Back To Health Wellness's Thought For The Day

If we have back pain that refers down the leg, it may be sciatica so we act on it. However, if it is just toe pain or any other symptoms in the foot we try to shake it off and hope it goes away. But what if the toe pain is actually sciatica, how would you know? Let’s break it down. The sciatic nerve courses from the back down the leg to the feet and toes. It splits into several branches and has se...

A nerve learns, it tolerates, it conditions and then eventually it can give back, though, maybe not in the way you’d expect it to. A nerve can only give back what it is given. Take for example the daily habit of sitting at a desk. Nerves lengthen and shorten to accommodate this activity. How can we expect it to simply adapt to a new environment without questioning? Some of us may be fortunate enou...

The longer you sit - the weaker and tighter your calves become. Your hamstrings become“much starved of oxygen” from its progressive lengthened state. Your back will definitely not be thanking you for this. The long term result - poor blood flow and balance issues as you age. While sitting for work may be a pre-requisite, Using a foot rest to keep yours calves, hamstrings and feet engaged, may be a...

Every coin has two sides. And both sides are different. Our body is no exception - we have a stronger and weaker side. We are meant to move, but it’s also ok if we stay put.  Furthermore, to function well, one side needs to be different to the other. One side has to move better. One side has to be better at staying still. This is why we have a stronger and a weaker side. A dominant Right or left h...

Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule? It’s an idea based on the Pareto principle, that 80% of outcomes come from 20% of causes.  Giving your body a bit of attention everyday will capitalise from this rule. For example, I come home from work, after standing and being physically active the whole day, I then do 10mins of gentle stretching the back and body with slow controlled breathing.  Some of yo...

A joint is where two bones meet. It’s meant to be a perfect match. Though the   interactions with 1) ligaments - strong, elastic bands of connective tissue that surround joints to support and limit movement and 2) tendons-  tough, connective tissue attaching muscles to bones, in order to move them - will ultimately determine how perfect a joint can be.   Add to the mix the bones themselves bring t...

If you look up online Why The Body Gets Weaker As You Age, many will say that you lose bone tissue and subsequently, muscle size and strength, as the muscle tissue itself also shrinks with age. I am certain this thought can leave many people feeling down and dejected. Though, isnt it possible that if a bone or muscle can weaken, it can also become stronger, regardless of your age? So, Here is how...

Some say, Running wears your knee joints away, leading to early onset of knee pain and arthritis. Some say, that’s rubbish and that running can help prevents knee pain and arthritis… What do you think? For those that say running is bad,  I ask what about walking? After all the mechanisms are the same.  Even excessive walking, done incorrectly, without good form or good support in terms of footwear...

Let’s not beat around the bush, A strong and solid core, looks and feels good. The core stabilises, balances, and powers the body during just about every activity.  A strong core can reduce stress on the joints and allow you to achieve better posture. Planking helps you achieve this at any age. Some may wonder “how can I hold my bodyweight”? Well, i say to this, “if you can balance the weight of y...

In 2011, I ruptured my ACL ligament in my right knee. In 2020, I noticed that over time, cysts that had developed inside my knee as a result of the injury, had began to bother me. I had started to depend more on my left leg, which caused me to walk differently.  Come 2022, my son was born and what a year it has been! Though since, my back has become noticeably stiffer. It may well be the daily hab...

The trapezius muscle, Also known as the traps, plays an important role in posture. First, it is a large muscle of the back. It starts at the base of the skull moving down the neck, it then extends across the shoulders, and down the middle of the back, forming a trapezoid. The trapezius muscle acts as both a posture stabilizer and a movement muscle. It directly stabilises the shoulder blade and ext...

It is important to be sensible when doing anything from exercise to simple everyday activities.  Sensible exercise does not involve paying large sums of money to join a gym (and rarely go), or pound away vigorously on a treadmill, or even pump iron and feel inferior as the superfit gym bodies sweat and grunt around you.   To get fit?  Simply Go for a walk, run, cycle and eat well. It is about incr...

Did you know, that the hands, feet, ears, and nose have reduced blood flow compared to the rest of the body? This explains why the extremities are cooler in cold weather than the rest of the body.  You might wonder why? Well, simply put - the warmth goes where fat grows.  This is why the stomach and chest are two of the warmest areas in the body.  The nose is contrast is composed mainly of cartila...

Whilst Sitting at your desk or on your sofa, have you Ever wondered why you suddenly creep forward towards you phone or computer screen? It is definitely not because what you started  watching 30 mins ago had suddenly become more interesting.  A more likely reason, is the 7-14 lbs weight of the head (which if you are not sure, is roughly the weight of a bowling ball). For example, as you sit, Try...

Everyday activity, whether it be walking, running, sitting or standing requires forward and backward movement of the pelvis.  A common and well known cause of back issues remains a heavily favoured, forward tilted pelvis, which has lost the freedom to move sufficiently backwards.  This inability can be caused by a variety of factors, including tight hip flexors, weak gluteal muscles, and poor post...

Have you ever gone for a treatment, like a massage or an chiro session, and had your practitioner find a tender / painful spot you had not realised had even existed before? Well, they are known as knots or trigger points.  Knots or trigger points are caused by muscle overload due to overexertion, overuse, poor posture and trauma.  Muscles become overloaded due to sustained tension, structural issu...

All chained up - Our body is a system of chain links, whereby energy or force is generated by one part of the body, and then transferred successively to another part. Like For example, the upper and lower body in the motion of walking.  We have three primary chains.  1. the kinetic, 2. the spiral and 3. the vertical.  The Kinetic chain, governs movement, and is simply the chain which propels us fo...

Inflammation isn’t always a bad thing: Acute inflammation is actually an important immune response that helps heal injuries or fight illnesses.  But according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. chronic inflammation, which is inflammation that occurs in healthy tissues or inflammation that lasts for months or even years — can cause significant damage and contribute to many...

Have you ever experienced an ache in the lower back or an annoying sensation in the buttocks or your legs whilst driving?  The symptoms experienced are often thought To be sciatica. So, You search sciatica online, and you find several stretches for the glutes and hamstrings or even a muscle known as the piriformis, which functions by helping rotation of the hips, helping us to walk. You try the st...

Anterior pelvic tilt is a change in posture that happens when the front of the pelvis rotates forward, and the back of the pelvis rises. It is often visible in a person as it gives the lower back an exaggerated arch and makes the buttocks stick out. The Anterior pelvic tilts occurs when muscle imbalances in the lower half of the body develop as a result of overuse in a standing or a sedentary envi...

The lymphatic system is a network of delicate tubes throughout the body . These tubes drains fluid (called lymph) that has leaked from the blood vessels into the tissues, and empties it back into the bloodstream via kidney shaped glands known as the lymph nodes. How is lymph formed? Lymph develops through the pores present in the walls of capillaries (fine branches of blood vessels that form a net...

To understand the effect of antibiotics, First it’s important to understand how infection works.  Infection occurs when viruses / bacteria enters your body and infects a cells by penetrating its  cell wall. The previously normal and now infected cell houses the infection which creates its own bacterial cell wall.  Depending on the strength of the infection, it can migrate to other normal cells, re...

The Physiological reason  Gaining weight after working out is likely due to a number of reasons, 1. muscle fiber inflammation, this is a normal response when the muscle fibres break down and repair, 2. muscle glycogen stores (this is the glucose that is broken down and stored in the body from our diet), 3. water weight gain, which is due to water retention, and finally over time, 4. muscle mass ga...

First, Let’s start with the reasons -  1. Tired muscles- When blood does not circulate properly, the oxygen carried in the blood fails to reach the muscle tissues effectively, which can result in muscles stiffening due to reduced blood flow and then cramping when required for movement.  2. Circulatory problems - those that sit or stand for too long, are more likely to have circulation problems. Th...

Ever wondered why it feels like a struggle to walk uphill or downhill? It is often due to the demand placed on weak leg muscles or tired stabiliser muscles of the pelvis and lower back, exerting themselves beyond their capacity to allow the body to carry out the activity.  So to help, here are a couple of tips.  First, pay attention to your posture walking uphill -  you back should be straight and...