25 Random facts about me...

I'm the sort of person who always looks on the 'about' page of a website.

I always like to know a little bit about the people behind a business, this is especially true when I'm buying into a personal service.

I'm guessing many other people are the same.

For this reason I thought it would be good idea to let both my 'old' clients and any new ones know a little bit about me.

So, with out further ado here are 25 random facts about me:

1) I was born in Poole, Dorset on the 16 May 1985 meaning that I'm now 25.

2) I lived in Australia for just under 2 years, when my Dad was posted there with the Armed Forces, unfortunately I don't remember any of it as I was still a baby.

3) I worked on the 'road works' for 6 months when saving to go away travelling.

4) Up until about the age of 20 I only read about one book a year (through choice), I now read 2-3 a month.

5) My full name is Alexander John George Taylorson, my middle names are both of my grandfathers' first names.

6) I passed my driving test first time (must have been lucky).

7) I was a qualified lifeguard for 6 years while studying, worryingly I don't regard myself as a great swimmer.

8) After living with a 'best mate' who's from Somerset at University for 3 years, I much prefer cider to lager or ale.

9) During a 'gap year' I was lucky enough to travel in South America visiting Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile and Bolivia.

10) I'm terrible at spelling, which I blame on being dyslexic - to prove the point I took 3 goes at spelling dyslexic correctly while writing this ;-)

11) My mum is now retired, but was a primary school teacher

12) I currently have no points on my driving licence (touch wood it says that way).

13) I live with my wife Gemma in Ringwood, making my morning commute less than 5 mins.

14) I went to The University of Chichester to study Sports Therapy, Gemma my wife was on my course.

15) Some things on my 'to-do list' include running a marathon, skydiving, owning my own home, speaking in front of over 500 people, owning a super car (even if it's only for a short period)...

16) I'm as happy being on my own as I am being with a big group of people - I enjoy both.

17) I've climbed Jebel Toubkal (Morocco), the highest mountain in North Aftrica at 4,167m.

18) I love learning about how the body works.

19) One of my favourite pass times is having a meal with close friends or family, either at home or at a nice restaurant.

20) I have 1 sister, who's 3 years older than me.

21) I visited Nepal when I was 14 on a school trip which was a real eye opener.

22) I'm terrible at endurance sports, although I'm working on this. I'm much better at team sports where there are regular 'rest periods'.

23) I own a second company called Rehab Software Pro which is designed to help Physiotherapists and Sports Therapist create exercise handouts for their patients.

24) I've set off dynamite in the desert, while travelling in Bolivia (this was very good fun)

25) I love getting outdoors and going hill walking or mountain biking.

Perfect Squat Technique (video)

I see many injuries at the clinic due to poor squatting technique.

Learning the basics of squatting is crucial to all sports people whether you use the squat movement in your training or not.

Learning the basics of the squatting technique is important due to the fact that the movement pattern carries over into nearly all other actions, from getting up off the sofa to performing a high jump.

If you can squat correctly you'll improve your performance in nearly all weight bearing sports AND reduce your risk of injury.

Below I've posted a video recorded by Alex Poole a strength and conditioning coach based Bristol.

The video goes over the basics of the back squat, the same principals will apply even if you are doing a body weight squat.

Tennis Elbow... Not just for tennis players!

Tennis Elbow also know as lateral epicondylitis, is often associated with tennis players. However there are varying causes of tennis elbow. Some examples I've seen in the clinic include; a plasterer in his 40's who was struggling to work because of the pain, a lady in her early 30's who had been gardening all weekend as well as my own dad who had been doing lots of DIY jobs around the house (I'll blame my mum for that!).

Tennis elbow is set off by 'overloading' the extensor muscles of the forearm, in particular a muscle called the extensor carpi radalis brevis. Any action that is repetitive involving lots of gripping or extension of the wrist can cause the onset of tennis elbow. This is why activities such as plastering, gardening and DIY cause tennis elbow.

If you are suffering from tennis elbow your symptoms may include some of the following:

1. Pain around the outside aspect of your forearm
2. Discomfort on gripping (sometimes even just picking up a cup of tea)
3. Weakness on gripping or picking up items
4. Pain on extending the wrist against resistance
5. Pain on extending your middle finger against resistance (this is a test we use to diagnose tennis elbow)

Tennis elbow is seen most commonly in individuals over the age 30, however it is sometimes found in individuals below the age of 30. Diagnosis is normally fairly simple and generally no other imaging is needed (E.g. MRI / Ultrasound).

Recovery will most often be around 4 - 6 weeks however if the symptoms have been around for a long period then this is likely to significantly extend the recovery period. If you do have any of the above symptoms get seen as early as possible, it will make it much easier to treat.

If you come in to see me for this problem, treatment may include any of the following:

1. Advice on reducing forces around the forearm
2. Massage to the extensor muscles to reduce tension
3. Ultrasound to promote the inflammatory process
4. Prescription of a tennis elbow brace to off load the muscles
5. Progressive (eccentric) strengthening exercise for the forearm

As always if you have any questions please email me directly, my email address can be found here.

7 Stretches for a Stiff Lower Back

Below is a series of stretches that will help you if you suffer from a stiff and/or immobile lower back.

The 7 stretches in this blog post are great exercises for individuals that spend more than 3 hrs per day sitting (yes, that will cover over 90% of the population).

We all spend far to much time sitting (myself included). When you add up the activities that involve sitting it is not hard to see why lower back complaints are so common: Sitting in the car, at work, on the computer, on the sofa in the evening etc.

Sitting for extended periods causes the muscles, ligaments and joints of the spine to stiffen. In addition to that the nervous system that innervates the muscles can be come idle (or inhibited) leading to additional problems.

The good news is regular stretching can reduce much of this stiffness and reduce your pain.

Start with the stretches below aim to do them all once in the morning and once in the evening.

Perform each stretch once and hold it for 30 seconds (time the 30secs period as most people who don't use a timer vastly underestimate how long 30secs is!).

IMPORTANT: the stretches below are for individuals who are NOT suffering from acute pain. If your pain and discomfort is high please consult myself or another practitioner before starting them.

1. Cross Over

Lie on you back and keep one leg straight, bend the opposite knee to 90 degrees across your body.

Keep the opposite shoulder in contact with the ground.

You should feel a stretch in your lower back.

Perform the stretch with the opposite leg.

2. Cat Stretch

Start on all fours with your hips, knees and shoulders at 90 degrees.

Carefully arch through your lower and mid back.

Hold and repeat.

3. Heal Sit

With feet hip width apart, kneel back on to your heels with your arms outstretched.

You should feel a stretch in your lower back.

4. Knees to Chest

Bring both knees in to your chest and gently pull in with your hands to increase the stretch.

Your buttocks should lift off the ground slightly.

5. McKenzie Extension

Lie on your front carefully supporting your upper body through your arms.

Allow the lower back, buttocks and stomach to relax – hold.

6. Standing Side Bend

Stand up straight and cross your stretching leg over the other leg.

Lean the opposite way with your hands on your hips; you will feel a stretch in the side of your hip and stomach.

7. Standing Extension

Stand up straight and place your hands into your lower back.

Carefully push your hips forwards and extend through your lower back.

Plantar Fasciitis (Heel Pain)

The Plantar Fascia is a thick band of fibrous tissue which helps provide support to the arch of your foot. If it becomes injured it can cause pain, most commonly found around the under side of your heel.

Plantar fasciitis is generally caused by 'overuse' of the fascia, 'itis' means inflammation, so a diagnosis of Plantar Fasciitis simply indicates that the fascia has become inflamed.

When the condition is at it's worst, it can be painful to walk even small distances.

The underlying cause of the condition will often come down to poor biomechanics of the lower limb and/or tight or shortened muscles (often the calves).

Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis has to be specific to the individual, however treatments may include:

• Specific stretches for shortened muscle groups
• Home exercises to correct poor biomechanics
• Massage to reduce the tension in the Fascia (and tight muscles)
• Mobilisations at home to 'stretch' the Fascia

As always for the purpose of these blog posts, I'm keeping the information fairly basic. There are other issues that can occur around the foot. If you do have any additional questions please do email me at alex(at)theringwoodclinic.co.uk

Here is an additional resource with some more information on plantar fasciitis.

Promo Video

This is a fun promo video I had made for the clinic.

It is called a stop motion video.

Nutritional Consultant: Weight Management, Intolerance Testing and Health Issues

Fiona Lennon is a very experienced Nutritional Consultant and will be working at the clinic on Tuesdays.

Fiona works with a range of different clients and can help you with the following areas:

1. Weight management
2. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
3. Allergies
4. Improving your energy
5. Dealing with stressful periods

If you are interested in chatting to Fiona about any aspect of your nutritional health then please email her at info@fionalennon.co.uk or visit her website by clicking here.

Fiona is a fully registered Nutritional Therapist and also works from her Bouremouth address on Mondays and Wednesdays

www.FionaLennon.co.uk

***On a personal note I'm really please to have Fiona working at the clinic. I've already learnt huge amounts from her and I really believe a large number of health issues can be improved (significantly) by making good nutritional choices. If you do have any health or weight issues that you want to discuss with Fiona please make sure you email her to see how she can help***

Video: A White Blood Cell Protecting the Body... Amazing

Take a look at this video taken under a microscope.

It shows a white blood cell chasing down bacteria in the body. Then engulfing it.

It really is brilliant seeing how the body works on a cellular level.

When to use ice vs when to use heat?

I get asked this question most days, so I thought it would be best to write a short blog post on this area.

Ice

In the most basics terms you generally want to use ice on an acute injury when there is swelling and inflammation present. The main aim at this point is to reduce the inflammatory process. This will most likely be within the first 48 hrs of an injury occurring (although it may be a bit longer!)

Heat

Heat will most often be used on chronic problems or injuries where there is muscle spasm occurring. Never apply heat to an injury where there is still swelling and 'puffiness'.

There are occasions when heat will be used to treat chronic complaints, however its best to seek advice on this first. As always if in doubt please email me or call me first to discuss what the best action is.

A word of warning

When using ice be careful to cover your ice pack (or pack of peas) with a cloth. This will make sure you avoid ice burn or even worse, frostbite. Ice burn can occur fairly easily especially when icing areas such as the hands, feet or skin around the face.

I've see a couple of cases of ice burn first hand and it can leave some nasty blisters. When icing make sure you lift the ice pack every 2-3mins to check the skin is not reddening too much and avoid applying ice for longer then 15mins at a time.

For more information on when to use heat vs when to use ice click here.

Additionally click here for extra information on the dangers of over icing.