What has boiling a frog got to do with your health? A lot it seems – the story goes that if you put a frog into boiling water it will immediately jump out, however if you put a frog in a cold water and turn up the heat slowly the poor frog doesn’t notice and boils to death. When it comes to our health many of us suffer from the the same fate. The point is we don’t notice gradual deterioration in our health. Until one day we wake up and are unable to put our socks on.
It is the most common story we hear in the clinic. “I didn’t realise how tight my back was”, or “how tight my neck and shoulders were”. Hobbies, sport, work and family activities are not as enjoyable as they once were because you don’t have the energy, or its too painful to do them anymore. We are all so busy running around in our busy lives that we are not aware of the underlying soreness in our body – until it stops us in our tracks.
Health, whether good or bad is a process, not an event. When we stop doing all the small things that promote good health, (moderate exercise, stretches, moving at work, eating well and getting enough sleep) – health slowly deteriorates. In our clinic we tend to see patients that have had a slow deterioration in their physical mobility and then one day something small, like tying laces or cutting a hedge, can be the thing that stops them in their tracks.
So if you feel that your your back is constantly stiffer, your flexibility is poorer, your balance is not as good as it used to be, your golf swing is becoming more restricted – don’t become a boiled frog! Often it’s just some good advice and putting a plan in place to stop the progression – that you need. Call us today on 045-866075 – we would be happy to talk to you.
Or book on-line at https://physiotherapyworks.ie/book-online/
We are open 8am to 9pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 6pm Friday and 9am to 3pm Saturday
No frogs were harmed in the telling of this story!
Caitlin Gardiner MISCP is a Chartered Physiotherapist at Physiotherapy Works Naas Co. Kildare