Swords and Shoulders

Sunday 23rd April is St Georges day. The tale of the patron saint of England is one of princesses, slaying of dragons, bravery and selflessness.

The story goes that George saved a kingdom, and not least of all a princess, by slaying a dragon with a lance and donated his reward money to the local poor. He died a martyr and the rest as they say is history.?

What's this got to do with Physiotherapy, Pilates or Yoga?

Well painting a picture with words plays a huge part in transmitting the precise movement nuances in all my sessions.?

• Think of a soldier and you can't help but stand up straighter.
• Imagine drawing a sword from a scabbard and you have a movement which has a purpose and a sentiment.
• When teaching Warrior 2 in my Yoga classes invoking the warrior mentality transmits a strength of purpose and body carriage.

The 'story' engages the brain

Imagery is all part of making a movement 'cortically rich'. This is a term I came across whilst studying all about the shoulder recently.?

Overall, the term 'cortically rich' implies a high level of cortical activity or sophistication. There is no doubt in my mind that Pilates and Yoga are sophisticated movement practices. which can have positive impact on our physical, cognitive, and even our emotional functioning.

Now to the Shoulder!

Pain in the shoulder? Shoulder pain is the third most common musculoskeletal disorder experienced by the general population.?

Which is why I am currently ‘boning up’ on the shoulder. Excuse the pun!?I have been doing a great online course and getting up to speed the most current evidence-based approaches to physiotherapy treatment for the shoulder.?

There is no doubt that I am on the right tracks with Pilates and Yoga! They are great tools to improve body awareness, be stronger in body and mind, improve posture and overall health and wellness and HAVE FUN. They great tools that can be harnessed in clinical practice for rehabilitation with great effect. What’s not to like!?

Prevention is better than cure!

Did you know that your Tissue Health and Pain Sensitivity are affected by:

1. Sleep

2. Nutrition

3. Hormones?

4. Medications such as broad-spectrum antibiotics, anti-epileptics, and steroids.

5. Alcohol

6. Physical activity levels

7. Smoking

8. Stress

9. Genetics: I put this last because we can’t pick our parents!

My top takeaways: Being physically fit, metabolically healthy, having awareness of posture and movement patterns and a can-do approach to pain management are key.?

There's More!!

12 Facts about shoulder Pain.?

1. The shoulder is a temperamental joint and it LOVES attention.

2. Shoulder pain is common.

3. Shoulder pain is more common around perimenopause and post menopause because of the influence of our female hormones on our tissues.?

4. Shoulder pain has a high percentage of reoccurrence.

5. Movement patterns can remain altered even after the pain has gone which then plays a part in the high levels of reoccurrence.

6. Muscle strengthening is an important part of rehabilitation.?

7. Movement based approaches can be as effective as strength-based rehab.

8. Rehabilitation should be functional and geared towards patient goals.?

9. One of the biggest barriers to recovery is how we think about pain and our ability to change it for ourselves.

10. Posture matters as we move

11. Tissue health and pain sensitivity are affected by our overall health.?

12. There is not a one size fits all approach to exercise and especially rehabilitation.

Try this Pilates for upper body strength with the resistance band

Got Questions? I have answers ??

Book a free 30 minute chat if you want to pick my brains.

Yours in Movement

Phillipa xx