Have you ever recovered from an injury, only to find yourself hesitant to move the way you used to? Perhaps you've experienced lower back pain and now think twice before bending down. Maybe you've sprained your ankle and feel nervous about returning to running. Or perhaps a previous shoulder injury has left you questioning whether it's safe to lift weights again. Even when the worst of the pain has settled, that lingering uncertainty can be difficult to shake. What if I hurt

If you've ever experienced lower back pain, your first instinct was probably to rest, avoid uncomfortable movements and hope the problem disappears. While taking a short break during an acute flare-up can sometimes help, prolonged rest is rarely the answer. In fact, one of the most effective ways to manage persistent lower back pain and reduce the risk of recurring episodes is through structured exercise and movement training. But here's something worth considering: what if t

We’ve all heard of chronological age — the number of candles on your birthday cake — and biological age, which relates more closely to what is happening inside your body. But there’s another type of age I think about almost every day in my clinic: Your movement age. I work with people in their 80s who move better than some 30-year-olds who walk into my clinic for the first time. At the other end of the spectrum, I’ve spent years around sport and still watch elite athletes who

From the Desk to the Field: How Your 9-to-5 Could Be Affecting Your Athletic Performance You eat well, train several times a week and look forward to your weekend football match, run, gym session or favourite sport. But for much of the working week, you may spend eight or more hours sitting at a desk. Although regular exercise is hugely beneficial, your body is also influenced by what you do during the rest of the day. If you spend long periods sitting in relatively fixed pos

Running is one of the simplest ways to improve your fitness. It requires very little equipment, can be done almost anywhere and provides excellent cardiovascular benefits. But when you first start running, it can feel surprisingly hard. Your legs may feel heavy, your breathing quickly becomes uncomfortable and areas such as your knees, shins, calves or lower back may start to ache. While cardiovascular fitness plays a part, the way your body manages the demands of running can

When you experience persistent shoulder discomfort, your first instinct is understandably to focus on the shoulder itself. But movement doesn't happen in isolation. The position and movement of your feet can influence what happens at the knees, hips, pelvis and trunk — which can ultimately affect how the shoulder blade and shoulder move. I experienced this myself. I had been dealing with a persistent pinching and aching sensation in my right shoulder, particularly during over

If you’ve ever watched a toddler playing, you’ve probably noticed just how easily they seem to move. They’ll drop into a deep squat to pick something up, stay there comfortably, stand back up and carry on as if it’s nothing. It’s one of the reasons we often hear: “We should all move like toddlers again.” Or even: “Toddlers have perfect movement.” But from a movement science perspective, that isn’t really true. Toddlers don't necessarily move perfectly. What they do have is so

Over exaggerated knee valgus on right. Have you ever watched yourself squat, lunge or land from a jump and noticed your knees drifting inward? This movement is commonly referred to as knee valgus. A small amount of inward movement isn't necessarily a problem, but if your knees consistently collapse inward—particularly under load or when you become tired—it may indicate that your body isn't controlling the movement as effectively as it could. Understanding why this happens can

You may not actually want to be 21 again. You just want to get out of bed without feeling like your body is 97. There’s a big difference. Getting older is inevitable. But feeling increasingly stiff, restricted and uncomfortable every time you move doesn’t have to be. For many of us, the change happens gradually. We sit more. We move less. We spend longer in the same positions. We stop squatting as deeply, reaching as far, rotating as freely or doing the movements we once too

Have you ever felt a sharp pinch or a dull ache in your shoulder when reaching for something on a high shelf, putting on a jacket, or lifting weights at the gym? If so, you might have been told you have "shoulder impingement"—a common term for when the tendons in your shoulder joint get pinched and inflamed. When your shoulder hurts, your natural instinct is to stretch, rub, or strengthen the shoulder itself. But what if the real culprit isn't your shoulder at all? What if yo

When you’re recovering from an injury, it’s easy to become focused on one thing: “How quickly can I get back to normal?” You follow your exercises, attend your treatment sessions, and wait for the day you feel 100% again. And while your progressive rehab plan is the most important part of your recovery, there are other things you can focus on that can help create the best environment for your body to heal. Sleep: Your body’s recovery tool Sleep is one of the most overlooked p

When people want to move better, they often look for the next mobility exercise, stretching routine, or workout programme. But one of the simplest things you can do is often the thing that gets overlooked most. Drink more water. It sounds almost too simple, but hydration plays a huge role in how your body feels and moves throughout the day. Feeling Stiff? Water Could Be Part of the Answer We've all had those days. You stand up from your desk and feel creaky. You get out of th

It’s Sunday morning. You’re heading out for a run, meeting friends for a game of football, playing a round of golf, or finally getting stuck into the garden. Then it happens. A twinge in your back. A tight calf. A sore shoulder. Sound familiar? One reason many injuries seem to happen at weekends is because we ask our bodies to do most of their moving in just one or two days. The Monday to Friday Problem For many of us, the working week involves a lot of sitting. We sit at our

With the St Albans Half Marathon taking place this weekend, hundreds of runners will be crossing the finish line having achieved something they can be proud of. Whether you're chasing a personal best or simply aiming to complete the distance, what you do after the race can make a huge difference to how quickly you recover and how soon you're ready to get back to training. Here are three simple things you can do to help your body recover after a half marathon. 1. Keep Moving I

For many people, the modern workday looks something like this: Wake up. Sit in the car. Sit at a desk. Sit in meetings. Sit at lunch. Sit on the sofa. Go to bed. Then repeat. It's no surprise that so many people feel stiff, tight, and disconnected from their bodies. But here's something important to remember: You are not your deskbound self. The version of you that feels tight across the shoulders, stiff through the hips, and struggles to turn your head after a long day isn't

Everyone thinks marathon prep is about stacking miles. More runs. Longer runs. Tougher sessions. But here’s the truth most runners learn the hard way: If your movement is off, more miles just means more strain. That tight calf? That grumpy hip? That “niggle” you keep running through? They don’t magically disappear on race day. They come with you… and usually get louder around mile 18. This is where sports massage comes in—but not in the way most people think. Sports Massage I

(Or: Why your legs aren’t “tight” — they’re just driving with the handbrake on.) 🏃‍♂️ Running Isn’t Just Fitness — It’s Skill Running looks simple. One foot in front of the other. But good running? That’s coordination, elasticity, timing, rhythm, joint range, tendon stiffness, and force transfer — all happening in milliseconds. Most runners don’t need more fitness. They need to move better . And this is where sports massage comes in. Not as the star of the show. As the mecha

You don’t actually want to be 21 again. You just want to feel like your body isn’t 97. There’s a big difference. Most people don’t wake up one day suddenly “old.” What actually happens is far less dramatic… and far more fixable. You stop moving well. Your hips get stiff. Your mid-back stops rotating. Your shoulders creep forward.You avoid deep squats because “my knees don’t like it anymore.” And slowly, without realising, your world gets smaller. That’s not ageing. That’s lo

Let’s be real — when most people think about getting healthier, they go straight to diet, exercise, maybe sleep. But there’s one piece of...

Whether you're a professional athlete, a weekend warrior, or just someone trying to stay active, how you manage the stress and workload...