What Has Lockdown Taught Us About Self-Care?

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Here’s the rough outline of a conversation starter that we have in clinic with patients on a very regular basis…

“So, following assessment, there is no evidence of any significant structural damage or injury…..this appears to be a protective pain response, and stress response, from your body, where your body is producing symptoms in response to you not looking after yourself. This can be due either to what you are, or are not doing in your lifestyle…you mentioned you haven’t had time to exercise in recent months…you’ve been under greater stress at work…you’ve gone from having an active to a predominantly sedentary work role…you’ve stopped moving normally because it can be sore to do so…you have been commuting more in recent times…you have fallen way from having that weekly game of badminton in recent years”…

This is where physiotherapy becomes a form of life coaching. No physiotherapy treatment will gain significant improvements in symptoms, or perhaps only transient improvements, if the patient doesn’t also address the underlying causes of pain, stiffness, weakness etc. We have all fallen into routines where regular exercise becomes a thing of the past, where we no longer get fresh air regularly. We have less and less time to relax and destress, to give our bodies and minds respite from the pressures of modern life. This can cause aches & pains. The most challenging element of this situation is acceptance on the patient’s behalf of the necessity to SLOW DOWN. There is time. You can leave your desk more often, if only for a 20 second walk around the office. You can find 10 minutes after the kids go to bed to do some bodyweight exercise at home. You don’t have to work through your lunch break, so get out of the office for a quick walk. Phone your ex-badminton partner, revive your weekly game!!

Covid-19 has allowed/forced many of us to reflect on the lifestyle we have lived, to reflect on what’s important to us, and to reflect on spending our time engaging in activities that actually make us feel good about ourselves. We’re all having more time with (immediate) family, time to bake, do yoga, garden, and read. Exercise has been enjoyable and relaxing, rather than having to be squeezed into a finite time window before something else takes over.

Consequently, we’re chatting to more and more patients who are seeing the benefits of being more kind to themselves, and prioritising their physical and mental wellbeing over their work. So, the challenge is to sustain this less stressful lifestyle long after Covid-19…while our physiotherapists at K.M. Woods Physiotherapy can be of help with hands on treatment and exercise programme prescription, the greatest change and commitment must come from you, the patient…

Please call 01413530906  to ensure further. Once lockdown restrictions are lifted, we will be back to offering clinics at our 4 locations – Glasgow West End (G3), Clarkston (G76), Newton Mearns, (G76), & Kirkintilloch (G66).

We hope you choose to trust us with your health and wellbeing once lockdown is lifted…