At the Paul Gough Physio Rooms, we help patients daily with lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, and knee pain… and it’s safe to say that imbalances in the body are typically the number one root cause of pain.
If you’re feeling pain when you walk, get out of bed, exercise, or during your everyday life, this might be because something is out of balance – and it might not be an obvious problem
Imbalances often aren’t easy to spot, because not many people understand WHAT they are and how to recognise them (including most doctors!)…
The most common advice you get for things like lower back, knee and neck pain not only fails to bring you the relief you’re after – but it can also make your pain WORSE.
For instance, you might have heard from professionals, family members and friends that you need to “strengthen your back” to get rid of the pain…
Whilst strengthening the area may be true in some cases, if the muscle imbalances associated with your pain have been there for a while and have been tight for months (… or even years!) then exercise will more than likely aggravate them even more.
In this blog post, you’ll learn how to recognise your own imbalances, how they cause pain in different parts of your body, and what you can do to ease the pain that you just can’t seem to get rid of.
How Do I Help My Neck Pain?
Your neck pain often stems from the thing it sits on – your shoulders.
Let me explain…
An easy way to find out if you have problems with your shoulders is to stand in front of a mirror and see if one shoulder is higher than the other.
If one of your shoulders is higher than the other, there is more than likely an imbalance, which means that there’s less room for your shoulder to move properly. When the tension builds up in your shoulder muscles, the pain is often sent to your neck.
Stretch to help neck pain:
Try the single-arm doorway stretch (see below photograph for an example of this stretch) – this stretch is used to open your chest muscles and create more room in your shoulder for movement, making them more flexible in the long run.
To make this stretch more challenging, place your hand on the side of a doorway and lean forward to stretch your chest and shoulder further… but keep your feet flat on the ground.
But what if your shoulders are even? Your pain or headaches could be coming from a forward leaning head…
If you look in the mirror and you don’t see any imbalance in the height of your shoulders, turn to the side – if your head is leaning further forward than your shoulders, this could be limiting the amount of blood flow to your head and neck, which could be causing headaches.
How Do I Help My Lower Back Pain?
Much like knee pain, back pain often isn’t caused by your back at all. If one side of your pelvis is higher than the other, this can trigger back, hip, groin, and even knee pain.
Unevenness in your hips can pull on your lower back, causing extreme tightness, especially whilst you’re sitting.
Stretch to help fix this:
Doing the right stretches will help reduce the pain and allow you to move freely once again. See below photograph for a great lower back stretch that you can try at home.
If you want to fix these imbalances, you should consider asking for some help from a physio. So many of our patients initially put off getting treatment as they believe the pain will ‘go away with time’, but then they come to us 6 months down the line with a problem which is much worse.
For more FREE tips on how to help your back pain, click here to read our FREE pain guide
Many of our patients have found that since lockdown they’ve been suffering from more aches and pains than they did before, this is because we all stayed at home either working or spending our days in front of the television.
If lockdown is something that you maybe didn’t even consider when thinking about what’s causing your pain, or any new pain you might be struggling with, then CLICK HERE to find out why your knee, back, or neck pain has got worse since lockdown. PLUS, some more essential stretching exercises from our physio.
What Else Can I Do?
You’ve made a great first step by reading this blog post! So many people procrastinate for so long, thinking that their pain will ‘just go away in time’, but then 6 months down the line they’re still waiting for that time to come… and their pain has actually got worse.
Expert advice, exercises, and hands-on treatment provided by a physical therapist can help improve your pain, as well as improve posture and strengthen weakened muscles.
And, getting a regular massage from a physio could help release tension and align your imbalances again – helping to instantly relieve your neck or back pain.
Would you like to see a physio for free?
We realise some people want more than just some free health tips… That’s why we offer expert advice about the worry and frustration of life-changing aches and pains – for FREE, in under 30 minutes.
Here are just a few of the things you will learn in one of our free taster sessions:
- What is the underlying cause of your back pain? (hopefully nothing too serious!)
- Roughly, how long will it take to fix my problem?
- What to do to help – which doesn’t include painkillers, resting or surgery etc.
- What other, natural, drug-free methods are there to speed up recovery alongside treatment?
Our taster sessions are great for anyone that may be “unsure” if physio is right for them, and they give you the opportunity to ask questions and see for yourself if we can help you.
We’ve got 5 taster sessions available this week. If you would like one of our limited taster sessions, please get in touch with the clinic using the contact details included below, and mention to the person who answers the phone that you would like to see a physio for free.
We’re Here To Help…
If you’re in pain and would like to talk to us about getting some help, some specialist advice, or if you are looking for a diagnosis, remember we are always here to help you…. and we’re offering you the chance to have your first session with a physio for FREE (with a taster session).
If you would like to get one of our limited taster session slots, please click here to complete our enquiry form or CALL us on 01429 866771.
P.S. Do you know someone with aches in their back?
Who do you know that is always telling you about their aches and pains? We would love to help them live a pain-free life too.
That person could be someone who you live with, work with, or an extended friend or family member, who is maybe suffering with some kind of ache or pain that we can fix.
Forward this blog post full of health tips on to them. Even better, if you refer someone to come and see us at the clinic, you’ll be entered into our ‘Referral for Rewards’ prize draw, to say a huge thank you.
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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