Unfortunately, in recent years, I have been quite prone to catching flu (to the point where I was getting it twice a year) so I can recognise it and know all the symptoms. For the last three years I have been getting the flu vaccination, which has prevented me from catching it. This is what I thought was very strange about being unwell in February 2020; along with the different symptoms.

The symptoms I experienced during the time of catching the virus were fever, constant cough that was different to before covid, shortness of breath (even at rest), loss of taste/smell, headache, fatigue and an upset stomach. I also experienced body aches. The loss of taste and smell was the strangest symptom and something I’d never experienced before when having flu and because of this I had very little appetite. To this day I still struggle with a limited sense of smell.

My symptoms after covid included relapses of the above symptoms, as well as loss of concentration and ability to think clearly, poorer memory and poorer mental health. I also experienced fatigue and lack of energy, along with shortness of breath during routine activities such as general walking and climbing stairs and shortness of breath during exercise. The latter having an impact on my mental health, as prior to the start of 2020 I was fit and active. I walked a lot and went to the gym 3 times a week to do a variety of activities such as powerlifting, circuits and HIIT. Further post-covid symptoms were chills/fever – feel I’m unable to regulate my temperature sometimes, joint/muscle aches, headaches, palpitations/racing heart, sore throat, chest pain and chest heaviness. The latter resulting in a cough when I exerted myself. I often felt like there was something ‘stuck’ in my chest. I often got a ‘tickly’ throat too.

Covid Treatment

After dealing with all the above for over a year, I booked in for a ‘Post-Covid’ Initial Assessment at Physiofusion. Prior to my assessment, I was asked to complete an online survey about my symptoms and the issues I was experiencing. I also had to complete a Peak Flow test, which was done by breathing into a device that measures your peak expiratory flow (PEF).

I saw Caroline who is one of the physiotherapists there. I had a thorough assessment and we discussed the results of my peak flow test and all of the symptoms I listed in the survey. Caroline also explained about the symptoms of long-Covid and what we know from the latest research on it. She also did a variety of treatments on me, including manual therapy and breathing techniques. She also gave me breathing exercises to do at home along with advice on activities to do to get back into exercise, without pushing myself too hard and hindering my recovery.

I had a thorough follow-up appointment with Caroline where we reviewed how my treatment has gone, any progress made and issues that arose. She also did more manual therapy, reviewed the breathing exercises to ensure I was doing them correctly and advised on a treatment plan going forward. I felt comfortable to continue with the advised treatment at home and book reviews when I felt I needed to.

Overall, I found the covid treatment very beneficial and would highly recommend it. It has been massively helpful to gain a better understanding of covid and how it affects us. Although simple, the breathing exercises have been very effective and have helped with my recovery. I feel much better than I did initially and confident that the post-covid treatment has been a major factor in this so I’d like to say a huge thank you to Caroline and also to Physiofusion for introducing this effective, important and much needed treatment.

If you have or are struggling with the after affects of covid, drop our experts a message and find out how our covid treatment can help you, here.

First and foremost, feeling any of these things this is completely understandable and absolutely acceptable. I think we would all be lying if we said we didn’t feel at least one of those symptoms. It is important to remember that the current situation is only temporary and that things will get better.

The advice we give will hopefully go some way in helping keep on top of our mental wellbeing right now as well as coping with how we may feel while staying at home for the foreseeable.

Everyone is different and has their own way of coping. If we ever need further support than just advice, it is always encouraged that we reach out to someone that we trust can help.

Ways to help manage our mental wellbeing

1. Staying connected with friends, family and colleagues

Often, just knowing other people are feeling the same as we are and that they’re in the same boat can help immensely. Part of the battle sometimes is feeling like we’re the only person that feels a certain way and that nobody else will understand what we’re going through. If we’re not comfortable talking about how we feel, a good thing to do is ask others how they feel. See if they are going through similar experiences as ourselves. This will help you to see that we’re not alone in what we’re going through. Staying connected is also a good way to take our mind off whatever is troubling us. Our friends and family know us better than most, and it’s often comforting being able to laugh and joke about an old memory or even future plans!

2. Make plans to do the practical things

It is amazing how resilient businesses can be during times of hardship. If we’ve been accessing physical or mental treatment before COVID19, it is likely that we can still continue this is some capacity that enables us some normality. We may perhaps have a favourite place to dine or order takeaway from. Many businesses are now adapting their services to online so that we are still able to enjoy some of things we did before. If we’re unsure whether a business or not is still open, then just ask the question! Businesses need to hear from us as much as we need to hear from them right now. Take advantage of being able to go outdoors and exercise with a family member or friend (following the government guidelines). Exercise is one of the most powerful tools in helping cope with mental health stresses.

3. Look after our physical health

We mentioned above that physical and mental health go hand in hand. This is very true! Our mental health can usually be a lot more niche and trickier to find an immediate solution, whereas our physical health often isn’t as difficult. It’s common knowledge that exercising more and eating healthier is beneficial to our bodies. Finding this information is relatively easy and straight forward too. However, if we have a more complex diet with certain underlying issues and complications, there is still help available via a nutritional therapist. Maintaining a healthy, physical appearance, albeit for perhaps slightly vein reasons, can hugely impact our mental wellbeing and positive thoughts. And there is nothing wrong with that! We all deserve to feel and look beautiful.

4. Don’t get caught up on the news!

As vital as it is to stay in the ‘loop’ right now, it’s just as important that we don’t get hung up on every detail. The news is mostly full of ‘bad’ news as that’s what captures people attention, unfortunately. There is so much positivity in the world that isn’t as documented, so it’s just not worth gluing ourselves to the news only to make ourselves feel worse than we need to. If we do want to read the news, it’s worth trying to search more positive things. There are so many businesses, people and charities out there every day that are doing great things to help tackle the current pandemic to make the world a better place.

5. Try relaxation and meditation

This is something that we would imagine most of us are guilty of not doing enough! It’s always “we just haven’t got time” or that “we’re too stressed to meditate”. Switching off to close our eyes and relax for as little as 10 minutes can be extremely helpful. We don’t need hours each day in order to relax and feel better. Sometimes it’s just about pausing for a few moments to take on board the day and think of everything we have to be grateful for. Meditation is a great way of helping to channel these thoughts. There is ample free meditation content to choose from on the internet. Some like to listen to the soothing sounds of nature, and others find peace in listening to a calming voice for example. Choose what works for you but make sure you’re try to switch off from the world, if only for a few minutes.

6. Stay in the loop about our employment and benefits

One of the main reasons why many of us are worried and anxious at the moment is because of financial security and job security. The last thing we need is to be told not to worry by people that don’t even know anything themselves. Speaking to our employers directly to ask them every possible question is the best place to start. It’s our right to know and they should be honest and upfront. They may even be able to provide access to services that can help how we feel. If we don’t ask, we will never know. Discussing our options with trusted professionals in the know, such as HR, soliciting and banking departments can also help. If we aren’t working, understanding the details about what the current pandemic means for us is extremely important – always check the government website for all the latest updates.

If you feel you need a little more than online advice, we have comprehensive listening services available as well as counselling services. Alternatively, you may ask our expert therapists for advice that may be a little more personal to you using our FREE online service, here.

1.     Those with low to moderate use of phones and tablets
2.     Those using a laptop for more prolonged times than usual
3.     Those using a full monitor and keyboard set up (conventional home working)

Feel free to browse through the sections that relate more to your ‘current life’, or have a look through all of them for any top-tips that you think you could get good use out of! Remember, the aim here is to protect your spine (specifically your back and neck), your eyes (from eye strain when your optician may not be available to you) and your mind (from the ‘creep’ of home working disrupting your home life).

What’s ergonomics? What should the perfect set-up look like?

So, ‘perfect’ involves having a monitor that can be positioned in front of the face, a separate keyboard that can be at the height of your elbow with forearm supported, a chair that can be raised or lowered to make the desk height match the chair height, and a separate mouse so the arm and wrist does not have to twist inward.

If you have all of these things then this picture may help to set up your work-space perfectly!

When life is not so perfect?

For the rest of us mere mortals that had no idea that we would shortly become ‘workers from home’ I’d simply say…do your best to recreate the principles  of that ‘perfect picture’.

So let’s start with what we CAN do regarding ergonomics:

1.  Are you able borrow a keyboard or a mouse to get the ideal equipment you need? (Remember to sanitise anything you receive!)
2.  Can you raise your chair height with pillows or cushions? Or, if the chair can’t raise, are you able to raise your desk on blocks or supports? Unlike your Kindle, your books make a great sets of blocks for this! You may also have to add a support for under your feet too so that your leg fold is at 90 degrees.
3.  Try to make sure you have enough room in front of you on your work station for your forearms to rest a little, between your keyboard or laptop. Or, ideally rest your forearms on chair arms if they are at a good height (have a look at the ‘perfect’ diagram again).
4.  Where is the sun or the lighting in the room? Try to have good lighting so that there is no glare on your screen and you are not straining to see what you are typing. You especially need to think about lighting if you are video calling, as the person on the other end of the line may struggle to see you in full sun or a lot of shadow!
5.  If you feel your body aching somewhere, it’s because it needs a break. Something is telling you (in the form of a pain) that it has reached a level of time that it is now not comfortable with. Day on day, this can build up into an injury, so please do listen to your own body! Move out of your current position and away from your devises even for just a minute, stretching your legs and opening your body out into a good postural position in standing.

Using a laptop

There is no perfect way ‘posturally’ to work at a laptop, with no equipment additions either we’re afraid. The diagram below may help you make the most out of changes you can put in place.

Source: Sally, A (www.working-well.org)

Finally, for those of you that use tablets.

Source: Posturite (www.posturite.co.uk)

If you have any issues with your current working set-up or you’re in need of a little advice, we’re more than happy to help. Send us your queries to our FREE online service and ask the experts yourselves.

Should we sit less? Our bodies are fuelled by movement as this activates all of our internal chemical mechanisms that help us to function correctly. If we think about how we feel after a good work out, we tend to feel more relaxed and pain-free. This is because our body releases hormones known as ‘endorphins’ which interact and stimulate our brain.

Aches and pains from musculoskeletal injuries are often related to our static postures. For example, if we are sat working at our desks all day, our bodies will spend long periods of time hunched over causing some of our muscles to overwork and overcompensate for the muscles that aren’t being utilised correctly. This can make some of our muscles weaker and less effective when we need them – often resulting in an injury.

Being hunched over a desk can result in a ‘forward posture’, which is where our necks assume a leaning position that causes our centre of gravity to change. This influences the muscles we use and how we use them. For every inch of ‘forward head posture’, it can increase the weight of our heads by an additional 10 pounds! When you think that a stone is 14 pounds, that’s a significant amount of stress added to our muscles that are already overcompensating as it is.

Every time we use the wrong muscle groups for a specific action, we are risking an injury. We’re all aware of how we’re supposed to pick an item up off the floor – lift with our knees, not with our back. This is exactly so we don’t injure ourselves using muscles that aren’t designed for that purpose.

Sedentary lifestyles are one of the most common causes of injury because of the constant strains and demands we put on our bodies to hold us in an unnatural position.

To answer the question of should we sit less? Most certainly!

So, what can we do to help?

First and foremost, try to be more active. Even a quick 10-15 minute walk on your lunch breaks can significantly improve your well-being. Take several small breaks to stand up and stretch while you’re at your desk to help blood flow. If you can stand up while you work, even better! Start to think about including cardiovascular physical activity, strengthening and stretching exercises into your daily routine so that you can help reduce your chances of injury.

Having less of a sedentary lifestyle doesn’t take life-changing efforts, but it can have life-changing results

An interesting article discussing extending fit notes from one to two weeks, to relieve pressure on GPs, can be found here: http://bit.ly/29wwzm4

This should be a good idea in principle, but it relies on a positive, trusting relationship between employees and employers – which isn’t a consistent reality.

When Physiofusion see employees who are already off sick, it is surprising just how often there are underlying communication or management issues between the employee and employer.  In this scenario, extending the self-cert period to two weeks would only exacerbate things, resulting in more entrenched positions, with higher levels of stress for both the employee and the team who are left picking up the slack – as well as additional costs for the employer.

It also talks about allowing other allied health professionals (of which Physios are one) to certify, as well as GPs.  This could really help to share the workload, but plenty of support would have to be put in place to ensure that patients turning up to the ‘wrong’ professional were then appropriately signposted on.  On the plus side, it should allow faster access to the necessary services, which has to result in quicker recovery times – good news for everyone!

Sorrel Miller (Managing Director)

Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, occurs following repeated strain and overuse of the muscles and tendons in the forearm. The strenuous overuse of these structures causes small injuries or tears to the fibres normally around the outer part of your elbow, stimulating an inflammatory response. As a result of these tiny injuries or tears and the inflammatory process the following symptoms are typical:
• Pain located on the outer part of forearm just below the elbow
• Pain when lifting and carrying objects
• Pain or difficulty when gripping small objects such as a pen or cup handle
• Pain on movements involving twisting of the forearm such as when using a door handle or opening lids on jars

Treating Tennis Elbow

Treatment for this type of injury in the first instance is to rest and apply ice to the affected area to reduce the inflammatory response from the body. Following this various physiotherapy techniques such as ultrasound, massage and exercise can be used. In addition, taping of the affected area (using K-tape) is a commonly used technique to reduce aggravation of the symptoms and therefore reducing pain through slightly altering the mechanics of the muscles and tendons in the forearm. By changing the mechanics of these muscles and tendons the load on the affected area is reduced allowing the healing process to take place and normal function to be resumed.

Howzat!

Kevin qualified as a physiotherapist in 2014. He started at Physiofusion in 2015, primarily treating from Burnley and Padiham clinics. He is a keen cricketer and plays for Padiham Cricket Club.

More about Kevin

There has been considerable research undertaken proving that money invested into employee health actually saves money. Rather than ask you to trust us on this, we thought that we’d show you one of our case-studies from an employer who we work with at Physiofusion:

Employee:
24 year old Quality Engineer for a manufacturing company, earning £25k

Role involves:
Precision measurement and fabrication – the delicate and forceful use of tools, time at a computer, work on the shop floor, small amount of lifting and carrying – small and larger weights

Diagnosis:
Cut to the palm by sharp tool, cutting partially through a tendon, with thick scar tissue forming

Symptoms:
Tendons stuck down by scar tissue, pain and massive loss of power, unable to grip, mild swelling, loss of movement to the wrist and fingers of the dominant hand

How it affects their job:
Employee was unable to work due to:
1. Duties involving precision
2. Safety reasons
3. Laptop typing painful

Treatment:
3 sessions of Physiotherapy, involving scar tissue release techniques, stretch techniques to bow the tendon off the bone, laser, home exercises to improve the range of movement and build power

Working Outcome:
Employee returned to work on light duties for 3 weeks (after discussion between Physio, HR and line manager), with a full return to work thereafter

Employee comment:
“My assessment at Physiofusion gave me the confidence as I knew what problems I might have after my injury, and what I should and shouldn’t be doing as I went along. I also felt confident that work were ok because I knew they knew what was going on, and they could get me back to work safely and my hand wouldn’t suffer.”

Savings – 5 weeks off work = £480 x 5 = £2400
Costs – 3 Physio sessions 1 @ £40 + 2 @ £35 = £110
Overall saving = £2,290

Access to Physiotherapy doesn’t have to cost a fortune, nor do you need to have a retainer contract – just make sure that you pre-agree a set number of sessions upfront and ask for regular updates. It can mean the difference between an employee being off for a couple of days or them turning into another long-term sickness absence statistic – and a huge cost to you as an employer.

If you’d like to discuss how Physiotherapy might be able to help your workforce, then please get in touch on 01282 453 110 or via www.physiofusion.co.uk/business

Samantha House – Clinical Director and Chartered Physiotherapist

There has been considerable research proving that money invested into employee health actually saves money. Rather than ask you to trust us on this, we thought that we’d show you one of our case-studies which saved £1,330 from an employer who we work with at Physiofusion.

We don’t charge retainers, we don’t drag things out unnecessarily and we are always at the end of a phone!

Case Study

Employee: 24 year old Quality Engineer for a manufacturing company, earning £15k

Role involves: Precision measurement and fabrication – the delicate and forceful use of tools, time at a computer, work on the shop floor, small amount of lifting and carrying – small and larger weights

Diagnosis: Cut to the palm by sharp tool, cutting partially through a tendon, with thick scar tissue forming

Symptoms: Tendons stuck down by scar tissue, pain and massive loss of power, unable to grip, mild swelling, loss of movement to the wrist and fingers of the dominant hand

How it affects their job: Employee was unable to work due to: 1. Duties involving precision 2. Safety reasons 3. Laptop typing painful

Treatment: 3 sessions of Physiotherapy, involving scar tissue release techniques, stretch techniques to bow the tendon off the bone, laser, home exercises to improve the range of movement and build power

Working Outcome: Employee returned to work on light duties for 3 weeks (after discussion between Physio, HR and line manager), with a full return to work thereafter.

Employee comment: “My assessment at Physiofusion gave me the confidence as I knew what problems I might have after my injury, and what I should and shouldn’t be doing as I went along. I also felt confident that work were ok because I knew they knew what was going on, and they could get me back to work safely and my hand wouldn’t suffer.”

Savings

5 weeks off work = £288 x 5 = £1440 Costs – 3 Physio sessions 1 @ £40 + 2 @ £35 = £110 Overall saving = £1,330

Intangible savings – limited sickness cover required, knowledge kept within the business while on light duties, happy, engaged and productive employee at the end of the process.

Summary

Access to Physiotherapy or other occupational health services doesn’t have to cost a fortune, nor do you need to have a retainer contract – just make sure that you pre-agree a set number of sessions upfront and ask for regular updates. It can mean the difference between an employee being off for a couple of days or them turning into another long-term sickness absence statistic – and a huge cost to you as an employer.

If you’d like to discuss how Physiotherapy might be able to help your workforce, then please get in touch on 01282 453 110 or visit www.physiofusion.co.uk/business. We can offer both in-house or off-site treatment at our Burnley and Padiham clinics.