ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nick Sinfield MCSP, HPC is a Chartered Physiotherapist and Clinical Director at Therapy Programmes Limited. As the NHS has started to promote the self management of back pain to the general public, they asked Nick to supply them with back pain exercise programmes, which can be found on their NHS Choices website. His back pain rehabilitation programmes have been featured in the national press and on BBC radio.
Nick is also the author of Now I Can Bend My Back! The Essential Guide to Back and Neck Pain. In 2011 he was a Finalist at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Congress, where he presented The Back Pain Personal Health Plan.
The Back Pain Personal Health Plan was inspired from working with leading physiotherapists in the U.K., New Zealand and Australia. The programme was written with one purpose in mind to return control to the person in pain. It has taken the very complex and multi-factorial problem of back pain, explained it, and provided the reader with information and knowledge to address the problem.
Nick is very proud to be working with Trish and Bounce Back on this pioneering project.
Nick Sinfield MCSP, HPC, APPI
Clinical Director Therapy Programmes Limited
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Trish Wisbey-Roth is a skilled Australian Physiotherapist with over 25 years experience. She completed both a Post Graduate Sports Physiotherapy Masters and Specialisation exams and is now a Sports Physiotherapy Specialist in the hip & lumbo-pelvic region. Trish has been involved with Australian sporting teams at the National, World Championship and Olympic level.
Trish lectures internationally in the areas of diagnosis and rehabilitation of lumbar-pelvic and hip regions, with emphasis on differential diagnosis, effective manual treatment and exercise prescription.
Her ability to combine extensive clinical experience, latest research and anatomical knowledge led her to create the BOUNCE Back system of active rehabilitation, which is now taught in over 50 clinics across Australia, NZ and the U.K. Trish is currently the Director of Bounce Back Active Rehabilitation Systems and also continues to work clinically in Sydney. (www.bouncebackexercises.com.au)
Trish is excited to provide a key selection of Bounce back exercises in this valuable publication, to optimise recovery and wellbeing in all those who have suffered the effects of back and neck pain.
Trish Wisbey-Roth MAPA, MSMA
Specialist Sports Physiotherapist* (FACP),
Masters of Sports Physio (AIS/UC)
*As awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2009
INTRODUCTION
If history tells us anything, its that knowledge is always evolving, so what we know today is certain to become obsolete or inadequate by tomorrow. Unfortunately, the practice and application of new knowledge takes time to catch up, and nowhere is this truer than in healthcare. Seeing Nick work with leading edge concepts in back pain medicine is a real breath of fresh air.
Dr Adam Al-Kashi
Head of Research at BackCare The UKs National Back Pain Association
INTRODUCTION
As you may know from your own painful experience, its not easy to determine the most effective treatment for your back pain. Differing opinions and information surrounding back pain create confusion and doubt in our minds. This overload of information has led to uncertainty about the best path to treating back pain.
Personal Health Plans (PHP) are a way of empowering people with long-term back pain to be able to take greater ownership and responsibility for the condition, which often results in less pain, greater flexibility, and a gradual return to the pre-condition heaven that sufferers crave. Over time, we have all become too reliant on the medical profession to treat back pain when, in most cases, the best and most powerful solutions can be provided by us, the sufferers.
A Personal Health Plan can best be described as a focused, determined, and self-help journey over time that manages and controls the condition, builds a stronger body and mind, thereby reducing or even eradicating the pain. Because you and your commitment to achieve a solution primarily drive it, a PHP is often the most beneficial course of treatment to the back pain sufferer and the most cost-effective.
Once you have the knowledge and skills contained in this programme, you can implement it on your own or working in conjunction with both professionals and non-professionals, particularly family and friends. Having additional people involved provides you with a mentoring facility much the same as a Personal Trainer in a gymnasium.
Think of this programme as your road map to the life you want to live. A life where everyday stuff is easier to do, like putting your socks on in the morning, picking up something from the floor, or putting the kids in the car. It may be the life that you have wanted to live for a long time.
The goal of this programme is to get you started in the right direction. The philosophy behind it is based on the premise that your pain can be affected by both your mind and your body. This programme will give you a solid foundation of knowledge and back pain relieving exercises. By committing to this simple exercise programme, youll establish healthy new habits that you can build on throughout your life.
A properly structured PHP will help you to:
A new understanding of how our spine and body works
Develop a greater understanding of the causes of pain,
Fully consider your own needs and wishes,
Provide you with a range of skills to improve the condition,
Reduce your pain,
Improve your general health and most importantly,
Improve your quality of life.
How is a personal health plan designed?
This programme was written for everyone who is struggling with neck and back pain in their everyday life, and for people who have tried all sorts of treatments or medications and yet have seen no lasting results, or worse yet, have experienced a steady increase in their pain and decline in their everyday function.
The Personal Health Plan is owned and designed by individual sufferers. It is up to each person to decide what information and skills he/she wishes to include in his/her Personal Health Plan.
The PHP establishes short, medium and long-term goals, and when used properly with personal commitment, the Personal Health Plan will deliver the knowledge and skills for long-term relief.
The PHP has been designed to be flexible, so you can work through it at your own pace in order to allow it to fit in with your life style. You can choose which sections provide the most benefit to support the management of your condition. It can also be used in conjunction with treatment from a healthcare professional. Some people will be happy to complete the Personal Health Plan on their own whilst others will require assistance. If you need help filling in your Personal Health Plan you may want to ask a family member or friend to help you.