It doesn’t matter if you want to run faster, longer, perform better or move without pain then you need to identify your weakest link & then have a plan to strengthen it. I try to treat all of my patients as athletes. Like the athlete on the start line I want my patients to get the most out of their lives. I try to create a professional, supportive environment to help coach them to being happier & moving with confidence & without pain.
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Your weak link might be your stiff hip, the ankle you always twist or that nagging back problem that always seems to "go" just as you get on holiday.
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For an athlete or sportsperson this might be a weak muscle or restriction that makes another part of the body work harder. This might lead to increased fatigue, sub optimal technique & biomechanics. This often leads to niggles and eventually injury. Injury means pain and pain means reduced playing time.
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In periodisation there is a phase of training called GPP or General Physical Preparedness. In football this might be pre-season, in athletics the pre track phase. Basically, it's where you work on specifics in your fitness, co-ordination, movement & mobility so that you can improve on more skill related work later in the season. It might also be rehabbing an old injury or niggle. Think of this phase as finding the persons weakness & then making a plan to eliminate it.
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To MY patient I see in my clinic, this would involve finding out what that person wants to achieve. What do they love doing? What do they want their body to be able to do? How often would they like to do it? How far away from that activity are they now? What barriers are in their life stopping them from getting there? I assess where they are now physically and mentally. Then I design a plan to get that person to where they want to be. This is often based around osteopathic treatment, exercise and lifestyle changes. In my experience only by working with my patient collaboratively can they improve their physical performance so they can work towards that goal.
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Here's some examples of my patients goals I’ve helped them work towards.
"I want to be able to pick up my grandchildren"
"I want to complete a marathon for charity"
“I’d like to be able control of my back pain better”
"I want to run a sub 40minutes 10km"
“I want to be able to have less pain so I can lose weight” “I’d like to be able to manage this problem on my myself”
"I want to join the Para's"
"I want to be confident doing the gardening"
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Once you know where you want to go then you can identify what's holding you back. It's only by addressing the weak parts that you can truly move with confidence and less pain. I take a biopsychosocial approach to this. Not only will we address the physical factors but also investigate other parts of your lifestyle. How much stress are you under & is this effecting your pain levels? How much sleep are you getting? What relationships are supporting you & which are holding you back? Is time management holding you back from putting the work in? It’s is an active process. You will need to take action. It will take commitment, consistency & effort.
At some point you have got to put the work in.
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I’m not your average therapist. I’m a modern osteopath who combines 20years of personal training experience into helping patients transform their lives. I’ve suffered with chronic pain myself & I’ve had the obligatory 3 sessions of physio on the NHS. This didn’t work for me. I’m passionate about making people healthier so they can lead happier lives. I’m based in Colchester, Essex. If you're ready to take the next step & invest in yourself then drop me a line to discuss how we can work together. This might be face to face or virtually.
Email: info@shauntyler.com
Instagram @shauntylerosteo
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