Bridges and Balance

05/08/2025

We won’t always have control over the salt.
We may wish it away, perhaps get angry that it’s there, reminisce about the days that it wasn’t; But there will be times when we have no choice but to accept that the metaphorical salt is here to stay.

Pain, illness, and trauma can sometimes feel like that undrinkable glass of water - overwhelming, all-consuming, and self-defining. And while we can't always remove the hardships, we can find ways to make them take up less place in our lives.

One drop at a time, we can widen the lake - a short walk in nature, a few moments in the sun, a deep stretch, a little dance in the kitchen, a conversation with a friend, respectfully noting every tiny win...

Each drop matters. No single act will erase the challenge, but together, they shift the balance.

Movement is one of those drops.
Not just for its physical benefits, but because it brings us back into our bodies, into the moment, and into our lives.
It adds fresh water to the lake.

As a physiotherapist, I'm committed to helping you find ways to keep adding to your lake, one safe, supported movement at a time.

--------------------------------------------------
Bridges and Balance
Specialising in neurological care, healthy living, and active ageing
MCSP, HCPC registered
078-3544 5627

01/07/2025

It really is Unbearably Hot.

If you know someone living with Multiple Sclerosis - now would be the perfect time to check in on them.
Remind them they’ve felt like this before, during previous heatwaves,
That it’s just the heat;
It’s not a relapse,
It’s not dangerous,
And it will pass.

Why?
Because over 80% (!) of people with MS experience heat sensitivity.
That means that an increase of just 0.5 to 2°C (!!) in body temperature is enough to trigger a "pseudo-relapse", and it feels like everything’s falling apart.

But it’s really not.
It’s just the heat.
And it will pass. Soon.

So, now’s the time to send that message.
Remind them to let go of the guilt and rest (!), stay cool, stay hydrated, breathe, and treat themselves to as much ice cream as they can handle.

Cooler days are coming... 🙏🏼
--------------------------------------------------
Bridges and Balance
Specialising in neurological care, healthy living, and active ageing
MCSP, HCPC registered
078-3544 5627

There's so much more to Multiple Sclerosis than meets the eye.

There are invisible symptoms and early stages, there are relapses, and remissions. There’s hope, and there's fear. So much fear.

MS is complex and deeply personal. It can affect any part of the central nervous system, creating a unique pattern of challenges for each person: from muscle control and coordination, through impaired sensation, spasticity, cognitive changes and fatigue.

Over my 18 years as a neurological physiotherapist, I've worked alongside hundreds of individuals living with MS. Together, we've tackled everything from restoring sensation to dormant limbs to playing musical instruments, from fall prevention and balance work to marathon training. We've worked on getting up off the floor and transferring safely, descending stairs with confidence, and playing football with the kids. Some days we focus on posture and bed mobility, others on multitasking or dance moves - no two treatments are alike. Every day I reinvent myself to tailor the treatment to my patients' unique goals and needs, and every day I'm amazed by the strengths I encounter.

So - if you have MS, or know someone who does, if you feel it's time to strengthen something that's starting to weaken, or preserve an ability you cherish, or if you're "just" feeling a bit lost in a world of medical terminologies and don't really know where to begin – I'm here, and would be happy to help.

Bridges and Balance
Specialising in neurological care, healthy living, and active ageing
MCSP, HCPC registered
078-3544 5627

06/06/2025

Sensory impairment is one of the most elusive manifestations of nervous system injury.

A properly functioning sensory system acts as our interpreter of reality - it defines our body's boundaries, precisely informs us of the whereabouts of our limbs, and helps us understand our interaction with the outside world.

A damaged sensory system does the opposite.

Sensory disturbances are frightening - our perception of reality becomes misleading and deceptive.
Limbs seem to disappear or float weightlessly in space; phantom sensations emerge – non-existent insects crawl across the skin, fizzy liquids flow through the veins, and the ground threatens to slip away. Something as mundane as fabric against the skin can feel like a chemical burn, pain becomes an unpredictable, wandering, presence, and objects slip from our hands the moment we look away.

As well as being extremely distressing, sensory distortion can also severely impact movement control, sometimes progressing to functional paralysis, even when the muscular and skeletal systems remain healthy and unharmed.

In some cases, the brain, attempting to cope with these alien sensations, may begin to suppress sensory information that is accurate and true, leading to bizarre experiences described as feeling "a warm puddle of fizzy liquid on a limb that isn't there”.

This is why assessing sensory function is crucial in any neurological evaluation - these invisible disturbances can be just as debilitating as more visually obvious symptoms.

And the truly troubling truth is - not everyone knows there is (A LOT) that can be done...

Over the years I've gained extensive experience and great love for sensory rehabilitation - it's very effective work, designed to strengthen and recreate the disrupted connection between body and brain through solving novelty "sensory problems."

The sessions require a high level of concentration and curiosity, and their atmosphere usually ranges between wonder, to amusement, to profound relief.

So - if you didn't know who to tell that sometimes your hand disappears, or that pain appears and disappears and wanders through your body; if gentle touch feels like an electric current, or standing up and closing your eyes is your idea of a nightmare; if you know someone with a tendency for unexpected stumbles or even recurring sprains - talk to me.
Nothing sounds strange anymore, and there's a good chance I can help.

I'm Naomi Shachar, a physiotherapist specializing in neurological rehabilitation for the past 18 years. If anything here resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.

Bridges and Balance

19/03/2025

I must have been about 7 years old when I met Nona.

I’d been invited to a friend's house for Sunday roast – my first ever Yorkshire puddings and, no less memorably, my first meeting with old age.

She was 94 years old, and bed-ridden, by far the oldest person I'd ever met.
After lunch, the children charged upstairs to see her. There she was, sitting up in bed, wearing a pirate's hat and brandishing a wooden sword. More wooden swords were scattered by the door – an open invitation...

What followed was an epic battle: children scrambling onto her bed in fits of laughter, dramatic sword fights, and – ultimately – being made to walk the plank (an actual plank balanced between Nona's bed and the windowsill!) at wooden sword's point. In the post-battle calm, a true treasure was revealed - Nona's bedside cupboard was filled in its entirety with salt and vinegar crisps, and all pirates got to share the bounty!

We can't all be Nona. To be honest - I'm not sure I'll have it in me. But her memory is dear to me because it laid such a joyful foundation for how I perceive age. We are generally so aware of the pain of knowing that old age will likely strip us of many of our strengths and pleasures. But alongside that – perhaps we could start another conversation, with ourselves, and our older loved ones, acknowledging that what we lose doesn’t have to define who we are.
Joy, playfulness, curiosity, wonder, and a touch of mischief don't come with an end date.

Bridges and Balance
Specialising in neurological care, healthy living, and active ageing
MCSP, HCPC registered
078-3544 5627

08/03/2025

Don’t let them fool you - the glass isn't ever just half empty or half full - it's refillable!

In times of crisis (whether mundane or wholly disruptive) we often focus on what's been lost, or what remains. But the real story lies elsewhere. The real essence of rehabilitation and growth is in what we can rebuild, recover, and rediscover. Each small achievement adds another drop. And each effort fills the glass a little more.

Some days might feel emptier than others. That's okay. What really matters is knowing that tomorrow brings new possibilities, new strategies, and new strengths.

Whether you're recovering from injury, managing a long-term condition, or working to maintain your mobility - please remember, we're not just measuring what's in the glass. We're working together to keep filling it.

I'm Naomi Shachar, a physiotherapist with 18 years' experience in neurological rehabilitation and a passion for empowerment through health and self-efficacy.
If you've read this far - I'd love for us to chat.

Bridges and Balance
Specialising in neurological care, healthy living, and active ageing
MCSP, HCPC registered
078 3544 5627

28/02/2025

Exercise is medicine – we’ve all heard it before, right? But what does it actually mean…?

Regular activity works on Every System In Our Body – the list of evidence-based effects is nothing short of jaw-dropping, and virtually endless!

From brain chemistry to bone density, from mood and cognition to immune function - movement is a true lifesaver.

And yet, despite all that - It can be hard at times to find an exercise to commit to.

The biggest secret? Find something you enjoy (or at least don't hate!) that can actually fit into your life.
Running is great, but if you can’t stand it – it just isn’t good enough.
The most powerful exercise isn't the most intense one – it's the one you'll actually stick to.

Thankfully, there are almost endless options for getting active these days, so if you know you should get moving but feel you need a little help in finding the right 'prescription' that works for your body and your life, or that you'd like to feel a little more confidence in your body before getting into a regular exercise routine – I’d love for us to chat.

Together we can see what your body needs, where you’re at in life, what’s stopping you, and what can get you to keep going once you’re on track.

I'm Naomi Shachar, a physiotherapist and health promoter with 18 years' experience in neurological rehabilitation and a passion for empowerment through health and self-efficacy.

Bridges and Balance
Specialising in neurological care, healthy living, and active ageing
MCSP, HCPC registered
078-3544 5627

28/02/2025

20/02/2025

He really didn't want to do his exercises.

For years, he'd been living with a clinical depression that was pulling him down, and he couldn't see any hint of possibility for this better future I kept talking about.

So why should he?

Why should he endure the challenging exercises, that felt to him like a spotlight directed harshly at his limitations?

Why not let go?

We had our share of disagreements. There were days when he'd say I was demanding too much of him.

But he kept showing up.

And he'd smile, ever so slightly, when I’d laugh instead of reprimanding him.

He started exercising a bit more, partly to please me, partly because it was easier than hearing me nag.

And one day he suddenly noticed that he could do much more than he was used to thinking.

He didn't believe it would last, but softly, steadily, day after day, week after week, he began to wage a quiet war - against the illness, the depression, the hopelessness.

And he started to improve.

His falls became less frequent, and he learned how to get up by himself when he did fall. His walking distance increased, and for the first time in years he could once again pick up his daughters from school. The fatigue started to lift, and he regained the strength and concentration to read his beloved books again.

And he started telling jokes. Quietly, with sparkling eyes.

Bridges and Balance
Specialising in neurological care, healthy living, and active ageing
MCSP, HCPC registered
078-3544 5627

18/02/2025

There's so much more to Multiple Sclerosis than meets the eye.

There are invisible symptoms and early stages, there are relapses, and remissions. There’s hope, and there's fear. So much fear.

MS is complex and deeply personal. It can affect any part of the central nervous system, creating a unique pattern of challenges for each person: from muscle control and coordination, through impaired sensation, spasticity, cognitive changes and fatigue.

Over my 18 years as a neurological physiotherapist, I've worked alongside hundreds of individuals living with MS. Together, we've tackled everything from restoring sensation to dormant limbs to playing musical instruments, from fall prevention and balance work to marathon training. We've worked on getting up off the floor and transferring safely, descending stairs with confidence, and playing football with the kids. Some days we focus on posture and bed mobility, others on multitasking or dance moves - no two treatments are alike. Every day I reinvent myself to tailor the treatment to my patients' unique goals and needs, and every day I'm amazed by the strengths I encounter.

So - if you have MS, or know someone who does, if you feel it's time to strengthen something that's starting to weaken, or preserve an ability you cherish, or if you're "just" feeling a bit lost in a world of medical terminologies and don't really know where to begin – I'm here, and would be happy to help.

Bridges and Balance
Specialising in neurological care, healthy living, and active ageing
MCSP, HCPC registered
078-3544 5627