Guides for everyday life
Easy-to-understand articles on movement, pain and exercises that genuinely fit into everyday life alongside work, housework and sport – written from what we explain in practice every day.
Knowledge from treatment
Most questions come up at the end of a treatment, when time is running short: How often should I do this at home? Is it normal for it to pull? What follows are our answers to that – written down in a calm moment so you can read them later. A post, however, is no substitute for an examination: only an in-person assessment can determine which load is actually good for your tissue right now.
Back and neck
Why long periods of sitting wear down the neck, which realistic changes of posture are possible at the office, and what physiotherapy can do about it.
Joints and mobility
Restricted movement in the shoulder, hip or jaw: how to recognise it and how manual therapy and your own exercises work together.
After surgery
The first weeks after a procedure: building up load, keeping an eye on swelling, protecting the wound area – always within the doctor's instructions.
Swelling and oedema
What lymphatic drainage can achieve, how elevation and movement support it, and what to watch for with compression in everyday life.
Strength and training
From resistance band to equipment: how a training stimulus develops, why breaks matter, and when switching to equipment makes sense.
Prescription and billing
Prescription, deadlines, co-payment: the organisational questions patients most often bring to their first appointment.
All articles
New articles are written whenever a question comes up repeatedly across several sessions – use the topic filters to go straight to the area that concerns you.
Exercises
Getting the dosage of your exercises right
The most common question after the first session is: How often, how long, how hard? We give you exercises to do at home because twenty minutes in the practice alone doesn't achieve much – tissue and muscles respond to repetition.
That's why our guide articles give three pieces of information for every exercise: number of repetitions, length of breaks, and the sensation the exercise may trigger. The following tabs organise what you should feel, and where the limit lies, according to treatment goal.
Slow and without momentum
Hold stretch positions for 30 to 45 seconds and keep breathing throughout. Bouncing or swinging irritates the tissue without lengthening it. Two to three rounds per side are enough, but ideally done daily.
Tension up to just before pain
Correctly dosed, it's a clear pulling sensation that eases while holding. A sharp or shooting sensation is the signal to come out of the position – not a sign that it's working.
Before getting up or in the evening
Mobility is lowest after long periods of sitting or lying down. Attaching the exercises to an existing habit – brushing your teeth, making coffee – makes them easier to remember than a fixed appointment.
Activation first, then load
After knee or shoulder surgery, the first sessions don't train strength but the interplay between nerve and muscle. Small movements against light resistance are enough for this, often without any weight at all.
Eight to twelve repetitions
The last round may be demanding, but it must be performed with the same quality as the first. If the movement starts to compensate – the torso tilts, the shoulder hikes up – the set is over, even if the target number hasn't been reached.
Follow the doctor's clearance
Load limits, partial weight-bearing in kilograms and permitted directions of movement are set by the surgeon. We work within these limits and only increase the load once the next clearance has been given.
Often and short rather than rare and long
For neck and back complaints caused by sitting, changing posture has a stronger effect than one long exercise session. Two minutes every two hours noticeably changes the strain of the day.
Movement is not a risk of harm
Non-specific back pain usually improves faster when you keep moving than when you rest. We discuss during treatment which activities you should consciously continue.
Practising carrying and lifting
We practise everyday movements with you: laundry basket, crate of drinks, child on your arm. Technique that only works on the mat won't hold up on a Monday morning.
Explained simply
Technical terms on your prescription
Prescriptions contain abbreviations that are rarely explained during the consultation. Here we translate the terms most often shown to us in practice, so you know which treatment your doctor has prescribed and what it involves.
Questions about your symptoms?
We'll discuss your concerns together and find a suitable treatment approach.