Being physically active throughout your recovery and beyond can:

• prevent a recurrence of the problem
• maintain your current levels of fitness – even if you have to modify what you normally do, any activity is better than none
• keep your other muscles and joints strong and flexible
• help you aim for a healthy body weight BMI calculator

It can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, falls and fractures. Exercise also has a positive impact on your mental health in the short and long-term as it reduces the risk of stress, depression and developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Due to this, exercise increases the average period of time a person may expect to live (your life expectancy).

During your life, exercise has been shown to improve your self-esteem, mood, sleep and sex life as well as your strength, bone density and co-ordination.

Following a new onset of symptoms, injury or both it may be necessary to reduce or modify your daily activities at first.  For some, this may mean resting more and reducing certain movements or tasks that are difficult and painful in the first few days such as reaching up with a painful shoulder or bending forward with a painful lower back.  For others this may mean modifying or adapting their activities such as reducing the amount of sitting, standing, walking, household chores or hobbies they are doing in the first few days and weeks.

Complete bed rest is not advised for most muscle, joint and bone concerns as it has been shown to delay recovery.  However, you may find you need to rest more in the early days of a new onset of symptoms or injury.  At this stage aim to perform some movements little and often during the day, and build up as you feel more able.

In all situations it is important to gradually return to normal movements and activities as soon as possible.  As the symptoms reduce and your confidence increases, start returning to normal. This can still be painful at first, but rarely does this represent you doing any harm or further injury.  This is how you recover well.

How you can start to be more physically active:

For those new to exercise, start off with small achievable targets and build up as you get fitter and more confident.   There is no exercise that is better than another.  There are some that we may prefer or some that just suit us better.  There are lots of possibilities to get your activity and exercise needs.

• Stand rather than sit when you can
• Do squats or heel raises while you are waiting  for the kettle to boil
• Walk a little further by changing the stop and get off the bus or where you park you car
• Take the stairs instead of the lift
• Walk or cycle to school