Hip Flexors With Colin McCurdy
So, you are going about your daily routine when out of nowhere a little niggle in your back becomes a problem.
Suddenly picking the kids up becomes a painful activity, being sat down for too long brings pain to your back when you get out of the chair or sofa.
You haven't impacted your back in any way, yet the discomfort has become a constant thing. You want to get back to how it was before the constant reminder that something isn’t right.
So here for you are 3 super tips to help you achieve your pain free solution.
There is a muscle that connects your legs to your lower back. It is a large muscle called the psoas more commonly known as the hip flexior. As the name suggests, its main job is flexing the hip.
Due to all the time we spend sitting, the muscle is constantly flexed rather than being relaxed.
When you stand up the hip flexor is relaxing as you stand. However it remains tight due to our current lifestyle. This then pulls on your back because it is not relaxing. Which in turn is not allowing enough room for the hip to extend. This tends to pull your hips to tilt forwards. This is what causes your lower back to ache and hurt.
So the exercises you are about to see will help reverse the trend and bring you back into its natural position and return you to pain free movement.
1. Nice and simple, kneeling hip flexor stretch. Hold for 20-30 seconds if you have more time hold for longer.
2. Place your foot on a chair stool, anything that places the knee at a 90-degree angle.
Now take the arm on the same side as the extended leg above the head.
Now lean away from your extended leg. Depending on how tight your hip flexor is will determined how deeply you feel this stretch.
3. Kneeling/lying hip flexor stretch depending on how flexible you are.
Either standing of lying face down on the ground. Bend your leg towards your bum. Grab your ankle and pull your foot to your bum. This will stretch the thigh. Now lift your knee off the floor and this stretch now becomes a hip flexor stretch
.
Again hold for 20s - 30s of longer of you have the time.
So get going with these 3 top tips to help you on your way back to a pain free life.
If you know of anyone who would like my help get in touch and I'll fix them and you.
If you should need any further assistance, pop into Sheffield Sports Medicine for a free 15 minute consultation with me. Colin McCurdy
Invictus Games
What are they? Why are they held? When are they held? Who are the patrons of the Invictus games? How can we help?
The Invictus Games came into existence after HRH the Duke of Sussex (Prince Harry) went to view The Warrior Games 2013 in The USA. He was so inspired by what he saw from these brave servicemen and servicewomen who had given all in defence of their countries short of dying.
He was inspired and the Invictus Games were born.
Loss of a limb or limbs and the effect of making major change to their daily lives. Yet unstoppable. To continue living and growing in all aspects of their lives. With the injuries both psychological as well as physical. These games symbolise the strength and determination to continue living a full and active life. Getting support from fellow athletes and non- athletes to help them come to terms with what has happened to them and how they with the help of others like them to recover move forward and compete in sport be it for the first time or as former athletes getting back to sport. Sport being an excellent method of dealing with and moving forward after any major trauma. It gives you something to focus on, keeps depression and lethargy at bay. Competition is also a very valid part of sport. The comradery which comes with the game cannot and should not be underestimated. The rehabilitation support is also another positive factor of the games along with mutual respect after doing battle as it were.
Invictus which is Latin carried the meaning of Undefeated, Unconquerable. So when one looks at the logo it is very apt from the actions and feelings of all the participants. I Am Undefeated, Unconquerable.
The Games are held every two years and usually in what are seen /Known as Iconic cities to further grasp the hearts and minds of those who compete and those who watch this televised event around the world.
The Invictus Poem by William Ernest Henley himself an amputee is the inspiration for the name of these games.
How can we help?
We are practice with a wide range of skills covering all kinds of injuries and the rehabilitation of those injuries. Whether you are a recent victim of a large trauma or if you have been one for a long time and feel that there is no more help available to you.
Contact us and I’m sure we will be able to give you the help that you may feel is out of reach or unavailable.
We will help you to conquer your current issue and move you in the direction you wish to go.
Call us at Sheffield Sports Medicine on 0114 321 1852
Part 2 Of Correct Posture With Colin McCurdy
Welcome back in today’s blog we are going to look at what things we do on a daily basis which prompts the body to change / adjust to compensate moving us into a bad posture which then becomes the norm. Along with various imbalances
The body likes to be in balance and when it is not it affects the system in a number of ways.
We have a variety of imbalances around the body. We have Top to Bottom, Front to Rear, Left to Right, and Inside to Out. For example the inside and the outside of the leg.
Simple things that we do on a daily basis such as carrying a bag on a particular shoulder, working at a computer, sat a t a desk, driving to and from work or a driving job. We spend years at school sat at a desk. This all leads most of us to end up with poor posture.
Now for those of you out there who get frequent headaches, stiff necks and shoulders, tight upper backs and shoulder pain. I’m going to suggest some things which you can do to help alleviate these issues.
After doing them for a while I am interested in how you are feeling after a period of time. Is it better, worse, the same?
The more feedback I can get the better I can help you guys and girls.
So to help with the afore mentioned issues I’ll need to get out of the chairs that you are in. Good.
Now set your feet straight with first and second toes line up with your hip bones. Tighten thighs and squeeze your bum muscles, brace the abs, lift chest and place shoulder blades into your back pockets. I have no doubt that this feels uncomfortable?? Wherever you feel tight is where you will need to stretch that are and tighten the muscles on the opposite side of the body, Which will start to re-address the imbalances.
Do not forget about the head and neck and keeping everything in a straight line. Stand with the feeling of being pulled up from the top of your head. You’ll most likely feel that the chest shoulder area is tight this is due to the tightening of the chest and loosening of the back muscles to accommodate the poor posture.
Now in your rediscovered good posture you are going to perform some basic exercises to begin the process of adjustment. Start with arm circles going forwards first for 8 repetitions try and remain in the good posture while executing the arm circles. Now reverse the action and for another 8 repetitions. Tis will be followed by an exercise which will mess with your head. It’s all good fun. You are going to circle your arm son opposite directions one forward one backwards. Repeat for 8 repetitions. Now reverse the direction of your arms for another 8 repetitions.
Lastly return to the good posture position with palms facing forward and make large circles with the shoulders forwards for 8 then backwards for 8 repetitions. Also practice holding the good posture throughout the day for a round 10 – 15 seconds. Do this as often as you can in order to retrain the body to return to where it is supposed to be. Thank you for reading i’ll see you next time!
Colin.
Watch part 2 here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG26McChcHY
Part 1 Of Correct Posture With Colin McCurdy
This series of videos will give you an overview of posture good and bad and how it can and does affect our daily lives on a variety of levels.
In tandem with this information I will be giving some options to help you alleviate any postural issues that you may have and some simple things to change within your current lifestyle to help you feel better in mind, body and maybe your spirit too.
As you may or may not have realised the body is an amazing machine. We do something not right or we injure ourselves the body will adjust how we move or how we do not move. It could be something as simple as a cut on a finger. We consciously adjust how we do things so as to not keep hitting or knocking this injured place. If we damage let’s say a muscle the body will adjust how we move in order to reduce the load which the particular muscle used to take before the injury. It’s the body’s way of protecting itself from further damage.
The basic points I would like you to take from the first video is how to get a feel for what is good posture. What is bad posture and how to feel and see the difference in yourself and others around you. Loved ones friends or family.
When stood upright for good posture the following should be evident, your feet are facing forwards with feet parallel asif on a train track. Your first and second toes should line up with your hip bones as felt from the front not the outside of the hip bones. Your knees should be pulled back but not firmly locked, you should tighten your thighs and squeeze your bum. Now brace your abs as if ready to take a punch. Lift the chest slightly and squeeze your shoulder blades together as if holding a pencil. Now place your shoulder blades into your back pockets, If you don’t have any due to wearing a skirt just pretend fo he exercise. Now turn your palms so that they are facing forwards, your head should be facing forwards and feel like you are being pulled from the top of the head upwards. The chin should be slightly tucked in as if you are trying to gain a double chin ;)
This will most likely feel very uncomfortable. This is where we should all be when standing and also when sitting. As I mentioned before the body adjusts very quickly and quietly to an posture we on a regular basis.
Watch part 1 here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdTvtQesEnA