Form Osteopathy

19/02/2026

🦵Trap bar deadlift 🦵

Both a traditional deadlift and a trap bar deadlift hold many similarities – comparable loads, train the hinge pattern, similar range of motion. But the trap bar may be a better option for some.

Many people find that they can lift heavier weights when using the trap bar for a dead lift. This happens because the trap bar allows for a better centre of gravity compared with a normal barbell.

The trap bar also places less stress on your lumbar spine, which can be particularly helpful if you’re dealing with lower back pain.

The trap bar makes it easier to lift with good form. It’s neutral grip and the way it aligns your centre of gravity can make it easier to maintain good form.

What do you like to lift with – the barbell or trap bar?

17/02/2026

🏋️‍♀️ 10 evidence-based tips to protect your body when beginning a new exercise program 🏃

1. Seek guidance: if you're unsure about your fitness regimen, consult with a coach, personal trainer, dietitian or a health professional like an exercise physiologist, an osteopath or a physiotherapist.

2. Progress gradually: if you’ve already got a base, don’t suddenly up everything; that’s when overuse injuries and burnout happen. Plan weekly increases in duration, intensity and volume.

3. Warm up properly: dynamic warm-ups (moving through controlled ranges before working hard) prepare muscles and joints. Research shows they reduce injury risk more than static stretching before exercise.

4. Prioritise recovery: sleep, rest and recovery days are part of training. Your body needs time to adapt and heal. Good recovery enhances strength gains and reduces strain.

5. Mix it up: Strength, cardio, control and balance. Variety helps avoid overloading the same tissues and supports well-rounded fitness.

6. Know your load: monitor how much training you’re doing weekly. Too much too soon puts you at higher risk of tendinopathy and overload injuries. Ease into heavier or longer workouts.

7. Add HITT or SIT with care: time-efficient methods like HIIT can work, but start with scaled durations and volumes so your tissues adapt before you push.

8. Stay social: training with others helps keep your motivation alive.

9. Listen to your body: fatigue, persistent stiffness or pain are early signals. Modify, rest or reduce load when needed.

10. Consistency beats intensity: simple, consistent training often wins over sporadic or ‘go hard’ cycles. Progress is built over weeks and months, not just one week of effort.

12/02/2026

😴 Strategies for optimising sleep 😴

Sleep is essential for recovery and performance. Here are our top strategies for ensuring a good night’s sleep:

🔷 Go to bed and wake up the same time each day
🔷 Hydrate upon waking
🔷 Get 10 minutes of sunlight in your eyes when you wake. *Top tip* drink that glass of water outside
🔷 Limit caffeine after lunchtime
🔷 Use minimal lighting after sundown
🔷 Cease screen time 2 hours before bed
🔷 Keep your bedroom cool

Do you have any tips we’ve missed?

10/02/2026

⚠️ Why sleep matters for musculoskeletal health ⚠️

Did you know sleep is a core part of how your body heals and protects your muscles, joints and tendons?

Good sleep isn’t just for feeling rested, it directly affects injury risk, pain levels and recovery quality.

Research shows that when adults and athletes consistently sleep less than 7 hours per night, the risk of musculoskeletal injuries goes up.

In some studies, athletes sleeping less than 7 hours for 2 weeks had up to 1.7 higher injury risk than those sleeping more.

🔷 Why this happens:

Lack of sleep affects reaction time, coordination, focus and balance, meaning you’re more likely to move in ways that expose joints and tissues to abnormal stress.

05/02/2026

Sciatica isn’t just ‘back pain’, it’s irritation of the sciatic nerve, which runs from your low back down your leg.

In fact, it’s actually a pattern of symptoms when the sciatic nerve gets irritated: sharp pain, tingling or numbness down the leg.

Strategies for treatment include:

🔷 Self management techniques: hot or cold packs, avoidance of inciting activities, avoidance of prolonged sitting or standing.
🔷 Exercise: to mobilise lower spine segments, improve core control, reduce neural tension and other light exercise activities.
🔷 Manual therapy: spinal manipulation, mobilisation, dry needling and massage.
🔷 Pain relief-medication: typically, a combination of anti-inflammatory medication and muscle relaxants.

03/02/2026

Back pain is extremely common. According to a 2020 study, low back pain remains the number one cause of disability worldwide,

The prevalence of low back pain also increases with age and compromises the prospect of healthy aging.

Manual therapies, especially when combined with movement and exercise, can significantly reduce pain and improve function in people with low back pain.

At Form Osteopathy, we:

🔷 Assess posture, pelvic and hip control and spinal movement
🔷 Use tailored manual techniques and soft tissue work
🔷 Prescribe graded movement and strength exercises
🔷 Give practical load management strategies

Because movement is medicine, your nervous system, musculature and joints all need coordinated input to reduce pain and regain confidence in movement.

29/01/2026

We’ve been making a few updates to the clinic lately, adding in a squat rack, some additional exercise equipment and some other changes to enhance your experience with us ✨

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27/01/2026

Loving how our clinic space feels ✨ We've made a few updates recently, stay tuned for some pics later in the week.

22/01/2026

To read the full blog post on acute inflammation and how it works in the body, click here > https://www.formosteopathy.com/blog/understanding-acute-inflammation-hint-its-actually-part-of-a-normal-response-to-injury

While it can at times wreak havoc in our body, inflammation is actually part of our body’s immediate immune response against injury and infection.

15/01/2026

Should we be actively reducing inflammation when it occurs?

Acute inflammation is adaptive and necessary for repair.

Early suppression of the inflammatory process can delay healing (by reducing cell migration and tissue repair).

However, when inflammation is excessive (causing pain/swelling that impedes movement), temporary relief measures can be helpful.

The key to this is timing and moderation.

As osteopaths, our role is to support the body’s natural healing processes.

Manual therapies on their own don’t ‘heal’ but they do aid in the speed and comfort of the body’s natural healing process.

13/01/2026

📍The sequence of events in acute inflammation📍

How do the components of this immune response all work together? Let’s step through the way these events occur in the body.

🔷 The trigger: tissue damage or invading pathogen.

🔷 Detection: resident immune cells (e.g. macrophages or mast cells) detect danger by either recognising the unique physical structure of a pathogen or by recognising the outcome of injured tissues.

🔷 Vasoconstriction: a temporary vasoconstriction may occur in some cases to limit blood loss (i.e. in the case of a flesh wound).

🔷 Release of chemical mediators: the inflammatory signalling pathways commence. These activated immune cells release histamine, prostaglandins, leukotrienes and cytokines, which begin communicating with blood vessels and other immune cells.

🔷 Vascular changes: in response to histamine, vascular channels to the site of injury widen. Blood vessels increase their permeability, causing exudation (leaking) of plasma proteins and fluid into the tissue.

🔷 Pain: some of the released mediators (e.g. bradykinin) both activate pain receptors and increase sensitivity to mechanical pain.

🔷 Leukocytes arrive at site of injury: the mediator molecules alter the blood vessels to permit the flow of neutrophils and macrophages into the tissue. The neutrophils migrate along a chemotactic gradient created by local cells to reach the site of injury.

🔷 Amplification: when necessary, the inflammatory response will be increased through signalling pathways (primarily the action of cytokines).

🔷 Resolution: once the threat is sufficiently cleared or a reparative process has commenced, inflammation will begin to subside.

If the inflammatory stimulus persists or the body’s immune regulation fails, inflammation can transition from acute to chronic, with longer-lived immune cells taking over.