Back Pain Awareness Week took place in October. It’s run by BackCare, the UK’s leading charity for those impacted by back or neck pain. Around 80% of the UK will have back pain at some stage in their lives, but can you honestly say you know much about it?
This year, their focus is Back Pain in Education, because as with most things, prevention is better than cure.
Dr Brian Hammond, the Chair of BackCare said on the subject:
“Teaching children and young people about the importance of looking after their backs is bound to have a positive effect on the health of their backs in adulthood.”
He added: “There are simple things children and young people can do, such as sitting properly and not for too long, exercising regularly, stretching and lifting correctly. They also need to know how to carry their school books and equipment in a way that does not harm their back or neck.”
Eleven year old Hannah comes for massage once a month. Her Mum has been coming to me for over a year now and has felt the benefits of regular massage for herself. As her daughter plays a lot of sport at school, particularly netball; Lesley thought it would be beneficial for Hannah to have a 30 minute back and shoulder massage once a month, this keeps her flexible and pain free. Keeping muscles relaxed and flexible is really important to avoid injuries, and avoiding injury is a lot simpler than recovering from one.
When all you want to do is run free, and your body isn’t letting you, that can be really disheartening; it’s great to be able to help young people stay active and do the things they love.
Click here to learn more about the Pain Free Massage Programme