Chiropractic Awareness Week 13th – 19th April
Chiropractic Awareness Week 13th – 19th April
YOUR POSTURE COUNTS
New consumer research by the British Chiropractic Association shows that, in just two years, the incidence of poor posture appears to have risen at an alarming rate. Over half (56%) of the UK population currently believe they have a bad posture, compared to 38% in 2007, an increase of 16%.
It seems that slouching is really sweeping the nation and the BCA is urging the nation to take proactive steps to improve its posture, as the UK back pain figures have reached an all time high. 72% of those questioned said they had suffered from back pain at some point, while nearly a third of the population is currently suffering.
Those surveyed told the BCA that the main triggers for bad posture are:
Sitting for long periods, Using computers/laptops, Carrying heavy bags, Lack of exercise, Tiredness, Driving, Choice of bed/mattress, Type of shoes/clothing worn
The good news is that the nation wants to stand tall, 74% of Brits want to improve their posture.
At Peverell Chiropractic Clinic we have a set of Core exercises that actually CHANGE your posture, you will notice a difference after approximately 3 – 6 months. Below are some before and after pictures of one of our patients who had terrible posture. He was very thin and tall for his age and was constantly stooping.
The Importance of Posture to Physical Development
If you have good posture you’ll stand straighter and look better but advantages to correct posture go further than your appearance.
In 1930, the White House Conference on Child Health recognized the importance of spinal integrity in the physical development of the child. Doctors have, since then, stressed how important it is to health, agreeing with chiropractors emphasis of the importance of good body mechanics AND STRENGTHING THE MUSCLES SUPPORTING THE SPINE WITH CORE EXERCISES.
The human body is subject to rhythm, balance, timing and coordinated action of all its components. Having the right posture enables the body to work more efficiently, allowing proper development.
Can Posture Affect Mental Attitude?
Your image is affected by your posture, as other people see you as you see yourself. It reflects your personality, your confidence, your attitude, your ability and your health.
There is an interrelationship between how you stand, sit and walk and how you feel. Other people can also tell whether you’re a positive or negative person, a strong or weak person, a healthy or ill person.
Check your Posture
There are a lot of tests for evaluating your posture, many needing precise instruments and expert evaluation. However, you may wish to give yourself a preliminary self-test.
Test 1
Stand with your back to the wall. Place head, shoulder blades, calves and heels against the wall. Place your hands at your
sides. Flatten the hollow of your back by pressing the buttocks back against the wall. If the space at your back of your waist is greater than the thickness of your hand, your posture is not correct.
Test 2
Face a wall with your toes touching the wall. If your posture is correct, your chest will just touch the wall. If your head touches, your posture is fair. If your abdomen touches, your posture is poor.
Test 3
Face a full-length mirror and view your shoulders and hips. These areas should be level. If one shoulder is higher or one hip is lower, there is an imbalance in your posture which should be checked professionally.
If a postural problem is indicated as a result of the self-test, it would be wise to discuss it with your chiropractor. He will be able to determine if there is a health or developmental problem and recommend proper procedures. As a preliminary to treatment, the chiropractor will examine your spine and related tissues. You can depend upon his specialized knowledge to diagnose the problem, and offer corrective treatment and sound advice.
Poor posture can cause a lot of pain in both the upper and lower back
What Causes Poor Posture?
There are many reasons for poor posture, the most serious of which is a birth defect. Normally it’s a combination of several reasons that causes a person to have poor posture. Among the causes are the following:
1 Visual problems.
2 Emotional problems.
3 Excessive weight.
4 Foot problems or improper shoes.
5 Weak Muscles, muscle imbalance.
6 Improper nutrition.
7 Laziness.
8 Poor sleep support ( mattress )
9 Injury to muscles, ligaments, tendons or bones.
10 Negative mental and physical attitudes.
11 Occupational stress and position.
Many Postural Faults Can Be Helped
If you have poor posture it can be serious in terms of health, comfort and efficiency, causing fatigue. Most of the problems caused can be helped. If you have what seems to be a postural problem then you should seek advice from a chiropractor. Unless there is an anatomical ( structural deformity ) or pathological ( disease-caused ) disturbance, the chances for correction are excellent.
Out Core exercise program produces excellent results, after a few months of doing the correct core exercises your posture changes……you stand straighter and taller because your muscles are supporting your spine and organs the way they were intended.
If poor posture is not corrected, it can affect the health and well-being of the individual. Poor posture contributes to shallow breathing: a cramped chest cavity, faulty digestion, poor elimination, and poor venous return, each of which affects not only the functions of individual organs, but also the system. Tiredness and reduced coordination are just two of many symptoms of a body that is not functioning efficiently.
What Are The Benefits Of Correct Posture?
1. Improves your health.
2. Improves your appearance.
3. Improves your coordination.
4. Increases your strength.
5. Gives you more stamina.
6. Makes your clothes fit better.
7. Gives you better body balance and makes you more agile.
8. Reduces the possibility of injury.
9. Gives you confidence.
10. Helps in physical and mental development.
tags: core strength exercises posture and health, core strength exercises,
CORE STRENGTH EXERCISES POSTURE AND HEALTH
CORE STRENGTH EXERCISES POSTURE AND HEALTH. A lot of people think that the spine is an inflexible rod but it is actually quite flexible. Its structure is strong and reflects the dynamic movement of the human body. It protects both the sensitive and delicate spinal cord and spinal nerves as well as supporting the body and all its organs. Every activity, even breathing, demands movement of the spine, ribs and attachments. The spine gives the human structure both strength and agility.
Human beings are classified as ‘biped’ meaning stands erect on two legs. This position gives man leverage, mobility and agility but at the same time can cause certain structural stresses.
The most obvious benefit of good posture is efficiency and comfort. But because of the interrelationship of the structural (bone) and functional (organ) systems of the body, posture can determine health. Poor posture comprises the movements of the rib cage and doesn’t allow the lungs to function at maximum efficiency in order to bring much needed oxygen to the tissues and remove carbon dioxide wastes. When body posture is not good other organs of the body can also be restricted. This causes structural stress.
A chiropractor specializes in body mechanics. He is concerned with structural, muscular and neurological aspects of the human body. With treatment he aims to maintain sound structure of the body by correcting spinal and postural problems. Remember core strength exercises posture and health are all inter-related.
The Importance of Posture to Physical Development
If you have good posture you’ll stand straighter and look better but advantages to correct posture go further than your appearance.
In 1930, the White House Conference on Child Health recognized the importance of spinal integrity in the physical development of the child. Doctors have, since then, stressed how important it is to health, agreeing with chiropractors emphasis of the importance of good body mechanics AND STRENGTHING THE MUSCLES SUPPORTING THE SPINE WITH CORE EXERCISES.
The human body is subject to rhythm, balance, timing and coordinated action of all its components. Having the right posture enables the body to work more efficiently, allowing proper development.
Can Posture Affect Mental Attitude?
Your image is affected by your posture, as other people see you as you see yourself. It reflects your personality, your confidence, your attitude, your ability and your health.
There is an interrelationship between how you stand, sit and walk and how you feel. Other people can also tell whether you’re a positive or negative person, a strong or weak person, a healthy or ill person.
Check your Posture
There are a lot of tests for evaluating your posture, many needing precise instruments and expert evaluation. However, you may wish to give yourself a preliminary self-test.
Test 1
Stand with your back to the wall. Place head, shoulder blades, calves and heels against the wall. Place your hands at your
sides. Flatten the hollow of your back by pressing the buttocks back against the wall. If the space at your back of your waist is greater than the thickness of your hand, your posture is not correct.
Test 2
Face a wall with your toes touching the wall. If your posture is correct, your chest will just touch the wall. If your head touches, your posture is fair. If your abdomen touches, your posture is poor.
Test 3
Face a full-length mirror and view your shoulders and hips. These areas should be level. If one shoulder is higher or one hip is lower, there is an imbalance in your posture which should be checked professionally.
If a postural problem is indicated as a result of the self-test, it would be wise to discuss it with your chiropractor. He will be able to determine if there is a health or developmental problem and recommend proper procedures. As a preliminary to treatment, the chiropractor will examine your spine and related tissues. You can depend upon his specialized knowledge to diagnose the problem, and offer corrective treatment and sound advice.
What Causes Poor Posture?
There are many reasons for poor posture, the most serious of which is a birth defect. Normally it’s a combination of several reasons that causes a person to have poor posture. Among the causes are the following:
1 Visual problems.
2 Emotional problems.
3 Excessive weight.
4 Foot problems or improper shoes.
5 Weak Muscles, muscle imbalance.
6 Improper nutrition.
7 Laziness.
8 Poor sleep support ( mattress )
9 Injury to muscles, ligaments, tendons or bones.
10 Negative mental and physical attitudes.
11 Occupational stress and position.
Many Postural Faults Can Be Helped
If you have poor posture it can be serious in terms of health, comfort and efficiency, causing fatigue. Most of the problems caused can be helped. If you have what seems to be a postural problem then you should seek advice from a chiropractor. Unless there is an anatomical ( structural deformity ) or pathological ( disease-caused ) disturbance, the chances for correction are excellent.
Out Core exercise program produces excellent results, after a few months of doing the correct core exercises your posture changes……you stand straighter and taller because your muscles are supporting your spine and organs the way they were intended.
If poor posture is not corrected, it can affect the health and well-being of the individual. Poor posture contributes to shallow breathing: a cramped chest cavity, faulty digestion, poor elimination, and poor venous return, each of which affects not only the functions of individual organs, but also the system. Tiredness and reduced coordination are just two of many symptoms of a body that is not functioning efficiently.
What Are The Benefits Of Correct Posture?
1. Improves your health.
2. Improves your appearance.
3. Improves your coordination.
4. Increases your strength.
5. Gives you more stamina.
6. Makes your clothes fit better.
7. Gives you better body balance and makes you more agile.
8. Reduces the possibility of injury.
9. Gives you confidence.
10. Helps in physical and mental development.
tags: core strength exercises posture and health, core strength exercises,
Back pain? Low back pain exercises
There are 2 main two main types of exercises you can do to help to relieve your Lower back pain and Sciatica.
(1) Core exercises to strengthen your core muscles.
(2) Mobility exercises to loosen up your spine by mobilising your joints and stretching and relaxing your muscles.
We are focusing on the mobility exercises we give to our patients in this article:
In conjunction with rest and regular weight bearing exercise (short walks) a specific lower back pain mobility exercise routine performed regularly will greatly enhance your recovery from lower back injury, reducing your lower back pain
and helping to prevent future problems by keeping your spine more supple and flexible.
Also doing these exercises every morning before you get out of bed will generally help to keep your spine mobile and loose. REMEMBER these exercises are tried and tested, we have given them to thousands of patients over the last twenty years, many of these patients religously do these exercises every morning because they have noticed a difference: they have less morning back pain and stiffness.
Primary Chiropractic treatment, ie spinal manipulative therapy is highly effective (hence Chiropractic’s popularity) however we can enhance our patient’s recovery by also providing advice, soft tissue therapy, mobility exercises and core exercises. A lot of chiropractors do use other modalities/treatments as an adjunct to their spinal manipulative therapy. At Peverell Chiropractic Clinic we have found that using a multi-factorial approach to treatment particularly with more serious and more chronic back pain cases does produce slightly better results.
These simple exercises have been designed to gently mobilize the spine aiding it’s return to normal function without
Click at the end of the article to download our clinic's A4 exercise sheet
putting undue stress on the joints and tissues.
If you have lower back pain and/or sciatica perform the exercises at least 4X per day (or as directed). Always do them before you get out of bed to mobilise your spine and loosen it up before you actually put any stress on it when standing
up and weight bearing, then do them every few hours through theday. After the first 2-3 days as the acute back pain diminishes spend more time on your feet, taking regular 5 – 10 minute walks, this will aid in returning your spinal joints and muscles back to normal function.
Perform the exercises in numerical order. Only do the exercises to about 70% of full motion so as not to overstretch the damaged tissues but to gradually restore normal function by: relaxing tight muscles, stretching and strengthening weak muscles, relieving joint inflammation and swelling, increasing bloodflow to aid healing, and reducing joint stiffness. Peverell Chiropractic Clinic 2012.
Do the exercises rhythmically and if any exercise causes discomfort DO NOT CONTINUE WITH IT until your injury has recovered more fully.
Click Here To Go to Downloads Area to download full size A4 version
Cholesterol: How to reduce your Cholesterol levels
How’s your cholesterol? If you think that the Cholesterol reading you had a few years ago will suffice, think again Cholesterol levels increase with age. The NHS recommends that everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 years should be screened for 
high cholesterol once every five years to determine if any cardiovascular health risk is present. Also self testing kits can be used every year or so, these can be bought at most Chemists, these are fairly accurate … if they show any increases please visit your GP for a more accurate test.
Risk factor calculators are available online click here to use. A nurse or GP in your local surgery can use a “risk factor calculator,” which takes into account a number of factors, including your family history, age, sex, whether or not you are a smoker and blood pressure, as well as your cholesterol levels. The old maxim “you are what you eat” really does apply to Cholesterol, the more saturated fats you eat…the higher your levels go.
Stress also plays a major role in heart disease when we are stressed our body’s fight or flight mechanism kicks in…. fat is released into the blood stream so it can be quickly used by your muscles, of course if your not fighting or running it tends to eventually get deposited inside your arteries clogging them up.
11 Tips to reduce Cholesterol CLICK HERE
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Health benefits of exercise
Time to get on the treadmill
We often take our health for granted.
Step right up! It’s the miracle cure we’ve all been waiting for. It can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%
It’s now medically proven that exercise really helps to keep us healthy… Click here to find out how
Always warm up
Never Start Exercise Without a Proper Warm Up – Warming up raises the temperature of your muscles. This makes them tender and flexible. Now they are ready to for exercise and optimum performance. Conversely if you start exercise without warm up, your muscles are still cold and thus not ready for stress. Sudden stress may strain them leading to back pain.
