September has a funny way of feeling like the real “new year.” For anyone with children or grandchildren, there’s a distinct sense of relief in the air. If you’ve spent the last six weeks juggling work, entertainment schedules, referee duties, and a household that never seems to run out of laundry, we see you — and we think it’s time someone said it clearly: you did it!
Now, let’s talk about you for a moment.
The Summer Holiday Marathon
Let’s be honest about what the summer holidays actually involve. It’s not just “time off.” For many parents and grandparents, it’s a demanding stretch of logistics, patience, and physical effort.
There’s the constant entertaining, trips out, activities, games in the garden, all of which can get surprisingly tiring. There’s the travel: the packing, the anxious countdown before departure and the awkward lifting of suitcases. Then there’s the unglamorous aftermath, the post-holiday laundry pile that somehow multiplies overnight, and the general sense of “right, back to normal” that hits the moment the kids return to school.
Throughout all of this, many of us have to juggle work commitments and when everything is added to together, something quietly common happens: you drop off your own priority list.
What We Typically See in September
Every year, without fail, our clinic sees a familiar pattern of aches, strains, and niggles that trace directly back to the summer holidays. If any of these sound familiar, you’re certainly not alone:
🛌 Sore necks from dodgy hotel pillows Unfamiliar beds and questionable pillow choices can leave necks stiff and cranky long after you’ve unpacked.
🧳 Sore shoulders and backs from lifting heavy suitcases, hauling overstuffed cases upstairs, into car boots, and through airports takes a real toll, especially when done with rushed, awkward lifting technique.
⚽ Dodgy knees and shoulders from garden sports. Keeping up with energetic children or grandchildren is wonderful, but sudden twists, turns, and overenthusiastic goal celebrations can leave joints protesting.
🚶 General aches from being “on the go” without your usual routine. When your regular exercise or movement patterns get disrupted by holiday chaos, your body can end up stiffer and less resilient than usual, even if you were technically more active than normal.
Sound familiar? If you’ve been quietly nursing a niggle since July and telling yourself “it’ll settle down eventually,” September is the perfect moment to actually do something about it.
Why September Is the Ideal Time to Prioritise You
There’s something valuable about this seasonal shift. The kids are back in a routine, the diary has a bit more breathing space, and perhaps for the first time in weeks, you have a moment to think about your own wellbeing.
This is exactly the time to stop putting off that ache in your shoulder, that twinge in your knee, or that back pain you’ve been managing with paracetamol and hope. Left unaddressed, these niggles have a habit of settling in and becoming bigger problems. Addressed early, most respond very well to the right guidance and treatment.
At Thorpes Physiotherapy, we believe pain is not something you simply have to live with, and putting yourself last on the list isn’t a badge of honour, it’s a habit worth breaking. You spent your summer looking after everyone else. Now it’s entirely reasonable, and important, to redirect a little of that care towards yourself.
👉 Book online today and let’s get that niggle sorted before it becomes a bigger problem. Making a plan, not just a quick fix
Our approach isn’t about a one-off session. It’s about understanding what’s actually going on, why it’s happening, and building a clear, structured plan to resolve it — whether that’s a stiff neck that needs some hands-on treatment and mobility work, a shoulder that needs a proper strength programme, or a knee that’s been complaining for too long.
We’ll talk you through what we find, explain your options clearly, and help you understand the path forward,no jargon, no pressure, just a plan you can trust.
You Looked After Everyone Else — Now Let Us Look After You
Parents and grandparents give so much of themselves during the summer holidays, often without a second thought. But your body keeps score, even when you don’t. That sore neck, achy back, or grumbling knee isn’t going to resolve itself just because September has arrived.
This is your reminder, warm, but firm, that your health deserves the same attention you gave everyone else’s summer fun. You don’t need to wait until it gets worse. You don’t need to just “push through.” You’ve earned some proper care.
Ready to sort out that ache or pain once and for all? Book online today or call 01276 37670 and let’s get you moving comfortably again.
Warm regards
Jonathan Smith (MSc BSc FSOMM MCSP SRP)
Director of Thorpes Physiotherapy
For more information about my background, please click here