6 9 Blum Inspirations means you’ll probably end up in one of my practices sooner or later! Has our level of fitness and act ivit y improved over recent years or does it just feel that way? Subjectively, I agree. Above all people’s awareness of their own bodies, their health and staying healthy has changed for the bet ter. Is back pain the most frequent complaint in connect ion with bad ergonomics or are there other problem areas? I at tended an international congress a couple of years ago on the topic of lumbago, in other words back pain. A wellknown doctor from Kenya was holding a paper and a par ticipant asked him the following question: ‘Europeans all suf fer from back pain. What ’s the most common complaint in Afr ica?’ With an incredulous look on his face, he replied, ‘Back pain, too.’ So in terms of living and ergonomics, it ’s not only in Central Europe that back pain is the number one complaint. Shoulder pain is also high up on the list. We spend a lot of t ime on our smar tphones, tablets, etc. – in other words, sit t ing in an unnatural posit ion. Will that be detrimental to our health in the long term. Yes, it will. The number of patients suf fering from ‘smar tphone thumb’ (tendinitis) and problems with their neck ver tebrae surged dur ing the COVID peak. All these complaints were clear ly caused by bad work place ergonomics in home of fices and too much time spent on the devices previously mentioned. What are the best exercises to stay fit for life? All forms of physical activit y are good for you. There is no single exercise that is the best. My physiology professor once said: ‘Var iatio delectat ’, in other words, var iet y is good for you (and your body). • A B O U T For physiotherapist Klaus Isele, people are at the centre of his think ing. He takes a holistic approach to healthcare and his therapies compr ise both or thodox medicine and alternative methods of treatment. He and his team of fer physiotherapy, osteopathy and pain therapy at five dif ferent locations in Vorar lberg, Austr ia. His tr ips to Japan, Uganda, Peru, Canada and the USA have given him new insights into dif ferent methods of therapy. He shares his exper tise in workshops, presentations and publications. therapierbar.com © Wolf Christof
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