Back To Health Wellness's Thought For The Day

Let’s try a quick exercise - sit or stand now like you have just received the best news of your life!  Did you just move or change position? If so, notice how you now feel more focused and energised.  This is because Posture affects feelings. Our mood and emotions are physically stored in our body, and the way we stand, sit, or move can directly influence how we’re feeling. When you sit or stand s...

The 4-7-8 breathing technique involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds.  This exercise helps to manage stress and anxiety. The breathing pattern aims to promote relaxation help people get to sleep. The technique-  Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed but relaxed. Your breaths in and out should be equal in du...

Quick question, Are you the tortoise or the hare? We all want to achieve our fitness goals as quickly as possible.  Though, a more patient approach when trying to achieve those goals may be more sensible.  This is where being like the tortoise has its perks. Here are 3 ways to avoid to injury and achieve your fitness goals  1. Warm up before exercise - warm ups are often forgotten, yet they are pr...

How to improve low mood and low energy  These are many things that can affect our feelings / emotions and it determines what happens to us and how we go about our day.  Some of these feeling may include feeling tired, lacking confidence, frustrated, angry and worried.  Don’t worry, In this episode, we will cover 5 steps to take to improve mood and increase energy. Set an achievable goal like regul...

Written and Narrated by Andrew Siyabalawatte. The scenario is Your mid run, You’re feeling good pushing through your routine, you unexpectedly spot a pothole in your path and quickly take a big stride to avoid it, then it happens. What can be described as a sharp tweak, that brings you to a halt.  Pulling, straining or even rupturing your hamstring muscle is never fun.  So What happens when a musc...

Sitting to Live…A Clear Path To a Bad Back. Written By Andrew Siyabalawatte, Narrated by Emma Without a doubt, one of the biggest causes of lower back pain in men and women, is prolonged sitting. Sitting forces muscles to hold the head, neck, shoulders and back, in a fixed position. This demand forces the blood vessels to work harder by increasing blood pressure, which in turn, reduces the blood s...

Tight Hamstrings, A Good or Bad Thing? Written By Andrew Siyabalawatte, Narrated by Amy The short answer is Yes and No. Now for the long answer… The Hamstring muscles are made up of three muscles which are essential in the dynamic role of walking and running as they contract to bring the leg back and allow the knee to bend.  Beyond the function of gait, the hamstring muscles play and important rol...

Best Mattress For Back Pain – An Osteopath’s View In 2022 Can a Mattress Contribute to Back Pain? By Andrew Siyabalawatte . August 2022. Back Pain is the leading cause of disability in the UK and affects approximately one in six adults. Whilst our environment influences our posture, lifestyle and habits (for example, sitting slumped at a desk with one leg underneath the bottom, until the foot goes...

The Best Positions To Sleep and Manage Neck and Back Pain  By Andrew Siyabalawatte, posted April 2021. Did you know that around ten million people in England suffer from back pain? Worrying figures from research by Arthritis UK show that people of all ages are struggling with a musculoskeletal problem. Bad sleeping positions definitely contributes to this problem. Especially at a time where workin...

The Best Pillow For Neck Pain In The UK, written by Andrew Siyabalawatte and narrated by Arthur. Quite aptly named, The Original Groove® Pillow, formerly EasySleeper, was designed by those with neck pain to combat one or two of the most common predispositions to neck pain and back pain in the UK, Posture and Sleep. Do not get me wrong, sleep itself is not the cause. It is most likely to be the pos...

You may have heard the saying “tight muscles are weak muscles” and you may be thinking, but how can this be true? A True Cause of Muscle Pain This tightness occurs when a muscle group is not strong enough to support the task you are doing. For example, you may feel that you have very tight quads and hamstrings, which are worsened by physical activity such as running. This is because the muscles ar...

Three Reasons Why You Should Get Proactive About Solving Chronic Back Pain, By Andrew Siyabalawatte and narrated by Emma. Whether you know the precise cause of your back pain, or have no idea where it sprang from, it is common to feel as though there is no end in sight. We are remarkably adept at modifying our movements and lives to accommodate discomfort and to avoid those things that exacerbate...

Good Posture May Ease Symptoms of Depression, written by Andrew Siyabalawatte, and narrated by Emma. When you’re down in the dumps, sitting up straighter may lift your spirits. People with depression often slouch, their droopy shoulders mirroring their down mood. So what happens if they simply sit up straighter? They may feel more upbeat and less fatigued, says a new study from the University of A...

5 Potential Causes For Neck and Shoulder Pain, written by Andrew Siyabalawatte and narrated by Emma. It’s easy to forget how much work our necks do each day – that is, until they start to hurt.  Neck pain and stiffness is very hard to ignore, and, if it goes on for more than a few days, it can begin to interfere with our lives. It may make it difficult to drive, sleep, and work. Here are some of t...

Are you guilty of poor posture? Click here to discover some of the surprising consequences of slumping, and why sitting straighter could make you feel much healthier. Maintaining good posture is a daily struggle for many of us. Whether you’re working on your feet or at a desk, it’s all too easy to slump into bad habits. You probably know that sitting and standing poorly is bad for your back, but d...

For many, back pain has a habit of rearing its ugly head when we are least expecting it; it can impact every aspect of our lives, and make simply getting through the day a physically and mentally exhausting experience. Sciatica is one of the most common forms of back pain. The exact location of the pain – and its severity – varies from person to person and, if left unmanaged, turn into a chronic c...

Slouching that occurs due to inactivity caused by weak or fatigued back muscles can ultimately lead to poor posture.  The connective tissues I.e ligaments act when the back muscles are engaged in keeping a person's back straight. When the connective tissue is stretched beyond their normal range, the muscles in the back have to work harder to maintain good posture.  It is when the back muscles...

If sitting with your legs on a stool/chair gives your lower back discomfort - stop and change position to sitting cross legged.  Does the back feels easier?!  If so, why would it help? With your legs outstretched, the nerves, muscles and ligaments connected to the lower spine and the pelvis, are being pulled into a lengthened uncomfortable position, which actually puts more pressure on the nerves,...

Do you feel neck or lower back ache after sitting at your desk for several hours a day? Or even after standing for a short period of time? Keep your spine in mind in every environment you are in, and back ache will become a thing of the past!