Newsletter - July/August 2010
Tips on taking care of your back and your body on a daily basis.
- Lifting
- Working at a Desk
- Physical Activity
- Household Chores
- Driving
- Improve Your Golf Game This Summer!
Lifting
Avoid twisting or turning movements when you lift. If you have to turn to place the object, step in the direction of the turn, don't just twist at the waist.
Always bend at your knees, not your waist, when lifting anything heavy for example a child or heavy box.
When lifting, place your feet about 18 inches apart, squat in front of the object, and lift as you straighten up. Be sure to lift with the big muscles of your thighs, arms, and shoulders, not with your back.
If you have to lift a number of heavy items repeatedly, take frequent breaks, and use equipment to help whenever possible.
Remember, to avoid tripping, be sure your path is clear before you lift the item.
Working at a Desk
Take frequent breaks and stretch if you have to sit for a long time.
Sit with your knees at a 90-120-degree angle. A footrest may help.
Make sure your chair fits correctly. Allow for two inches between the front edge of the seat and the back of your knees. Ideally, choose a chair that tilts back so you can rest while you're reading from the computer screen. Increase the high of your screen to avoid neck ache.
PLEASE REMEMBER - We are here to help
This practice can offer you support both for your body and for your mind and spirit. Our Chiropractors and our other therapists including acupuncturists, counsellors, masseurs, hypnotherapists, reflexologists and aromatherapists are all here to provide advice and support. Please don't hesitate to ask any of us for guidance or help.
Physical Activity
Warm up and cool down before and after any physical activity like playing sports, raking, gardening, and shoveling snow.
Household Chores
When using a heavy strimmer or similar garden equipment, make sure that the machine you are using has a strap. Place the strap over your head and shoulder on the opposite side of your body from the machine and switch the machine from one sideof your body to the other as often as possible. Use electric rather than petrol powered machines whenever possible; they are much lighter.
When washing up, open the cupboard under the sink, bend one knee, and put your foot on the shelf under the sink. Lean against the counter for support.
When ironing, place one foot on a small stool or a book.
When vacuuming, put all your weight on one foot, then step forward and back with the other foot as you push the vacuum. Use your back foot as a pivot when you turn.
Driving
Relax at the wheel as a relaxed driving position reduces stress on the spine and always adjust the seat to suit you.
Take regular breaks from driving - once every two hours or so.
Clench your buttocks if stuck in traffic - add some side bends and shoulder shrugs if possible.
Unload items off the back seat from the back doors of the car, rather than the front.
Don't wear tight clothes while driving.
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
If you would like a copy of this our bi-monthly newsletter emailed to you, please give your email address to one of our team and we will be pleased to send it to your mailbox.
Pam Cottey House, Chard Street, Axminster, Devon EX13 5DZ 01297 35844 193 High Street, Honiton, Devon EX14 1LQ 01404 549270
Improve your Golf Game this summer
A golf swing twists the body and creates stress on the spine, stretching one side of the back while contracting the other. Golfers can easily swing more than a hundred times whilst playing a round. Also, golfers hunch over the ball before each swing and frequently carry a very heavy bag on one shoulder for several hours. That is why many golfers experience low back pain. Golf can also cause injuries to your shoulders, knees, arms and wrists.
Here are some tips to help you:
- Use clubs and grips that fit you properly
- Take lessons from an experienced pro
- Warm up and stretch before each round
- Don't carry your golf bag place it on a cart
- Drink plenty of water
- Consider soft shoe spikes instead of metal ones
- Wear custom-made shoe inserts to support your foot arch, absorb shock and increase coordination
- Take a few practice swings every few holes with your opposite hand to balance your back muscles
It is also important to be in good physical shape with strong core muscles and deep spinal stabilizing muscles. Ask your chiropractor which specific stretching and strengthening exercises would be best for you and attend for regular chiropractic adjustments to keep your spine balanced and aligned. Enjoy your game and keep fit and well.
Smile!
Smiling is infectious; you can catch it like the flu. Someone smiled at me today, and I started smiling too. – Anonymous
Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. - Mother Teresa
And a Thought . . .
With your back to the wall, shoulder to the wheel, nose to the grindstone and best foot forward, can a chiropractor's appointment be far behind? - John Hyde, Chellaston, Derby.
The Chiropractic Health Centres' team:
Chiropractors: Richard Stenning, Louisa Wootton, Michael Norris
Chiropractic Assistants: Jacky, Carol, Kay, Sarah, Margo & Sue
Some Quotes
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" - Eleanor Roosevelt
"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction" - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash." - Georg S. Patton
"Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out" - Robert Collier
"What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself" - Hecato (Greek Philosopher)
Tommy Cooper Jokes:
- Went to the paper shop - it had blown away.
- I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any.
- I bought some HP sauce the other day. It's costing me 6p a month for the next 2 years.
- Last night I dreamed I ate a ten-pound marshmallow, and when I woke up the pillow was gone.
Don't forget that we also have therapists who provide the following treatments:
Acupuncture - Aromatherapy – Chiropody – Personal Life Coaching - Counselling Homeopathy - Hypnotherapy - Indian Head Massage – Kinesiology - Metamorphic Massage Neuro Linguistic Programming [NLP] - Polarity Therapy - Reflexology Rehabilitation Exercises including Pilates - Rejuvanessance - Remedial Massage SCIO Quantum Healing - Restylane Wrinkle Reduction and Frown Line Treatment
Sunflower Therapy For Children.
Read March/April 2010 Newsletter
Read January/February 2010 Newsletter