Inevitably, with the speed everything was shut down due to Covid 19, most people were not set up to work from home immediately, and many patients have been asking for some advice regarding their desk arrangement. I would highly recommend, at the very least, the purchase of a separate keyboard and mouse. You will then be able to achieve a good supported position of your equipment on the desk.

March is our customer satisfaction month here in clinic, and we appreciate any comments you leave for us as we strive to achieve the best with each and every patient of ours. A lovely thank you from a recent patient and proof that it is always so important to ask what normal activity is for each individual. A huge thank you to Matt for playing an instrumental part in my rapid recovery from a lower back injury earlier this month, just in time for a rock climbing trip to Costa Blanca in Spain. Two weeks before the trip, an old injury flared up, leaving me barely able to stand let alone do anything else and worried I would have to cancel the entire trip. However, within just two physio sessions with Matt, I felt almost completely back to my old self. On the trip, my lower back wasn’t even an issue – and I actually climbed my highest grade yet!

Due to expansion and increasing demand, our friendly and well established private physiotherapy practice, specialising in musculoskeletal health and rehabilitation, is looking for an enthusiastic and experienced musculoskeletal physiotherapist with exceptional clinical and communication skills to join our team. We are looking for a physiotherapist who is motivated and dynamic, with at least 4 years experience to join us. Excellent manual therapy and rehabilitation skills are essential, with acupuncture being an advantage. We also offer Clinical Pilates classes in clinic and experience in teaching Pilates would be very beneficial. We believe that the patients in our care deserve highly skilled treatment delivered with commitment and drive, excellent communication and a warm and caring manner. This is a full time employed post with hours that can be flexible and will include some evenings, and possibly Saturday mornings. We are a committed team that work hard and perform well together for the benefit of each patient. In return you will be rewarded with a generous salary package, company pension, paid holiday, support and training for your career progression, in addition to the benefits and stability of employment. You must be a member of CSP and HCPC. Our lovely clinic is modern, light and well equipped and is just 5 minutes walk from Rickmansworth tube and railway station, and Rickmansworth Town. http://www.physio-rehab.co.uk Please send your CV with a covering letter explaining why you would like to be part of our team. Job Types: Full-time, Contract

This week and month we are focussing on back pain. Currently we are in the middle of back pain awareness week (7th-11th October). This is something we at the physiotherapy and rehabilitation clinic are really encouraged by. As physiotherapist we are always trying to promote health and do so by educating our patients about the implications of staying active. This is something that many of us find difficult especially if you have a sedentary job and lifestyle. Similarly if you’re working as a tradesperson and performing many manual tasks it’s about being aware and understanding the little changes you can make to protect and maintain a healthy spine. Work related musculoskeletal injuries (WRMSI) are at an all-time high, back pain is the most commonly injured area and we know that 80% of people are likely to suffer from at least one episode of back pain in their lifetime. An episode of back pain is therefore not out of the ordinary for most of the population. Whether you’ve had or have not had surgery on your spine, physiotherapists play a vital role in helping to speed up your recovery as quickly as possible. Our expert physiotherapists at the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation clinic Rickmansworth have helped many people manage and resolve their pain. We also work closely with some of the best orthopaedic consultants around the country with links to back specialists in the private sector and the national orthopaedic hospital in Stanmore. Many of whom visit us to deliver learning and development presentations to staff throughout the year. The evidence suggests the sooner you seek medical help post onset of symptoms the quicker your return to full function will be. If you ignore and leave your symptoms then inevitably it will take much longer to rectify. Later this month we will be publishing another article where we interview a former patient at our clinic who I’m pleased to say is managing his back condition and has returned full time to a manual occupation. It will be great to get his thoughts, views and opinions for you all to read, keep your eye out for this! The department for health has recommended that each individual should complete a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. In addition to this figure they have highlighted the importance of extra strength and conditioning sessions (of which we should be doing 30 minutes twice weekly)on top of the 150 minutes already mentioned. This amount at first is quite daunting! How can you achieve this and find the time to complete all the other things that go with modern day life? On one hand finding enough time is challenging, on the other hand if you’re suffering from back pain it can leave you feeling anxious about exercising the right amount. It can be very difficult to know when to start. Professional help is the best way to get you started and rebuilds your confidence to move safely. Hopefully this article can help you with some of the answers to start making little changes to your routine. It’s a well-known fact that Pilates can be incredibly good for your back and is endorsed by many of our back specialists. An hour of Pilates once a week counts towards the recommended weekly exercise mentioned earlier. We offer several clinical Pilates classes running across the week at different times and levels (beginners, intermediate, advanced). Our physiotherapists have qualifications with the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute. We have members that have attended the class for over two years and it has now become a way of life for them in order to manage their back pain and stay active. Patients want to look after their back and Pilates ticks all the boxes; it keeps their spine flexible, strong and robust to cope with day to day demands. We have many patients that have previously had surgery on their spine and those that have not so don’t think that once you have a procedure you cannot participate in some capacity. It is a suitable option for most people and 1:1 sessions are available too. NICE guidelines recommend that if you have back pain you should avoid resting completely. They advise you should “continue (when able) with your normal activities” (NICE 2016). In other words moving little and often trying to stay as active as you can within pain tolerance. Go frequently for little walks; avoid staying in a position for longer than 20-30 minutes. The full guidelines are available on the NICE website. Back pain awareness week also gives us a chance to address more serious pathology which can present as back pain. Men are recommended to have a routine prostate check in their 40s as an enlarged prostate can masquerade as low back pain. Guys if you haven’t- do so! It takes less than 30 seconds with your GP. Dr Thangarajah from Gade surgery came to visit us and emphasised the importance of raising awareness of getting this simple test that could potentially save your life. Similarly if your symptoms include night sweats, a change in bladder/bowel habits, pins and needles in both legs and genitalia, constant unremitting pain and/or rapid unexplained weight loss then seek medical attention immediately. Lastly, another big emphasis in October is the Stoptober campaign. This is aimed to challenge people to refrain from alcohol for the entire month and to encourage people to stop smoking completely or move to nicotine replacement alternatives in order to live a healthier life. We all know the benefits of quitting smoking to cardiovascular health but it also has a huge impact on back pain. The small blood vessels which go into each vertebrae help maintain status quo and health of each segment. If blood flow is compromised then less oxygen and nutritional benefit is reduced and your spine is more at risk of pathology. Less blood flow also means when an injury occurs health times can be longer. See the NHS link below which goes into more detail and the Stoptober twitter account for more information, you can create an account on the Stoptober page and they will support you through cessation with daily emails and initiative to keep you motivated if you’re thinking about quitting. Thank you for taking the time to read this article from the team at the Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Clinic Rickmansworth. If you need any further information or have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us via email or telephone: Email: reception@physio-rehab.co.uk Phone: 01923 897514 http://backcare.org.uk/?events=back-pain-week-2019-7th-to-12th-october https://twitter.com/stoptober?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/smoking-increases-risk-of-chronic-back-pain/

It turns out that a lack of exercise in our lives is a silent killer. The World Health Organisation lists physical inactivity as the fourth biggest risk factor for death in adults across the world. The latest research shows when it comes to heart disease, leading a sedentary life is as great a risk factor as smoking and obesity. In fact, inactivity in terms of disease risk, is more dangerous than being overweight. If you spend long periods of time sitting, this is particularly bad news, as it increases your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer. The most current research has shown that even normal weight individuals that are inactive, are at risk of developing disease. There is a molecular pathway that is essential to burning fats, that shuts down with inactivity, and that subsequently increases your risk of developing heart disease. And unfortunately you can’t bank the benefits of exercise from your youth, hoping it will help you 40 years down the line. The ideal scenario is to have been active throughout your lifespan, but research has shown that your health can benefit from physical activity at any age, meaning it doesn’t matter when you start, as long as you start! Physical activity performed regularly, can help to prevent and manage over 20 chronic medical conditions. These include coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, mental health problems and musculoskeletal conditions. And the good news is that we can combat the negative effects of prolonged sitting (total of 8 hours or more) with just 60-75 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a day. The reality is that hectic schedules can make it seem impossible to fit workouts into your busy week. The prospect of packing a gym bag, trudging to your local gym, working out, showering, changing, and trudging back to where you came from, can feel like a lot of effort. But when we neglect exercise, we not only put both our physical and mental health at risk, but we also negatively impact our productivity and effectiveness at work. And you would be surprised at the number of opportunities there are in a working day, to increase your activity levels. This doesn’t have to mean running or cycling to work, although that’s great if you can, but you can in fact accumulate activity that is beneficial to health, in lots of different ways during the day. Which is why we’ve put together a collection of resources to help you achieve this. At the following link you can download leaflets, exercise handouts and infographics on the following topics. – 17 Ways to Be More Active at Work – Thinking on your Feet – Why it Pays to Be Physically Active at Work Client Newsletter – Stretching Exercises for the Workplace – Strengthening Exercises for the Workplace – Why Posture Matters – Optimal Desk Posture Infographic – Carpal Tunnel Infographic – Preventing and Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Carpal Tunnel Rehabilitation Exercise Sheet Click here to download the resources http://bit.ly/2XqiUD7 As Physio therapists we can help with a wide range of issues caused by long periods of sitting at a desk, including back and neck pains, tingling in your hands, carpal tunnel syndrome, even regular headaches experienced at work. Please get in touch if you need advice and I hope you find these resources useful.