Is your lifestyle making you ill?
Modern day living places so much pressure on doing everything in a short space of time that it is no wonder so many of us show signs of suffering from stress.

In the UK, half a million people say work-related stress is making them ill; around 5 million feel "very" or "extremely" stressed by their work; and in 2003/4,12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety(1). But what is stress exactly? According to the Health & Safety Executive, 'stress' is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demands placed on them and its symptoms are commonly dissected into the following two categories:

To mark National Stress Awareness Day (2 November), physiotherapists are urging people to take active steps to reduce the problems associated with the high levels of stress in their working lives. As a result, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) has produced a self-help, stress-busting tips that can be followed easily. [See left]


But not all stress is bad advises Tessa Campbell, Vice Chair of Chartered Physiotherapists Interested in Massage & Soft Tissue Therapies (CPMaSTT). She says: "Small amounts of stress can actually help stimulate, excite and boost performance. But when stress levels become too high and are experienced over time, they can seriously affect people's health, personal lives and work performance."

She continued: 'Stress may be seen as a normal part of daily life but this does not mean we have to put up with it! By using a variety of therapies such as relaxation techniques for sleep problems, massage for muscle tension and headaches, and exercise regimes for general wellbeing, physiotherapists can help people beat the effects of stress. They can also advise on how you can take steps to manage and combat stress.

'As we approach a long, cold winter and the possibility of a flu epidemic, we need to reduce our stress levels to keep our immune systems strong. Following this new guide will help ensure your body is better able to cope.'

If you are concerned about stress and think you maybe suffering from it, it is important that the physical and emotional symptoms are understood in order to begin coping with it. The CSP's factsheet provides information on identifying stress, self-help relaxation and coping measures, and where to seek professional advice and assistance.

Notes: (1) Health & Safety Executive: Work-related stress, 2005

DIY massage
If you are experiencing tension in your neck, place your hands at the base of your skull and, using small circular movements, massage along to the neck and up onto the scalp. Place your right hand over the left
shoulder and work in towards the spine. Repeat on the other side. If you find a particularly tender area, apply pressure and breathe deeply until the pain goes.

If your lower back is tight then use gently clenched fists to rub along the top of the pelvis to reduce the tension. Kneading the buttocks may also help.

Massage is clinically proven to reduce the stress hormone cortisol as well as reducing muscle tension, aiding the removal of toxins, and sedating the nervous system. Added to this, many physiotherapists are skilled in trigger point and myofascial release techniques, which help to reduce restrictions in the connective tissue system of the body. These are effective in treating the painful "knotted" areas in tight muscles. Physiotherapists also teach good postural alignment, and re-educate the core stability muscles, which maintain good posture and help eliminate neck, back and shoulder pain.