MORE ACTION - LESS PAIN – Sports, workout and a proactive approach to pain are key to a new Elastoplast initiative

In collaboration with Dr. Gerd Müller, orthopaedist and head physician at Hamburg’s renowned back centre “Am Michel” Elastoplast has developed the More Action - Less Pain initiative with the aim not only to relieve complaints in the short term, but also to get people to be more pro-active about their fitness and pain and relieve it in the long term.
How? By exercising at an appropriate level.

The Elastoplast initiative “More action – less pain” wants to get you moving –
because being more fit and active will help to reduce illness, infliction and pain.
“MORE ACTION - LESS PAIN” co-founder and chairman, orthopaedic specialist
Dr. Gerd Müller says: No more excuses – start moving today!

“EXERCISING NOW WILL RELIEVE ACHES AND PREVENT PAIN IN THE LONG RUN.“

The programme‘s holistic approach is made-to-measure by taking today’s modern lifestyles into account. See our tips and our video section for a variety of tips and exercises tailored for office workers, from the Elastoplast initiative “MORE ACTION - LESS PAIN”.

Dr. med. Gerd Müller is orthopaedic surgeon, founder and Head Physician of one of Germany’s leading Back Centres, “Rückenzentrum Am Michel”, Hamburg.
His clinical focus is on sports medicine, prevention treatment, back and neck pain as well as muscular rehabilitation of muscular and skeletal diseases. Another focus is multidisciplinary pain management and occupational health management. He was also Co-chairman of the EU Commission for Back Pain.

Have you ever suffered pain or immobility that have made living and everyday life not only tedious but almost impossible? Most people have to live through this experience at least once in their lifetime. Whether it’s the back or neck, a knee or an elbow that are affected, whether it’s wrist or ankle pain – they can be prevented! And if they occur: none of them have to drag on or be taken as fatal blows or long-term impediments if you know what to do and are
pro-active about it.

Elastoplast, as expert for pain treatment and solutions, has risen to the challenge.
Together with renowned orthopaedist Dr. Gerd Müller, founder and head of Hamburg’s “Rückenzentrum am Michel”, we have founded the More Action - Less Pain initiative which is based on the concept of graded fitness.

The goal of the More Action - Less Pain programme:
Making you fit (again) for everyday life!

“Graded activity is the central flagpole of my concept”, explains Dr. Müller. “It is medically and scientifically proven that graded physical activity is not only probably the most important measure in preventing orthopaedic inflictions, it is also therapeutic and benefitial for most of them.”

When we are inactive, or resting for long periods of time, we lose muscle tone and our bodies become unfit. Actually, it hurts when you start using your muscles again; a bit like taking a leg out of a cast, when the leg might be swollen and every movement is something you have to get used to again. But activity will soon take care of it!
So sticking with inactivity for too long or not working out is never a good idea, even in cases of back pain.

“In my practice I see a lot of patients who suffer from joint or back pain.”, says Dr. Müller. Mostly it is the so-called “avoiders” who are affected. People who stay away from activity and don’t make the most of their physical capacities.

START WITH WHERE YOU'RE AT IN TERMS OF FITNESS

That’s why I have chosen to participate in and help develop Elastoplast’s MORE ACTION – LESS PAIN initiative, which consists of a made-to-measure activity programme based on the concept of graded activity (starting very slowly and increasing over time), whilst incorporating Elastoplast’s specialised products for pain relief and treatment. Let’s go!”

What does “graded activity” mean?
It means starting where someone is at in terms of fitness and increasing over time. A fitness routine based on graded activity is all about avoiding extremes, which is key for both: avoiders (couch potatoes who will stay away from exercise) and those who push themselves too hard when exercising. The concept of graded activity is therefore based on exercise sessions with a preset amount of repetitions or amount of time, increasing slowly. This avoids the usual „push-crash“ cycle of over-exercising or not exercising at all due to concern of relapse or pain.

A misconception: Some people think that suffering from back pain would prevent them from being active and working out. In most cases avoiding physical activity will only increase the pain and condition. Why? Because the body will react by decreasing muscle tissue and bone mass which in turn will lead to more stiffness and soreness, which will only increase pain.
Pain will likely occur if the capacity of your body is not fit enough to match the requirements of your everyday life or given task. Instead of avoiding the task, it is better to increase your abilities.

Therefore, the trick is to stay active whatever you do, and work on your fitness continually and gradually (yes, even if you have suffered from an injury). There are even psychological benefits: your body will also produce hormones that will reduce pain and lift your mood. “People who understand that there is a lot they can do for their own fitness and in order to prevent aches and strains will experience less pain”, says Dr. Müller. You are responsible for your health, so be pro-active about it.

“It is important to know that there is no such thing as bad or harmful activity”, says Dr. Müller - unless you do too much of a good thing. This can only happen when people stretch their limits, overxcercise, or do too much of a monotonous activity that will put unusual strain on a certain body part.

Also, don’t use a slight injury or impediment as excuse for not exercising. This aspect is important, especially on a psychological level, as more activity will benefit you more than resting.

How fit are you? Start by assessing your current grade of fitness and take it from there. Find out by starting with some simple running or a fitness class. Then find out whether you are an achiever or an avoider.
Some people tend to overestimate themselves and do too much. Once they experience pain, they see this as proof for the body not cooperating. They tend to lose interest in the activity. Those are the over-achievers. The avoiders are afraid that they will experience pain or that they might “damage” something in their bodies. Both set different priorities – but sooner or later the body will set the priorities straight…! So the sooner you realize how important activity is, the better.

Find a form of workout that you like: Run, go to the gym… Find the sports that is right for you and that suits your time frame. This can mean a few trials. And see to it that you challenge yourself. Sometimes it’s about doing something that might not be your strength… you need to balance out your weaknesses. Which can sometimes be frustrating, but it will pay out.

Build up gradually and increase your level slowly… with an emphasis on “increase” for avoiders and an emphasis on “slowly” for achievers. The intensity is key.

Also, work against your preferences:
In addition to a workout that you like and that feels natural to you, you may need to focus on your weaknesses rather than your strengths

There are a few things you can do in everyday life. Prevent muscle strains and soreness, depending on your lifestyle.

• Dynamic sitting
  Change your seating position as often as possible. Stretch your legs, sit upright and stretch your spine, lean back experiment and see to it that you have enough variety.
• Phone headset will relax your back,
  neck and shoulders.
  Do you tend to squeeze the receiver or your phone between your neck and shoulders? Don’t, as this might lead to one-sided strain.
• Exercise during the day
  Press both hands and arms on the arms of your chair and press upwards stretching your arms. This will decontract the spine and lead to more mobility in the shoulder and neck area.
• Visit our video library for more exercises.

• Be active
  It’s continuity that counts – stay active regularly and try to exercise three times a week for 30 minutes each.
• Continuity counts
  Try to get back to your old level of fitness if you have had to suffer a setback due to injury or illness. Be patient because building muscle tissue can last up to three to six months.
• Build confidence
  Train your balance, which is also important as prevention for falls which might easily lead to serious bone injury. An easy exercise: Stand on one leg while brushing your teeth. Take it one step further by closing your eyes while doing sos.
• Visit our video library for more exercises

• Variety
  Try to equally train all of your physical skills in your workout by practicing endurance (cardio) and flexibility exercises. Monotonous workout will not train all the muscle groups or ligaments.
• Good shoes
  Are essential because stability in your ankles and knees will travel further up to your spine. The righ footwear can thus help prevent pain and wrong gait or posture while running.
• Time for regeneration
  Allow your muscles to regenerate after exhausting training sessions and let them pause for two to three days. Always see to it that you drink enough and go for a diet high in carbs as well as proteins.
• Visit our video library for more exercises

Please note that none of the above given tips or recommendations substitute medical advice. Important: consult a health professional in case of an injury or if you suspect overuse of joints or a medical condition such as a fracture. A physician should be consulted in those acute cases when the condition is accompanied by reddening, swelling or hyperthermia of joints, ongoing joint trouble or severe pain and/or are associated with neurological symptoms
(e.g. numbness, tingling, loss of motion).

For further information regarding Elastoplast products, please contact us via email on phc@beiersdorf.com. Carefully read the instructions for use given in our products‘ packages.