Medical Statistics

From the hesitant, uncertain, humble beginnings of the Jane Fonda workouts of the 1980’s, the fitness industry has exploded into a $100 Billion global phenomenon. There now exists gyms and health clubs around every corner, our streets and parks are full of joggers, and there are millions of on-line exercising disciples around the world, dedicated to their daily routines. It is now accepted, universally agreed, that exercising should be encouraged for all ages. Fitness and exercise have become the holy grail for physical and mental wellbeing, and with Personal Trainers becoming the essential fashion accessory, surely the world is getting fitter, stronger, and healthier. Unfortunately, medical data suggests otherwise. As an exercising world, we are getting worse, and not better.

We are exercising more than ever, but the stark reality is that almost everyone is experiencing niggles, aches, pains and injuries to their ankles, knees, hips, back, neck and shoulders. The appointment diaries of physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, and orthopaedic specialists are bursting at the seams, with current levels of orthopaedic surgeries at approximately 30 million per year and growing rapidly.

Weight training is causing shoulder pain, rowing and cycling is causing upper back pain, jogging, squatting, lunging is causing knee pain and lower back pain is transcending almost all activities, exercises, and sports. World Health Organisation data from 2019 shows that nearly 2 billion individuals live with various musculoskeletal conditions, with lower back pain being the most prevalent (600 million), and that is predicted to rise to nearly a billion people suffering by 2050. With 8 million suffering back pain in the UK alone, there is a £10-£20 billion economic cost, and the British Orthopaedic society have concluded that “there is a growing musculoskeletal disease burden “. Knee and hip replacements, shoulder procedures, ankle surgeries, spinal procedures, pain injections are all rising exponentially. Back pain alone costs our NHS £5 billion every year, but the real sobering fact is that, of the 80% of people who suffer some degree of back pain, the vast majority, just learn to live with the pain, reliant on pain medication. The World Health Organisation have stated that, there is a profound unmet need for rehabilitation worldwide. There is a profound musculoskeletal pandemic. The only conclusion is that we are all NOT exercising correctly, we are NOT getting fitter, stronger, and healthier. It is predicted, indeed forecasted, that 50% of the world’s population will be obese by 2050.

My experience of working with thousands of individuals from all over the world, concurs with these statistics – everyone seems to have areas of weakness, areas of concern, aches, pains, and injuries. The harder they work the worse they become. Exercise is just NOT working. Traditional and modern exercising methods are not working, and this is why I have always felt the need to operate differently.

As a sport scientist I see things differently, I have always worked with all my clients in a different way, using different methods than everyone else, but why do I do things differently. Very simply, because it works. I understand why we are all getting it wrong, and I do have the answers. We have all forgotten the fundamental foundations that all exercising must be based on. Things really do need to change and change now. I am sure that you do not want to become one of these statistics, so let me explain what YOU need to do to change, to achieve your desired goals. Let me be your Personal trainer, let my knowledge and experience guide you to a better, fitter, stronger and healthier you, and let’s start changing the way the whole world exercises together.