The changing face of physiotherapy
Claire Harris, Physiotherapist
My first encounter with NASS was in 1988 when I took over the running of NASS branch in Harrow. It was a well-attended group and we had 4 sessions that we used to rotate through each month: Mat exercises, exercises with a gym ball, circuit training and hydro.
In some respects, the exercises haven’t changed a great deal since then, but how we present them certainly has, the variety and the research that now supports the rationale for advocating exercise as very much part of the treatment for axial SpA.
In 1988 there was very little on offer except at local council gyms, swimming pools and aerobic classes at your local church hall – remember leg warmers?
At the hospital your physio would teach you an exercise programme and then give you an exercise sheet so that you could continue with the exercises at home. It would either be handwritten or possibly be typed and badly photocopied and if your physio was able to manage you might get some stick men drawings.
But that’s where NASS came in and was so brilliant. We went from stick men drawings to line drawings taken from photos to actual colour photos in the incomparable NASS guidebooks. From Cassette recordings of the wonderful first NASS Physiotherapy Advisor, Jane Barefoot guiding the listener through an exercise routine that they could do at home, to a video, “Fight Back” filmed at The Min, Bath, with two physios from Bath demonstrating a programme of stretching and mobility exercises that could be completed in your own home or at your NASS group.
In 2009 technology moved on from VHS videos to DVDs and NASS produced the Fight Back DVD exercise video. Again, filmed at Bath, but this time the people demonstrating the exercises were NASS members and therefore had axial SpA. It comprised 6 exercise programmes including exercises for those who’d had a hip replacement.
In 1996 NASS’s first foray onto the internet was when NASS member Ken Burrell Uploaded the NASS Guidebook onto the internet and so the NASS website was born taking up 5MB of space. It’s gone through a few updates since then and is an amazing source of invaluable information both for the patient and the clinician.
Then in 2011 NASS produced Back to Action parts 1 & 2. It was a spiral bound book that you could take to the gym and follow along with the recommendations so that you knew you could exercise safely. Part one of Back to Action was also turned into an app, which was great, but is sadly no more due to funding. But the Back to Action exercises and videos are still available on the NASS website and I would highly recommend.
Then in 2019, “Stretches for your daily life” was released. A set of everyday exercise videos that are available on the NASS website.
In 2020 the world went through the upheaval of COVID. NASS local branch classes had to stop but some good did come out of all the turmoil and NASS rallied their physios and staff and were able to produce a plethora of exercise videos covering all sorts of different exercises and taster sessions that you might like to try. For instance, Nordic walking, Tai Chi, Pilates and yoga etc. which are still available on the NASS website or NASS YouTube channel.
So, from Stick men to YouTube and everything in between. NASS has always been there and keeping up with the latest trends, which may be more than can be said for this very grateful physio.
