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Muscle spasms are a common cause of back pain that can be extremely painful and debilitating. Few other injuries cause as much panic and anxiety. Many people go to A&E with back spasms, the pain is so intense it seems like the only sensible option. Invariably they regret this decision as they sat waiting for many hours (making the spasms worse) then sent on their way with some pMuscle spasms are a common cause of back pain that can be extremely painful and debilitating. Few other injuries cause as much panic and anxiety. Many people go to A&E with back spasms, the pain is so intense it seems like the only sensible option. Invariably they regret this decision as they sat waiting for many hours (making the spasms worse) then sent on their way with some pain medication.

Back Spasms

Muscle spasms anywhere on the body can be excruciatingly painful but spasms of the muscles either side of the spine (called erector spinae), even more so. Part of the reason for this is that they are extremely difficult to disengage. For example, when experiencing a cramp in your leg it is relatively easy to avoid using it, apply pressure or stretch it.

With spinal muscles, unless you are lying down and completely still, they are engaging. Any attempt to move will involve using the muscles, making them more liable to spasm again.

What to do when back muscles are in spasm

Rest – try to stop using them. As mentioned above, this can be difficult but lying down on your side gives you the best chance of relaxing the muscles.

Gently stretch – when the erector spinae muscles on both sides of the back contract together they pull you into an extended or arched back position. To stretch them you need to move them in the opposite direction, so when lying on your side, that would involve getting into a foetal position. Again, it is likely to be quite painful making the move into the position (because you have to engage the muscles) so having somebody help you is beneficial. You could also try gently hugging your knees towards your chest from this position

Apply heat or cold – personally I much prefer heat as I find it to be more soothing and relaxing for muscles, but if you respond better to cold that’s fine. Your aim is to get some relief and reduce tension.

Gentle movement – once you have managed to relax and stretch the muscles they should come out of spasm, or at least ease up. At this stage gentle movement of the area by walking around your home or garden can help blood flow to the area which can aid recovery. Also, muscle stiffness from inactivity can lead to further spasms, light walking can help loosen things up.

Get professional help – As mentioned above, often people with back spasms go to A&E. The emergency department aren’t very interested in spasms, no matter how painful, because they are not a threat to life in any way (whereas even a minor cut can get infected). Your GP may prescribe a muscle relaxant, which can help, but often times will leave you feeling extremely drowsy and not make much of a difference at all.

Get the RIGHT professional help – Osteopaths are well placed to deal with muscle spasms. We can use a variety of hands on techniques to stretch the muscles, bring them out of spasm and work on related areas to reduce strain on the back. We can guide you through a series of stretches and exercises, tailored for your specific needs and capabilities so you continue the benefit of treatment at home. We can also help you understand what you can do long term to prevent future occurrences.

Understand the cause – to ensure long term and lasting recovery it is important to understand why your muscles have spasmed in the first place. Often it is caused by doing something that puts too much challenge on them. Footballers bundling over with cramps in their legs is a common site when matches go into extra time. Their bodies are optimised for 90 minutes, an extra 30 minutes can be too much. When investigating the cause of back spasms, we will ask patients if they have been doing anything unusual, attempting a new sport or carrying something they normally wouldn’t. But sometimes it can happen in response to other spinal problems. A disc herniation that affects the nerves frequently causes the back muscles to tense up as a protective mechanism and this can escalate into a spasm. Again, your friendly local osteopaths will be able to determine the root cause through their examinations and case history

The good news with muscle spasms is that, although extremely painful, the muscles are not usually seriously damaged by them and recover quickly. If your muscles are continuing to spasm seek help to find the cause as quickly as possible.

An often overlooked part of our bodies when it comes to health and fitness is
our bones.

Many people think of bones as solid or unchanging, but in reality, they are living tissues that undergo continuous renewal through a process called
bone remodelling.

Bone mass typically peaks in early adulthood, around the age of 30 to 35. After this, bone density gradually begins to decline as the body breaks down bone faster than it can rebuild it.

When this process happens in an accelerated manor it is called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is not painful but it makes the bones brittle and liable to fractures, which certainly can be painful and have devastating effects on quality of life. Osteoporotic fractures most commonly happen in the spine, hips and wrists.

The good news is, we can help our bones get stronger. 

One of the best ways to keep your bones strong is by regularly applying force to them. Like muscles, your bones will react according to the stresses that you put
them under.

Impact Exercises

The best kind of exercises for bone health are impact exercises.

1. If you stand up, do a small jump, and land again, you will feel the force of the ground travel up through your body as you land. That’s exactly what we want, you have just applied a considerable force to your bones.
2. Skipping is one of the best bone health exercises for the same reason, whether done with a skipping rope or just leaping in the air on one foot then the other like you did when you were a child.
3. For a milder impact exercise, stand on your tip toes, then quickly drop back down onto your heels.

Weightlifting

Weightlifting is a great option for improving bone health, the weight helps stress the bone which stimulates the remodelling process to lay down more bone. Another benefit of weightlifting for bones, is that in exercises like a barbell squat, much of the force is concentrated on your spine and your hips, areas more vulnerable to osteoporotic fracture.

Weight Bearing Exercises

Any exercise that involves weight bearing will have bone benefits, these include running, dancing, tennis and even just climbing the stairs.

Even if you currently have osteoporosis, you could and should do at least some of these exercises.

If you are young, fit and active this information could still be relevant to you. For example, if you work at desk all day and get your exercise through swimming and cycling, there’s a lack of the impact and weight bearing that we know is so important for keeping bones healthy.

Remember, we begin to lose bone mass from our early thirties, the sooner you start applying strategies to maintain it, the better.

In addition to impact exercise other key considerations for healthy bones are:

• Adequate Calcium Intake: Calcium is essential for bone strength. Calcium is readily found in dairy products, leafy green vegetables and fortified plant based milks.
• Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps your body absorb and use calcium, which gives your bones their strength and hardness. The best source of vitamin D is from direct sunlight. The more of your skin that is exposed to sunlight, the quicker you will make the required amount of vitamin D. Midday, especially during summer is the best time to get sunlight. 5 – 15 minutes of midday sun exposure, between March and October, three times per week is enough to maintain healthy levels for most people. In the autumn and winter months in the UK it is recommended to take a Vitamin D supplement as it can be difficult to achieve the required levels from sunlight. You will NOT get vitamin D from sunlight through a window.
• Balanced Diet: In addition to calcium and vitamin D, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains provide other nutrients like magnesium and vitamin K, which are important for bone health.
• Smoking & Excessive Alcohol: Both smoking and excessive alcohol intake can weaken bones and increase the risk of fractures.

If you are concerned that you may have, or could be at risk of developing problems with your bone density consult your GP. They may refer you for a DEXA scan, which is a specialised type of x-ray that can accurately detect bone density.

Keeping our bones healthy is crucial for maintaining overall well-being. The simple measures discussed above can help ensure that our bones remain strong and healthy throughout our lives.

At Leyton Osteopaths, we’re always looking for ways to help you feel your best—today and in the years to come. One key factor in long-term health that is often under appreciated is muscle mass.

We often discuss muscles in relation to rehabilitation, preventing injury and
protecting joints. But did you know, there is a strong connection between your muscle mass and how long you will live?

As we age, the natural decline in muscle mass (which begins at approximately 30 years old) becomes a major factor in determining how we age.

The Role of Muscle Mass in Longevity

Muscle mass plays a vital role in supporting nearly every aspect of health, and it’s not just about looking good or being strong. Having a healthy amount of muscle is linked to improved metabolic function, bone density, cardiovascular health, and even cognitive function, all of which contribute to a longer life.

Strong muscles provide the foundation for physical independence, mobility, and resilience, especially as we get older.

Preventing Frailty and Disability

As muscle mass declines with age, the risk of frailty, falls, and disability increases. Maintaining or building muscle through regular strength training helps protect against these age-related declines, allowing you to stay active and independent for longer. People with more muscle mass tend to experience fewer health complications, better mobility, and an overall higher quality of life in their later years.

Reducing the Risk of Chronic Diseases

Muscle mass is also linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis. Stronger muscles improve insulin sensitivity, regulate blood sugar, support healthy bone density, and boost heart health—all critical factors in extending life expectancy.

The Bottom Line: Strengthening for the Long Run

There are many short term benefits to building muscle, you will look better and feel better. But the long term benefits are even greater, you are setting yourself up for a healthier future, gaining more years of vitality and independence.

It is never too late to start, but remember, the decline in muscle mass starts at about 30 years old, so the earlier you start working on it the better.

Building Muscle

Having established the many benefits of increased muscle mass we will look more closely at how we actually go about building muscle.

1. Resistance Training: To make your muscles grow you need to challenge them, they need a force to resist. That can be achieved using weights, kettle bells, machines, resistance bands or even just your own bodyweight.
   The goal is to create a challenge for the muscles by using an appropriate weight or resistance that pushes them beyond their normal limits. If you can easily do 50 push ups, you will NOT build muscle by doing 10 of them. If you struggle to do five push ups, but you make yourself do them several times a week, your body will adapt, you will grow more muscle and before you know it you will be able to do six.
2. Rest: Through your resistance training you will create small tears in the the muscle fibres. It is in the repair of these microscopic tears that muscles grow in size and strength. Having appropriate rest is important in this process. As a general rule, don’t work the same muscle groups on consecutive days. Getting good quality sleep is also important.
3. Nutrition: You have done the training, you are getting quality rest, now you need to ensure that you are getting the appropriate nutrients to allow your body to heal and grow. Most important for muscle growth is protein intake. Protein is the building block of muscle tissue, adequate protein consumption is therefore essential to muscle repair and growth. Aim for 1.2 – 2 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight per day (if you weigh 75kg, that translates as 90g-150g of protein daily). If that sounds too complicated, just focus on eating a little bit more protein. There are great sources of protein to suit all kinds of diets. Protein powders can help if you struggle to get enough from your diet but are in no way necessary.
4. Progression: Once your muscles have adapted to the stress you have put them under with your resistance training they will stop growing. Therefore, if you want the muscles to continue to grow you have to make them work harder. When lifting weights, this usually involves lifting more weight or performing more repetitions. If doing bodyweight exercises, you can increase repetitions or you can change the exercise to make it more difficult. For example, instead of doing regular bodyweight squats you could put one foot up on a chair behind you and perform a squat on one leg (a split squat).
5. Consistency: As with so many health and fitness endeavours building muscle requires consistent effort over time. But considering the short and long term benefits (looking better, feeling better, increased longevity, reduced risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis), I would strongly suggest the effort is worth it.

   If you have not been doing any form of resistance training even small amounts will make a big difference, doing 30 minutes three times a week is likely to be transformative. If you already have a consistent resistance training regime, well done, you are doing something fantastic for your health. The more you train, the more likely it is that you will hit a plateau, in which case, finding different ways of increasing intensity becomes more important. Experiment with rest times, rep ranges and number of sets.

Resistance training is for everyone, we should all aspire to keep our bodies strong and functioning well. Whilst equipment can certainly help, especially if you are more experienced with your training, there’s huge benefits for beginners starting out with bodyweight exercises.

A Basic Muscle Building Regime

Finally, here is a set of bodyweight resistance exercises to perform at home, so you can begin to enjoy the health benefits of getting stronger.

These exercises have been chosen for their effectiveness, because they don’t require equipment, and primarily with beginners in mind (you can also easily search online for videos of them if required).

It is important to tailor YOUR programme to YOUR needs and capabilities. If you have an injury that is exacerbated by any of the movements don’t persist.

As a rough guide, I would recommend 10 repetitions of each exercise performed three times (that’s three sets). Do all sets of one exercise before moving onto the next.

Form is key, if you lose form when you get to your ninth squat, don’t attempt a tenth. It takes time to get used to these exercises, be patient. If 10 repetitions of an exercise feels easy, it is time to PROGRESS it by adding more reps or trying some of the progressions listed below.

Remember, consistency is key. It’s not what you do today or tomorrow that will make the difference, it’s what you do every day.

1. Calf raises: Stand flat on the ground, hold on to something for balance if needed, rise up onto the ball of your foot so that your heels lift off the ground. Return to the starting position, making sure to control the descent.

   Progression 1: Start from a step so that your heel is below the front of your foot and your calf muscle is stretched.

   Progression 2: Perform the movement as above but on one foot.

2. Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees and lower your hips back and down as if sitting in a chair, keeping your chest up and knees behind your toes, then return to standing.

   Progression: Put your foot on a stool  behind you and drop down into the squat position with standing leg, holding on for balance if necessary (this is a more advanced exercise, it is called a split squat. Hold onto something for balance if required).

3. Glute Bridges: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, then lift your hips toward the ceiling by squeezing your glutes, and lowering back down.

   Progression: Perform the same exercise using only one leg at a time. The other leg should be straight and lifted off the floor.

4. Crunches: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat, and hands on your temples, then curl your torso towards your knees, contracting your abdominal muscles, and slowly lower back down. A crunch involves a smaller movement than a sit up, you should not bend at your hip.

   Progression: Hold a weight to your chest as you perform the movement.

5. Superman: Lie face down, extending your chest, arms and legs off the ground simultaneously, essentially turning yourself into a smiley face position. Return to the starting position in a controlled manner and repeat. This movement works pretty much every muscle on the back of your body.

6. Press Up: A press-up is performed by starting in a plank position, lowering your body to the ground by bending your elbows, then pushing back up to straighten your arms, engaging your chest, shoulders, and triceps.

   Regression: Many people will struggle to do one press up, if you are in that group start the movement on your knees instead of full plank. But do try to keep your knees as far behind as possible, as it will mean you are working harder.

I’m frequently asked for advice on how to sit properly, especially when working at
a desk.

Searching online there are several ergonomic principles that are regurgitated time
and again:

• Screen should be at eye level
• Feet flat on the floor
• Back straight and supported
• Arms parallel to the floor
• Knees and elbows at 90 degrees
• Don’t slouch, don’t lean to the side and don’t lean forward

Whilst I wouldn’t say any of this is bad advice, I do think it is too rigid and makes people feel unnecessarily bad when they stray from it – which they invariably do.

I have news for you, EVERYBODY slouches. Slouching or being in an awkward position isn’t a problem, staying in those positions for hours on end for weeks, months or even years is what causes difficulties for our bodies.

So here are my top three pieces of sitting advice:

1. Regularly get up and move around. If you are experiencing pain you might need to get up every 30 minutes or less, if you are feeling fine I would still try to get up and at least once an hour. If you do have to sit for longer, for two, three or more hours at a time, you won’t suddenly fall apart. The human body is remarkably resilient, it can tolerate a lot of stress. But do be careful of this becoming your default.
2. Perform sitting movements. Being engrossed in work or whatever is on your screen can cause us to remain still for an unnaturally long period of time. Being aware of this we can gently mobilise our spines, shoulders, wrists or whatever else gets stiff or achy. Simply turn your neck one way then the other, cross your arms and twist your spine left and then right, then round your back forward and arch it back, make big circles with your wrists one way, then the other, now do the same with your ankles. You may have been told off for fidgeting as a kid but it is remarkably helpful for our musculoskeletal health.
3. Several times a day do a body check, that is, pay attention to how you are holding yourself, and if necessary, change it. For example, we often get drawn forward towards our screens instead of leaning back against our chairs. We all do it, the key is to notice and then correct it by shifting your bottom back in your chair and letting the back of the chair support you. If your shoulders are hunched up to your ears, congratulate yourself on noticing it, and let them relax back down.

    

Another question we are frequently asked is about ‘standing desks’. I am a fan but with a one caveat. Standing all day sounds torturous to me. What we really want is an ‘adjustable desk’, one that quickly and easily allows you to go from sitting to standing and vice versa. The variety and changes in position are where the greatest benefits comes from.

The key message that I want you to take from this article is that the human body is remarkably adaptable and resilient. But paying attention to how long you sit still and performing simple movements give it the best chance of functioning optimally, letting you get on with your life undisturbed by pain.

Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most successful comedians of all time and someone who knows a thing or two about achieving a goal. He is best know as the star and co-creator of his eponymous sitcom Seinfeld, which happens to be my all-time favourite show.

For me what sets Seinfeld apart from every other show was that each and every episode was funny, all 180 of them across nine series. It achieved unprecedented CONSISTENCY.

When asked by a young comic how he could achieve such a feat Seinfeld revealed a strategy that has become know as ‘Don’t Break The Chain’.  It is remarkably simple but effective, here’s what you do:

1. 1. Decide on your daily task. For Jerry it was the task of writing jokes. If you want to get stronger it might be 10 push ups, for overcoming injury it could be a 10 minute rehabilitation regime.

• Get yourself a big wall calendar and a big red marker. Every time you perform your daily task you can put a big red mark on the calendar.
• Before long you will have a chain of big red marks and your goal then becomes Don’t Break The Chain.

That’s it! Super simple but it works. It helped Seinfeld become one of the most successful comedians of all time and it can help you achieve your health, fitness & well-being goals too.

Make sure you choose an appropriate daily task, something that is challenging and will help you move the needle but is also achievable.

The strategy works because it helps you focus on the ‘process’, that is the daily task you have to perform, rather than the result which is sometimes beyond your control.

But as you perform your daily tasks and accumulate those marks on the calendar, chances are you will move ever closer to the goal you want to achieve.

When recovering from injury, getting fit or staying healthy we often know WHAT to do but struggle to put that knowledge into practice.

Here’s a tool to help that is as simple as it is brilliant:

1. Decide what action needs to be taken.

2. Set a 3 minute timer.

3. Start the timer and begin stretching / doing press ups / meal prepping, whatever it is that needs to be done to achieve your goal.

4. When the timer is up, stop if you want to but chances are, now that you have begun, it will be easy to keep going.

I use this tactic at home when the kids have turned the place upside down and we need a tidy up. It’s amazing how much more orderly the place is after just three minutes and invariably we keep going for another three or four minutes until full order (more or less) is restored.

For some tasks you might need a longer or shorter timer but the principle remains the same. Give it a try and let me know how you get on.

I was shocked and saddened by the recent news that Sir Chris Hoy has been diagnosed with terminal cancer at just 48 years old.

What struck me most about hearing the news and seeing the television interviews with Chris was his demeanour. He seemed so calm, collected and unflinching. I knew he was renowned for his mental toughness, but even so, it was remarkable.

The book is an emotional roller coaster and begins in the pits of despair, immediately  getting into the details of the cancer diagnosis. It wasn’t an easy listen. The utter devastation of learning not only that he had the disease, but that it was incurable was laid bare.  Sir Chris details the feelings of panic, desperation and utter shock given that he was so young and otherwise exceptionally fit and healthy.

In the first weeks and months after the diagnosis Chris cites the love and support of his family as his saving grace, especially his wife Sarra. It was her reminder that his prognosis was measured in years, not weeks or months, that provided the greatest comfort and allowed him to begin the process of embracing life again.

As difficult as the early chapters are, there are small indications that the author is beginning to process the news, in all its magnitude, and even finding glimmers of hope. As the book progresses, we get an insight into the mental strategies Chris uses to get himself from utter devastation, to acceptance and ultimately to hope for the future. Many of these are the same strategies Hoy used to achieve Olympic success and are useful to anyone dealing with adversity.

The one that stuck out most was ‘control the controllables’. In such as difficult situation it would be easy to feel hopeless. But by focussing on what he could control, Chris was able to give his all to his treatment, spend quality time with his family and even think about making an impact on other people with a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer.

British cycling is synonymous with the theory of ‘the aggregation of marginal gains’. Put simply this means the team would look at every process and procedure and how each one could be improved, even by a small amount. Together these small gains turn into something significant.

And that in essence is how Chris Hoy is able to go on TV in front of millions of people and talk about his terminal cancer without a hint of a quiver in his voice. Not because he is super human as I had imagined but because he consistently takes small steps to tackle the adversity he has been confronted with and to keep his mindset positive.

He takes control of where his thoughts go. He readily admits they still go to dark places but he has learnt to bring them back, to redirect them. He mentions friends who have died suddenly, with no warning and no opportunity to express to their loved ones how much they mean to them before they go and is grateful that he at least has that. He is grateful that there is treatment available that can prolong his life, and although aware of the gravity of his situation, takes hope from the fact that a significant percentage of people with his diagnosis, that have received the same treatment as him, have far exceeded the prognosis it usually brings.

The key lessons I have taken away from this book are:

1. Get tested – No matter how healthy you feel it is important to be regularly tested. Sir Chris was exceptionally unlucky, stage 4 prostate cancer in someone his age is very rare, screening doesn’t begin until 50. For many of us, knowing our blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugars will be the most significant health measures of which we need to be aware. But if you are high risk or have a family history of certain illnesses, take advantage of whatever testing is available.
2. Control the controllables – Chris Hoy is a great example of dealing with adversity but focusing on what’s in our power to control, especially our thoughts and our focus.
3. Build your troop – have a close knit group of people around you that you trust and can depend on. Their opinions matter, no one else’s.
4. Set clear goals – we are more likely to achieve what we desire if we have a clear goal to work towards. This was critical to Chris Hoy’s Olympic success and in his ability to confront his diagnosis.
5. The power of reframing – the ability to look at situation from a slightly different perspective. Chris Hoy talks about his amazing support network, that he has already lived most of his dreams, that there is treatment available and the potential for more scientific breakthroughs.
6. The importance of embracing the present moment – none of us know how long we have left, and no matter what the answer to that question, embracing the present moment is key to living a more joyful, and fulfilling life. It’s about being where you are, fully engaged in the current moment, and not letting your thoughts pull you away.

To sum up, All That Matters is  highly emotional, although sad in parts, it is not a sad book. In fact, it is full of hope. Chris Hoy is a remarkable athlete who inspired millions with his heroics in the velodrome and will undoubtedly inspire millions more as he tackles his cancer . The NHS has already reported a massive surge in visitors to its information pages on prostate cancer and the publicity of his illness will ultimately lead to many lives being saved.

Buy All That Matters on Amazon

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