Movement

To learn more about movement and living with obesity click here

Mobility Aids

Mobility aids can support increased independence, enable physical activity and help manage pain. They can help improve balance and pacing to make daily activities easier and more enjoyable. Types of mobility aids can include walking sticks, crutches or 4-wheeled rollators. Many of our patients find the bariatric-seated rollator helpful as the built in seat allows users to rest without needing to search for a bench or chair.

COM physiotherapists can help choose the right mobility aid for you. If suitable a bariatric-seated rollator can be sourced through the medical card system. If on the COM waiting list and you think you may benefit from a bariatric-seated rollator speak with your G.P about a referral to your local community physiotherapist.

If you do not have a medical card you can purchase a bariatric rollator privately.

Here are some options:

Cobi Rehab Rollator (Weight Capacity 325kg)

Fannin Rollator (Weight Capacity 200kg)

Murrays Rollator (Weight Capacity 178kg)

Physical Activity

Physical activity is about building movement into our day. Focusing on movement that is comfortable and enjoyable.

It can be indoors/outdoors, alone/with a friend/group, online or face to face.

Here are a mix of seated and standing exercises that can help build fitness & strength: Physical activity download

You can set a length of time or number of repetitions to do, whatever suits you best.

Pain is a common experience.  Back pain and knee pain are the most commonly reported. Please find more information below:

Managing Low Back Pain

Managing Knee Pain

Managing Plantar Fasciitis

Sometimes pain can stick around and this is called persistent pain.

Persistent Pain

9 out of 10 people attending our service are living with persistent pain. Persistent pain is pain that lasts longer than 3 months. It can affect all aspects of life and can make managing obesity even harder. If you have had pain for more than a few months your pain system becomes too good at producing pain. The system becomes over-sensitive. See below some persistent pain myths addressed.

PAIN MYTHS

1. Pain is just a physical thing. Pain is complex. It is not just a physical thing. Other factors can influence pain and how we feel pain including stress, sleep, mood etc. It is important to look at the wider picture when dealing with persistent pain.
2. I need to get an MRI or Xray to understand my pain. Imaging is often unhelpful when dealing with persistent pain. Structural changes are normal and happen naturally over time. Two people could have similar X-rays but very different pain stories.
3. I have been told I need to lose weight to manage my pain. Improvements in persistent pain can occur often in the absence of significant weight loss or without any weight loss at all.
4. It is safer to rest up to manage and avoid my pain There can be a short-term role of rest and unloading painful structures with a new injury. With persistent pain however, if there is a cycle of avoiding movement due to fear of pain this will prevent us getting stronger and can lead to further deconditioning and increased disability.
5. Movement is going to worsen the damage and make my pain worse Movement and strengthening are a critical part of pain management and will help retrain the pain system. If you are living with persistent pain and your activity levels are very low consider moving just a little more than you normally would. This is the best way to train your system to soften its response.

The Pain Toolkit is an information booklet that could provide you with some further tips and skills to support you along the way to manage your pain.

Sleep plays a vital role in overall health & well-being. Poor sleep can disrupt hunger & fullness hormones that can lead to increased appetite and cravings, especially for high-calorie foods. Inadequate sleep also reduces energy levels and motivation, making physical activity more difficult and harder to continue.

Sleep hygiene, such as maintaining a consistent bedtime, limiting screen time before bed, and creating a restful sleep environment can improve sleep quality. This, in turn, helps regulate metabolism, supports better decision-making around food, and enhances energy for physical activity, all of which are helpful when focusing on best weight.

Click here to learn more about the impact of sleep on health.

Our sleep tips leaflet gives ideas as to where to start:

You can download a sleep diary here: Sleep Hygiene Diary 

1 in 3 people attending our service have lower limb swelling. This swelling can cause pain, make moving harder & lead to skin infections like cellulitis. This swelling is often called Lymphoedema.

1 in 10 people have signs of Lipodema. This is an increased build-up of fat cells in the legs, hips & bottom.

Management:

• Moisturise the skin on your legs every day. Any moisturiser you have will do, e.g. E45 cream.
• Compression stockings can be really helpful. Your COM physiotherapist will help you to find which compression type will work best for you. In the meantime if you think you would benefit from compression therapy consider off- -the-shelf compression. Speak with your local pharmacist or click here

If you have a medical card you can get a prescription from your G.P for to cover the cost of the garments. 

For further information on things we can do to help please see our leaflets Swollen Legs and Compression therapy

Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine.

Prevalence

• It affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 10 men at some point.
• More common in older adults, but not a normal part of aging.
• Women are more likely to experience it due to pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause.
• There are several types of urinary incontinence with different causes:

1. Stress Incontinence: Leakage with increased abdominal pressure e.g. during coughing, sneezing, lifting. Common after childbirth or pelvic surgery.
2. Urge Incontinence (Overactive Bladder): Sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by involuntary leakage, bladder muscle overactivity.
3. Overflow Incontinence: Bladder doesn’t empty properly, leading to dribbling, nerve damage or enlarged prostate.
4. Functional Incontinence: Physical or cognitive impairments prevent timely bathroom access.
5. Mixed Incontinence: Combination of stress and urge incontinence.

Management

Treatment depends on the type and severity of incontinence:

Conservative Approaches:

• Pelvic floor exercises (Kegels) For tips click here click here
• Bladder training – For a bladder & bowel diary please click here
• Lifestyle changes (e.g., weight management, fluid management, avoiding bladder irritants)

Bowel Health

Please click here for some tips and advice around healthy bowel habits. 

Completing a Bladder & bowel diary can be helpful. 

To establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle it can be useful to monitor our screen time. Please find below some useful information about screen time.