Things you didn't know about your back pain? - Natasha Eekhout (Paladin Biokineticists)

If you haven’t yet experienced the nagging pain in your lower back, well then heck that’s pretty impressive and you can consider yourself to be one of the lucky ones! It seems like a prevalent condition but how much do we really know about it?

1.      Back pain is one of the most prevalent ailments and surprisingly costs the country more than cancer and diabetic treatments combined, bet you didn’t know that! At least 80 out of 100 people will experience back pain, usually caused by everyday strains and sprains, during their life time and often it’s recoverable, if not, then you may have yourself a problem.

2.      Stop being a hypochondriac, scans aren’t necessarily required when you’re experiencing back pain. A short visit to your healthcare provider such as a physiotherapist will be able to identify if a scan is really needed depending on your symptoms and past medical history. A Biokineticist may also be of use to you, prescribing specific rehabilitative exercises to prevent further pain and injury.

3.      Interpretation of your scans can be skewed and misinterpreted. Research has shown that back scans of people who have bulging or herniated discs don’t even experience pain. Often people who do have back pain are told that all of these indicators are definitely the cause of the pain, when sometimes it may be referred from elsewhere or simply just muscle weakness. The results of your scans can be compared to baldness – it happens with age and overall genetics and there isn’t much we can do about it except for preventing further degeneration.

4.      More pain does not mean more damage! This might sound a bit strange, but this may be related to changes in environments or hypersensitivity. So when you’re having a bad day at work (murphy’s law) that little pain may just come about to aggravate you even more.

5.      When a disc or joint is ‘out of place’ it also doesn’t necessarily mean that this is the result of your pain. Yes in some cases it may be, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves and go for the whole manipulation thing unless it is really diagnosed and required.

6.      Bed rest is NOT the answer! Yes ok you may be in pain, and resting a day or two after your painful incident such as spraining an ankle is a good idea. However when it comes to back pain, depending on your symptoms, bed rest will only make your condition worse.

7.      Surgery… no! Just no. As a biokineticist we avoid this at all costs if possible and believe that conservative treatment is the way to go, unless it’s seriously debilitating and preventing those daily activities of yours.

8.      For most of us a good night’s sleep is hard to come by, and often this is related a shoddy night’s sleep. Improving your sleeping routines can help reduce the pain.

9.      Schoolbags are schoolbags, how else would you like to carry around those books? Research shows that weighted schoolbags aren’t necessarily the cause of your kid’s back pain and often, seeing as most kid’s these days just take it easy on the couch, it may be a simple way to get some physical activity into their daily agenda of xbox, play station and television.

10.  Stress levels can negatively affect your pain. So put a smile on your dile, take up something you enjoy and reduce that anxiety and those mood swings.

11.  Lifting goods and bending is seen as a no go when you have back pain. This may sometimes cause some strain and result in you being pretty immobile, relying on others to carry out your demands, which may not be such a bad thing. However this may become quite annoying for your newly acquainted ‘butlers.’ The key is to perform your movements carefully, avoiding them will just make them a whole lot worse to execute.

12.  Exercise is one of the most effective and drug free remedies you can use to help out with the pain, and the most awesome part about it, is that it’s free! Physical activity relaxes muscle tension, releases endorphins and generally improves your immune system. Under-used muscles tend to feel more pain and often need a couple sessions to wake up.

13.  The perfect sitting position doesn’t quite exist. I bet you’re all sitting up straight now aren’t you? Contrary to belief, everybody sits differently and obviously this is comfortable for you. Instead of sitting or standing in a super rigid posture, loosen up and move in a relaxed manner.

14.  ‘Persistent’ back pain can indeed get better! Treatment can take a while, and may not happen immediately. Take all of the above mentioned factors into consideration when seeking treatment, one form ain’t gonna make the cut! 

     Natasha completed her BSc Sports Science undergraduate degree at The University of Johannesburg and her BHSc honours degree in Biokinetics at The University of the Witwatersrand. 

She has a passion for a variety of sports in particular soccer, tennis, running and kickboxing which have contributed to a strong interest in orthopaedic rehabilitation and working with athletes. Other areas of focus include diabetic and cardiac rehabilitation, as well as weight loss and a keen enthusiasm for working with children of all ages. 

Natasha can be contacted on 082 476 9727 or natashaeekhout@kinetics.co.za

What is Hypertension and how does a Biokineticist play a role in addressing it? - Anca Wessels (Paladin Biokineticists)

So you’ve heard of the term “high blood pressure”, but what does it really mean?

When your heart beats, it pumps blood out. The pressure it produces is called your systolic measurement (top reading) and should average at around 120.

When your heart is resting in between beats, it gets filled up with new blood. The amount of pressure needed to do this is called your diastolic measurement (bottom reading) and should average at 80.

If your blood pressure measurement is higher than 120/80 (eg. 150/100), you could be suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension). This means that the amount of pressure needed to pump and fill your heart is higher than normal and could lead to your heart being over worked. If left undiagnosed and untreated for an extended period of time, you could suffer from a heart attack or heart failure.

If you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension, one of the treatments that can assist in decreasing your reading is regular specific exercises. This is where Biokineticists come in.

Exercise for hypertension is specifically designed to train your heart how to deal with access pressure. These pressures can include anything from being overweight, to additional work stress, to being very unfit, to financial problems, etc.  By increasing your heart’s capability to adapt to different situations, you will lower your blood pressure and increase your quality of life.

For more info on high blood pressure and exercise, contact us now. You don’t have any time to waste!

Cerebral Palsy (CP) and how Biokinetics can help - Nicole Robson (Paladin Biokineticists)

Cerebral Palsy is a neurological condition, where the part of the brain that controls muscle function, is damaged. This often occurs at birth. A variety of causes (predominantly at birth) include:

• low oxygen levels (hypoxia)
• severe jaundice
• brain infections
• bleeding into the brain
• head injuries
• maternal infections such as rubella (German measles)

 There are many different types of Cerebral Palsy that are classified as follows:

• Spastic: prominent reflexes and stiff muscle movements.
• Dyskinetic: This is divided into two types:
• Athetoid:  involuntary slow, movements
• Dystonic: Lack of trunk stability (affects posture)
• Ataxic: uncoordinated muscle movements
• Hypotonic: Low muscle tone (floppy)
• Mixed: combination of any of the above.

Exercise plays an important role in managing CP. Biokineticists are qualified health professionals who are trained to prescribe specific exercises. The purpose of exercise is to assist in providing independent movement. This is done by performing various functional movements, which often mimic activities of daily living. This goes hand in hand with muscle strength and therefore joint stability. Most importantly physical movement assists by preventing joints from becoming tight or permanently contracted.

Daily range-of-motion (ROM) exercises are essential in helping to prevent and delay and contractures (spasticity) as well maintaining mobility of joints. Stretching exercises are performed to increase range of motion. Progressive resistance exercises are important in developing strength. Fun Based exercises are also used for children to assist in posture correction, core and balance.

CP is a non progressive disease but can be managed through exercise which ultimately improves the individual’s quality of life.

Nicole obtained her BA in Human Movement Science at the University of Pretoria and completed her Honours Degree in Biokinetics at the University of Johannesburg. 

Nicole has an interest in Rhythmic Gymnastics and this particular sport led to her interest in the human body and orthopaedic rehabilitation, particularly of the back. She also has a keen interest in a variety of other sports. An area of focus that Nicole is also passionate about involves the training of children ranging from the very young child to teenagers. 

Nicole can be contacted on 082 888 8826 or nicolerobson@kinetics.co.za

How do I know I need a Biokineticist? - Bianca Bunge (Paladin Biokineticists)

• Have you been suffering from lower back pain for the last month, year, or all your life?
• Have you recently sustained a sports injury?
• Have you undergone any Orthopaedic surgery?
• Are you planning on undergoing any Orthopaedic surgery in the near future, and need to do some strengthening and conditioning beforehand?
• Do you suffer from any joint pain or niggles?
• Do you suffer from daily headaches?
• Does your whole body feel tight and tensed?
• Have you recently undergone any Cardiac surgery?
• Are you unhappy with your weight and want to shed a few kilograms?
• Is your posture worrying you?
• Are you an athlete looking to enhance your performance?
• Do you Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes?
• Do you have High Blood pressure or Cholesterol?
• Do you experience knee pain when running and/or squatting?
• When you embark on your ab challenge workout, do you seem to feel every exercise in your lower back instead of where you actually need to feel it, uhm, your abdominals?
• Do you occasionally feel numbness and tingling down your legs?
• Do you suffer from any chronic conditions such as Parkinsons, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome, to mention a few?
• Have you sustained a Neurological or Spinal injury?
• Do you just generally feel tight, tired, tensed and weak

Have you answered yes to any, or even a few of these questions? Well, then chances are you need a Biokineticist!! And we can help you!!

Bianca completed both her BA in Human Movement Science as well as her Honours degree in Biokinetics at the University of Pretoria. 

Bianca has a keen interest in various sports, particularly Netball and Running. She loves working with individuals and athletes of all levels and assisting them in achieving their desired goals. It’s all about the comeback! 

She’s passionate about the human body, movement, and working with different people and has a special interest in Orthopaedic Rehabilitation, in particular knee, hip and back rehabilitation. 

Bianca can be contacted on 082 8297 438 or biancabunge@kinetics.co.za

Children and Biokinetics... Let's have some fun! - Nicole Robson (Paladin Biokineticists)

Exercise and physical activity is just as important for children as it is for adults. In today’s society the rate of obesity and overweight children is increasing at an alarming rate. This is consequently leading to an early onset of type two diabetes. Poor posture from bad sitting habits can also cause lead to problems such as muscular imbalances and therefore undue stress on certain joints.

This represents the need for physical activity and exercise. Exercise, monitored by a trained professional such as biokineticist can help manage both chronic and orthopaedic conditions in children.

Biokinetics in children is a specialised form of exercise treatment that assists in long term physical development and also improves mental and emotional well being. Using a fun form of exercise therapy, many conditions can be managed conservatively through activity and exercise.

Conditions that would benefit from Biokinetics include conditions like Autism, ADHD/ADD, low muscle tone, spina bifida, perthes disease, in-toeing and out-teoing, scheurmanns disease, scoliosis, juvenile arthritis, asthma and cystic fibrosis.

Following an assessment the Biokineticist can put together a structured and monitored exercise programme, with the correct and necessary progression based on the child's needs.

In general it is important to develop good lifestyle habits from an early age.

Physical activity, monitored specifically by a biokineticist has a variety of benefits such as:

·         The development of a healthy heart and lungs

·         Increased flexibility

·         Improved balance

·         Enhanced co-ordination

·         Muscle imbalance corrections

·         Postural correction

·         Development of strong bones

·         Weight management

·         decrease  risk of certain diseases

·         improved mood and self-esteem

Early intervention not only slows progression of certain conditions but also helps maintain and prevent further problems in the future.

Scoliosis... we've got your back! - Melissa Biffi (Paladin Biokineticists)

What is Scoliosis?

Scoliosis is an abnormal, curvature of the spine.  Viewed from the back, a typical spine is straight. When scoliosis occurs the spine can curve in two different ways, the spine can curve to one side, either the left or right side (shaped like a C) or the spine has two curves (shaped like the letter S) normally occurring at the cervical and lumbar spine region.

There are two types of scoliosis. Structural scoliosis which is characterised by permanent structural changes in the bone and usually caused by congenital abnormalities. Non-structural or functional scoliosis is generally caused by a problem elsewhere in the body, such as a leg length discrepancy or muscle spasm. 70-90% of all cases are idiopathic (unknown). Idiopathic scoliosis can be seen at any age, but is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 13 years, and is more common in females. Degenerative scoliosis is more likely to develop in adults, where degeneration in the spine and surrounding musculature can result in abnormal curvature. 

How do you know you might have scoliosis?

The most common symptom of scoliosis is an abnormal curve of the spine. Often this is a mild change and may be first noticed by friends or family. The change in the curve of the spine typically occurs very slowly and over a long period of time and so it is easy to miss until it becomes more severe. Pain is a symptom of scoliosis .When back pain is present with scoliosis; it may be because the curve in the spine is causing stress and pressure on the spinal discs, nerves, muscles, ligaments, or facet joints. It is not usually caused by the curve itself. 

Scoliosis may cause the head to appear slightly tilted to one side or one hip or shoulder to be higher than the other side and can also cause one leg to appear shorter than the other. If the scoliosis is more severe, it can make it more difficult for the heart and lungs to work properly as severe scoliosis can cause a rotation of the rib cage, which will cause shortness of breath.

How can Biokinetics help scoliosis?

Mild cases of scoliosis generally have minimal deformity. Such cases can therefore be treated with appropriate stretching and strenghening exercises. A biokineticist will assess what functional aspects may be contributing to the scoliosis, so that appropriate stretching and strengthening exercises can then be prescribed to manage the  scoliosis and prevent further deterioration.

Biokineticists can prevent the progression of curvatures in adolescents with scoliosis and in some cases even improve their curvature. Biokinetics will focus on prescribing a specific individualised exercise regimen according to the need of each person. The program will consist of isometric and other muscle strengthening and stretching exercises in order to strengthen the spine causing it to straighten out. Treatment will also focus on posture correction and stabilising the corrected muscles so that posture will be improved in activities of daily living. It is very important that the correct exercises be prescribed and done obediently, as incorrect exercises; a lack of effective management of the scoliosis and to poor compliance of the individual can lead to progression of the curvature. 

Melissa Biffi obtained her BCom Sports Management Degree at the University of Johannesburg and completed her Honours in Biokinetics at the University of Witwatersrand.

She has a special interest in dancing and other sports such as soccer and hockey, which lead to her interest in orthopaedic rehabilitation, particularly knee rehabilitation.

Melissa is also very passionate about working with children in specific areas such as rehabilitation and development of individuals from very young ages all the way through to adolescents.

Melissa can be contacted on 082 822 9677 or melissabiffi@kinetics.co.za