Clinic reopening update!

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all keeping well and safe.

In accordance with my governing body, I am now able to treat patients, although there is limited appointment availability due to necessary spacing between appointments.

I will be closely following the governing body’s guidance to mitigate risk and ensure a safe treatment environment. I will be wearing the recommended PPE and will be adhering to safe disposal, cleaning and sanitising policies. I ask if you could please wear a mask when attending your appointment. I will stagger appointments to create gaps, to reduce inter-patient contact and for cleaning purposes.

It is very important that if you develop any symptoms that you do not enter the clinic or attend your appointment.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Melanie

Clinic reopening update

To all of my patients,

I hope you are safe and well.

Following the new government advice on CV-19, I am currently making plans for the clinic to safely reopen. In accordance with my governing body’s advice, I will be able to provide appointments for urgent cases only at this stage. Patients over 70, or with underlying health conditions are still advised to self isolate at home to protect yourself.

At present, there is no set date to return, as I am waiting for further news on childcare.

Please bear with me and I hope to see you as soon as I can.

Many thanks and stay safe!

Chiropractic care and Massage therapy working together

While each therapy offers considerable benefits on their own, they complement each
other well to create a comprehensive treatment plan for many conditions or injuries.
Both therapies are available at The Health and Wellbeing Studio too.

Massage can enable a more effective chiropractic visit. Therapeutic massage
warms up muscles and relaxes the body, enabling the chiropractor to maximize
chiropractic treatment for optimal results.

Chiropractic care takes massage therapy's efforts further. Each treatment offers
relief and recovery to certain areas of the body. Massage produces relaxation in
muscles, relieving tension and toxins. Chiropractic care picks up where massage
leaves off and extends the treatment efforts to the body's tendons, joints, bones and
the nervous system.

The combination of both works on the body as a whole. Both treatments focus on
broad rejuvenation and healing techniques for full body health. In a variety of instances,
chiropractic care shows significant increases in treating the overall root of the problem
when used in combination with massage therapy.
Massage therapy also serves to relax and de-stress, preparing them to go into
chiropractic treatments less stressed or tightly wound. A relaxed person's body tends to respond better to treatment, and results in greater patient comfort. This benefits the
entire process, as a painless, comfortable visit increases a person's openness and
commitment to care.

Working together produces longer lasting results. Both massage therapy and
chiropractic care serve to attain the goal of healing and recovery. Achieving a
synergistic effect is possible when both treatments are employed simultaneously.
Chiropractic care may work deeper and last longer when paired with massage therapy,
especially with chronic, painful health issues.
Patients who seek help with musculo-skeletal conditions or injuries benefit and see
results from massage therapy or chiropractic care separately. Both forms of therapeutic
relief used together may create an even more significant, longer last result. Chiropractic
care and massage therapy complement each other and offer positive benefits to a
variety of painful health issues.

Foam Roller Technique

First of all, you’ll need a foam roller. Get a smooth one to start with as one with texture
can be quite painful.
The idea is to release the tension in the muscles and fascia, and to introduce
movement back into tissues that have become stiff and painful. It is difficult to fully
stretch or contract a muscle that is tight so if you could keep on top of them yourself, at
regular intervals at home, you would feel the benefits. You should spend about 10-15
minutes foam rolling a day.

Make sure there are no distractions.

Try to just focus on the technique and listening to your body.

Feel the pain.

When you’re working on a muscle you should be searching for the painful parts. It’s
difficult but try and find the pain and stay with it. It should feel like a dull ache that can
be quite strong. Stay with it until you feel the pain easing off.

Breathe.

Breathe into the pain and try to relax into it. Try and make your “out” breath longer than
your “in” breath. This stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which helps you
relax even more.

Roll slowly.

You’re aiming to stay on each muscle for a good couple of minutes so move slowly.
Find a painful area and stay with that until it releases and then move slowly to the next
part.
By the time you’ve been through the tight muscle groups, you’ll be feeling relaxed,
loose and ready to take on whatever comes next. When the foam roll starts to feel too
easy you can progress to a hard ball for more localized pressure (eg. Cricket, hockey or
tennis ball).

Back pain in children using backpacks

While back pain is a known and widely-studied issue in adults, its prevalence in school-
aged children has received comparatively little scientific attention. School students
must often carry backpacks that weigh enough to cause chronic back pain and poor
posture.

Are Backpacks Too Heavy for Kids?
Recent research supports that children carrying backpack loads of more than ten
percent of their bodyweight have a greater risk of developing back pain and related
issues. An international study found that a large proportion of school-aged children in
Australia, France, Italy, and the United States regularly carried backpacks weighing
more than the ten percent threshold.

Proper Backpack Carrying Techniques
The studies revealed several factors that may help reduce back pain in school-aged
children. The best way to prevent back pain is to avoid carrying heavy loads.
Children should take advantage of their breaks and only carry items necessary for a
couple of classes at a time. When lifting a backpack, children should crouch down and
bend their knees rather than curve the spine.
While not conclusive, research also supports that carrying the weight differently, e.g.,
by hand rather than by backpack, may help prevent or reduce back pain. The American
Occupational Therapy Association and the American Chiropractic Association offer
these additional backpack tips:

• Children should avoid carrying over 10 percent of their bodyweight in their backpack.
• Place the heaviest objects at the back of the pack.
• Make sure the items fit as snugly as possible to minimise back pain due to shifting weight.
• Adjust the shoulder straps so they fit snugly over your child's shoulders and the backpack doesn't drag your child backward. The bottom of the pack should be less than four inches below your child's waist.
• Children should avoid carrying backpacks slung over one shoulder.
• Encourage your child to carry only necessary items in their backpack.
• Look for backpacks with helpful features such as multiple compartments for even weight distribution, padded straps to protect the shoulders and neck, and waist belt.
• If problems continue, talk to your child's teacher or principal about implementing paperback textbooks, lighter materials, or digital versions. If the issues continue to persist still, then it may help to consult a chiropractor.

Ski Holiday Prep

A previous assumption was that skiing injuries usually occur on the first day. However,
it is now believed that you could be most vulnerable after a couple of days of using
muscles that aren't used to the workload. Tired muscles coupled with an increased
confidence can lead to injuries that have the potential to halt your holiday.

The main muscles used in skiing are your quads (front thigh muscles) and glutes
(buttocks). Strengthening these muscles in the weeks before you hit the slopes would
be advisable.
Try these simple exercises: 

• squats
• lunges
• gluteal clam

Practice your skiing stance - ensure your knees line up with 2nd & 3rd toes and find a
neutral position for your pelvis.

When you're out on the slopes, make sure you warm up your muscles and ease into it,
without getting carried away too soon! Remember to take enough breaks throughout
the day - overexertion can lead to injuries, listen to your body. Pain is a warning sign,
don't abuse it.

REDUCE YOUR CHANCE OF BACK PAIN ON HOLIDAY

The holidays are coming up and I can’t tell you how often people call saying they started with back pain or neck pain either on holiday or just before. It’s because people are out of their normal routines. Here are some tips to keep you safe in the run up to your holiday and whilst you are away:

Before you go:

• choose a light weight suitcase to avoid back pain

• push it in front of you instead of twisting your back to pull it behind you

• two small cases are better  than one big one

• try not to travel tired, it increases your chance of injury

• avoid rushing around

In the car:

• make sure you adjust the driving position if you hire a car to suit you

• wear loose clothing

• relaxing will help reduce any neck or back pain

On the plane:

• no alcohol, it dehydrates you and aggravates muscle pain

• drink plenty of water

• exercise in your chair with shoulder shrugs, buttocks clenches and foot circles

• get up and walk about whenever you can

• walk through the airport instead of using the travelator, you’ll need to get moving as soon as possible

When you arrive:

• if the hotel bed is too hard, get a spare duvet and put it between you and the mattress

• try not to lie on your stomach on a sun lounger with your neck and back arched

• try putting your book on the floor and read over the back of the lounger, your head and neck should be more neutral that way

Other than that, have yourself a fabulous holiday!

Achieving Wellness

More and more people are moving towards achieving wellness. We realise that our lifestyles have become very stressful. We are mentally tired. Our lives now revolve mainly around work. We sit in traffic jams on the way to work, sit for hours at our workstations and then go home and sit in front of the television. Some say we were never designed to sit so much. This causes no end of postural and musculo-skeletal problems. Our lives are so busy that we don’t exercise anymore. Our diets revolve more and more around fast food and this is leading to increased rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Wellness is achieved when we balance three aspects of our lives: Physical Fitness, Mental Wellbeing and Nutritional Health. Chiropractic care can help directly by working to alleviate pain symptoms and bring about lifestyle changes to prevent further painful episodes. We also give advice on exercise and nutrition but in the clinic, patients have access to various experts on nutrition and mental wellbeing.