Quick background/context part 1: I work part-time as a PT for a major health care provider here in the states in the states, particularly here on the West Coast. Each day I get a handful of referrals from physicians that read something like “DJD/OA” (degenerative joint disease/osteoarthritis) or “DDD/stenosis” (degenerative disc disease/arthritis of the spine). I get them attached to people anywhere from 30 years old to 100.
Quick background/context part 2: Somewhere between our 30’s and 40’s things usually start changing (I just realized this is sort of setting up to being a similar conversation some of us may have had with a parent when we were about 13… just in reverse… don’t worry, this won’t be nearly as painful..). Sure, physiologically this is about the time where most, most things in our body start to… well… slow down (I’m sure that didn’t help… but, please, stick it out..). This slowing by no means needs to be rapid or severe, or account for those nasty labels above. But whether it's those changes combined with old injuries, poor movement habits/repetitive stress, or simply now having spent several years in the “working world” (as opposed to the “play world”), I see these labels a lot. On people of all ages. And, as an aside, if I let a physician take an image of my spine or knees, I’m sure I’d get one of these labels too…
Quick background/context part 3: The ultimate goal of Move Intelligently is to help people access as much of the world, experience as much joy, and as little pain as possible, for as long as possible.
So what do I tell these people? For most of them it usually starts with something like, “I understand those are scary words. But they really don’t have to be. And I know It might not seem like it, but you are in complete control of this situation. You don’t need anyone else. You just need to learn and keep in mind two things…”
Now, for the sake of avoiding another extremely long email (I’m already not off to a great start) and giving each thing its proper due, this email is only going to go into thing #1. (Plus who doesn’t love a good cliffhanger, am I right??)
Thing #1: stay lubricated
So you could take this in a few different directions. And maybe none of them would be wrong…
(Quick detour: Not to turn this into a discussion about alcohol - I certainly respect that that can be a sensitive issue. But one thought comes to mind - I had an old coworker who’d occasionally remark to patients when talking about flexibility, or lack thereof, that her brother would always argue “anyone can touch their toes after two beers!.” I loved it every time she said it. And I very much (obviously not entirely) agree. I think it’s a great example of the fact that it’s our nervous systemthat allows movement… With all that said, to share a personal fact, I probably consume in the neighborhood of 5-10% of the alcohol I did 8-10 years ago. It's been a really good thing for me. But absolutely no judgement here the topic any which way. Ok, sorry about that, back to the regular program…)
… But here’s where I’m going with it. I use the words lubricated and pliable a lot. You want your joints to be/stay lubricated. You want your tissue (muscles, fascia, tendons, nerves, vessels, organs, you name it...) to be/stay pliable (and, yes, lubricated as well).
How do you accomplish that? Movement. Frequent, frequent movement.
Here are the general sub-principles/thoughts/recommendations that I typically try to sneak in somewhere under Thing #1:
The principle of the small-but-frequent dosage: (probably a future email diving more into this topic, but) In short, I think our body’s love doses of most, most things in short/small/mildly-intense doses. But, when you think about it, we tend to do the opposite. Have this in mind with the following bullets
Don’t catch yourself in a chair for longer than ~10 minutes… a lot of not-so-good things start to increase exponentially after that time.
Get on your back for 2-8 minutes 3-10x/day. While you're there, it’s a great way to stack in…
Do hygienic movement (keep reading…) for your vulnerable parts 5-10+ times/day (I’m talking 10 seconds to 2 minutes worth of movement)
Particularly, and preferably for a little longer, in the morning. Non-negotiable! (you brush your teeth in the morning, right?!)
Go for 5-10 3-5-minute walks/day
Massage your vulnerable tissue (remember the first sub-principle). **hint, you pretty much never need another person for this!
(if it’s good and safe for you) get on the ground for work/meals/play at times throughout the day - a lot of good things happen when you do this!
Activate vulnerable/forgotten tissue (yes, mostly muscles) throughout the day (hygienic movements typically do this too - #stacking!).
Look at things far away, farther away, and as far away as you possibly can a handful of times/day.
Allow yourself to get colder and/or hotter than usual for a minute or several at least once a day
Wear shoes as little as comfort and safety allows
Try to touch your nose and/or chin with your tongue a handful of times/day. Yes, seriously - it’s great for your breathing, mouth, and pelvic floor!
Woof. Ok, done. If you’re still here, thank you for taking the ride! (Glad Principle #2 isn’t next, right??).
I know that was a lot. But it’s not at all an all-or-nothing kind of thing. It’s very much the opposite. But the more mindful and consistent we are with these two things (sorry again for the cliffhanger) and earlier in life we start on them, typically the more effectively we achieve that goal that I have for everyone from the top. The more we can seamlessly float into our 60’s, 70’s, 80,’s, 90’s, and 100’s without significant drops in function or fun.
Now it sort of goes against my philosophy to throw exercises out there without watching one do it first, but I wanted to give a few examples of hygienic movements (below). There’s probably about 100 I could choose from, but these are simple, relatively safe, and some of the big hitters (and fundamentals). Start slow and small, then build from there. And if it doesn’t feel right, please back off or stop altogether.
Full Supination & Pronation (AKA teeth brushing equivalent for the feet)
Segmental Cervical AROM (AKA teeth brushing equivalent for the neck)
If this email was at all helpful, please pass along to others you know who may feel the same and/or send them to my website to sign up for the newsletter directly. My goal is to reach as many people as possible and empower them towards that ultimate goal from above. Thank you so much in advance for the support!
Have an amazing rest of your week and happy movement!!
Abel