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Introduction

Moving is important. Moving well is even more essential given its direct impact on our physical health, sense of well-being and practical enjoyment of life.

However, we’ve become a sedentary culture so we simply are not moving as much or as well today. The increasing incidence of obesity, heart disease and diabetes are fatal testaments to this being true.

We also tend to accept, dismiss or ignore aches, pains and medical conditions as if they will either go away on their own, or are just routine reminders that we’re not getting any younger. In any sense, many of us live as though we are slowly conceding defeat for a healthy active life.

The message I echo throughout this book is that it’s time to get back in motion!

The good news is that it’s much easier than you think. You don’t need to be at the gym five nights a week, running marathons on weekends or squeezing into unsightly lycra to be healthy. With some lesser known secrets revealed throughout this book, and some common sense, you will move better than you ever have before. This book puts movement right back up there high on your priority list, without you even having to break a sweat.

If you aren’t moving well, it’s likely you won’t make next season’s Grand Final or exceed in your preferred sport. You’ll struggle to endure a full day of work without fatigue and discomfort – whether you are ‘white collar’ or work out in the sun. Weekends will feel less like an adventure and more like ‘recovery camp’, because you’ll tend to favour long sleepins and armchair activities to soothe your tired body. Even building the train-set with your 3-year-old on the toy room floor or playing hide and seek under the bed is going to start to hurt more than you anticipate.

It might be common, but it’s definitely not normal to feel pain with everyday movement. Therefore don’t accept it. Your health and wellness are precious and you should seek to enjoy your life without feeling physically compromised. Don’t let a cramp, twinge or ache grow into something worse. And don’t limit your enjoyment by living with pain that prevents you from doing the things you love.

The dilemma for most people is finding the right person to help them on this journey. In a world gone crazy - with fitness advice, lifestyle TV shows, celebrity chefs and extreme makeovers – we could be fooled into thinking everyone’s an expert. Who do you follow to make the right choices for your health? What happens when you get well-meaning but conflicting advice? And with the plethora of literature available in the media and online, how do you apply it to your unique situation? As a health professional, I’ll admit we have made it tough for you.

The persistent question I’ve asked myself throughout my career is, “Why do some clients get better results than others?” Is it genetic predisposition, the skill of their therapist, the quality or type of treatment they receive or simply the individual’s want factor that has most influence? Or is it that some people are just luckier in health than others?

After well over a decade of experience intentionally pursuing the answer to this question, I am excited to share my insights in the pages that follow.

What is clear from the beginning is that ultimately good health depends on YOU to a large extent. It makes sense. You are the only one who can fundamentally change the way you move and feel. Empowering individuals to ask questions, be objective and make well informed decisions about their own health is essential. Many professionals may like you to think this is too hard for you to do. They are wrong. But who coaches you through this journey to true health? Hopefully, this is where you let me come into it.

The Physiotherapy Solution A physiotherapist is a great partner to have on your journey to better health. If you don’t happen to know or have access to one, don’t worry.

“The only one who can fundamentally change the way you move and feel is you.”

I’ve written this book to empower you in the physiotherapy secrets and knowledge that will help you overcome pain and put you back in charge of your own health.

I’ve treated clients from a diverse demographic cross section —men, women and children of all ages – for a variety of reasons. The common thread is that they all want to feel better…and stay better. In many cases, they make an appointment with me because they can’t tolerate the discomfort or inconvenience of their injuries or condition any longer. Nor should they. However, many times they would arrive in agony despite the fact their pain wasn’t sudden. It often had built up over an extended period of time for them. Even the traumatic ‘sudden’ injuries typically had predisposing factors and telltale signs leading up to the event, but for whatever reason were ignored or undetected. I kept thinking that if only people knew what to look for, and what immediate actions to take, much of their discomfort could have been prevented.

Because others have followed the advice compiled in this book, my reward is that I now have countless heartfelt messages from clients who have learned to manage their own health with outstanding results. You don’t need a university degree and it won’t take months to learn. If you start now, you will begin to enjoy the benefits immediately. It’s that straightforward.

Look Who’s Talking! Most people are relatively unaware about the possible role or benefits of physiotherapy. I’ve been mistaken at times for a masseur, personal trainer, doctor and scientist...amongst other more bizarre variations of the same. The truth is physiotherapists are university-trained experts in the prevention, assessment and treatment of human movement disorders. We spend a minimum of four or five years intensely studying the anatomy and physiology of the human body in intricate detail to become world-class practitioners in optimising physical health and peak performance.

“Our collective experience…after 3 million physiotherapy consultations…will help you break your traditional cycles of pain…and get you the same results that we have achieved with so many of our clients.”

In my career to date I have, amongst other things, worked in public outpatient departments, intensive care units, rural hospitals, private practices and even remote medical camps throughout parts of the developing world (including India and Cambodia). I have overseen the delivery of more than 3 million physiotherapy consultations through nearly 300 qualified practitioners across 60 different locations Australia-wide. I lead Australia’s largest and experience fastest growing physiotherapy practice, the Back In Motion Health Group, which has become the industry leader for contemporary and innovative allied health care. What my colleagues and I have experienced in our practices has shaped our progressive philosophy of clinical care. The collective experience of our team has been captured in this book to help you break the traditional cycle of pain and ineffective treatment and to get you the same results that we have achieved with so many of our clients.

I recognise that you can’t possibly absorb the full knowledge of a physiotherapy degree, nor the career experience that follows, from one book. However, what I want to give you are the insights no one else is sharing to help seed a new generation of empowered, well-informed, pro-active, health-savvy movers. Together, we can save you time, money and unnecessary pain by equipping you to manage your own wellness with confidence and assurance.

Take Your Therapist Home With You Typically, when you visit any doctor or therapist, you’ll have a consultation to discuss your symptoms, discover the trigger for your pain, trace your medical history and outline other relevant matters to help you effectively. But, during the short 20-60 minute session, the professional can’t possibly impart or transfer to you all of the (sometimes, tens of) years of wisdom and experience they’ve gathered.

Nor can you remember all of the details that are worth sharing. What’s more, you likely don’t realise the questions you need to ask until long after you get home. So what do you do?

Take your physio home with you.

This book is an attempt to allow you to do just that. I’m giving you all the information you need at your fingertips to answer those critical questions that only emerge after you leave the therapist’s practice…and for those questions you don’t even know to ask. This book is designed to be read as the continuation of your last consultation, advising you of the things a practitioner would love to say, but invariably runs out of time to do so. Chapter by chapter, you’ll find answers to common — and some not-so-common — questions and situations that will make all the difference in your health journey.

I’ll explore with you what true health really looks like, the cause behind many of your symptoms, the mysteries of pain management that seem to have been overlooked in the ‘rush’ of medical advice and how to avoid further injuries. You’ll learn what to immediately do in case of an accident before you can get to a physiotherapist—and whether or not you even need to see one. I’ll share insights into our use of new technologies that are having incredible breakthroughs in everyday lives — like whole body vibration therapy — along with some ancient, yet timeless, techniques that you can effectively learn including acupressure and soft tissue therapy. I will advise you on how to choose the right practitioner for you and also give seldom-heard insights for keeping fit, without the sensationalised ‘gym hype’, so you can increase your vitality and defy old age as it approaches.

“I will show you why some clients get better and others don’t… and how to avoid advice that simply doesn’t work.”

More than anything, I will reveal to you how you can get healthier quicker and with more lasting results. And where I feel you may need a therapist to assist you in this, I will educate you about why practitioners do what they do. I am embarrassed when I hear people being fed so-called “expert” medical and health advice…that just simply doesn’t work. Contained here are keys which you can turn to unlock greater health and recovery that are long overdue being taught to you. Why it’s taken anyone this long to write them down is a mystery to me.

In It Together… This book is a resource to inform and empower you in ‘self-health’, and to better understand how physiotherapy can support you in the journey. It’s not necessarily designed to be read from cover to cover, although you will find a natural rhythm and intuitive sequence of topics throughout it. Keep it handy for when it’s most needed and cherry pick the headlines that speak directly to you.

In some cases the subject matter warrants further detail that I have placed in separate publications. You can reference my other books or recommended resources when you want to learn more. However, don’t feel overwhelmed with information. If you only have time to read and apply a fraction of the advice captured throughout these pages, then be assured the investment will pay off. If you are like any one of the millions of clients my team and I have helped over the last many years, you will discover relevant secrets to keep you active longer and, therefore, loving life more.

Like I said at the beginning, though, you will play an important part in the outcome. The recommendations listed at the end of each chapter will guide you through some practical steps to follow. It’s not what you hear or read that changes you…it’s what you do! I hope this book will encourage you to do something.

Health Secrets

1 Moving well is under-rated and needs greater emphasis in your lifestyle.

2 It’s not normal for you to feel pain with everyday movement or suffer recurring injuries.

3 Don’t be frustrated with conflicting health advice. You need access to somebody you can trust.

4 It’s essential that you ask hard questions, be objective and make well informed decisions about your health.

5 A physiotherapist is a great partner to have on your life journey.

6 Great health is not difficult for you to achieve, despite many not knowing this.

Actions for Optimal Health

 Review the health secrets of this chapter.

 Reflect on what concessions you have made in life due to pain or injury, temporary or otherwise. Make a list of the physical limitations, pain, conditions or injuries that are holding you back today from moving well. Keep this list nearby as you continue to read the book. The list will become your immediate context to which the principles I teach you can be applied.

 Write down the names of 2-3 people you trust with your health. They could be a professional, family member or injury ‘veteran’. Why do you trust them? Has their advice proven reliable and beneficial? Share this book with them.

 Make a commitment today to take some action as a result of what you read in each chapter of this book. You don’t have to do everything, but be cautious about just digesting information. Do something, however small, with what you learn.