Golf is usually considered a benign and injury free activity, especially compared to sports such as rugby, football or running.  However a recent investigation of golfing injuries makes for interesting reading. 

A survey of 522 female golfers in the Victorian Pennants Competition in Australia was completed by investigators from the Journal of Science Medicine and Sport; their findings were as follows:

• More than 1/3 of the participants (35.2%) had sustained a golfing injury in the previous 12 months.
• The lower back was the most commonly injured area.
• The most common self-reported mechanism of injury was overuse (43.6%) followed by technical error (18%).
• Of the 184 injuries reported, 154 required treatment by a health professional with Physiotherapists the most often consulted group.
• Performance was affected in 78.9% of players with 69.7% of injured golfers missing games or practice due to injury.

At Revive Physiotherapy we want to ensure golfers are able to enjoy their game without risking injury or losing valuable practice time, if you feel you would benefit from a free pre-screening golf assessment then please contact the clinic on 01942 275956, or email info@revivephysiotherapy.co.uk.

The majority of our clients are self-referred.

They come to see us because they are pleased with the outcomes we’ve achieved for them in the past or because they have family and friends who were so pleased with our service they’ve sent others to us.

We would be happy to expect the same word of mouth referrals from you   .

Here is the voucher ->  

This allows yourself, friends or family to have a free 15 minute assessment to see whether physiotherapy would be beneficial to alleviate your symptoms.  There is no obligation to book further appointments.

Print it off, forward it, use it to help someone out…. Its free!

In our clinic we see a wide range of patients with all manner of pain and injury – however a large part of our work is centered on dealing with low back pain.

Here are some simple tips on overcoming and preventing back pain that will help keep you in good shape and pain free:

If you don’t use it you lose it :

This is one of the oldest sayings in health and fitness but relates very well to back pain – especially in regards to maintaining movement in your back.

We suggest that every day you do a variety of mobility exercises that move your back through a full range e.g.: lie on your back and pull your knees to your chest 10 times, then with your knees at 90 degrees rolling them side to side for 10 reps each side, and finally roll onto your tummy and rest on your elbows for 30 seconds – these simple movements help keep your back moving– if there is any pain when doing these movements make sure you check with your Physio before continuing.

Don’t rest too much with a back injury:

This is a difficult one because many people feel that if they have hurt their back they need to stop moving totally and lie in bed for days on end until the pain settles – whilst this may be the best course of action for a small number of back pain patients – the overwhelming majority of research supports getting moving as soon as possible post injury – be this via swimming, gently walking, or a range of Physio designed exercises.

Stay Fit:

One of the best ways to improve back pain and prevent it in the first place is to keep physically fit – the greater your aerobic fitness the better oxygen delivery to your muscles, the less sensitive you are to pain responses in your back and the better you feel generally – so get out these and move at least 30-40 mins every other day – you will feel great and help your back at the same time.

Don’t stay in the same position for more than 30 mins:

If you spend most of your day sitting in an office chair or driving a car then you are a great risk of getting a stiff and painful back – as we said before the joints in your back love to move and the more they move the healthier they are. Get up and stretch, take a walk or at least move your body position every 30 mins – your back will thank you for it.

If you have a back issue and would like to know what is going on , or if you would  like to go over some simple back exercises to keep your back loose and pain free, then call our appointment line on 01942 275956 and we will get you sorted out fast.

Back pain isn’t just a problem for adults-it affects children too.

Studies by physiotherapists in Britain and  across Europe show that many school children experience backache, whether it be low back pain, mid back pain or neck pain.

School books and bags are often blamed for bouts of back pain, but they are just the tip of the iceberg.

The real problem is that many of today’s children are not fit enough to carry them.

Physiotherapists say that our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, which can lead  to poor posture and weight gain, and make it more difficult for youngsters to cope with everyday physical demands.

Childhood is the best time to develop habits that will help spines last a lifetime…

At school

Use a backpack with wide, padded straps and a waist belt.   Adjust the straps to fit so that the bag sits snugly against the entire back and wear it over both shoulders.

Pack the bag correctly- put the heavy items in first and lighten the load by leaving out books that aren’t needed,  sit tall and don’t slouch during lessons.

Bring the chair close to the table and sit back in the seat rather than perching on the edge.

When using a computer, sit square on to the desk in an adjustable chair.   Make  sure the screen is at eye level.   The key board and mouse should be within easy reach so shoulders are relaxed  and elbows are at 90 degrees to the body.

Children should be encouraged  to stand up and stretch during long lessons and to be active at break time.

At home

Follow a healthy diet to promote the growth of healthy muscles and bones.

Being overweight places extra stress on the spinal joints, hips and knees.

Save computer games for rainy days, as spending hours in  static postures can lead to discomfort and stiffness achieving  a good level of fitness is key to maintaining a healthy back.

Regular exercise helps mobilise  and strengthen the spine and inproves muscle tone, making it easier to maintain good posture.

Exercise can also make you feel better by boosting self-esteem.

The key point that Revive Physiotherapy is making is that you as parents should give your child the best opportunity to NOT develop back pain by following the advice above!

If you would like a bit of peace of mind if your child is complaining of back pain then Revive Physiotherapy has experience of treating both active and inactive children who are suffering….unnecessarily from back pain!

Give us a call……  we don’t just treat….we cure!

revive physiotherapy are proud to announce the opening of a new clinic in Haydock.

It marks the start of an exciting time for revive physiotherapy as they develop their services further and also continue to work closely with the best Personal Trainers in the North West ( http://thepersonaltrainingpeople.co.uk/).

The new clinic will be based just 200metres from the A580 East Lancashire Road, and less than 2 minutes from the Haydock Island junction of the M6.

The address of the new clinic is:

revive physiotherapy

19 Kenyons Lane South

Haydock

St Helens

WA11 0LH

Appointments can be made through the central appointment line on 01942 275956 or via email on info@revivephysiotherapy.co.uk

UK employers are missing out on millions of pounds each year by failing to invest in the health and wellbeing of their staff, a new report published today by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) reveals, and backed by Revive Physiotherapy.

Sickness Costs shows that organisations and companies that provide workplace benefits such as physiotherapy services make significant savings through higher productivity and fewer absences caused by conditions such as back pain and joint injuries, which are known as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

Revive Physiotherapy have provided Occupational Physiotherapy to companies and have had positive results at reducing work absence and improving employee fitness to work.

A survey for the CSP report suggested employers are unaware of the potential savings and do not recognise the consequences of failing to act on MSDs, which affect 550,000 people across the UK, according to the Health and Safety Executive, making it the most common work-related health problem.

Musculoskeletal complaints made worse or aggravated whilst at work can be treated by Revive Physiotherapy.

This can be linked into work risk assessments and workplace assessments to minimise the risk of further problems while at work.

Again these can be carried out by Revive Physiotherapy, and are part and parcel of Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974.

Revive Physiotherapy and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) are concerned that the attitudes of some employers may stop staff seeking help for health problems that may be preventable.

The CSP survey found that in the UK:

• Three in ten managers believe staff who call in sick with an MSD are well enough to work, but just don’t want to
• More than a third (35 per cent) find such absences irritating because others have to take on additional workload, while 22 per cent say it’s a drain on their business they cannot afford
• 50 per cent of workers feel their bosses don’t care about their health
• A quarter of workers fear being sacked or facing redundancy down the line if they take time off sick
• Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) of small-to-medium enterprises do not provide occupational health services to staff

The survey follows earlier research carried out by the CSP that showed 36 per cent of employees work all day without a lunch-break and 31 per cent experienced physical pain at work at least once a week, putting their health at risk and causing huge cost to employers.

Phil Gray, Chief Executive of the CSP, said:

“We recognise it is tempting in difficult economic times for businesses to cut back on health and wellbeing initiatives such as a physiotherapy service.

“But that is a false economy, because ignoring a recurring condition can potentially lead to lower productivity and high temporary staffing costs.

“We are calling on employers to follow the lead of companies highlighted in the report who invest in the health of their staff, by providing physiotherapy and health screening”.

Statistics from the Work Foundation reveal that absences from work caused by MSDs alone cost society about £7.4 billion a year.

And research by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health show a further £15 billion is lost through ‘presenteeism’ where staff are at work but performing below their full potential because they are unwell.

Sickness Costs shows Anglian Water was able to achieve a return on investment of £3 for every £1 spent on physiotherapy services. In addition, claims for back pain reduced by 50 per cent and ill health retirement by 90 per cent.

Royal Mail achieved similar benefits, with their programme providing a return of approximately £5 for every £1 invested.

Ann Green, Chair of the CSP, said:

“The findings in our report should be of real concern to all of us as they suggest a culture in which staff with genuine illness or injury are encouraged to work, rather than get appropriate treatment.

“As shown in the report, early access to physiotherapy is particularly effective in preventing musculoskeletal disorders from becoming a serious long-term problem. Employers need to encourage a more open culture so employees feel able to report sickness sooner.”

Revive Physiotherapy is able to provide all the services outlined in the CSP research.  Whether it be on an ad hoc basis, as an Off-site service at our clinics or as an On-Site service within Companies.

If you or your company require any further information, then contact Revive Physiotherapy on 01942 275956 or info@revivephysiotherapy.co.uk

Businesses and the government need to do more to protect workers from repetitive strain injury, physiotherapists say.

Official figures show the rate of RSI has hardly changed in the past six years, with more than 200,000 sufferers a year in the UK.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy wants employers to be compelled to provide occupational health services.

But business leaders said firms were already taking action.

RSI covers a range of musculoskeletal problems in the upper limbs and neck.

An analysis of figures from the Health and Safety Executive by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy found that injuries were most common in building trades, health and social care and among factory workers.

“There has been little improvement despite the increasing focus on workplace health”

Pauline Cole, of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

The group has estimated that RSI costs businesses £300m a year in lost working time, sick pay and administration.

Those affected take an average of 13 days off work each year, meaning that overall nearly three million working days are lost annually in the UK.

But the physiotherapists are most concerned because the HSE figures suggest the situation is not getting significantly better.

In 2008-9, 213,000 people in work had RSI problems that were caused or made worse by work – of these 81,000 were new cases.

This compared to 222,000 in 2002-3 – of which 87,000 were new cases.

Pauline Cole, an occupational health expert at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said:

“There has been little improvement despite the increasing focus on workplace health.

“Government and businesses need to do more to tackle this problem.”

‘Preventable condition’

She called for a statutory duty to be placed on employers to provide occupational health services and suggested the government offer tax relief to businesses to help them to do so.

“We may then, after the frustration of many years of no progress, begin to see some reduction in the rates of this almost completely preventable condition.”

The call follows the report last year by Dame Carol Black, the government’s national director for health and work, which called for business to do more to tackle illness and promote healthy lifestyles.

The Confederation of British Industry said occupational health was something in which firms were beginning to invest more.

John Cridland, deputy director-general of the CBI, said:

“Businesses take the wellbeing of their staff and the issue of RSI very seriously.

“Our own research shows that seven out of 10 employers already offer occupational health support to staff.

“However, placing a statutory requirement on all employers would place a huge burden on businesses, especially small and medium-sized firms, which are already struggling during the recession.

“Instead, the focus should be on improving information and support on appropriate prevention strategies.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said that, despite the absence of a statutory duty, the government still took occupational health “very seriously”.

She said that since Dame Carol Black’s review there had been a big emphasis on the issue and pilot schemes would start later this year to make access to work-related health support more widely available.

Taken/modified from the BBC website

Bono originally injured his low back at the end of April, and had spinal surgery in May to relieve low back pain and sciatica.  Following the successful surgery, which is often the final treatment after a comprehensive physiotherapy program has been unable to alleviate the pain, Bono will have undertaken an in depth core stability and flexibility program to ensure that his body can cope with the increased load placed on by a long and tiring world tour.

The band’s manager Paul McGuinness said Bono had trained hard to get back to performing and the band had done some recording during his recovery.

“That’s a process that goes on all the time,” he told Reuters. “The doctors are very confident. They certified him fit to perform. It’s really a very short time for a spinal injury.”

Following all spinal surgery patients should have post-operative physiotherapy to ensure that their stability muscles within their body are functioning optimally.

Core stability exercises involving the deep abdominal muscles (particularly the Transversus Abdominis muscle), the low back muscles (multifidus), posterior gluteus medius and the pelvic floor muscles, have become very popular amongst the physiotherapy fraternity, and the medical field alike, but these are only of use if taught and carried out correctly with the right technique, this can be explained and demonstrated by physiotherapists at Revive Physiotherapy.

A flexibility programme, especially of the gluteal muscles and hamstrings is important, along with posture awareness, manual handling advice, and a general advice on post-operative care.

Bono no doubt will have paid for a physiotherapist to accompany him on the U2 world tour, but the same quality of care can be found at Revive Physiotherapy.