Physiotherapists in Blakeney treat many different conditions including the issues profiled below.

Managing Acute Neck Pain

Most neck pain episodes which come on suddenly (acute neck pain) are managed by the sufferer independently and this is the best approach. The initial approach is to take some painkillers to reduce the pain levels to a more manageable state. Painkillers cannot abolish the pain completely, but simply allow the person to get moving and stay active in the early period rather than being forced to rest. It is quite safe to take the recommended painkillers, they don.t mask the pain so much that a person can damage themselves without knowing. It is important to take the drugs appropriately.

It is recommended to take the painkillers every four to six hours as advised in the instructions and to do this for several days, even if the person feels better now and then. Stopping taking them too soon means the pain flares up again at some point, inhibiting movement and recovery. Taking the painkillers regularly allows the build up of the drug levels in the blood which keeps the pain suppressed. People often stick it out until the pain becomes more severe but this is unhelpful as it is harder to relieve a pain than to prevent it developing.

Fitness

Fitness means different things depending on what we define as the characteristics of being fit, and typically includes a number of physical states and abilities. Aerobic fitness is the ability to maintain an activity (such as jogging) for twenty minutes or more whilst keeping one.s heart rate between 60 and 80% of maximum. We have to be aerobically fit to perform repetitive work moving our bodies about such as in running, swimming or cycling and these activities, along with fast walking, can be used to increase fitness. Muscular fitness is the ability to muscle to exert force against resistance and divides into the abilities of strength and endurance.

Muscular fitness can be trained against resistance in the gym and this kind of training needs to be undertaken to some degree even by those who almost exclusively wish to be fitter in the aerobic sense. It can be argued that two more things need to be added to make ultimate fitness in a person, stretching and core stability. Stretching can be performed after an activity to maintain muscle length but should be avoided before as it may increase the likelihood of injury. Evidence for stretching being therapeutically useful is not very good.