Category Archives: Intro

Why Physio on the NHS is still a Pain in the Neck

Neck pain is something that most people experience in their lives. Some may even have had road traffic accidents or had “whiplash” injuries. For many years NHS physiotherapy have prescribed  “Patient Education” as the best course of care for these problems. This would usually be verbal instruction, demonstration and leaflets on neck pain and suggested exercises. Clients frequently come to us saying something like,

“I went up the hospital for physio and they did nothing! They just gave me some exercises.”

On Examination we invariably find a combination of problems like joint dysfunction, muscle injury, scar tissue and postural changes that are not going to disappear with a few exercises.

Neck Pain - Exercises Not Enough

Neck Pain – Exercises Often Not Enough

So, it’s no surprise to me that a recent study found that “patient education alone cannot be expected to yield large benefits in clinical effectiveness compared with other conservative interventions for patients with Whiplash-Associated Disorders (WAD) or Neck and Associated Disorders (NAD).”

If you or a loved one has had a whiplash in jury or experiences frequent Neck Pain, it may be a sign of a more serious problem. See your doctor of chiropractic and get it checked out. You may find that, like the millions of people worldwide who see chiropractors, that you get rid of your neck pain and move a whole lot better.

3 Things that “Good Posture” does for you

Happy active

Be flexible and upright at any age

1. Reduces wear and tear stress on your discs & spinal joints. This will allow you to stay flexible and upright well into your old age.

 

 

 

2. Increases your lung capacity. This allows you to feel fresh and energized.

woman deep breathe

Aaaah …..  Better posture = better breathing

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Improves your mood. A study published in Biofeedback (2012) found that by simply choosing to alter body posture to a more upright position can improve mood and energy levels.

"When you choose to put your body in a different mode, it's harder to drop into depression."

“When you choose to put your body in a different mode, it’s harder to drop into depression.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’d like to find out what you posture is really like or what to do to improve it:  We do Posture Screens (photos and detailed analysis) and devise individualized programs to get your “Posture Up” so you can be taller, more energized and happier. It’s never to late to make a change. If you are not local to Weybridge, look for a chiropractor with a focus on postural correction for help.

Hellish High Heels

Real Heals

If we were designed to wear heels our feet would look like this.

Many women love high heels, some men too, or at least looking at women wearing them. We know they make the wearer’s leg look slimmer and longer? But, from a health perspective, they are a disaster.

  1. They mash the toes, bending them upward and pushing them inwards. This causes painful and unsightly bone and joint changes like bunions, hammer & claw toes (ironic, considering women wear them to look good).
  2. They create excessive forces through the foot, ankle and knee causing early arthritis (degenerative joint disease).
  3. They increase the chance of ankle sprains and fractures.
  4. They changes posture contributing to spinal pain.

My advice is avoid all high heels, don’t kid yourself they are causing damage. If you must wear them, then go as low as possible. A 1 inch heel increases the load on your forefoot by more than 22%; 2 inch heel by +57% and 3 inch heel by +76%.

In the end the questions is: How much are you willing to damage your health, just to look taller?

How to beat the Grey Sky Blues

by Joanna Rodriguez (Health Psychologist & accredited CBT practitioner)

While Spring is supposed to be on its way, Summer feels a long way off. The grey skies and cold weather may be getting you down. What can you do to feel like yourself again?winter-blues2

 

If you’re going through a bout of winter blues, check out these 13 tips to get some ideas for how to feel better.
1. Keep active and get outside
Research has shown that a daily one-hour walk, in the middle of the day, could be as helpful as light treatment for coping with the winter blues. So try to be outdoors in natural daylight as much as possible. Inside your home, choose pale colours that reflect light from outside, and sit near windows whenever you can.
2. Keep warm
Being cold makes you more down. It’s also been shown that staying warm can reduce the winter blues by half. Keep warm with hot drinks and hot food. Wear warm clothes and shoes and aim to keep your home between 18C and 21C (or 64F and 70F degrees).
3. Eat healthily
A healthy diet will boost your mood, give you more energy and stop you putting on weight over winter. Balance your craving for carbohydrates, such as pasta and potatoes, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Some people also say that taking extra vitamin D helps. Good food sources of vitamin D include oily fish and eggs.
4. Take up a new hobby
Keeping your mind active with a new interest can help to lift mood and give you something new to enjoy. It could be anything, such as playing bridge, singing, knitting, joining a gym, keeping a journal or writing a blog. The important thing is that you have something to look forward to and concentrate on.
Evidence shows that people who help others, through activities such as volunteering or community work, become more resilient. On a basic level, do someone a favour every day. It can be something as small as helping someone to cross the road or going on a coffee run for colleagues. Favours cost nothing to do, and you’ll feel better. If you want to take this further, then doing regular volunteer work is the next step!
5. Connect with people
A problem shared is a problem halved. A good support network of colleagues, friends and family can ease your troubles and help you see things in a different way.
If you don’t connect with people, you won’t have support to turn to when you need help. The activities we do with friends help us relax and we often have a good laugh with them, which is an excellent stress reliever.
Talking things through with a friend will also help you find solutions to your problems.
It talking thing through with friends and family still doesn’t help, it may be worth you talking to your GP or seeking professional advice. Talking therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) have been proven to help people when they are feeling down or stressed.
6. Face your fears and take control
Don’t avoid the things you find difficult. If you’re feeling a bit down, it’s easy to avoid talking to other people, this can lead to a loss of confidence. If this starts to happen, facing up to these situations will help them become easier.
There’s a solution to any problem. If you always think, ‘I can’t do anything about my problem’, your stress will get worse and mood deteriorate. This can have an impact on your wellbeing. The act of taking control is in itself empowering, and it’s a crucial part of finding a solution that satisfies you and not someone else.
7. Have some ‘me time’
The UK workforce works the longest hours in Europe. The extra hours in the workplace mean that people aren’t spending enough time doing things that they really enjoy.
Try setting aside a couple of nights a week for some quality “me time” away from work. By earmarking those two days, it means you won’t be tempted to work overtime and will do things that help you unwind which may make you feel more refreshed and revived. Ready to take on life’s challenges.
8. Challenge yourself
Setting yourself goals and challenges, whether at work or outside, such as learning a new language or a new sport, helps to build confidence. That in turn will help you deal with stress.
By constantly challenging yourself you’re being proactive and taking charge of your life. By continuing to learn, you become a more resilient person.
9. Avoid unhealthy habits
Don’t rely on alcohol, smoking and caffeine as your ways of coping.
Over the long term, these crutches won’t solve your problems. They’ll just create new ones. You need to tackle the cause of your stress.
10. Get into a routine
When people feel blue, they can get into poor sleep patterns, staying up late and sleeping during the day. Try to get up at your normal time and stick to your routine as much as possible.
Not having a routine can also affect your eating and this can also impact on your mood.
11. Work smarter, not harder
Good time management means quality work rather than quantity. Our long-hours culture is a well-known cause of workplace illness. Try to get a work-life balance that suits you.
Working smarter means prioritising and concentrating on the tasks that will make a real difference to your work. Accept that your in-tray will always be full. Don’t expect it to be empty at the end of the day.
12. Accept the things you can’t change
Changing a difficult situation isn’t always possible. If this proves to be the case, recognise and accept things as they are and concentrate on everything that you do have control over. Taking this perspective can be refreshing and help to alleviate stress, even if it is a very hard perspective to take at times.
13. Be positive
Look for the positives in life, and things for which you’re grateful. Write down three things at the end of every day which went well or for which you’re grateful. It’s easy to lose appreciation for the things we have as we focus on the things we don’t have.
By making a conscious effort you can train yourself to see more positives about life. Problems are often a question of perspective. If you change your perspective, you may see your situation from a different point of view, which can help you to feel more positive.

If you would like to learn more about healthy coping strategies and want to be proactive about your mental and emotional support, please call the clinic to book your FREE 20min chat with Jo.

Preventing Skiing Injuries

Stay Injury Free on the Slopes this Winter

Emma ready for skiing

Emma warmed up & ready to go

by Sports Therapist – Emma Davis

Although the prevalence of skiing injury has reduced by around 50% in the last 15 years skiing is still regarded to be a relatively dangerous sport.

Knee injuries have the highest prevalence, accounting for around 45% of all skiing injuries. Despite skiing injury rates decreasing in recent years the rate of ACL ruptures has increased by nearly 200%! Risk of knee injury is higher in women than men and higher in lighter inexperienced than heavier more experienced skiers.

Ski holidays are an expensive luxury and so to become injured whilst out there and miss out on all the fun can be really upsetting.

To reduce the risk of developing an injury whilst skiing do the following:

  •   Carrying out a thigh, gluteal and hamstring strengthening protocol prior to heading off to the mountains will ensure your body is in the best shape to protect your knees from excessive forces which may be placed on them due to fatigue, difficult conditions or inefficient technique. Consequently, such a protocol can significantly decrease your risk of injury.
  • When taking part in any other sporting activities you complete a sufficient warm-up and warm-down. Unsurprisingly it is important to also do so before and after skiing. A short jog to raise your heart rate followed by a few dynamic stretches focusing on your hamstrings, quadriceps, calf muscles and iliotibial band will ensure your body is fired up and ready for action dramatically decreasing your risk of injury.

  •  If you over-pronate obtain some orthotics to wear in your ski boot. Without these your foot will be pronated in your boot when skiing directly downhill, thus when you attempt to pronate your foot to edge your downhill ski when skiing across the slope you cannot and will need to rotate your lower limb inwards to obtain the edging effect. This creates a inward (valgus) knee position which results in inefficient skiing, fatigue and medial knee pain
  •  Most skiing injuries occur on the 3rd day of a skiing trip. On this day your confidence is at it’s highest whilst your muscles are significantly fatigued. If you are not an overly confident skier it is a good idea to take this day off from skiing or simply have a lighter day.
  • Improving your fitness before heading off to the slopes can help to reduce your risk of developing an injury due to fatigue. Some gyms hold specific classes to help prepare members for skiing trips or book an appointment at Maple Leaf where we can create an individually tailored programme for you to ensure you are in peak shape to enjoy your skiing trip.