Every year, the week of 12-20 October is Bone and Joint Week, focusing on musculoskeletal (MSK) health and wellbeing, and retaining mobility.
According to the University of Osteopathy, there more than 200 MSK conditions which:
- Affect 1 in 4 of the adult population (many being young and of working age) which is around 9.6 million adults and 12,000 children in the UK (Graham Stringer (2011), Hansard, col: 1342)
- Account for 30% of GP consultations, in England (Department of Health (2006), A Joint Responsibility: doing it differently, pp 16)
- Are associated with a large number of co-morbidities, including diabetes, depression
and obesity (Arthritis Research UK (2013), Musculoskeletal Health: a public health approach)
- Account for over 25% of all surgical interventions in the NHS, and this is set to rise significantly over the next ten years (Arthritis Research UK (2013, Musculoskeletal Health: a public health approach)
- Account for £4.76 billion of NHS spending each year (Department of Health (2011), Programme Budgeting Data 2009-10, June).
But we’re not here to try and tackle serious bone and joint conditions, we’re here to do our best to prevent negative impact on our lives as a result of lost mobility.
How important is mobility?
Mobility refers to the range of movement around a joint, so it stands to reason that having a good range of movement allows our bodies to move more freely. But healthy mobility also means we can prevent other injuries from, for example, falls or strains.
As we age we tend to notice that perhaps we can’t reach as high, bend as low or twist as far as we once could and that loss of mobility can not only risk us toppling over, off, but also impedes our day when it comes to shopping, getting dressed, combing hair, turning around in the driving seat and doing housework – and that’s just off the top of my head!
Keeping mobile
As the saying goes, ‘use it or lose it’! Walking, stretching, cycling and carrying on with all those things I mentioned before are great for your mobility, but to ensure you retain some juiciness in those joints and ligaments (connective tissue that joins bone to bone across a joint) you might consider gentle exercise specifically for that purpose.
Actually moving your body so it reaches, bends, twists and gently easing it past the natural range of movement, so that you put effort into it is how to increase circulation of synovial fluid and nutrients to those tricky spots.
Of course, I’m going to tell you that Pilates is fabulous for doing all that, as well as working on your flexibility and balance, so if you’re already taking my class – great job! Please tell others about how brilliant it is for your joints and keeping mobile!
Head over to the booking portal if you’d like to book a class, but if you are new to Ad Astra, get in touch with me to book a free trial.