Life’s not fair
Today is the launch of my blog “Exercise for Life”, which aims to raise awareness of the role of physiotherapy in health promotion. I am currently sat watching Marine play Tottenham in the FA cup; in the hope of witnessing a historic moment, a true underdog story.
It is 32 minutes into the game and Marine trail 3-0. It has got me thinking that unfortunately, not every fairy tale has a happy ending. With the best will in the world, some feats can appear just too mammoth to pull off. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try. With odds of 33/1 Marine could have forfeited the match, but they didn’t… why? Pride? Endeavour? Luck? Self-respect? Everyone has a different reason for getting out of bed in the morning, everyone has different drivers and motivators. Dele Ali hasn’t played a league game all season for Spurs, and yet still Transfermarkt value him at roughly £58.5 million- yet only last year, Ali was valued at an astounding £100 million. (Reference)
For reference Marine Fc’s squad is valued at £332,000. This means one of Tottenham’s reserves is worth 300 times Marine’s whole squad. Seems fair right…
(Its now 4-0 by the way).
You are probably wondering what all this has to do with physiotherapy?
Well, to echo the message of tonight’s cup tie, LIFE’S NOT FAIR. I’m sure you can think of countless examples to back this up, but one that stands out to me is this simple fact: from the age of 30, you begin to naturally lose muscles mass at a rate of 8% per year. This rate of muscle loss then dramatically increases further after the age of 60. So there you have it; you could consider yourself an underdog and give up now, because from the age of 30 it’s all downhill.
But Hang on a minute!
I’ll say it again: life’s not fair. Physiotherapy is about helping you embrace this message, dusting yourself off, and taking a proactive and positive approach to making your life better. Physiotherapy should never be a one size fits all approach. A vital characteristic of a good physiotherapist is the ability to understand and communicate in a way that helps build trust with someone, because achieving your goals is personal! We are specialists in people, we look to find what makes a person tick and use this to support a person to reach their goals. Muscle loss prevention is merely one string in our bow, but is also the purpose of this post, so I will get off my soapbox and continue.
But why is losing muscle such an issue?
Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, and it is closely correlated with physical disability, poor quality of life and morbidity. (Reference)
(5-0 spurs now)
Sarcopenia increases the risks of falls and multiple injuries, leading to functional dependence and disability (Reference) . A decrease in muscle mass is also accompanied by increase in fat mass. This combination can be dangerous and lead to can lead to:
– Osteoporosis (low bone density)
– Type 2 diabetes
– Obesity
– Heart disease
Despite the severity of the consequences of sarcopenia, there is some good news!
SARCOPENIA IS COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE.
Exercise interventions, in particular resistance training, can prevent and manage sarcopenia. So, it does not all have to be doom and gloom! Physiotherapists are exercise specialists, with unparalleled knowledge of the musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones and everything in between); we take into consideration any pre-existing health conditions and tailor exercise to the individual to tip the odds back in their favour. If you’re frightened, worried or simply don’t know where to start with exercise, consult a specialist…
Exercise for life!
(Final score 5-0. Following substitutions at half time, only one goal conceded in the second half! Go on Marine!) Along with Mourinho’s multiple substitutions, the complacency of the Spurs side tipped the odds back in Marine’s favour.
Physiotherapists use their knowledge, understanding and scientific evidence, to tip the odds back in favour of anyone recovering from injury, illness or disability; and as long as you are willing to put in the hard work, there is tonnes of research to prove it works. (Reference) But just as important as being able to understand the evidence, is having the skill to apply this to an individual. It is important that your physiotherapist takes the time to really understand you, and the things that are important to you, to get the best results for you. This is why at Spiral Health your appointments last a minimum of 45 minutes – quality over quantity is paramount!
Physiotherapy is as much about being proactive in health promotion as it is being reactive with treatment; which is why I am excited to launch the Spiral Health “Exercise For Life” blog in order to raise awareness of real life issues encountered as part of my work as a physiotherapist.
Thank you for making it this far! I look forward to seeing you here in the near future. Please follow me on socials @spiralhealthphysio for more scientifically informed content.
Jack Howard
Spiral Health Physiotherapy