The topic of neck and back pain has become as popular as weight woes and wrinkles, and we often find ourselves engrossed in a conversation about the latest pillow, masseur, physiotherapist, doctor, MRI machine or office chair in the hope of finally putting an end to the misery.
Not so long ago, youth would hear their elders talking about their ailments, all the while never imagining that one day soon, old and young would be in the same boat thanks to the sedentary lifestyles we’ve adopted.
More often than not, so much time and money are wasted trying to soothe neck tension and backache when the answer may well lie in our posture. Sitting upright is not enough. Fundamental misalignments in our structures are the culprit.
Read more: Triumph over pain: how pilates fixed what others couldn't
“In my experience, at least 90 per cent of patients I see with neck and shoulder pain and pain in the lumbar spine have a postural problem,” says Pierdanilo Sanna, a specialist orthopaedic surgeon at the Exeter Medical Center in Dubai.
“Pain is the result of years of our bodies trying to compensate underuse in one area by overusing another,” says Sanna, an Italian, who completed his training at the University of Milan.
“Shoulder pain, which is often related to neck pain, can be caused by a simple corn in the foot. In other words, changes in weight distribution can cause repercussions all the way up the body and this can cause a progressive imbalance that eventually manifests itself as pain in the area that works the hardest to compensate for this imbalance.”
Where physiotherapists are tasked with treating pathological issues, there can be a tendency to focus solely on the area where patients feel pain, sometimes failing to look at the origin, says Sanna.
“Unfortunately, modern forms of postural rehabilitation and therapy, such as Global Postural Reeducation (GPR), have still not made it to the UAE. Such programmes go to the root cause and tailor-make therapy sessions on a case-by-case basis.
“Non-conventional techniques, such as Pilates, meanwhile, are widely credited by medical institutions abroad as an effective non-conventional method whose principles are aligned with medical research.”
Patients intrigued by the possibilities of Pilates should take a look at a new studio in Dubai offering a full array of equipment.
Cloe Sommadossi, owner of Pilates Academy, a local affiliate of Pilates Academy International New York, is a master trainer skilled at harmonising muscle groups and restoring postural alignment.
“Pilates studios tend to offer mat work and reformer classes,” says Sommadossi. “Most do not offer the equipment devised by Joseph Pilates, including the Cadillac, barrel and chair.”
The Cadillac, named after the car to reflect its multifaceted dimensions, has every nook and cranny to align the body, including leg springs, push-through bars and fuzzy nooses to hang from, which are comfortable and allow even bedridden patients to exercise by using one set of muscle groups at a time.
“We focus primarily on quality of movement. We have a maximum of three clients on the equipment at any given time and five in group classes so that we are able to correct everyone attending the class. In my experience, there is a fundamental difference between giving a class and teaching by correcting and customising workouts for ailments.”
Pilates is based on the biomechanical and anatomical principles of the human body and is increasingly being recommended by doctors in the western world as an alternative to conventional forms of physiotherapy and drugs.
“We don’t aspire to belong to the fitness industry, but rather, are more oriented towards the medical field and towards sustaining a discipline that can make a long-term difference to quality of life,” says Sommadossi, who spent many years liaising with clinics in Italy.
“In Pilates, we do not accept clients with pathological issues, but postural issues. Physical therapists often have their eye on a single joint, whereas our approach is more holistic. Some hospitals in Europe even have their own Pilates studios.”
Pilates Academy is the first studio in the Middle East to offer Cardiolates. Taught on small trampolines, the technique uses the Pilates principles at an aerobic pace to combine cardiovascular work with flexibility.
salsayed@thenational.ae
Grab your copy of #healthyliving magazine in The National next Thursday for more health, fitness and wellbeing information.
WHAT ARE NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.
An NFT can have only one official owner at one time. And since they're minted and secured on the Ethereum blockchain, no one can modify the record of ownership, not even copy-paste it into a new one.
This means NFTs are not interchangeable and cannot be exchanged with other items. In contrast, fungible items, such as fiat currencies, can be exchanged because their value defines them rather than their unique properties.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Team: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Sam Simmonds
Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
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Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The%20specs
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Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The years Ramadan fell in May
