The Magic of the Roller
As the weather becomes cooler, and the nights draw in, we often find it hard to motivate ourselves to stay active and mobile. Snuggling up on the sofa indoors means less going out and more sitting down. However, when you combine that with the more sedentary nature of home working (which we covered in a previous article: Working from Home), it can lead to stiffness and the build up of 'niggles' that become 'pains'.
If you sit down for large parts of the day (at a desk, driving or on the sofa), the upper back and shoulders, as well as the lower back, can start to ache. Your neck and shoulders gradually sink forward and raise around your ears - making the part of your spine between your shoulder blades weak and sore. Over time, it becomes much harder to maintain good posture - the postural muscles tire quicker, the stiffer they become.
How you can help this?
In the clinic we often recommend patients do exercise using a foam roller - they are a little bit of magic!
Buy a foam roller - go for one of around 90cm so it can stretch down your spine
Try out the exercises we suggest which you can see on this roller exercise sheet or watch Vera in action here: Facebook - Magic Roller
Once or twice per day take a break from sitting and spend five minutes 'opening up your chest'. If you're back working in the office, you may want to do this at home after work! You will be amazed at how much better you feel.
And if you're struggling for Christmas present ideas, why not buy a roller for a loved one, and share our exercises? We will have rollers available to buy in the clinic shortly, and have copies of the exercises too.