Time & Leisure Articles - Keep Fit and Keep Happy

Keep Fit and Keep Happy

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Posted by: Articles Editor	01/01/2007
Ian McCurdie talks to Tony Kane about how we can improve all aspects of our life by keeping fit. At this time of the year it is traditional that we all start to make resolutions about going to the gym. After a few weeks of too much alcohol, too little exercise and a vague feeling of degeneracy we try to mend our ways a little. How long does it last? We have that sneaking feeling that if we are still physically active in February it will be some sort of miracle – but does it really matter? Dr Ian McCurdie, a consultant in Rheumatology and Rehabilitation and specialist in Sport and Exercise Medicine, is trying to change that attitude. He believes that exercise is far more than a luxury for people who have spare time and spare cash to spend at the local health club, but is the secret of a successful life in all its aspects - and exercise does really matter. Ian McCurdie spent some years in the Services where he saw a lot of sports-related injuries and discovered that with careful supervision and scientific rehab there were remedies for most of the injuries that soldiers suffered from. ‘Sadly,’ he says, ‘many of the developments that have been pioneered in the Services have failed to take root in the average GP’s surgery. Too often the reaction of many GPs is, if you have an injury from running or tennis, stop running or hitting the ball so hard.’ This is not helpful advice to the average person who enjoys their sport and Ian McCurdie believes that with the right resources and advice most sports injuries can be put right more effectively and more quickly than most people expect, including many medical professionals. Nor does he stop at curing sports injuries. He contends that regular exercise has many benefits for people of all ages and can be used to enhance health and well-being – as well as treating illness. Medical research has shown that the risk of suffering from many common diseases, including heart disease, depression and some cancers, is reduced by taking regular exercise. His campaign to promote wellness through sports and exercise treatment has recently received a boost by the UK’s achievement in winning the Olympic bid for 2012. ‘The Government has always been enthusiastic about promoting the concept,’ he said, ‘but the success of the Olympic bid plus the recent publicity of the obesity problems in both adults and children has given a degree of urgency to the ideas.’ The Government recently announced that Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) is to become a new medical specialty in this country. Dr Ian McCurdie has been given the responsibility of overseeing the training of new doctors to ensure that it becomes part of the vocabulary of all GPs in the future. He is aiming at a time when all local surgeries will have a sports treatment centre with specialist SEM doctors working alongside physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other allied health professionals to reduce the disability caused by illness and exercise-related injuries – and to improve health through exercise. Ian McCurdie is well placed to effect such changes. He has worked with élite athletes for the past seven years. He was the Medical Officer to the British Modern Pentathlon Association and he was advisor to the British team at the last two Olympics. He is currently working with Chelsea FC but he is at pains to explain that SEM is for the whole nation, not just for super-athletes. ‘The total cost of physical inactivity, including earnings lost due to absence and premature mortality is a staggering £1.89 billion,’ he said. ‘It is estimated that that we lose 8 million days per year as a result of sports-related injuries.’ Add to this the current obesity problems and it becomes clear that urgent action is needed on a national scale unless we are to become a nation of work-shy fatties. Dr McCurdie has started a Sport and Exercise Medicine Clinic at St Anthony’s Hospital, North Cheam. Specialist assessment, diagnosis and treatment will be available for all forms of sports and exercise-related injuries. 020 8337 6691 www.stanthonys.org.uk There is also Sport and Exercise treatment available at Physio 4 Life, 2nd floor, Putney Medical Centre, 125 Upper Richmond Road, SW15 2TL, 020 8704 5998 www.physio4life.co.uk

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