We recently came across a campaign by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in the UK called “Love Activity, Hate Exercise?”, which aims to encourage physiotherapy patients to pursue appropriate, safe, manageable and enjoyable activity. The campaign struck a chord with us as we hear so often from patients how they avoid exercise because of pain, fear, fatigue, lack of time or motivation etc.
The above website has put together some excellent practical advice to help physiotherapy patients to get active, taking into account inhibiting factors such as pain, injury, illness and lifestyle issues. They have some great pointers on overcoming barriers such as:
- Fear of exacerbating symptoms
- Feeling in too much pain
- Feeling too tired to be active
- Lack of time or motivation to be active
- Dislike of exercise
They also have some excellent fact-sheets on ways to incorporate appropriate activity into your lifestyle if you are suffering from a long-term condition:
- Being active with arthritis
- Being active with bladder and bowel issues
- Being active with cancer
- Being active with chronic pain
- Being active with heart disease
- Being active with multiple sclerosis
- Being active with a respiratory condition
- Being active after a stroke
The campaign video is worth a watch:
If you have any queries regarding any of the conditions listed above, or you would like advice on how to safely incorporate activity into your lifestyle, please don’t hesitate to contact our expert team of Chartered Physiotherapists.
