Something a little different on the blog today and a topic I’ve never discussed here on littlemisswinney.com but during the past few months it’s a subject that my life has pretty much revolved around. The subject being – back pain and more importantly how to tackle it. Long story short, I injured my back quite severely a few months ago whilst at the gym. I’ve been in pretty much constant pain since then, however thanks to my incredible, FIVE STAR, best person ever, miracle healer, osteopath – Anisha Joshi, things are finally getting back to normal. Before this accident I’d never suffered from back pain and the thought of going to an osteopath had never crossed my mind. Now, I can’t imagine my life without it! So I wanted to write a blog telling you the basics of of oseteopathy, in terms that makes sense (I can’t deal with all the scientific language – It gets too much) and explain whats going on with me and my back issues as well as giving you (via Anisha) some top tips on posture and keeping your back healthy.
‘OSTEOPATHS ARE LIKE MECHANICS’
The car analogy:
Your body is like a machine. Comparable to a car. We wash it, we put fuel in our car but we never get it seen by a mechanic. Worse still; we ignore our machine when a warning lamp comes on the dashboard. Body twinges are your bodies way of saying it needs a check up… if no-one turns that light off then it’s going to stay on and your machine is going to breakdown.
So, first off a little recap of my issues…
“You have a past history of being a dancer and therefore have particular areas of your body that move more than others. The muscles have to compensate in these areas and ‘hold on’ for dear life and therefore are predisposed to going into spasm. Due to your coffee shop blogging your shoulders are protracted and you have an anterior head posture. This has given you neck and shoulder issues in the past but also compromised your lower back. The pelvis has been stuck in anterior rotation due to your sleeping position and due to dancing completion which has essentially caused a weakness in your lower back.”
After being accessed by both Anisha and my GP I’ve been told I have sprained my lower back and partially slipped a disk. Not ideal for someone who is usually very active. Realistically – time is healer and it’s going to be a couple more months before I’m back doing my usual workout routines and dance classes but… and it’s a big butt (wink wink) the work I’m doing with Anisha each week has made such an improvement in regards to pain levels and general alignment/posture.
When I first saw Anisha I was at a 9 out of 10 of the pain scale and just wanted to cry because I was in constant agony. At the moment I’m at a 6 out of 10 with some days going down to a 5. This may still seem high to you guys but honestly, it’s such a relief to feel it improving as I had a full on panic that I was going to be in agony for ever! (I’m always dramatic) and even more fearful that I wouldn’t be able to dance or exercise again – not good. Anisha is delightful and the best osteopath I could have asked for. As someone who had no clue about osteopathy she clearly explained what was going on with my body as well as breaking it down into terms I could get my head around. We laughed, I finally stopped crying and I started to pay attention to what I was doing daily in regards to my posture in order to speed up the recovery process. So many bad habits over the years, straining my neck to look down at my phone, leaning/hunched over my laptop when working and not having a proper seat that was supporting my back correctly are just some of the issues that have been brought to my attention.
5 Common Posture Mistakes
- Holding devices down in your lap instead of bringing it up towards your face.
- Having a rucksack but only using one strap instead of two.
- Wearing high heels on your commute.
- Not lifting your laptop or computer screen up high enough.
- Not having a tall enough chair for your back.
I see Anisha weekly and I actually really look forward to our sessions. The most common question asked when I put videos up on my Instagram is “does it hurt?” I get it, you may hear a few clicks here and there but no – it doesn’t hurt. It’s more a release. The nature of my injury means some deep tissue massage and getting the muscles to release which does sometimes lead to mild discomfort but as soon as it’s done my body feels fixed. I honestly couldn’t recommend it enough. Regardless whether you have an injury or not. Book a session to get your body properly aligned, you’d be suprised how messed up you can actually be without even noticing!
A Little Bit About Anisha
Anisha qualified from the British College of Osteopathic Medicine in London with a Bachelor’s degree and a Diploma in Naturopathy. Upon graduation she spent 6 months in Sydney working alongside an Australian osteopath in a busy clinic. She uses a direct structural approach whilst incorporating soft tissue, body mechanics, hydrotherapy, ultrasound and exercise rehabilitation. Anisha has completed the first module of cranial osteopathy, of which she plans to pursue further.
She is also fully trained in Fibromyalgia Mapping and has patients with Fibromyalgia travel from all over the country to see her. As well as being principal osteopath at the Woodside Osteopathic Clinic, Anisha works ‘in-house’ as an osteopath in a large law firm on Chancery Lane, Holborn offering the lawyers a personal service including postural and ergonomic advice for their work stations. Her previous employment includes a variety of multidisciplinary clinics and Brunel University in London working with elite athletes that compete at a professional level. Her success lies in her experience and her supportive and friendly nature, making treatment effective as well as informative. The treatment is catered to the individual, taking all aspect of a patient’s lifestyle into consideration. Anisha has a keen interest in sporting injuries, headaches and posture.
In her spare time Anisha will be in Starbucks grabbing a Chai tea latte or be with her family and friends enjoying a good film and a glass of red wine. You can find here Instagram here – www.instagram.com/osteoanisha
So What’s Next?
Well, since meeting Anisha my life has changed. Haha, it sounds ridiculous but I seriously look at things differently. If I’m out looking for coffee shops to work in, I spend a good five minutes looking at the chairs available, seeing which will support me best before making a choice. I also try not to cross my legs when sitting anymore (something that I did without realising) and always lift my phone to eye level to read messages etc. instead of hunching over to look down. It’s crazy what I took for granted before I hurt my back. Once fully recovered I’ll be taking much better care of myself and really focusing on my posture. I’ll 100% continue my osteopath sessions which Anisha as – going back to the car anology, osteopaths are like mechanics and so a check every once in a while is necessary!
I hope you’ve enoyed this post and hopefullt it’s inspired you to book in a session with an osteopeth of your own. Anisha holds sessions in London on both Mondays and Wednesdays just off Oxford Street so be sure to message her or me with any question or to book an appointment, I highly recommend it!
K x
