What’s Normal?!

Probably people want to know whether it is ‘normal’ for them to have symptoms such as intermittent headaches, stiffness in their back, or difficulty doing certain activities such as bending. They naturally then want to know what, if anything, can be done about it!

Seeking Advice and Reassurance

Quite often it has been a gradual onset of problems over a long period of time. Seeking advice or help they get told by their doctor or friends, or their family “You are just old and don’t worry, you’ll be right mate.”. The Internet is another source of information where people look for remedies and quite often incorrectly self-diagnose their problem. So because of all the conflicting opinions they have been given from everyone and everything around them, they really don’t quite know what they are able to do to sort out the problem. 

What’s The Real Problem?

As physios we discover, what they really want is reassurance and to know that there is something there that can be done to help them - and they want to know ultimately how to go about it. Overwhelmingly, we note that most everybody is concerned that their general fitness, feeling that it is not what it should be. As people age, they can feel that they have slowed down quite a bit and they realise that they are not putting in the effort of the past. This, of course, is quite common and can depend to a large effect on what they have done throughout their lives. Apart from a someone who has been less active, if they have been a sportsperson, or had a very physical job, or have injured themselves in the past - these things can also contribute largely to the problem at hand, and become more of an issue as life goes on.

The Domino Effect 

The domino effect of this is that it tends to lead to less mobility, decreased fitness and less energy. Fears of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and diabetes, especially if there is a family history, can become a real concern. Because there is so much conflicting information out there, they don’t really know who to trust to help them. Everyone has a different opinion and they don’t really know who or what advice to follow. Adding to this, are also time and costs constraints, a real concern that they are not going to have enough time or money to do the things necessary to fix the problem.

The Good News

But the good news is that physios are aware of these concerns and can help formulate a plan that is going to fit in with your lifestyle and budget. Physios can help with long term or chronic pain and help with knowledge to understand the underlying problems so that they can dealt with in a person’s everyday life. It can be a case of getting out of old habits, changing mindset, setting goals and getting on with it by avoiding delay by addressing the problem. 

The Real Normal!

By doing this and having a goal, a physio can help a person to take control of their body, not have their body control them. They can then ultimately take control of their pain and head back to the real ‘normal’! For an advanced assessment of these and other problematic or painful areas, contact the Hyperdome Physiotherapy Centre on 07 3209 8444 - and take control of pain today!