Butt Pain.

I was all set to write about Orthopedic Testing this morning, however after the past week in the treatment room I thought that I would start typing about the one part of the body that is under treated and not talked about: your bum/gluts/bottom/butt/behind.

Over the past 12 years I have heard so many people tell me that they have hip pain or lower back ache and even 'the beginning pains of sciatica'. When asked to point to part that hurts, nine times out of ten they will point straight to the middle of their butt.

Your butt is a great part of the body and I think it is gorgeous! Not only does it look aesthetically peachy but it does such an amazing job; it allows us to travel through life. There are some great big muscles, tiny weeny little muscles, tight bands of thick fascia and ligaments and tendons all interweaving around and in-between the pelvis and hips. Anatomically it is a beautiful and intricate part of your body and one that I think would be great to explore over the next few weeks.

We can also look into how we can test for weaknesses and restrictions within this area and the trigger points and referred pain patterns that are associated with the hips and pelvis, so orthopedic testing will get in there some how as well!

So, here is my sketchy plan. I would like to spend some time with you looking through the following things that I see in the treatment room:

• Generalized Butt Pain
• Pain radiating through the lower lumbar.
• Sacrum pain
• Sciatica
• Pelvic Girdle Disorders
• Hip Pain

There is a lot there to go through, but I think as we start getting our bodies fit for the summer; dusting off the bikes to start cycling, getting pedicures so that we can walk more in flip flops and generally being out in the garden more, I think it is a good subject to get in to for this summer.

I will hopefully be peppering the blogs with stretches, exercises and ideas of how to help at home, so don't worry about it being purely treatment room based. Gilbert, my silent skeletal friend, will also be putting a few appearances in to make the anatomy nice and clear for you to follow.

Hopefully we can find a nice flow to the blogs so you can pick them up, read them and maybe take on a few hints and tips to get the pain in your butt kicked out for good!

What I'm loving in the Treatment Room today:

I'm not in the treatment room today. Thursday is my writing day so I can get my teeth stuck into the two chapters of my dissertation that I am having some problems with. The theory is all there by but the structure is lacking. I have a writing week all set out for next week, so with a bit of luck I can break the back of the mid section of work and get it to the point where I can see the finish line. I hope to have the thing done by mid-May so we (Jon and I) can start some heavy editing and referencing. Hand in date is July 15^th, so not too long to go now. It's all fun and games … or so I've been told!

Music of the day:

Steve's Ipod in Cafe Milla, Godalming, is allowing me to tap this out with a great selection of easy chill out jazz. 

Just A Pic

I just thought I would share this photo with you. I hope you like it!

Summer Prep Work

There is a certain new warmth in the air and the birds are going crazy... yep, I think spring may finally be upon us.

I saw a very brave woman walking in to town last weekend. It was not so warm in the early evening and yet she was wearing a pair of tiny hot pants, flip flops and a lumberjack shirt. Cold, but brave! She got me thinking that we have all been covering up with thick wooly jumpers since last year and it's coming to the time were we shed off our clothes and reveal the skin underneath.

I don't know about you, but I don't feel that mine is in any state to show off just yet!

So I have got to work as I want my skin to look radiant, healthy and glowing for this summer. SO, I thought I would share with you my plan of attack with Dermalogica and hopefully help you to also achieve wonderful skin before the clothes are packed into storage for the autumn.

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Cleanse

Conditioning Body Wash: This is a soap free foaming body wash. Richly packed with essential oils of Rosemary, Tea Tree, Lemon and Eucalyptus it is a real treat in the morning as the scents are uplifting and refreshing. As it is acid balanced to the skin you won't strip the skins precious barrier, an important first step in keeping your skin healthy and hydrated.

I can hear you asking me: 'If it is soap free, how does it foam up?' Quillaja Saponaria is the answer! Commonly known as Soap Wart, this pink flower comes from Europe and the Middle East. It has a natural foaming effect and is a natural cleanser for the skin.

The Buffing Cloth is put into action every morning. Just one squirt of the Conditioning Body Wash on the Japanese inspired exfoliating cloth and you will be able to clean your whole body! I love the cloth as you can hold both ends and clean your back with ease and then hook it around your foot and exfoliate it with out having to worry about pumice stones. It dries within a couple of minutes when put over the radiator, so no water or product stays on it which would cause a build up of mouldy bacteria. Yuck! Simply bung it in a 40c wash once a week to clean it.

Exfoliate

Twice a week I hit the bottle. Exfoliating Body Scrub polishes my skin and makes it glow! Olive, Fig and Date seeds have been pulverized into fine powders that don't scratch the skin, but instead gently lift the dead flaky skin cells off the surface of the skin. Rice Bran helps with this process and Papain (Papaya) has a natural protein that helps skin cell turn over. It is a great prep if you like self tanning and helps to prep the skin for any products that you put on afterwards.

The only thing that I will say is that Dermalogica says that it slightly foams up. In my hard water area I have never witnessed a bubble in my life! However, if you are in the soft water bliss that is Devon for example, your experience may be closer to their advertising!

Hydrate and Protect

I was a very keen fan of Ultra Rich Body cream for a very long time, but I have had a fling into the other body care range, and I have to say that I am smitten!

In the morning I now use Multi-Vitamin Body Block Spf 20 as after I have exfoliated I want to protect the new skin cells that have been nudged to the surface. With nourishing properties of Shea Butter, Evening Primrose and Hyaluronic Acid (holding 1000 times it's own weight in water), if stops my body from drying out as well as offering me a full protect against UVA and UVB photo-damage.

In the evening I flit from Ultra Rich Body Cream at Skin Hydrating Cream. After climbing I go for Skin Hydrating Cream as I like the scents of of Lavender, Orange and Lemongrass. It's uplifting and takes away the smell of smelly gym kits, which is what the climbing walls always smell like! I also like the hydroxy acids as they gently slough off skin cells that cling on and stop the skin looking fresh and smooth.

Ultra Rich Cream is a long lasting cream that helps my cracked winter skin. It isn't heavy and so I can still use it on my excema patches with out feeling sticky as the Panthonol Pro-Vitamin B6 helps to repair my skin and also helps in hydration. It is free from any essential oils, so for all of you who prefer a scent free experience or have skin that is too sensitive to have oils, this is the one for you as it will give you baby soft skin without leaving your skin irritated!

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So, there you have it. This is what I do to prep my skin for the summer fun. I am looking forward to leaving the wooly jumpers in the store closet and getting out my linen and cotton.

Today I am going to enjoy my study as the sun shines through the office window as I crack on with my dissertation. It's going really well and I am looking forward to finishing it off by the middle of May. I have a wonderful bunch of flowers on my desk this week: roses and tulips, and I have to say they are inspiring me to create beautiful work and to stay with it!

I was thinking of writing a couple of blogs on Orthopedic Assessment as I am covering it I my revision at the moment. What do you think?