Does your BodyWork?

Whiplash

Migraines

Golfer's Elbow

Vertigo

Euro Weekly

We write a regular article in the Euro Weekly News and we will make sure that you can download the latest article right here. Check back every week for the latest. On the left, click on your desired choice to see the latest issue.

Cache Magazine, January/February 2005 p053

Ask Aunt Estelle

Each issue Bodyworks' Estelle Mitchell will be answering your ailment queries and muscular moans

Dear Estelle
I'm a keen golfer (I head to the driving range three times a week and attempt to play nine holes at least once a week), but have been suffering lately from painfla balls of my feet - especially my right one. I'm fit, eat healthily and I'm in my early 50's. I don't want this complaint to mar my enjoyment of golf. I have been told that this is 'metatarsalgia'. Is this correct? Are there any treatments I can have, or excercises I can do to stop this?

Dear Golfer
Your problem is not related to your diet or fitness levels, both of which you say are good, but is in fact, a mechanical problem in your feet (usually inherited). As you have been told the technical name is metatarsalgia.
This is a very common condition and is caused by abnormal weight distribution through the foot due to overpronation, i.e. rolling inwards along the long arch of the foot
Your foot is a complex structure made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles and tendons! Your feet do a tremendous job during your life, carrying the average person four time round the world or 115,000 miles! Sadly, feet are also delicate structures and with time, any small biomechanical anomolies begin to cause problems, be it in the feet themselves or in the knees, hip or back
Such conditions can be prevented and cured by the use of prescription insole devices called orthotics which slip easily and discreetly into all shoes, including golf shoes. This will modify your biomechanical pattern and allow normal function.
Home treatment of an icepack to reduce pain and swelling applied by wrapping frozen peas or a soft gel pack in a damp tea towel for 10 minutes to the feet, gentle massage of the feet by pressing your foot on a golfball and rolling it over and around for 5 - 10 minutes afterwards will help if done on a daily basis, especially after your game of golf. Wearing trainers with soft cushion soles may help for shock absorption
If it persists, it would be wise to seek advice from someone with specialist knowledge in this area.

To pose a question to Aunt Estelle, email your query to: info@cacheclubmagazine.com

Cache Magazine, March/April 2005 p057

Ask Aunt Estelle

Each issue Bodyworks' Estelle Mitchell will be answering your ailment queries and muscular moans

Dear Estelle
For the last couple of years, I have suffered from lower back pain. I have always been quite active, but recently, with moving and settling into Spain, I haven’t had time for sports. I plan to get back into tennis, golf and horse riding, however all of these activities conjure up fear of more lower back pain.
What do you suggest I do?

Dear Sufferer
There are many types of back pain, in various combinations, so you really need to have a thorough assessment before starting out. This will highlight exactly where your problem is located and you will know whether the pain comes from stiff joints, tight muscles from previous painful incidents, muscle imbalance or muscle weakness. Of course posture, in particular foot posture, also plays its part. As well as all of the above, there remains the possibility of disc problems, but as this is a huge area, we will stick to the issue of stiff, painful backs.
Once you know where the problem lies, it may be useful to have a couple of treatments to mobilise the stiff areas of the back and release the tight muscles. Now the homework starts: you need to learn how to use your own muscles to support and control your back and/or if it’s your flexibility which needs to be improved, then a stretching programme will be required.
To get back to your chosen sport, you may first require some specialist advice or a little professional tutoring. Be sure to start slowly. One of the classic mistakes of golfers, for example, is to go to the driving range and hit hundreds of balls – a repetitive action which easily causes overload. Whatever the sport, a shorter game is preferable when starting back.
If you do irritate your back, an ice pack is a good emergency treatment. Home treatment to reduce pain and swelling could be by wrapping frozen peas or a soft frozen gel pack in a damp tea towel for 10 minutes applied to the affected area, in your case, the lower back. Always remember: overall heat (e.g. a bath) for the ‘feel good’ benefits, but localised cold to reduce swelling and bruising and to ease muscle contractions.
Remember also, a gradual start with a little preparation could save you many months of discomfort and time out of your favourite past time

To pose a question to Aunt Estelle, email your query to: info@cacheclubmagazine.com

Estepona Magazine - Issue 28 January 2005

A New Year, a New You

As a New Year dawns, the resolutions to get fit and healthy come hot on the heels of the seasonal parties. But within days, many of you will have given up the jogging, walking, yoga sessions or gym workouts. For some it will be a lack of motivation, while others will injure themselves in the process. But there is a way to ensure your body gradually works to a level of fitness at a rate you can cope with and without doing yourself a mischief. Get yourself a body MOT first.

Every January, Chartered Physiotherapist Estelle Mitchell, of Bodyworks Health Clinic, Cancelada is inundated with people in pain because of new fitness regimes that overstretched their bodies. So this year, she is pushing people to get a check before they trek and make sure their Body Works.

“We can be the first step for people getting their mobility back,” said Estelle. “Places like gyms can be very scary if you are going back to getting fit, or even if you are starting for the first time. You might have always wanted to try yoga but don’t want to go for fear of making a fool of yourself. You do not need to go to classes to get fitter. Get yourself an MOT first! Then you can start doing things at your own pace.

"One assessment here, where we look at all aspects of how you move, might save you further pain and expense. I would rather people come in here for one session and then realise what they can do and how they should do it, than either not do anything or launch into something and hurt themselves. In many cases, simple advice will suffice. It's a new year, time to do something new – just make sure it is done in the right way!”

Estelle, who is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists and registered with the UK Health Professions Council, the Organisation of Chartered Physiotherapists in Private Practice and the Colegio Profesional de Fisioterapeutas de Andalucia trained with the Air Force at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, England.

“The body is the most important and amazing machine there is but most people don’t get it checked out,” she said. “People will immediately take their animals to the vet if something is wrong but carry on in if they hurt themselves. Your car doesn’t fix itself when something goes wrong with it. It is the same with your body.

"If you are thinking about starting some exercise but have got some aches and pains, you should get them checked out first because it could be the difference between failing and succeeding in a New Year resolution," added Estelle, who set up Bodyworks with partner Bob three months ago after running a practice from home for the last couple of years. It is fully stocked with the latest equipment in the treatment rooms, plus has a studio upstairs for Pilates and yoga classes. There is also a fully qualified sports masseur and special sessions for golfers who might have spent too long on the course. Additional new and exciting ventures are planned for the next few months.