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To plank or not to plank …

Is the Plank Really Good for Core Strength?

Being able to hold a plank has long been considered a measure of fitness and a test of core muscle strength. But, is it as effective as we think? And what about those of us who can’t manage a plank? What are the other options for building core strength?

For those not aware, a plank is an exercise where you lie flat on the floor, then raise yourself onto your tiptoes and elbows, keeping your back flat and your forearms on the floor so you look a bit like a coffee table. So, what are the benefits?

Benefits of Planking

  • Tones mid-section:  planking helps to build your inner core muscles. As they become stronger your stomach will tighten for that six-pack look
  • Increases flexibility:  planking strengthens the muscles and increases flexibility in your shoulders, abdominals and legs
  • Improves balance and posture: a correct plank position will help with balance enabling you to sit and/or stand up straighter with better posture
  • Improves mood: almost every exercise has the potential to improve your mood. Planks help stretch and relax muscles that can become stiff, therefore releasing tension and lifting your spirits.

The Problem with Planking:

But planking isn’t a functional movement. That is, it’s not a movement based on real-world situational biomechanics. Instead, a plank requires you to remain still for a specified amount of time. Which can cause pain and discomfort, especially in those with weak or inflamed joints and muscles.

 Alternatives to Planking for Core Strength

So, what if you can’t plank? What else is there that could achieve similar results? Well, that is where Active or Dynamic Sitting comes in.

Active Sitting: A Smarter Way to Engage Your Core

Swopper Chair

An example of a ‘Swopper Chair’, similar to the one that I currently use and recommend.

Active Sitting occurs when your seating allows or encourages you to move. One of the earliest forms of active sitting is actually the rocking chair which allows forward and backward swaying motion.  But there are a variety of specially designed seats on the market to improve postural health and the abdominal muscles, including the ‘Swopper Chair’ – which I use myself, and highly recommend. Some of the models available will continually adjust and follow your body’s movements to engage your core and help you to maintain better posture.

The concept of Active Sitting is fast gaining recognition, particularly among those whose work involves prolonged sitting.  So, whether you have a condition that prevents planking or your day job keeps you on your bottom all day, Active Sitting is well worth considering as an alternative way to increase stability and strengthen core muscles.

But, if you should be experiencing pain or discomfort in your back or other muscles that prevents you from exercising (planks or otherwise) then we may be able to assist so please do get in touch to discuss your requirements in more detail.

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How Yoga Can Help Back Pain

Is yoga good for back pain?

As a practising osteopath in London I see a number of clients each week that experience back pain, in varying forms and severities. For these clients I am able to provide a comprehensive treatment plan and we work together over a number of sessions to treat the problem. In addition to treatment provided by myself I also look to work with clients on what lifestyle changes can be made and other things that can be introduced to try to prevent problems such as back pain recurring again in the future. I was therefore interested to read about a recent study carried out in the US into yoga and the positive benefits it can have on long-term back pain.

Women practicing yoga in a class

A recent study into yoga and back pain

The study analysed more than 1000 men and women who were experiencing long-term lower back pain. It found that those patients who practised yoga were most likely to improve their mobility and reduce their pain levels. These patients were all taught yoga-like exercises by experienced and qualified professionals.

Back Pain and Yoga

Lead author Susan Wieland, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said: “Our findings suggest that yoga exercise may lead to reducing the symptoms of lower back pain by a small amount, but the results have come from studies with a short follow-up.”

Back pain is the cause of more disability than any other condition and affects nearly one in 10 people, becoming more common with age.*

Back pain affects nearly one in 10 people in the UK and becomes more common with age. Very often the cause of long-term back pain is unknown, which can be very frustrating for the sufferer. Perhaps putting down the pain-killers and picking up a yoga mat could help to relieve some of the pain.

Following on from this initial research, the scientists involved in the study are also now calling for longer-term studies to really understand the full benefits for patients.

So what is Yoga?

Yoga, stemming from the Sanskrit work ‘yuj’ to yoke or join, yoga aims to “coordinate the breath, mind and body to encourage balance, both internally and externally,” according to the British Wheel of Yoga. Yoga is a practical philosophy and a system of asanas (postures), promoting physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. It is an effective antidote to the stresses of modern lifestyle and encourages a fit and supple body. Yoga is a ‘science of the mind’ and philosophical system that originated in India thousands of years ago.

A typical yoga class here in the UK will last between 60-90 minutes and you can find them at leisure centres, gyms and in local halls and community centres. Yoga is very accessible for all body shapes and ages and you really don’t need much equipment (or even shoes!) to give it a go.

Osteopathy for Back Pain

Back pain is what often brings people to my North London Osteopathy clinic — and it comes as no surprise.
According to the NHS, ‘8 out of 10 people will experience an episode of back pain at some point in their life’. And worldwide, the World Health Organisation states ‘lower back pain is estimated to reach 843 million cases by 2050’.
Ageing is one of the main reasons cited for back pain. But as an Osteopath who treats the person not just the problem they present with, I know all too well that there can be various factors at play.
Therefore, when it comes to Osteopathy treatment for back pain, no one size fits all.

Read more about Osteopathy and back pain here...
If you are experiencing back pain why not try a yoga class near you, or call The Robin Kiashek Clinics for a consultation on 020 8815 0979.

*Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/12/yoga-key-relieving-long-term-back-pain-new-study-suggests/

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Back Care Awareness Week (5th-11th Oct 2016)

Are you giving your back pain the attention it deserves?

london osteopath w1 n2 n10Treating people with a range of back problems is a mainstay of any Osteopath’s job. Therefore, we welcome a campaign such as Backcare Awareness Week (promoted by BackCare – the National Back Pain Association) that highlights this important public health issue. This year the campaign is aimed at younger people. The campaign reports that 1 in 4 secondary school children suffer from back pain. Naturally, the focus is on prevention this year, and who better to carry good practice and knowledge forward than children between the ages 11-16.

Back pain in adults in the UK

The statistics for adults too show why action needs to be taken. In the UK each year the people who suffer most commonly with back pain are people aged 35-55, but 8 in 10 of us will report some back pain at least once in our lives. The cost to the NHS in 2014 was £1m There is an enormous amount of help available in the form of pain clinics, health practitioners such as physiotherapists and osteopaths, and in extreme cases, surgery, but these are staggering statistics none the less.

Treating Back Pain at The Robin Kiashek Clinics

subhome-column-1Robin Kiashek has over two decades of experience in treating a range of painful conditions related to the spine. By providing a thorough assessment and a treatment plan, including exercises and guidance on how to prevent future occurrences, patients receive a personalised treatment plan well-rounded individual treatment that can bring relief and independence. If the problem is severe or prolonged, such as acute pain resulting from injury, a treatment plan can be adjusted over time to help a patient regain optimum movement and strength.

How Back Pain Can Affect Society

If we consider the toll that chronic pain takes on individuals and families, it is easy to see how the whole of society is affected. This is particularly true in people’s daily occupations: heavy lifting at work, long hours of driving, looking after children, the elderly or disabled. According to NHS statistics, in 2013/2014 2.8 million working days were lost due to back pain. If you are a sufferer or live with someone who is, then you’ll know how debilitating it can be.

Transformative Treatment for Back Pain

getty_rf_photo_of_hands_on_backYou will also recognise how life-changing good treatment is. At The Robin Kiashek Clinics the aim is to make treatment as transformative as possible, not merely temporarily effective. The treatment you will be given will not only relieve pain but help to strengthen the body in order to prevent further pain or injury. It is possible to relieve symptoms with an array of gentle treatments, all with your agreement, ranging from Osteopathy to Western Acupuncture and Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). Everything that Robin can offer is at your disposal to get you free of pain, or to get you to a place where pain is manageable and you are able to anticipate and mitigate problems yourself.

Experience tells us that back pain is very individual, often is the result of multiple factors interacting in a complex way, and that the best outcome for any sufferer is a tailored treatment plan, employing a few different methods, from changes in lifestyle, to regular re-evaluation. In many instances, consultation can be a re-education for a patient who has had little explanation of his or her condition in the past.

Want Help With Back Pain?

So, if a trip to the GP has not addressed your pain, or you feel that you have neglected to seek further help for long-standing back pain, call Robin Kiashek for a consultation appointment and highly individualised therapy. You have a choice two clinics, one in North London and one in Central London. Why not request an appointment today.

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10 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Spine

Here at Robin Kiashek Clinics we have been looking after patients with back pain and structural spinal problems for over twenty years. In some cases, pain is related to the way we are built but in others pain is present because of a recent or historical injury. Any pain is a signal that the body is out of balance and needs assistance in getting back to normal.

SONY DSC

At the Robin Kiashek Clinics, as well as treating acute pain when it occurs, we also aim to prevent problems in our patients before they take hold, so here is a list of 10 tips on how to look after your spine to ward off potentially debilitating problems.

Tip 1 – Rest Your Spine

We mean it! If you have suffered an injury or you are in acute pain, after seeing a specialist, ensure you thoroughly rest your spine. If there is swelling & inflammation, it will need time to go down and the tissue needs rest to recover.

Tip 2 – Wear Supportive Footwear

This might not be immediately obvious, or what you want to hear if you are a lover of high heels, but the plain truth is your footwear determines your posture. Your musculoskeletal structure is one system. Where one part is impacted it is felt elsewhere.

Tip 3 – Quit Smoking

This is not a big headline but it really should be. Nicotine and the general dehydration that goes along with smoking can adversely affect your spine. Also, in the same way that smoking affects blood vessels and circulation, it affects the vascular structures in your disks and joints. Many smokers suffer from lower back pain. It is no coincidence but backed up by research.

Tip 4 – Get a Massage

getty_rf_photo_of_hands_on_backMassage is good for so many aspects of your health. Primarily it helps increase endorphins – your body’s natural painkillers – that provide relief to sufferers of chronic pain. It helps stimulate your circulation, bringing a good blood supply to the affected area, and it improves your lymphatic drainage system helping your body combat disease.

Tip 5 – Limit Sitting Time

This is rather hard if you have a desk job, but you can combat stiffness and aches by regularly getting up from your desk and having a walk around, ensuring you get outside for part of your lunch break. Some people swear by standing desks. If at home, using advert breaks to get up and potter about for 5 minutes, or setting a simple kitchen timer for 45mins to remind you to move, could help you. Any movement and activity is good.

Tip 6 – Have an Ergonomic Workspace

Taking a little time in planning where and how to position your seat, your keyboard and screen or other things on your desk or workspace, can really save your back from straining and twisting. If you spend a lot of time shackled to a phone, for instance, it makes sense to give some thought to positioning essential tools or supplies.

Tip 7 – Practice Good Posture

Whether standing or sitting, try and be aware of your spine’s position. Stand with feet a comfortable width apart and try to hold your tummy in, elongating your spine if you can. When sitting, try to sit up, and if necessary, use a lower back support to help the natural curve in your back to stay in position. Knees bent at right angles and feet flat on the floor should also help steady your posture and support your spine. It’s surprising how we forget such a simple thing!

Tip 8 – Get Comfortable in Bed

Sleep will elude you if you are not comfortable in bed at night. Ask yourself if you need any extra support (maybe a cushion under your knees or between our knees if you sleep on your side) to take the pressure off your hips or lower back? Are you getting enough support from your pillow or mattress? Even things as basic as temperature and atmosphere can affect your sleep and whether you feel pain or not.

Tip 9 – Hydration, Nutrition and Weight

Drinking plenty of water is essential, whether you have a health complaint or not. Eating right also makes the difference in the speed at which you can bounce back from pain and injury. Particularly for people with any joint or muscle pain, sufficient hydration helps lubricate the joints and eating regular, well balanced meals means good lubrication of joints and disks, and nutrition reaching the parts of the body that are struggling. Excess weight puts unnecessary pressure on already beleaguered bones and joints, and can delay recovery or prolong pain. Consider seeing a dietician if you struggle with nutrition or controlling your weight.

Tip 10 – Stay Active and Exercise Your Core

As long as you aren’t in severe pain and have the green light to walk or exercise, try to do as much as you can manage, especially if your specialist has given you particular exercises to practice. If you are able to go to classes at the gym or are fortunate enough to have a personal trainer, depending on your level of fitness, you can hone in on core strength exercises to strengthen the muscles of your abdomen and back, and also your legs. This will support your spine and take the pressure off your lower back. Ensure your instructor is qualified to help you and always make them aware of your condition.

Be it a herniated disk or muscle strain, only a thorough examination by an experienced specialist can reveal the kind of pain it is, and consequently, how to treat it. At The Robin Kiashek Clinics we can offer the very best care and all that Robin’s vast experience can offer. Requesting a consultation is easy – click here to enter your details.

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The Dripping Tap Syndrome

There are a number of questions I am frequently asked when I tell people I am an Osteopath. These generally go along the lines of “what do you actually do”, “how are you different from a Chiropractor” or “what can you treat?” Conversationally these questions are easier to answer, however this printed article has a finite word count. So in this instance I will direct you to my website www.robinkiashek.co.uk where not only these questions, but a multitude of others, are answered.

So why do people most commonly need an Osteopath?

london osteopath w1 n2 n10For me, within a clinical setting, I like to use the analogy of ‘The Dripping Tap Syndrome’. People will often have a small twinge or niggle of pain (a dripping tap over a glass scenario) which progressively starts to irritate that little bit more frequently (the glass starts to fill up). This can be over a period of weeks, months or even years. The analogical drip ultimately starts happening more often until eventually the final drop causes the glass to overflow and the patient experiences a significant increase in pain (commonly known as ‘acute’ pain). This ‘final drop’ can be an everyday event – maybe a sneeze, bending forward, a certain slight move etc

People come to me when the glass has overflowed. And my job is not only to turn it off, but to then understand why the tap was dripping in the first place. And the underlying reasons can sometimes be multifactorial – both on a physical level and sometimes emotional

How Can an Osteopath Help?

Assuming that someone has an issue which I can help, be that chronic or acute pain, sciatica, workplace injuries, sporting injuries or migraine, there is a very common set of three questions people ask me:

  1. What’s happening? (which is often a subtext for is it something more serious which I may not survive)
  2. How long will it take to fix?
  3. Will it come back?

A Holistic Approach to Health

Physiotherapist massaging patientUltimately I take a holistic approach to any health issue and, to go back to the analogy, find out why that dripping tap first occurred. As somebody who has undertaken extensive training from Osteopathy and Naturopathy, Post graduate studies in NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP)/Life Coaching, Western Acupuncture, The Perrin Technique for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Low Level Laser Therapy.

Stopping the drip is normally the relatively straightforward part of what I do. When it comes to preventing it from recurring this is where I need to understand the individual patient’s causative factors and working alongside them, help reduce the probability of a re-occurrence.

We both want the same goal, the patient to be happy and pain free. And by working together that is a more likely outcome.

To find out more about working with me in North or Central London please call 020 8815 0979. Alternatively you can request an appointment directly through our website here: https://www.robinkiashek.co.uk//request-an-appointment/

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Shining a Light on Low Level Laser Therapy

low level laser therapyLow Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is a treatment that can speed up certain healing processes by using specific wavelengths of light to interact with tissue. It has been effective in treating a variety of chronic and acute conditions in order to enhance functionality and to reduce pain, swelling and spasms. Some conditions that respond particularly well to LLLT include:

  • Sports Injuries
  • Plantar Fasciitis (Heel Pain)
  • Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)
  • Achilles Tendonitis
  • Acute & Chronic Back Pain
  • Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)
  • Rheumatoid & Osteo-Arthritis
  • Chronic Oedema (Swelling & Fluid Retention)
  • Fracture Healing
  • Headaches & Migraines (including TMJ Dysfunction)

I advise my patients that LLLT can stimulate certain cell types including muscle, ligament, cartilage and nerves; therefore a thorough evaluation of each patient’s case should be conducted to assess the correct form of treatment.

Interesting Note: The light used in LLLT has the ability to penetrate 2 to 5 centimetres below the skin!

So what happens during LLLT treatment?

During treatment, the laser (which is about the size of a torch) is placed directly over the injured area for about 30 seconds to several minutes (the exact time depends on the size of the area being treated and the severity of the injury). As a painless and extremely safe process, the light passes through the layers of skin and interacts with the light sensitive areas of the mitochondrial and fibroblast cells. Once the cells have absorbed this light energy, a series of events initiate, which create a healing process to the injured or damaged tissue. The desired result is a reduced level of pain, swelling and inflammation and an accelerated healing process.

Depending on your type of condition and its severity, you may be offered LLLT on a weekly or twice-weekly basis where the frequency of your treatment will decrease as your condition improves.

Find out more about: Low Level Laser Therapy.

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Back to Back Traffic Increases Risk of Whiplash at Christmas

With the countdown to Christmas in full swing, more and more drivers will face heavy traffic as they head to the shops or travel to visit relatives or friends. As a leading London osteopath, I regularly treat patients who are suffering from back and neck pain as a result of being in road traffic accidents. And quite often, whiplash is a major culprit.

Whiplash can occur following vigorous movement of the head that overstretches and damages the ligaments and tendons in the neck. Symptoms include neck pain and stiffness, reduced neck movements, muscle tenderness and headaches. In some cases, symptoms can become chronic; leading to anxiety and depression.

So what can you do to prevent the risk of whiplash injuries when you’re on the road this Christmas? My advice, as a reputable London osteopath, is as follows:

1: Adjust your seat appropriately

Make sure your car seat has less than a 20 degree incline angle. This will help to keep you in your seat should you be involved in a rear end collision.

2: Adjust the height of your head restraint

The top of your head restraint should be level with or above the top of your head. A good way to measure this is to place your hand on the top of your head and adjust the head restraint so that it touches your hand.

3: Position your head restraint close to your head

Adjust your head restraint so that it is about 5cm (2 inches) from the back of your head. The closer your head restraint is to your head, the less distance there will be for your head to build up speed and load the neck during a collision.

Small adjustments can make big differences when it comes to road safety this Christmas.

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