12 things you probably don't know about Bonne Santé

We pride ourselves on our professionalism, levels of care and high quality treatments, however our reputation speaks for itself in these terms.  Below are some facts that you may, or may not know about Bonne Santé en Montagne and about me.

1 - This season we are celebrating 21 years of Bonne Santé.  It was founded by the renowned physio, Chi Kung practitioner and cranial sacral therapist Sue Reed.  Sue moved to Italy with her family in 2006 and Louise took over Bonne Santé early in 2007.  See www.ilrespirodellavita.it for more information on Sue.

2 - All our therapists are highly skilled with a minimum of five years postgraduate experience.  Our therapists work with all levels of sports men and woman, from recreational sports right up to elite athletes. Examples include the treatment of athletes at the London 2012 Olympics, the British ski team and the British Disability ski team, which demonstrates the high level of skills in our team.  

3 - We have a professional development training session every week.  We skill share, practice techniques, review the latest research, evaluate and brain storm to ensure that we are staying at the forefront of injury development and treatment.  As a team, we are passionate about our career and strive to be the best we possibly can.

4 - We are the only British physiotherapists in Val d'Isere with a clinic base.  Our clinic is located in the Residence Les Andes, just off the tourist office square.  We have two well equipped rooms where we perform both physiotherapy and massage. We also offer chalet visits for people that would prefer treatment in the comfort of their own surroundings.

5 - One of our previous therapists, Laura Penhaul is currently leading a four girl team in a 29 ft pink ocean rowing boat across the Pacific Ocean.  Follow their incredible journey at www.coxlesscrew.com.  They are raising money for Breast Cancer Care and Walking with the Wounded. Click on this link if you would like to make a donation: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=coxlesscrew&isTeam=true

6 - At school, I was told that I wasn't clever enough to do physiotherapy at University.  As I can be a little bloody minded at times, this spurred me on to improve my grades.  Not only did I get onto a physio course, when I graduated I came 4th in the year (out of nearly 90) and I was just 1% off first class honours. My school moto was 'Alta Petens' meaning 'aiming high'.  This I did and this I still do. If you set your mind to something, it is achievable.

7 - I am currently studying a diploma in diet and nutrition.  I think this will complement physiotherapy extremely well and I am hoping to be able to advise my patients on how to eat to accelerate recovery.

8 - When I first took over Bonne Santé, I invested every penny that I had.  As a result, I ended up spending the first couple of months living in one treatment room and sleeping on a blow up air mattress on the floor.  Patients were cared for in the other treatment room, oblivious to the physio squatting next door!  Washing was a challenge as there is no bath or shower in the clinic, so the gym showers were visited daily!

9 - We are highly confidential.  We respect you, your injury and your health.  Anything that you discuss with us in the clinic, we will not disclose outside of our walls.  We can not even talk to a family member about your treatment without your consent.  Unfortunately for us, this means that we can't boast about the celebrities and elite sports people that we treat, as we respect their confidentiality as much as yours.

10 - We have strong referral links to surgeons and physiotherapists in the UK, so we can recommend where to go for continued high quality treatment if it is still necessary once you return home.

11 - Your holiday insurance will often cover the costs of physiotherapy treatment with us. We will liaise with your insurance company as necessary.

12- Our clients do not just come from the UK.  We have patients from Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Singapore and Hong Kong to name just a few long haul visitors.


LSA

www.bonnesantephysio.com
info@bonnesantephysio.com

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UBI's? Are you at risk?

So what are UBI's and who gets them? UBI's aren't skiing or snowboarding injuries, but they are one of the most common types of injury we see at this time of year.  The snow has just arrived, as have most seasonnaires.  UBI's can range from minor to severe.  Many people are at risk.  They are often not noticed until the morning after they have occurred.  The mechanism of injury is always vague.  They can occur throughout the season.  Any ideas yet.......

UBI = UNIDENTIFIED BEER INJURIES!

Those already resident in Val d'Isère are unlikely to be skiing yet, unless they are training on the glacier in Tignes.  At this time of year, many of our Val d'Isère clients come in with long standing niggles, chronic overuse injuries or problems that have occurred from summer sports that have not properly healed.  However, we also have a category of people that come in with UBI's.  These injuries range from sprained wrists when people reach out to try and break a fall, injured coccyx's from landing on your 'derrière', knee injuries from twisting during a fall, neck injuries from a whiplash effect when hitting the ground and a range of bruises, cuts and other ailments.

One of the worst parts of my job as a physio, is telling people they won't be able to ski or board for a while due to their injury.  Every year, there are a handful of seasonnaires who are not able to hit the slopes until January due to a UBI. Worst case scenario is being sent home as your injury stops you from working. At Bonne Santé we will accelerate the healing process as fast as we can but prevention is much better than cure.

So, how can you avoid sustaining a UBI?  Well, obviously the best way is to avoid drinking too much, but as we all know Val d'Isère parties just as hard as it ski's so we've put some tips together to help you reduce the change of sustaining a UBI.

• For every alcoholic drink that you have, follow it with a glass of water.  Alcohol has a strong effect at altitude, especially because many people up here are dehydrated due to poor fluid intake during the day. 
• Avoid piggy backs - the number of injuries that we see from people collapsing in a heap on each other is incredible! 
• Your reaction times are a lot slower when you have been drinking and the roads are icy, therefore if you slip you are likely to go down like a sack of spuds.  
• Pole dancing - only advised if you can control your skills on the pole.  Head and neck injuries are not unheard of! 
• Wear crampons.  Whilst these might not be the trendiest accessory, they make a huge difference when you walk on ice.  Just remember to take them off when you are inside.   
• Avoid rugby tackling each other in the snow.  That lovely soft clump of the white stuff may well be hiding a hard, jagged rock just under the surface.  
• On a more sombre note, look after your friends.  Sadly, death's from hypothermia after a night drinking are not unheard of.  There have been incidents of people leaving bars and clubs on their own, getting lost on their way home and in their drink inebriated state have thought that lying down in the snow for a nap was a good idea.  Look after each other.  

My husband (who's second home is Pacific Bar) has just pointed out that I sound like a complete killjoy who is anti alcohol!  Whilst this is probably true (at least in his eyes), I am not writing these blogs to preach the idea of not having fun.  I am passionate about my job and injury prevention is a big part of what I do.  Many tour operators and mangers ask me to speak to their staff about the risks of alcohol, therefore I thought now, before the season starts would be a good time to write about this.

(For the record, I have written this over a glass of wine for inspiration)

      LSA 

      Bonne Santé

      info@bonnesantephysio.om

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Why Can't I sleep at Altitude?

Altitude and sleep

Arriving back in the mountains with a toddler a few weeks ago really emphasised the affect that altitude has on sleep (or lack of!).  In Val d’Isère, resort level is at a moderately high altitude (1850m) and even here affects will be felt. 

Sleep is important for recovery, both physical and mental.  It is when the body's repair work is done.  If you are in the mountains to enjoy alpine activities your body will be working hard and it will need good quality sleep to help replenish and refresh.  

The bad news is that many people don’t sleep well at altitude, especially for the first few days in the mountains.  You'd think that exercising hard in fresh alpine air would mean that you would be out like a light once your head hit the pillow! Unfortunately, deeper stages of sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep are reduced, so we spend more time in a light sleep and overall sleep quality won’t be as good as at sea level. The result is disturbed sleep and vivid dreams which can leave us feeling unrefreshed. 

Poor sleep quality occurs due to a decrease in the amount of oxygen that our bodies receive when we are up high.  Oxygen directly affects the sleep centre in our brain.  Although the percentage of oxygen remains the same at all altitudes (21%), the pressure in the atmosphere decreases as you go higher.  Because of reduced air pressure at high altitude, the volume of air that you breathe contains less oxygen molecules.  As well as decreasing the time we spend in deep sleep and REM cycles, this can also lead to periodic breathing.  This is when the reduced oxygen content of the blood induces breathing instability, with periods of deep and rapid breathing alternating with central apnea (repeated pauses in breathing during sleep).  Although periodic breathing is not so common at resort level, it is not unheard of and will lead to sleep disturbances and frequent awakenings and a feeling of a lack of air.

Sleep is essential for optimum physical performance.  If you are feeling tired and unrefreshed take it easy on the slopes.  Accidents are most likely to happen when you are tired.  Take breaks, ensure that you are well hydrated and follow the tips below to help decrease fatigue and enhance sleep.  

• Decrease your caffeine intake.  We all know that caffeine is a stimulant so to help improve your sleep, cut back on the coffee and avoid caffeine after lunch. 
• Avoid alcohol and tobacco as this infers with oxygen delivery in the body and can impair the sleep related respiratory cycle.  While some people may drink alcohol to help them sleep, the opposite will actually occur, increasing the likelihood of an unsatisfying and restless sleep.  There is also evidence to suggest that alcohol intake may slow your adaption to altitude. 
• Avoid a heavy meal close to bedtime.
• Avoid sleeping in an overheated bedroom.  Let some fresh air in during the day and consider sleeping with a bowl of water next to the radiator to help humidify the room. 
• Try self acupressure when you get into bed.  There is a point called Yin Tang which is situated in between your eye brows.  It helps to calm the mind, reduce agitation and relieve insomnia.  To stimulate this point yourself, close your eyes and apply a medium pressure directly between your eyebrows for 1 - 2 minutes.   

The good news is that your sleep will improve each night that you sleep at altitude.  Most people will find that after 2 - 3 nights their sleep will have significantly improved (it took slightly longer with my toddler!) If you are really struggling to get good quality sleep, despite a period of acclimatization then consider seeking medical advice.  You should also seek medical help if you are experiencing any of the following: 

• Nocturnal choking leading to abrupt awakenings from sleep
• Irregular breathing during sleep
• Excessive sleepiness during the day
• Morning headaches
• Significant mood changes

     Here's to some good quality 'zzzzzzzzzz's'! 

     

     LSA

     Bonne Santé
     info@bonnesantephysio.om

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Welcome to my blog

Welcome

Welcome to my blog post!  It is with great excitement I take my first step in the world of blogging. I will be writing primarily about all things relevant to ski injuries and physiotherapy, alpine injury prevention, fitness, nutrition and altitude. I will do my best to bring you content that will interest, inspire and motivate you to stay 'fit to ski'. Whether you are a beginner skier, world cup racer, health care professional or person interested in health and well being; whether you are on a ski holiday, doing a ski season or training to be an instructor, I hope that there will be something for everyone. From time to time I will also have guest bloggers sharing their words of wisdom and expertise.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. All comments and feedback are welcome, as are any tips that you may have on alpine injury prevention. 

At Bonne Santé we are dedicated to providing nothing but the best service and treatments in Val d'Isère and the surrounding areas. If you are looking for a professional and reliable Physio, get in touch today to see how we can get you back on the road to recovery. 

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Welcome to my blog

LSA

info@bonnesantephysio.com       www.bonnesantephysio.com