Back to basics: keep moving
Back strengthening with exercise therapy at Park Igls
If you are feeling the strain in your back, neck and shoulders, you’re not alone. Back pain is one of today’s most common health problems, affecting around four out of five adults in our sedentary society. But this is no reason to grind to a halt – in fact this will only make things worse. Regular exercise is the best medicine as well as the most effective way of preventing back pain. Park Igls offers a wide range of exercise therapies for back strengthening as part of their Modern Mayr Medicine programmes.
Move your body
Michael Multerer, Head of Exercise Therapy at Park Igls, advises that ‘strengthening the core muscles is the best way to support and relieve strain on the spine.’ If we don’t exercise our muscles, the result is loss of strength, decline in physical fitness, decreased mobility, premature degenerative processes and a reduced quality of life. The good news is that anyone with unimpaired mobility, whatever their age or constitution, can increase their muscle strength with exercise. As long as a doctor has ruled out a serious cause for the pain, there is no reason to avoid exercise. Dozens of studies prove that exercise therapy can ease back pain in the long term, as well as improve general fitness and mobility. Working out regularly reduces pain by up to half! So keep moving!
The right dose
According to Multerer, a qualified trainer and mental performance coach, exercise programmes that include strength and stability exercises for the deep back, abdominal and pelvic muscles, as well as endurance training and stretching, have proven especially valuable. A good workout needs to exercise all the skeletal muscles, including those that stabilise the spine. The result: improved quality of life and a solid foundation for health and wellbeing. Ideally, Multerer recommends exercising for 30 to 40 minutes three times a week. It doesn’t have to be a complicated sport or intimidating gym session: simply walking, gardening or any other activity that gets the body moving offer the best prevention and treatment for back pain. ‘The goal is to find an activity that makes you happy and that you want to do regularly over a long period of time,’ Multerer wisely remarks.
Tips for back strengthening
Recommended by Michael Multerer, Head of Exercise Therapy at Park Igls
A holistic exercise concept, kybun® comprises soft mats (kyBounder), unstable footwear (kyBoots) and a soft, elastic treadmill (kyTrainer) to exercise and strengthen the deep tissue and muscles, reduce back pain and stress, balance muscle weakness and joint problems and realign the body. Additional benefits include improved posture, balance and concentration and an increased metabolism.
Tip:
kybun® group classes or personal training with professional guidance at Park Igls – kyBoots and kyBounder health mats are also available in the shop!
bellicon® improves cardiovascular strength and the immune system, stimulates the lymphatic system, relieves pressure on the knees and hips, tones the pelvic floor, strengthens the muscles, prevents osteoporosis and improves balance and posture. Gentle yet effective, this cellular training method for the whole body also enhances mood. Just five minutes of daily exercise will soon have a noticeable effect.
Tip:
bellicon® group classes or personal training with the exercise experts at Park Igls.
As in Modern Mayr Medicine, the holistic life philosophy of Yoga is based on the belief that correct and conscious breathing can have a healing effect, strengthening the immune system, the digestive system and brain activity. It also detoxifies the body, relieves acute and chronic pain and has an overall preventive effect. Medical Yoga exercises and supports the musculoskeletal system, promoting good posture and body awareness while helping to still the mind. And it has an immediate, positive effect!
Tip:
One-to-one lessons at Park Igls teach you how to ease pain with regular Yoga exercises.
Patterns of behaviour, thought, postures and movements are programmed inside our brains – and can lead to pain and suffering. The Feldenkrais® method can help us to help ourselves by perceiving and changing negative habits and learning new, conscious, modified movement patterns for walking, standing, sitting and lifting. Feldenkrais® is used in preventive health care, injury prevention, and management of neurological conditions and, above all, to relieve pain.
Tip:
Park Igls offers two Feldenkrais® methods: Awareness Through Movement® (group lessons) and Functional Integration® (individual classes).
More than half of golfers suffer from back pain. Golf swings cause an enormous rotational load, especially in the lumbar spine region; if the movement sequence is not correct, this can eventually lead to (chronic) pain. The best solution is to exercise once or twice a week to counteract any lack of mobility or instability throughout the muscles – this tailored golf programme that improves movement sequences and corrects errors is ideal.
Tip:
TheMedGolf® at Park Igls Mayr clinic offers a thorough analysis of movement patterns and a personal training plan developed by experts.
The fascia is the network of connective tissue weighing around 20 – 25kg that holds our bodies together; with the deeper fascia being principally responsible for pain transmission. When we subject the fascia to too much, too little or the wrong pressure, we are pre-programming ourselves for tight muscles, mobility restrictions, and joint or back pain. Simple fascia training exercises for the back and neck that you can do at home boost fitness and target the areas of pain.
Tip:
The exercise experts at Park Igls will show you how to perform the most suitable fascia exercises for your needs – and put together a training plan for you to follow at home.
Photo credits: Park Igls, iStock.com
If this story has got you interested in starting your journey with Niche Destinations, please enquire here.
A WORLD OF STORIES
If this story has got you interested in starting your journey with Niche Destinations, please enquire here.
