George Morris Physiotherapy Wigan & Leigh

George Morris Physio Wigan How to sit properly: Physiotherapist reveals exactly how you should sit on your chair when you're upright, sitting back or leaning forward * Many people spend the majority of their day sitting, whether at home or work * A leading physiotherapist said there are a few things you should keep in mind * Leon Straker is a professor of physiotherapy at Curtin University, Australia...
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George Morris Physio Wigan Vitamin D deficiency: The best food that contains the most vitamin D Vitamin D is an extremely important vitamin as its powerful effects have great impact on several systems throughout the body. How do you know if you are deficient and what is the best food to eat to help you avoid vitamin D deficiency? Known as the sunshine vitamin, it is estimated that we need about 30 minutes exposure to the sun every day to produce enough vitamin D to keep us he...althy. The symptoms of vitamin D are subtle and you may not suspect how much a lack of vitamin D affects your moods. The only way to know for sure if you are deficient is to have a blood test by your GP. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency: * Getting sick often * Fatigue and tiredness * Bone and back pain * Depression * Wounds that don’t heal quickly * Bone loss * Hair loss Ocean grown fatty-fish is one of the richest sources of vitamin D. It is important to check the fish has been sourced from the ocean as many supermarkets are farmed and therefore don’t receive natural food sources. Doctor Marilyn Glanville said:“Those most at risk of vitamin D deficiency are those who do not go out much the daytime, those who do not expose their skin to the sunlight and woman who constantly wear make-up or cosmetics with in-built sun protection factors. "The tone of your skin affects Vitamin D production, so the darker your skin the less your body produces vitamin D.” Best foods that provide Vitamin D include: * Cheese * Egg yolks * Mushrooms * Cow’s milk * Liver * Red meats Doctor Glanville explains the main benefit of vitamin D * It plays a major role in breast and bowel cancer prevention * It is important for your immune function * It helps protect your body against conditions such as type 2 diabetes * It reduces the risk of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem today and many chronic diseases are often associated with low vitamin D. For many people, taking a vitamin D supplement may be the best way to ensure adequate intake. Research suggest that D3 may be significantly more effective at raising and maintaining overall vitamin D levels than D2.
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George Morris physio Wigan Using a foam roller – one of those hard tubes of plastic that you see in gyms is a good way of massaging post-exercise. Moving a foam roller back and forth over a muscle massages the immediate area, such as the hamstring or calf. And it can be done before a workout, too.

George Morris Physio Wigan Is a dairy-free diet bad for your bones?
Many of us are ditching cow's milk in favour of alternatives such as almond and soy. But this could lead to problems in later life, warns the National Osteoporosis Association.
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George Morris Physio Wigan
Top UK scientist urges people to take vitamin D supplements
Geneticist Steve Jones, formerly a sceptic, says case for doing so is overwhelming... One of Britain’s leading scientists has urged people to take vitamin D supplements, particularly children, who spend an hour less outside than they did 10 years ago. The geneticist Steve Jones advised the case for taking them was now overwhelming. “I never thought I would be a person who would take vitamin supplements, I always thought it was absolute nonsense, it’s homeopathy. I now take vitamin D every day,” he said. “Today, because I knew the sun wasn’t going to shine, I took an extra one. “Children today spend an hour a day less outside than they did 10 years ago. That’s the smartphone and the tablet situation. Scottish children spend less time in the sun than any other children in the world.”
He said the bone disease rickets, which doctors thought they had eliminated from Britain in the 1950s, was a real issue today. “Rickets is coming back and rickets is coming back at some speed. It is coming back because of a shift in human behaviour which we never thought would happen,” he said. Jones said the benefits of sunshine and vitamin D could be felt across a range of health areas including obesity, mood and blood pressure. He cited multiple sclerosis, which is most common in northern Canada and almost unheard of in tropical countries. In the UK, levels are higher in Scotland than England. Scotland gets the least sunshine in the UK and Scottish men have a life expectancy two years less than men in England and Wales, he said. “Scotland is still the sick man of Europe. The Scots are the palest people in the world … and that’s because their entire body systems are crying out for vitamin D.” Jones is professor of genetics at University College London and is considered one of the finest science communicators of his generation. He was in Hay talking about his new book, Here Comes the Sun. Jones told the audience that vitamin D had many unexpected effects on the body, including the immune system. “It can help tackle infectious disease, it changes mood, if you have a shortage you’re more likely to get kidney disease … it is really, really important stuff. The evidence that the shortage of sunlight has drastic effects on health is overwhelming.” The sun also lowers your blood pressure. “If you lie out on the beach in your bikini, or without anything on, for an hour you will drop your blood pressure by about 10 points, because it relaxes your blood vessels. So get out in the sun while we still can.” Jones acknowledged that too much sun can cause skin cancer, a discovery made in the 1930s during research on the health of US Navy sailors. It was also discovered that they had lower levels of other diseases because of their greater exposure to the sun. “That was forgotten more or less, but it’s now being discovered in spades.”
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George Morris Physio Wigan Back pain: Three exercises you must AVOID if you have lower back pain BACK PAIN can be relieved by exercising and stretching to strengthen the back muscles and increase flexibility. But how can you be sure exercising won’t cause further damage? Avoid these three exercises if you suffer from lower back pain. Back pain is a common condition, affecting one in three people each year in the UK, according to private healthcare provider Bupa. Lower back pa...in, or lumbago, is particularly common, although it can be felt anywhere along the spine. Back pain may last days, weeks or months, depending on the severity and cause of the problem, but recovery can be sped up by keeping the back strong and healthy. One way to achieve this is to keep active and exercise the back, in order to strengthen the muscles and keep them flexible. However, it’s important to take care when exercising and stretching, as doing the wrong kinds of exercises can make back pain worse. “Exercise is good for low back pain - but not all exercises are beneficial,” said medical website webmd. “Any mild discomfort felt at the start of exercises should disappear as muscles become stronger. But if pain is more than mild and lasts more than 15 minutes during exercise, patients should stop exercising and contact a physio. If you have back pain, make sure you avoid these three exercises and stretches so you don’t make the condition worse: Toe Touches Standing toe touches, where you lean over to touch your toes while standing up, put greater stress on the discs and ligaments in the spine. Toe touches can also overstretch lower back muscles and hamstrings. Sit-ups People usually do sit-ups to strengthen the core and abdominal muscles, but many people tend to use the muscles in the hips when doing sit-ups instead. This can aggravate lower back pain while also putting a lot of pressure on the discs in the the spine. Leg lifts Like sit-ups, people often do leg lifts as a way to strengthen the core and abdominal muscles. Leg lifts involve lying on your back and lifting both legs into the air at the same time, but doing this is very demanding on your core and, if weak, can make back pain worse. Instead, you could try lifting one leg at a time, while keeping the other leg bent at the knee with the foot flat on the ground. “Stay as active as possible and try to continue your daily activities – this is one of the most important things you can do, as resting for long periods is likely to make the pain worse,” said the NHS. “Not only is exercise great for your overall health, it may help to reduce back pain and prevent it coming back,” added Bupa. Walking, Rowing and swimming are highly recommended for lower back problems
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George Morris physio wigan
If an individual has had a lower back problem or sacroiliac problem for a while the spine will be inherently weak and therefore vulnerable to future episodes.
Here are 3 basic core stability exercises (modified pilates)for the lower back and sacroiliac problems to help strengthen it.... Take a relaxing deep breath & maintain a neutral spine. 1- The bridge (Hold for 10 seconds & repeat 10 times) 2-The bridge with 1 leg raise (hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times) 3- The clam- on side legs at 45 degrees -repeat 10 times
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George Morris physio Wigan lower back exercises for lower back pain repeat 6 times for each exercise Slowly stretch and take a breath in and out to a count of 15 seconds

George Morris physio Wigan Muscles Sore? These Experts Explain Why It Hurts to Walk Up Stairs After a Tough Workout Sore muscles are happy muscles because it's usually a sign of progress! It means you've challenged yourself or worked muscle groups you don't normally work. This happened to me last night with a new yoga practice. Though I'm good at balance because of my gymnastics days, I'm still not used to holding crow pose, and my forearms and shoulders are currently sore wi...
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George Morris physio Wigan Working out with bad knees Sustaining an injury during an exercise, or outside of your workout, can be bad news for your fitness regime. It’s easy to skip sessions when you’re suffering, but some clever tweaks and substitutes mean you don’t have to miss the gym altogether. Halle Berry and her personal trainer Peter Lee Thomas recently addressed the issue on Instagram, as part of their Fitness Friday series, with Peter suggesting replacing moves like... squats with kickbacks and glute bridges to give the knees an easier time. And Halle stressed the importance of stretching, warming up and cooling down before and after a session. You can’t just jump into exercise,” she stressed. “Like if you’ve never kickboxed, don’t just go to a gym when you’re 35 and think you’re just gonna tear it up.” Her go-to moves include cat-cow, child’s pose, and cobra stretch from yoga. "You can tear it up, but have someone who’s knowledgeable in the field walk you through the steps so you can actually tear it up without hurting yourself,” she added. Peter also put forward numerous low-impact alternatives to running, like walking up stairs or hills and a rowing machine. There are lots of exercises you can do to actually help ease knee pain, like straight leg raises, where you strengthen your quadriceps by raising one leg up and down, while lying on the floor, with the other leg bent at the knee with the foot flat on the floor. Or a hamstring curl, which you can do laying or standing. For the floor option, lay on your stomach and slowly bring your heels as close to your butt as you can. Or stand up and hold on to a chair and then lifting one leg at a time to bring your heel up towards your body.
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George Morris physio Wigan Back pain: Reduce pain in back and lower back pain with one vitamin supplement BACK PAIN can be caused by a number of things, such as an injury or poor posture, or it could appear to have no cause at all. If you have pain in the back or lower back pain, taking a particular vitamin supplement could help to improve symptoms. According to Bupa, back pain affects around one-third of the people in the UK each year. The most common type is lower back pain...
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George Morris physio Wigan
What is osteoarthritis? Osteoarthritis, a condition that causes pain and stiffness in the joints, is one of more than 100 different forms of arthritis. In addition to osteoarthritis, other common forms of the condition include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia and gout, states the Arthritis Foundation....
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George Morris physio Wigan Upgrade your health with these 30 tips and transform your life in 30 days Start with these healthy tips tomorrow and in a month's time you will feel like a whole new you Want to transform how you feel? You can improve your health – both physically and mentally – in just one month with these easy tips: 1 Stand up...
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George Morris physio Wigan Back pain warning - the snack you should avoid at all costs to avoid backache BACK pain could be prevented by changing your diet, or by swapping your sleep position. You could lower your risk of backache symptoms by avoiding this snack at all costs. It could help to prevent back pain. Back pain is a common condition that affects most people at some point in their lifetime, according to the NHS. It could be caused by sleeping in the wrong position, h...aving bad posture, or even by having a minor injury. But, you could be making your back pain worse by regularly eating peanuts, it’s been claimed. Some people may find that eating peanuts makes their backache worse, revealed medical website Medical News Today. That’s because peanuts could be triggering inflammation in certain individuals, it said. Inflammation may be a key cause of back pain, and avoiding inflammatory foods is an easy way to relieve your pain, it revealed. “Back pain after eating is often the result of referred pain,” said the medical website. “This is pain that originates in one area of the body and radiates to another. “People with allergies or intolerances to certain foods may experience inflammation after eating them. If they already have back pain, the inflammation can make symptoms worse. “Examples of foods that may trigger inflammation and back pain include alcohol, dairy, gluten, peanuts, and sugar.” Your back pain after eating could also be caused by heartburn, it added. Heartburn is a digestive condition that causes a burning pain in the chest, and symptoms can include a sour taste in the mouth, and a sore throat. Avoiding chocolate, caffeine, spicy foods and tomatoes could all limit your risk of heartburn, and subsequently back pain. Regular exercise and doing stretches could also help to prevent back pain from returning, said the NHS. Speak to a GP or physiotherapist for advice on which exercises to try, said the NHS. Those most at risk of developing back pain are people that are overweight. Losing just a few pounds could help to prevent the condition. You should see a GP or dial NHS 111 immediately if you have back pain, combined with a numbness or tingling around your genitals, a loss of bladder or bowel control, or severe chest pain. These symptoms could be a sign of something more serious, and need to be checked immediately.
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George Morris physio Wigan Back pain - the 60p vegetable you should eat every day to avoid backache BACK pain could be prevented by watching your diet, or by changing your sleep position. You could lower your risk of back pain symptoms by eating this vegetable every day. It could help to prevent painful backache. Back pain is a common condition that affects most people at some point in their lifetime, according to the NHS. It could be caused by sleeping in the wrong position,... having bad posture, or even by having a minor injury. But, you can speed up the process by regularly eating spinach, it’s been revealed. Spinach could help to reduce back pain, as it’s rich in the mineral magnesium. Magnesium helps to reduce pain, as well as to relax muscles, revealed medical website Very Well Health. Adding more magnesium to your diet, or taking magnesium supplements, could help to prevent back pain from developing, it said. “Involved in over 300 biochemical reactions, [magnesium] helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and preserves bones strength. “Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Many people in our society are magnesium deficient, so it may be a good idea to supplement. Magnesium glycinate is known to be a highly bioavailable form. “Magnesium citrate can be used by those who tend toward constipation, as it has an additional effect of loosening the bowels.” You could also relieve back pain symptoms by eating certain herbs, it added. White willow bark has pain-relieving properties that are similar to aspirin. The Devil’s claw herb contains harpagosides - chemical compounds that work as anti-inflammatories, it said. Regular exercise and doing stretches could also help to prevent back pain from returning, said the NHS. Speak to a GP or physiotherapist for advice on which exercises to try, said the NHS. Those most at risk of developing back pain are people that are overweight. Losing just a few pounds could help to prevent the condition. You should see a GP or dial NHS 111 immediately if you have back pain, combined with a numbness or tingling around your genitals, a loss of bladder or bowel control, or severe chest pain. These symptoms could be a sign of something more serious, and need to be checked immediately.
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George Morris physio Wigan How to eat to beat arthritis: the deliciously simple tweaks to your diet scientifically proven to reduce joint pain The idea that you can combat some of the worst symptoms of arthritis joint pain with simple dietary tweaks is great in theory – but there has been little or no evidence to back it up. Going online for information is just confusing, with hundreds of websites promising to help us ‘eat to beat arthritis’ amounting to little more than fake...
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George Morris physio Wigan Using a foam roller – one of those hard tubes of plastic that you see in gyms is a good way of massaging post-exercise. Moving a foam roller back and forth over a muscle massages the immediate area, such as the hamstring or calf. And it can be done before a workout, too.

George Morris physio Wigan Vitamin D deficiency - six of the best food sources of the 'sunshine' vitamin VITAMIN D deficiency is particularly common during the winter months, when sunlight and daylight hours are reduced. But adding certain foods to your diet could help to prevent some symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency. These are the best dietary sources of the so-called ‘sunshine’ vitamin. Should you be taking vitamin D supplements? Vitamin D is one of the most important vit...
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