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Chiropractic Awareness Week – Get Your Desk In Order!

No no no! What a waste of an ergonomic chair…

Whether you’re working or relaxing, your computer is probably involved. Desk jobs are more common than ever, and even working from home, your PC is a hub of activity and is probably switched on from dawn til dusk. But because you use it all the time it needs to be set up correctly to avoid tech neck, stiff wrists, sore shoulders, the list of ailments goes on!

So we’re here to show you the correct way to set up your computer:

1. Eyes level with top of the screen, and monitor about an arm’s length away – raise your monitor up if necessary
2. Wrists in-line with the desk in a neutral position to avoid strain
3. Back in a neutral position, lumbar support if needed
4. Feet flat on the floor (if you’re vertically-challenged you may want a footrest) with hips at a slight incline

Use these two diagrams to help you set your station up correctly.

And remember, if you work in an office it is the law that your employer takes health and safety seriously, and should accommodate your needs to minimise risks. If in doubt, have a chat with your manager, and discuss your specific needs with us when you’re next in the clinic.

Don’t forget to head over to our facebook for videos everyday this week, and for your chance to win!

Hello Everyone, and welcome to this year’s Chiropractic Awareness Week! This year’s theme is to give your back a break from technology, so between the 10^th and 16^th April we’ll be giving you daily videos and advice on our website and our Facebook on how to break free from your technology!

New consumer research from the British Chiropractic Association has revealed that computers are now the top tech back pain trigger for people in the East Midlands. Over a third of those surveyed had experienced back or neck pain after using their laptop, and another third experienced pain after using a desktop computer. But despite these figures, under a fifth of surveyed people in the East Midlands have either limited or stopped using their laptop due to concerns for their health & posture, and that figure is even lower for desktop computer users.

We all know how easy it is to become glued to your tech. Our devices have become such an integral part of our lives, it’s become incredibly easy to spend almost your entire day looking at screens. Wake up in the morning, check your phone. Head to work, probably using a computer all day, head home to watch some TV, play some games, do some work on your laptop/computer/tablet, then before you know it back to bed and check your phone one last time before sleep. That is a huge amount of screen-time and it is so easily done.

But we at Beeston Chiropractic are on a mission to change this. We are very much aware of the irony in telling you to use screens less, from a screen… BUT! the key is finding the balance between screen-life and real-life. It’s important to think about the impact technology is having on our back and neck health, as well as our posture, and our mental health too. We’re not saying stop using tech altogether as that would be nigh-on impossible, but it’s important to think about limiting the amount of time you spend using it and start building regular breaks into your day so you can give your back a rest.

There are so many different ways you can help yourself, and throughout this week we’ll be giving you our best tips, tricks and advice on how to avoid that technology!And to give you a bit of extra incentive, we’ll be holding a few competitions for you on our Facebook page, with lots of great prizes to be won! So keep checking back daily for updates and for your chance to win!

Terms and Conditions for the Chiropractic Awareness Week prizes:

1. To enter the Sissel Pillow prize draw, you  must like and share each day’s Chiropractic Awareness Video before the 17th April 2017 on Facebook.
2. The deadline for entries to the Adventure Challenge and Art Challenge is midday Wednesday 19th April. The winner of the art challenge and the winner of the adventure challenge will each receive one biodot product of their choice from our range (choice of band or clip or tag only).
3. One entry per patient, per competition
4. Only patients of the clinic can enter (active or non-active)
5. Winners will  be announced on Wednesday 19th April on our Facebook
6. No monetary equivalent, prizes are none returnable

So head on over to our Facebook to be in with a chance to win!

EASTER OPENING TIMES

Please be aware the clinic will be closed from: Good Friday 14^th April through to Easter Monday 17^th April

We will be back to our regular opening times from Tuesday 18^th April onwards.

Remember you can call our out of hours number on 07854 707873. Leave a message and we’ll get back to you.

Happy Easter Everyone! Hope it’s an egg-cellent one!

We say a final goodbye to Lyn, our loyal and trusted hygiene technician, we wish her a long and restful retirement. And we welcome to the team Mina Oldershaw, who will be picking up the mop, bucket and iron from Lyn.

The clinic now opens a little later on a Wednesday at 09:00hrs and a reminder that Ruth, Sports Massage Therapist, has now increased her availability on a Wednesday – please ask at reception for dates and times. Please also remember that our new prices are effective from 1st April 2017 (see below for details).

Have a lovely Easter, and take it steady in the garden because the clinic will be closed from 8pm Thursday 13th until 8am Tuesday 18th April.

Chiropractic Awareness Week is between 10th and 16th April, and this year’s focus is to ‘give your back a break from your tech’. New research from the British Chiropractic Association has revealed computers are the top back pain trigger in the East Midlands, with over a third of those surveyed having experienced back/neck pain after using their laptop or computer. Yet despite these issues, under 20% of people asked have limited or stopped their tech usage!

Whilst the advice appears to be for office workers, please remember that more and more of us are using technology at home and on the go -whether it is computer gaming or reading the ‘newspaper’ on a tablet or smart phone! And not only does being on your tech for too long cause issues to your physical health, it can also affect your mental health. Having a phone that constantly bleeps and begs for your attention with updates, can become distracting and overwhelming. Just take a moment to think how long you spend on technology a day, and compare that to how long you spend not using that technology. Like most of us it’s probably going to be longer on the tech than off!

Here at BCC we are committed to changing this. We will be posting daily videos from the 10th April  on our Facebook (yes we are aware of the irony, but how else will we get everyone’s attention?), with hints and tips to help you become tech-savvy. And make sure to look out for our Chiropractic Awareness Week Competition on Facebook too – there WILL be prizes won!

If you love your chiropractor would you like to share your experience?

We’d like more testimonals that we can use on our website and we will exchange your honest reviews for an extra loyalty stamp! We would like to know what you think about the service we provide for you and share it with others. If you would like to write a few words about the care you receive then please email reception@beestonchiropractic.co.uk for a digital form.

The information you provide may be used in promotional material inside and outside the clinic including our website or to help us improve the quality of care we provide. Full T&Cs are on the testimonial form.

More

Do you spend most of the day hunched over staring at the screen of your smartphone or tablet? Do your shoulders, neck and upper back often feel stiff by the end of a busy day?

You may be suffering from a condition colloquially known as Tech Neck.

“Tech Neck, as it is known refers to the strain in your neck and shoulder muscles that develops as a result from excessively craning your neck down when you are looking at a phone or a portable tablet device.”

Did you know… There are ways you can limit the amount of time we spend hunched over a screen, these include:

For every 15 – 20 minutes you spend on your device you should take a 3 minute break.
Limit yourselves to periods of 15 – 20 minutes where possible
Rather than hunching forward to look at your screen, sit up straight and bring your phone or tablet up to eye level

Making sure you’ve got the right posture can also be crucial.

For most people, the computer screen is located below your natural eye line leaving your head and shoulders to naturally hunch downwards. By raising your computer screen to your eye level you will force yourself to keep your head in a more natural position.

Chiropractors also advise to do some small stretches to relieve the tension in your upper body. Bend your neck to the right so that your ear moves closer to your shoulder. Relax and hold for 20 seconds. Return to centre, and then repeat the move to the left. Do a repetition of five. A further exercise is to do a simple chin tuck. Tilt your head down and tuck your chin into your neck. Hold for five seconds, and then look back up. Do a repetition of ten. These exercises will help release any tension that might be created due to excessive strain from hunching over.

Make sure to listen to your body. If you have any aches and pains in your neck, shoulders and upper back, it usually means something is not working properly. If in doubt, contact your chiropractor!

We know that facial muscles affect facial expression, and in turn can influence emotion, but it’s rarely considered that other muscular states can also affect mood. Research suggests that this is the case and that sitting upright can build resilience to stress.

Especially when under pressure and distracted, people are likely to pay less attention to their posture. However, research indicates that good posture at times of stress can help to maintain self-esteem and positive mood, whereas slumped postures have the opposite effect.

It is important to take care of your posture and there are a number of ways to do this, both at home and at work, and especially when using a computer.

When relaxing in a chair, such as when watching television, it is important to ensure that as much of the body as possible has contact with the chair for optimal support.
Avoid sitting for more than 30-40 minutes at a time. Remember to stand up, stretch, change position, walk around and go and get a drink of water!

When stretching, concentrate on opening up your chest, abdominal area and hip flexors. Your chiropractor can advise you on the best movements for this.

Perform exercises to strengthen the muscles that support your posture. Exercises such as resistance band pull-aparts are good, and your chiropractor can advise you on other suitable exercises.

Of course, perhaps the time that slouching most commonly occurs in our society is during the hours that are spent hunched over a desk, working at a computer.

To avoid slouching it is best to ensure that your desk, chair and monitor are set up following proper guidelines. Make sure to take regular breaks. We recommend setting a timer to remind yourself if you’re guilty of forgetting to do this when immersed in work. And if using a laptop, ensure that is placed on a desk or table rather than your lap to avoid looking down, slouching, and leaving your neck unsupported. (If you have the option, plug in a keyboard and mouse to the laptop to allow for optimum posture performance!)

Your chiropractor will be able to conduct a postural analysis and suggest stretches, exercises and lifestyle changes that can improve your seated posture and enhance your mood.

Many working people spend their working day in front of a computer screen. Correct posture when you are spending a lot of time in front of a computer is extremely important, especially when you consider that for those with back pain and related conditions absence from work takes up an average of 13 days a year. Follow the do’s and don’ts below to ensure your posture is as correct as possible:

DO …

Ensure your chair has adequate back support
Use a desk of an appropriate height
Take regular breaks to rest eyes, neck and shoulders
Stand up and walk around at least once an hour
Loosen neck and shoulders whilst sitting
Relax wrists while typing

DON’T …

Slouch
Use a low table or desk
Sit for too long at a time
Tense your neck, shoulders or wrists
Cross your legs

Bad posture habits start in childhood when we sit in front of the television, and at school desks, and they continue into adulthood, not only with computers, but when we are driving and slouching in chairs. Sitting and inactivity automatically worsens posture and in later life can cause osteoporosis and arthritis, making pain inevitable.

In order to achieve a correct natural posture you should flatten your back against a chair or wall, roll your shoulders back and down, and tuck in your chin whilst you glide your head backwards. Try to adopt this position every 20 minutes or so and eventually it should occur automatically, to improve your posture and prevent pain and longer term damage.