‘Living with less pain’: Supportive Exercise Classes

By theorkneynews on July 27, 2022 • ( Leave a comment )

A series of classes which is aimed at supporting people living with severe pain due to conditions like Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis is taking place in Orkney. To register click on this link: Pickaquoy Centre

The courses are on from July onwards along with Scottish Ballet and the ESCAPE-pain course framework . Holly Elliot, an award winning Registered Osteopath who lives in Orkney, is part of a team that facilitate the courses .

ESCAPE-pain (Enabling Self-management and Coping with Arthritic Pain using Exercise) is an evidence based course for those living with osteoarthritis of any severity; particularly those experiencing the condition in the hips, knees and back.

The Elevate Scheme is new to Orkney and started on Thursday 21st July. These classes are designed for those living with MS and have been developed as part of an innovative, long-term collaboration between Scottish Ballet dance health department, medical practitioners and people living with MS. These fun and accessible classes allow participants to work at their own pace whilst providing opportunities for stretching, strengthening, mobilisation, and creative expression.

Following a very successful trial programme in the Spring, Holly and her colleagues at the Pickaquoy, Jane Rawle and Shirley Doull, will resume ESCAPE-pain on the 25th August. This will involve a 6 week course for newcomers, alongside drop-in classes for people who have completed the course previously but would like to continue to self-manage their pain.

Holly Elliot explained that: “participants in the first course started to feel more in control – instead of the pain controlling them, they could control it

“The group really gelled and enjoyed their two sessions per week. It was a joy to watch them moving more. It’s a wonderful programme to be facilitating especially when people say that they feel more confident to go out, be active and get on with their day to day living with less pain”

As well as being trained to facilitate ESCAPE-pain Holly is a qualified and registered Osteopath; another first for Orkney. She moved to Mainland a year ago and has based her clinic at the Pickaquoy Centre. She is professionally accredited by the General Osteopathic Council and recognised globally as an allied healthcare profession, supporting the NHS.

Holly said:

“As an osteopath specialising in treatment of neck, back, knees and joint pain, I see ESCAPE-pain as an extension of my osteopathic work. Osteopathy takes a holistic approach to finding health where we look at the whole body’s movement to then work out a treatment programme and ongoing supported exercise where appropriate.”

Click on this link to find out more and how to book: The Pickaquoy Centre