All posts by Matt Mayston

Sometimes the cause of back pain is obvious, for example a sports injury.

However… Sometimes the culprit could be surprising, such as improper footwear, especially high heels.

Why do they cause damage? When women wear high heels their body will attempt to compensate for the uneven balance they cause by flexing or forward bending their hips and spine. Heels can cause people to mimic the way a person would walk on a ramp and thus increase the pressure placed on the balls of the feet and the knees.

Lower Back 

The lower back is also pushed forward causing the hips and the spine to become misaligned. The changes to the posture cause a prolonged tensing of the calves, hips and back muscles. This results in excess muscle fatigue and strain at the end of the day. Over long periods of time this can cause serious problems for your leg muscles and spine health.

The Height of the Heel 

The height of the heel can also determine the weight carries be the footwear. As the height of the heel increases, so does the pressure on the ball of the foot. Stilettoes can therefore cause the most damage to your posture and overall spine health. It is therefore advised to wear as lower a heel as possible when you can.

How to help your back: 

If you do wear high heels take a few aspects into consideration to make sure you’re causing yourself as little damage as possible.

• Try and avoid wearing high heels for long periods of time
• If you have to commute each day it is wise to commute in flat shoes that cushion and support the natural arch of your foot and change into high heels when you get into the office
• If you do wear a lot of high-heeled shoes try and opt for ones with a lower, wider heel, preferably no higher than two inches, to reduce the amount of pressure being placed on your feet and calf muscles
• It can also be wise to buy shoes in the afternoon, when feet are at their largest, this will make sure your shoes will be to accommodate for the natural expansion of the feet throughout the day

Make Sure Not To Trip! 

As your balance can be more unsteady when you wear high heels it increases the possibility of you tripping over and causing yourself an injury. In consideration of this, it is a good idea to opt for shoes with a leather insole to keep the foot from slipping and provide a steadier grip when you’re walking around

Whether you have an important work meeting, an appointment to book, or an errand to run after work, everyone is susceptible to dealing with a long to do list. Living a fast-paced lifestyle often means neglecting some of our thoughts and pushing them to the back of our mind. However, when we do this, we are stressing ourselves out more than we realise, and this stress can often trickle back into our body physically. Muscle tension or inflammation can be caused by an overload of stress in our life.

Mindfulness is the practice of becoming aware of yourself in the present moment, enabling you to identify how you feel inside and out. With this mind-body approach, you can clear your mind of negativity and unnecessary stresses and ultimately, help against physical aches and pains. Mindfulness also allows you to understand the pain you might be feeling and how to ease any anxiety associated with it. If constant stress is untreated, it can lead to increased tension, forming a continuous cycle of pain. As well as stress and chronic pain, mindfulness can help combat anxiety, sleep and eating disorders.  Mindfulness can also increase our positivity and energy levels which overall encourages a healthy lifestyle.

Mindfulness has many benefits to your general wellbeing and your physical health. Next time you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take 10 minutes out of your day to practice mindfulness with these five tips:

1. Sit comfortably and relax
2. Focus on your breath
3. From your head to toes, bring awareness to each body part
4. Identify any sounds or smells and let them pass
5. Acknowledge and accept how you feel emotionally

Teenagers can be at risk from suffering back or neck pain due to sedentary lifestyles and the excessive use of technology.

Findings from the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) show that 40% of 11 to 16 year olds in the UK have experienced back or neck pain. More than one in seven (15%) parents said their son’s or daughter’s pain is a result of using a laptop, tablet or computer.

The research revealed that almost three quarters (68%) of 11 to 16 year olds spend between one and four hours a day on a laptop, tablet or computer and 73% spend between one and six hours on the devices.  More than a third (38%) of parents said their child spends between one and six hours a day on their mobile phone.

Chiropractors are now noticing a rise in the number of young people presenting with neck and back problems due to their lifestyle choices. Today, the BCA is encouraging parents to limit the time their children spend using technology and instead encourage more active pastimes over the Easter holidays.

Based on a two hour period, young people spend more time on games consoles (33%) than doing an activity like riding a bicycle (12%). When asked how much time their teenager spends on their bicycle, one in five (21%) parents admitted that they don’t have one.

Nearly half (46%) of parents questioned, acknowledged that their children don’t spend enough time exercising, despite NHS guidelines stating that children and young people between 5 and 18 years old need to do at least one hour of physical activity every day.

More people under the age of sixteen are being seen with back and neck pain, and technology is so often the cause. Young people are becoming increasingly sedentary which is damaging their posture. There is the tendency to sit in a hunched position when working on computers and laptops, putting a lot of strain on the neck.

Learning how to sit properly and keeping active will help to keep young people healthy and pain free. It’s important that parents seek help for their children from an expert as soon as any pain starts – if conditions are left untreated it could lead to chronic back and neck problems in later life.

The BCA offers the following top tips for parents to help their teenagers reduce the risks of back and neck pain:

• Get your kids moving: The fitter children are, the more their backs can withstand periods of sitting still. To increase fitness levels, your child should be more active which can be achieved by doing activities including walking to school, riding a bike or going for a run.
• Teach them how to sit: It’s important that children learn the correct way to sit when they’re using a computer. Teach them to keep their arms relaxed and close to their body and place arms on the desk when typing. Make sure the top of the screen is level with the eyebrows and the chair is titled slightly forward, allowing for the knees to be lower than the hips and the feet to be flat on the floor. Using a laptop or tablet away from a desk will encourage poor posture, so limit time spent in this way.
• Don’t sit still for too long: Make sure children take a break from the position they’re sitting in on a regular basis and stretch their arms, shrug their shoulders and move their fingers around – this helps to keep the muscles more relaxed.
• Lead by example: Maintaining good posture and promoting good back health is something that everyone should be doing, adults and children alike. If you make it a priority, it’s easier for your children to see the relevance.
• Seek medical advice: Seek professional advice if your child is experiencing pain which has lasted for more than a few days. If your child wants to be more active, check that there are no medical reasons why they should not exercise, particularly if they are not normally physically active.

Warmer and longer days in the summer can cause to relax into a ‘school’s out’ attitude, where you can experience a drop in your energy levels. Or you could be having so much fun in the sun that you forget to take care of yourself. Either way the willpower to engage in practices vital for a healthy lifestyle gets pushed to the back of your mind.

With summer comes the possibility of health issues such as dehydration, heat stroke, tiredness, upset stomach and bacterial infections. Make sure you’re on track for a happy and healthy summer with these six wellness practices that allow you to enjoy a season full of fun.

1. Make Sure You’re Hydrated

Properly hydrating is important any time of the year, but in the summer heat our bodies lose water at a rapid rate. It is essential to replenish the lost water in order to stay hydrated. Aim to drink about two-thirds of your body weight in kilos, in ounces of water each day, eg if you are 60kgs in weight then you should drink around 60 ounces (around four pints) of water a day.

1. Add More Fruits and Veggies to Your Diet

Eating fruit and vegetables every day will benefit your overall summer health as they’re rich in fiber, minerals, antioxidants, vitamins and other heart-healthy agents.

Try out berries, watermelon, cucumber, mangoes, sweet corn, celery, oranges and plums as each is in season.

1. Eat Lighter

Did you know that your stomach takes longer to digest foods when the weather is hotter?

Try not to consume too much food this summer by opting for lighter meals/portions and snacks (especially at night).

1. Get Your Vitamin D

Vitamin D is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in modern society for reasons like sunscreen and our indoor lifestyles.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient needed to support your bodily functions — from bone health to your immune system to your mood. Though most of the nutrients our body needs are available via the food we eat, vitamin D is primarily acquired via sun exposure.

1. Be Good to Your Eyes

To protect your vision at work and at play, wear protective sunglasses to block your eyes from the harsh rays of the sun. When outdoors, wear sunglasses that block at least 99% of ultraviolet A and B rays.

1. Develop an Exercise Routine

The warmer summer months are a great time to start a new exercise routine. Try swimming, walking, hiking, cycling, jogging and other outdoor activities this summer! This will help keep your body and mind aligned.

Practice these six tips for a happier and healthier summer!

Swim for Your Health

Floating, front crawl, butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke or freestyle – no matter how you get around in the water, swimming is the perfect cardio workout. The benefits of swimming are vast and regular pool attendance can improve your overall health.

Here are 6 amazing benefits of swimming:

1. It’s a full-body workout

One of the major benefits of swimming is that when you jump into the pool, you work your entire body. You may think it’s only your arms and legs being worked, but that’s not the case. Swimming increases your heart rate without stressing your body, tones muscle, builds strength, builds endurance and engages almost all of your back muscles.

30 minutes in a pool is worth 45 minutes of activity of similar intensity on land.

1. It’s easy on your joints

Another benefit of swimming is that water supports up to 90 percent of the body’s weight. Your joints only have to deal with 10 percent of their usual weight load, which lowers your chance of injury. So, if you have mobility issues with land-based exercise, you may still be able to swim to stay active. You can perform a high intensity swimming workout to get your heart rate up or perform a relaxed routine if that’s more your vibe. Either way, it’s unlikely to aggravate your joints and will help your overall health.

This makes swimming a great option for people of all ages and skill levels.

1. It burns up calories

Since swimming is a full body workout, it is one of the most effective ways to burn calories! Swimming at a relaxed pace burns around 200 calories in just half an hour (the same amount of calories as jogging without the joint stress). And if you are a faster swimmer, you would burn even more!

1. You can swim every day

Many people swim everyday seeing that it is gentle enough on the body that you can swim at a reasonably high intensity (heart rate-wise) every day without risking injury. Of course, rest days are always recommended.

1. It improves your mental health

We can all agree that life gets hard and stressful, swimming regularly can reduce anxiety and depression and lower your stress levels. When swimming, it’s just you and the water; the outside world is left outside the pool. You can’t scroll on Instagram, respond to business emails, or whatever you do in your digital time, so your brain naturally switches away from these. Swimming forces you to power down from constant digital stimulation and relax your mind.

1. It helps you get better sleep

Swimming has been linked to improved sleep duration and better sleep quality. We need sleep to allow our body and brain to recharge for the days ahead of us. Plenty of sleep also helps your body remain healthy and fight off diseases. When swimming regularly, plus good sleep time, you can improve your quality of life and mood.

Remember, regular swimming will improve both your health and outl

Growing pains can go hand-in-hand with growing up, and they are something that many children experience. Although they are harmless, they can be very painful.

Who gets growing pains?

Growing pains are usually experienced by children in primary school, with experts suggesting the pains stop by the age of 12. Whilst the cause of the pain is unknown, growing pains are thought to be more common in active children and children with flexible joints.

How long to growing pains last?

There is little evidence to suggest that growing pains are only associated with growth spurts. In fact, they can be experienced over months or even years.1

What do growing pains feel like?

Understanding the child’s pain can be tricky if you didn’t experience growing pains, or if you’ve forgotten the sensation.

Growing pains mainly affect the legs and, importantly, the pain is experienced in the muscles rather than the joints. It is a throbbing or aching feeling that frequently occurs in the evening and during the night. Though it should go away by the morning, it can sometimes disrupt a child’s sleep.

Treating growing pains

There is no specific treatment for growing pains, but there are a few ways to make a child more comfortable and ease the pain. For example:

• Gently massaging your child’s legs
• Use hot water bottles or heat packs on the painful area
• Run them a warm bath before bed
• Ensure they are wearing supportive shoes throughout the day, or uses orthotics if required
• Encourage the child to stretch
• An age-appropriate anti-inflammatory medication

Every parent wants the best for their child, especially when it comes to health. Children go through developing stages and each one has an impact on their bones and spine, from the first lost tooth to the last sport injury. It’s important to check in with kids about how their back feels and get a check-up if they think that something doesn’t feel right. Just like going to the dentist for a check-up, a chiropractor will check your child’s spine for any misalignment or imbalance, and the aim is to restore the child’s natural posture and health.

There are ways to prevent children from experiencing back pain during their developing years, and it all starts with being physically active and how they carry their school rucksack. Here are four tips to safeguard your child’s spine:

1. BAG IT LIGHT: school bags are often filled with more than what a child really needs. Backpacks are the best bags because they spread the weight evenly on each shoulder. Try to keep the backpack to a light/medium weight, filling it only with what is required. Remember to adjust the straps so that the bag so that weight is evenly distributed and the child’s spine doesn’t have to compensate.
2. WALK ON AIR: supportive footwear is essential to maintain a healthy posture. Soft-soled shoes that have good inner arch support will keep the kid happy and balanced. It is worth considering replacing the insole that comes with the shoe (which are normally of low quality) with a soft supportive insole. This will usually make a difference to the aches and pains that a child may feel late in the day after being on their feet for most of it.
3. EXERCISE: 21^st century kids tend to spend more time in front of a screen compared to older generations, lowering the time spent being physically active. It would be ideal to set aside the same time that a child spends sitting in front of a screen, to time being physically active. Dance or run breaks are great family activities.
4. GAMING POSTURE: Videogames tend to distract your kid from maintaining a comfortable posture while playing. If your kid is playing with videogames make sure their spine is supported while doing it.

Birth is one of the most traumatic experiences a baby can go through. It is not often known, for example, that the baby’s cranial bones move and overlap affording the flexibility required during delivery. Even after a successful delivery, a baby’s spine is still at risk.

However, there are some precautions you can take as a parent to minimize this risk both to your baby and to yourselves. Here are the healthiest positions for you to care for your baby.

Holding baby: your baby should be held close to you with the back of your baby’s head supported with your index finger behind the ear.

Bathing baby: your baby’s head should be supported using your thumb and forefinger while your free hand is used for bathing and supporting your baby in the tub.

Parent/child interaction: throwing your child up and down can actually cause spinal problems due to a lack of support as your child is being bent forward and backwards.

Picking children up: when lifting your child, you should be on your haunches, lift your child while holding them under both arms, and avoid carrying them on one hip. Preferably, your child should be carried in front of you with one leg either side of you.

Papoose type slings and carriers: unfortunately contraptions that allow your child to sit before it is naturally able to can cause major spinal problems. Most of the holding devices keep your baby’s spine in the ‘c’ shape curve it’s born with and do not allow the normal curves in the neck and low back to develop.

Dressing the child: clothing that has a tight collar can put a strain on your child’s spine in the neck and the area between the shoulder blades. Buttons and zips should be used as much as possible.

Feeding: if breast feeding, you should hold the baby at the level of the breast whilst supporting your arm on a pillow, to reduce spinal problems in yourself. You should place the baby so that it faces your breast so that rotation of your baby’s neck is minimized.

Crawling: crawling should be actively encouraged, as a lack of sufficient crawling is responsible for weak spinal architecture.

Emotional stress can also affect your baby. Domestic disharmony and maternal distress is very quickly picked up by the infant and translated into irritability, crying and unsettled behaviour. The negative effect on muscle tone, sleeping and feeding patterns is a major contributor to spinal subluxations.

As parents, bonding should be encouraged immediately for you both. Holding the infant close to your body, maintaining sustained eye contact, smiling and making soothing sounds are all important.

Think of holidays and most people will dream up images of days spent having a good time, perhaps relaxing in the sun or pursuing new interests. But how many people would wish to imagine themselves lying down indoors with back pain?

Unanticipated injury, such as back pain, can spoil a good holiday – don’t let it spoil yours. Aim to reach a good level of fitness before you go away, and when taking part in sports, make sure you know how play them properly.

Whatever physical activities you choose to engage in, bear in mind that a good number of back complaints are offset by failing to warm up properly before exercising.

Different sports have different guidelines as to how you should take care of your back. For example, when swimming it’s important not to try to keep the whole of the head out of the water, as this places considerable strain on the neck and shoulders, which can lead to problems in the lower back

Golf can present its own problems, particularly if the muscles aren’t warmed up before hand in order to cope with the rotation (twisting) of the lower back when swinging the club. Prevent this by practicing stretching and flexibility exercises before playing.

GPs say increasingly more patients complain of back pain caused by car journeys. Many people experience neck or low back stiffness after driving. Back pain, headaches and leg cramps can become routine, even for drivers who only drive short distances.

Modern life involves spending so much time in cars, it is imperative that car seats support our spine. Unfortunately, as the engineering and design of our cars has evolved, the comfort and ergonomic design of car seats has been neglected.

TIPS FOR COMFORTABLE MOTORING

Back and Neck Support

Driving with poor posture will cause back and neck ache, as well as poor concentration and fatigue. Sit back in the chair to support your spine. If your seat does not offer sufficient support you can buy a lumbar support or place a rolled-up towel in the small of your back to support the spine’s “S” shape. To reduce the risk of whiplash, reduce the distance between the rest and your head.

Steering Wheel and Chair Position

Adjust the wheel so your arms are not stretched or cramped, which could strain your shoulders and neck and lead to fatigue. Adjust your seat to allow you a comfortable view of the road. If you are small, jack up your seat to prevent overstraining your neck. Ensure that your feet are not too far from the pedals. If you are tall, slide the seat back to avoid cramp.

Long Distance Driving

Sitting in one position for a prolonged period will result in stress and strain on the spinal joints, muscles and ligaments. Stop for a few minutes each hour. Walk about to ease the spine and minimise aches and pains.

Getting in and out of your car

Swing your legs in and out of the car with your knees together. Never climb into or out of the car one leg at a time. After a long journey walk for a few minutes before you unload your boot. Your joints and muscles are cold and can be easily injured by such heavy lifting.