Physical exercise isn’t just about losing weight or looking good; getting, and keeping active can have health benefits across every area of your life, from lowering your risk of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes to helping prevent age-related cognitive decline, and neurological conditions such as dementia.
And of course, engaging in physical activity makes it more likely that you’ll be getting out and about, meeting new people, and building friendships and real-world social networks. When you get active and stay active, you not only feel better in the immediate term – you’re actively working towards being better for the rest of your life.
Physical activity is so important and has so many far-reaching, life-enhancing benefits. It really is something everyone should be able to engage with, and benefit from (with the help of mobility aids in some circumstances). Unfortunately, a recent cross-sectional study in Physiotherapy Journal, carried out by Moseng, Tveter, Holm and Dagfinrud, found that patients with musculoskeletal conditions do less physical activity than individuals who do not have such conditions, and are therefore exposed to poorer overall health in all aspects of their lives, and across the long term.
This makes sense, when you think about it; if you are in pain, you won’t be able to move easily, and will increasingly become disinclined to attempt to keep active – which, as Moseng et al have revealed, exposes you to longer-term health issues, issues which can seem unrelated to the cause of your pain. Saying that people with musculoskeletal problems have issues exercising might even seem like it is stating the obvious, but this study underlines how important it is to improve these disorders.
At Sheffield Physiotherapy, we believe that no one should have to experience lifelong poor health simply because they are in pain. We passionately believe that you should be freed from your pain, free to engage with a range of physical activity and enjoy the health benefits associated with increased physical activity.
That’s why we invest in state-of-the-art treatment options, so even if you’ve pursued treatment for the cause of your pain before, through your GP, or another physiotherapy practice, and you feel that there’s nothing that can be done, get in touch with us; our advanced therapy practices mean we may be able to succeed where others have failed, and give you the freedom to enjoy the life you deserve. Instead of treating problems on a case by case approach, which often leaves people resorting to painkillers, we know that looking at the whole body is the best route.
If you’ve been struggling to get out and about and exercise, book one of our free 30 minute assessments. We’ll be able to give you an insight into your condition and give you some ideas about how to move forward so that you can get back to living a more active life, and prevent other types of health problems from settling in. Click this link to book your assessment.
