Foot Biomechanics and Orthotic Therapy
CHAPTER 17 – WHAT’S THE POINT?
Dry Needling and Trigger Points
CHAPTER 18 – GOOD VIBRATIONS
Whole Body Vibration Therapy
CHAPTER 19 – MOSTLY FOR THE LADIES
Incontinence and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
CHAPTER 20 – SWEET DREAMS
Mattresses, Pillows and Sleep
CHAPTER 21 – SIZE DOES MATTER
Controlling Your Weight
CHAPTER 22 – STAYING ON THE JOB
Workplace Health
CHAPTER 23 – AGEING GRACEFULLY
Healthcare for Seniors
CHAPTER 24 – LIVE TO LAST
Lifestyle Guidelines
AUTHOR’S FINAL WORD
REFERENCES
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE BACK IN MOTION HEALTH GROUP
PRACTICE DIRECTORY
FURTHER CONTACT INFORMATION
ABOUT THE SOS FOUNDATION
SPECIAL OFFERS
VALUABLE RESOURCES
FOREWORD
It gives me great pleasure in presenting you Jason’s most recent work captured here in Get Yourself Back in Motion.
As the CEO of the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA), I see our members challenged everyday with the changing health and wellbeing landscape. Our physiotherapists share a commitment to enabling Australians to improve their health and standard of living through access to quality physiotherapy services and products to empower them to deal with all their aches and pains, sprains and strains of everyday life.
With scientific foundations, physiotherapists are the experts in exercise and movement.
This book is such a positive way to address and highlight health and wellbeing issues affecting all Australians.
Jason is an innovative and passionate member of the APA and the physiotherapy community at large, and I commend his efforts in bringing these important social issues to the mainstream.
My message to all consumers of healthcare is that strong and meaningful relationship with your health practitioner should be an integral part of your overall health and wellbeing lifestyle. A suitably qualified and experienced physiotherapist will help you achieve and maintain optimal performance throughout your entire lifespan.
Enjoy the read, but more importantly, act on your health and wellbeing today to lead the way for our children and future Australians.
Yours sincerely
Cris Massis Chief Executive Officer Australian Physiotherapy Association
The APA is the peak body representing the physiotherapy profession in Australia. They advocate for equitable access to quality physiotherapy and optimal health care for all Australians. They believe that all Australians should have access to quality physiotherapy, when and where required, to optimise health and wellbeing.
Chapter 1:
A MOVING EXPERIENCE
Introduction
Moving is important. Moving well is even more essential given its direct impact on our physical health, sense of well-being and practical enjoyment of life.
However, we’ve become a sedentary culture so we simply are not moving as much or as well today. The increasing incidence of obesity, heart disease and diabetes are fatal testaments to this being true.
We also tend to accept, dismiss or ignore aches, pains and medical conditions as if they will either go away on their own, or are just routine reminders that we’re not getting any younger. In any sense, many of us live as though we are slowly conceding defeat for a healthy active life.
The message I echo throughout this book is that it’s time to get back in motion!
The good news is that it’s much easier than you think. You don’t need to be at the gym five nights a week, running marathons on weekends or squeezing into unsightly lycra to be healthy. With some lesser known secrets revealed throughout this book, and some common sense, you will move better than you ever have before. This book puts movement right back up there high on your priority list, without you even having to break a sweat.
If you aren’t moving well, it’s likely you won’t make next season’s Grand Final or exceed in your preferred sport. You’ll struggle to endure a full day of work without fatigue and discomfort – whether you are ‘white collar’ or work out in the sun. Weekends will feel less like an adventure and more like ‘recovery camp’, because you’ll tend to favour long sleepins and armchair activities to soothe your tired body. Even building the train-set with your 3-year-old on the toy room floor or playing hide and seek under the bed is going to start to hurt more than you anticipate.
It might be common, but it’s definitely not normal to feel pain with everyday movement. Therefore don’t accept it. Your health and wellness are precious and you should seek to enjoy your life without feeling physically compromised. Don’t let a cramp, twinge or ache grow into something worse. And don’t limit your enjoyment by living with pain that prevents you from doing the things you love.
The dilemma for most people is finding the right person to help them on this journey. In a world gone crazy - with fitness advice, lifestyle TV shows, celebrity chefs and extreme makeovers – we could be fooled into thinking everyone’s an expert. Who do you follow to make the right choices for your health? What happens when you get well-meaning but conflicting advice? And with the plethora of literature available in the media and online, how do you apply it to your unique situation? As a health professional, I’ll admit we have made it tough for you.
The persistent question I’ve asked myself throughout my career is, “Why do some clients get better results than others?” Is it genetic predisposition, the skill of their therapist, the quality or type of treatment they receive or simply the individual’s want factor that has most influence? Or is it that some people are just luckier in health than others?
After well over a decade of experience intentionally pursuing the answer to this question, I am excited to share my insights in the pages that follow.
What is clear from the beginning is that ultimately good health depends on YOU to a large extent. It makes sense. You are the only one who can fundamentally change the way you move and feel. Empowering individuals to ask questions, be objective and make well informed decisions about their own health is essential. Many professionals may like you to think this is too hard for you to do. They are wrong. But who coaches you through this journey to true health? Hopefully, this is where you let me come into it.
The Physiotherapy Solution