articularis defects
Cysts, carcinoma, Paget's disease or infection of bone.
The spinal nerves in their intervertebral foramen may be impinged and inflamed by pressure from a posterolateral prolapse of the intervertebral disc, by spondylosis of the apophyseal facet joints or by spondylolisthesis.
Sacroiliac and sacral shear problems.

Because of muscular and ligamentous attachments, body unity and reflex phenomena, lumbar somatic dysfunction may be associated with pain and dysfunction in other areas:

Headaches, neck pain, balance problems
Thoracic and rib girdle
Upper extremity, arm, shoulder pain or dysaethesia (primarily due to attachment of L. dorsi muscle)
Gluteus, hip and groin (e.g. iliolumbar ligament syndrome has similar symptoms to inguinal hernia)
Lower extremity pain or dysaethesia (most commonly posterior sciatic n. pain, anterior femoral n. pain), hamstring and calf tension
Viscerosomatic reflexes and direct contiguous tissue irritation from kidney, ureter, uterine, bowels, metastatic disease, epigastric, GIT, abdominal.

However many causes of pain in the structures of the multifidus triangle are due to functional compensations:

a) Postural compensation patterns of the thoracolumbar region.

Postural weakness due to prolonged sitting causing:

non-structural kyphosis of the thoracolumbar area
protraction of the shoulder girdle
hyperlordosis of the mid cervical region

This produces:

lengthening, weakening and subsequent fibrosis of the posterior spinal muscles
shortening, weakening of the psoas muscles
weakening and prolapse of the abdominal musculature and contents
tension and impairment of diaphragmatic function
tension in latissimus dorsi fixing the internal rotation and protraction of the shoulder girdle and creating tension in the thoracolumbar fascia
tension in the mid lumbar attachments of psoas and the diaphragmatic crura resulting in local lordosis and reduced mobility

A relatively minor trauma can then cause a significant spasm in the posterior spinal muscles, which, if the underlying causes are not addressed, can cause significant long-lasting disruption to normal activities and life.

b) Sacral shear dysfunction and compensations

The patient may present complaining of:

sacroiliac pain on the side opposite the sacral shear (due to compensatory overuse); in the back or neck; chronic rib problems; chronic headaches; extremity dysfunction or even temperomandibular or sinus problems. There may or may not be a short leg syndrome.

The initial injury may have been forgotten or not painful. Compensations usually occur throughout the spine to the cranium. If the sacral shear is not removed any treatment of other painful areas will tend to be short-lived; of course the chronic compensatory patterns must also be addressed to obtain full relief.

The sacral shear is produced by opposite forces across the sacroiliac joint through the innominate bone from the ischial tuberosity or through the leg and acetabulum meeting a downward force through the spine and sacrum:

A fall on the buttocks
A surprise step of a kerb, missed step, slipping on ice
A lifted load that shifts causing a sudden force on one leg
A runner with a short leg repeatedly overloading that side
A farmer getting of his tractor on the same side on to the same leg
Digging the garden using the same foot on the spade each time
Carrying a heavy load on one shoulder

The sacral ligaments are normally loose enough to allow the non-physiologic shear to occur without tearing the ligaments. There is usually little or no movement allowed on the side of the shear.

In chronic shears, there is often more pain over the contralateral sacroiliac joint because the ligaments are stressed by compensatory over-work.

Because of the ring like nature of the pelvic girdle, a strain in one part is likely to cause a strain in another, commonly the pubic symphysis.

E.g. a pubic strain causes tension in the adductors and can irritate osteoarthritic changes in the knee.

Part 3 The Fascial Influence

Fascia is a special form of connective tissue found in sheet form, which covers organs, bones, muscles and joints and produces fascial sheaths and pathways through the body.

Packaging
Protection
Posture
Passageways

Through these fascial pathways pass vessels for nutrition and waste removal and lymphatic vessels for protection and tissue fluid drainage. These fascial sheets also provide pathways for somatic nerves (voluntary musculoskeletal control) and visceral afferent and autonomic nerves for visceral sensation as well as visceral, glandular and vascular regulation.

Compensations in the somatic function result in myofascial compensation patterns.

The Lymphatic Influence

The lymphatic system is essential in health and good lymphatic flow also increases the body's immune response. There is increased demand for its most efficient function during disease, tissue dysfunction, physiologic stress, infection and any other condition, which increases the formation of interstitial fluids.

Congestion occurs when production outstrips removal of fluids in an area. Therefore it arises when there is any obstruction to the lymphatic pathways and/or dysfunction of the abdominal diaphragmatic action (the primary lymph pump).

Congestion promotes the accumulation of waste products and other metabolites in the interstitial tissues; it is associated with poor circulation and nutrition of the cells and can impair the distribution of medication in the body tissues.

Osteopathic manipulation can improve the efficiency of the lymphatic system by

Freeing the fascias of the thoracic inlet
The functional thoracic inlet of vertebral units T1-4, ribs 1-2 and the manubrium
Relaxing the thoracolumbar attachments and improving bilateral diaphragmatic mobility
Ensuring good pressure gradients
Freeing peripheral fascial pathways of the extremities
Freeing fascial torsions of the abdominal mesenteries
Promoting lymphatic flow using osteopathic manipulative and pumping techniques.

The Stress Response

Thu, 02 Apr 2015 15:00:47 GMT

The Stress Response

Stress causes the hypothalamus in the base of the brain to release CRH (corticotropin releasing hormone).

CRH then stimulates the anterior pituitary (also in the brain) to release ACTH (adrenocorticotropin releasing hormone).

ACTH causes the adrenal cortex (adrenals sit on top of your kidneys) to release glucocorticoids. The most well known one is called cortisol.

It takes just a few seconds for CRH levels in the blood to rise and also once the stress is over, the levels drop again very quickly.

In contrast, it takes several minutes for the process to result in the release of glucocorticoids and so their levels in the blood do not start to rise for several minutes and, similarly, it also takes time for them to reduce.

• CRH suppresses appetite.

• Glucocorticoids (incl. Cortisol) stimulate appetite.

This makes sense. At the beginning of a stressful event (lion attacking, sprinting to catch your food, running into a traffic jam on way to an important meeting, boss appearing just as you’ve realised you’ve missed including a vital point in your report…) then it is best that you don’t eat as you need the energy and blood that would be diverted to your gut for more important things like running and jumping and feeding your brain so that it can worry some more….

At the first smell of stress, your blood levels of CRH go up and your appetite is suppressed.

In the middle of the stressful event, both CRH and glucocorticoid levels are high. This is the time your body and brain are working on resolving the problem and its still a good idea not to have much appetite (and since the effects of CRH on suppressing appetite are higher than those of glucocorticoids on stimulating appetite that’s what happens).

After the event has resolved, the CRH quickly dissipates. However, the glucocorticoid levels remain high for around a couple of hours after the event. This is great for recovery as glucocorticoids aid the immune response and healing and also

stimulate appetite to replenish energy stores.
Of course the type of foods your corticosteroids stimulate you to want are easy to digest, rapid energy replenishing foods like doughnuts and chocolate brownies…

Now take the sort of person who feels constantly stressed. They might behave something like this:

They are woken up several times during the night by young children and then sleep through the alarm clock.

Panic as they think they will be late for work.
Then calm down when they manage to catch the train.
Then panic when the train is kept at a red light and is delayed after all.
Then calm down when arrive at work and the boss is not in yet either.
Then panics when an email comes in highlighting a task that they thought had been done.
And so the day goes on, in a cycle of panic and relaxation.
Or the official term: frequent intermittent stressors.

So what are their hormones doing all day:

frequent short bursts of rapidly clearing CRH and, as a result of their slow clearance, almost constant elevated glucocorticoids.
So stimulating an appetite for snacking and the wrong types of foods for a relatively sedentary lifestyle.

Of course, not everyone responds in the same way.

Psychologically, different people respond differently to the same stressor. What is utter horror for one person may be hardly acknowledged by another (as they happily read the next chapter in their book as the train is held in the station!).
Physiologically (or metabolically), one person’s liver may be more effective at breaking down the glucocorticoids out of their blood stream than another person’s.

Other effects of elevated glucocorticoid levels:

The fat cells around your abdomen (also referred to as visceral fat) are more sensitive to glucocorticoids than other body fat cells. This means that when your glucocorticoid levels are higher, you lay down more fat as visceral fat. High abdominal fat levels are a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease and other illnesses.

Other effects of stress on the gastrointestinal tract:

1. Rapid Emptying:

As we’ve already mentioned, in times of stress, the last thing your body needs to be doing is wasting energy on digesting food. So it diverts blood away to more important organs and stimulates your gut to empty. In your stomach and small intestine, large amounts of water are used to make your food in to a rich soup of food, enzymes, stomach acids and bile , etc., so that the nutrients can be digested and absorbed. Once it reaches your colon (or large intestine) then this liquid must be reabsorbed so that you don’t become dehydrated and you produce a nice semi-solid stool.

However, add a stress and your gut says, “empty now!” and rushes the whole process through resulting in some level of diarrhoea.

2. Irritable Bowel Syndrome

So the rapid emptying is achieved in response to what we call the sympathetic nervous system. This is stimulated in times of stress. In times of peace, the parasympathetic dominates and the gut gets on with calmly digesting, absorbing and gently pushing your food through with normal peristaltic gut contractions.

In contrast, the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the increase large intestinal contractions in times of stress. People suffering from IBS, tend to be more susceptible to these gut responses and suffer correspondingly from bouts of cramping and intermittent diarrhoea (and reactive constipation).

I hope this has helped give you a bit more insight in to your responses and helps you understand some of your other symptoms i.e. lack of energy, which are probably partly in response to external stressors as well of course internal emotional factors such as perceived lack of performance, effectiveness, self- and external- dissatisfactions, happiness and fulfilment.

For these emotional factors remember that your thoughts reinforce themselves:

Think and behave happily and you will be happy.
Think negatively and you invite negativity.

Nature's intelligence functions with effortless ease. Grass doesn't try to grow, it just grows like flowers they just bloom. So when things don't go your way for the moment let go of the way you think they should be and realise there may be a bigger picture....; The known is our past. The known is nothing other than the prison of our past conditioning... stagnation, entropy, disorder, and decay.

Uncertainty on the other hand, is the fertile ground of freedom. Stepping into the unknown in every moment of our existence, ever fresh, ever new, always opens us to the creation of new manifestations...; without uncertainty life is just the stale repetition of outworn memories. You become the victim of the past and your tormentor today is your self left over from yesterday. DEEPAK CHOPRA