With long distance running marathons and triathlons becoming increasingly popular as well as a increasing array of high intensity exercise classes like Zumba, Barry’s Bootcamp, HulaFIt, calf muscle injures are seen more commonly.
How does it happen?
Calf strain occurs when the muscle at the back of the lower leg becomes damaged or inflamed due to excessive strain or force being placed on the calf muscle. These injuries often arise from sports that involve repeated jumping or change of direction as well as explosive sprinting or long distance running.
Calf muscle tears get more common as we get older due to the loss of elasticity in our muscles and tendons. Soft tissue injuries get more common if you over train a certain structure and eventually it breaks. Often injuries can start with micro-tears in the calf muscle and achilles tendon and this in turn can result in a to a complete tear.
What are the symptoms?
Patients are likely to feel aching and stiffness which becomes more apparent first thing in the morning and often the calf will feel weak, making the patient unable to resume activity and sometimes bear weight resulting in a limp.
How can I prevent it?
If you’ve been inactive for an extended period of time, to prevent injuries you need to start off very slowly and gently. Start with non-ballistic exercises such as calf raises and progress the program to eventually include ballistic exercises, maybe 3 months later.
Top Tip
Warming up and stretching after exercise is always recommended but be careful not to overstretch or put excess force on calf muscles. Stretch until there’s light tension in the muscles, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling. Hold that position for 15-to-30 seconds, relax and repeat up to four times. Stay still and don’t bounce during stretching. Don’t push yourself to the point of pain; ease the stretch until it is comfortable.
Many people feel tired or run-down at some point during the day. A lack of energy could affect your daily activities and make you less productive. The type and quantity of food you eat play an essential role in determining your energy levels during the day. A few simple changes in your diet may be all you need to get back to your brighter self. Give yourself an energy overhaul with the following tips.
Eat every three hours
Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a healthy snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon, with no longer than three hours between. This will stop those cravings for sweet foods. Keeping snacks such as vegetable sticks and hummus or peanut butter and oatcakes to hand will help you to resist sugary hits and keep your energy stable.
Drink up
It is important to regularly top up your liquid levels, to help you to feel more alert and focused, and to get rid of any brain fog. Our bodies are mostly made up of water, so replenishing during the day helps to keep us feeling our best. Aim to drink two litres of water throughout the day.
Power up with protein
Instead of carbohydrate-loaded cereals, switch to a lean protein source for breakfast. Protein takes longer to digest, so it will keep you fuller for longer, and also helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Try eggs, salmon and avocado to start the day. A protein-focused lunch will also help to curb the notorious afternoon dip, and a protein shake will keep your energy steady.
Be clever with sugar
If you are craving sweets all the time, swap to something with less sugar. Try eating dark chocolate, which you might be less prone to eating too much of. That’s because milk chocolate is mostly sugar and milk solids, but dark chocolate is richer in cocoa and satisfying after a square or two. Berries are also a good choice as they have sugar, but the fibre will help “buffer” the sugar high to prevent energy levels from rising and falling.
Choose wholegrain
Start buying wholegrain alternatives for your bread, pasta and rice. Whole grains release energy slowly as their carbohydrates break down slowly over several hours so that they do not suddenly flood the bloodstream with sugar. Also, this gradual release helps you feel fuller for a longer time, suppresses your appetite and stops you craving sweet foods.
Aim for more vitamins
Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables will help you add important nutrients and good bacteria to your digestive tract. It is important to eat such foods as broccoli and cauliflower as they are full of micronutrients, antioxidants and fibre. If you find that your eyelids are hanging in the middle of the morning, choose fruit as a snack. Peeling and eating the fruit with its invigorating aroma will give you a pickup.
Alex had a socially distanced, chat with Alan Clifford on 24 June, they discussed more ways to make sure you look after your back if you’re having to work from home or self-isolating due to Coronavirus…
You can listen here, simply click on the player above.
Adjusting to this new stuck-at-home lifestyle isn’t always easy. Often our new, relaxed routines include a lot of delicious food, horizontal bingeing, and restricted physical activity, which can quickly negatively affect our bodies. Here is some advice on how to fix a few common quarantine head, neck and back pains.
LOWER BACK AND HIPS PAIN
Complaints of lower back pain and hip tightness are on the rise, due to our less than active lives. The lower back is naturally curved inward; when it takes on an unnatural position for an extended amount of time, it can cause fatigue of the muscular tissues, leading to lower back pain. Sitting on a couch or bed working all day or just watching TV for weeks or months will eventually overload the hips, causing them to become tighter and less mobile.
The best ways to release tension and relax those muscles is to move often and take advantage of our daily walking to stretch and release muscle tightness. Yoga is a great way to remove lower back tension; the upward dog pose is perfect in releasing the hips of our weight and giving the lower and upper back a deep stretch.
TECH PAINS
The idea of working from home seemed like a great change, especially for those working in crowded offices. Unfortunately, the reality of working from home can be more challenging than expected. From sharing small apartments to hectic home-schooling days, finding a quiet room equipped to work can be difficult.
Many have been using their couches or chairs as desks, hunching over their computers and neglecting their spinal health. If a desk at a proper height is not available, or a chair with good back support is missing from the house, practice some hip-flexor stretches. Hip-flexor stretches release lower back tension, while regular standing breaks improve overall circulation.
HEADACHES
We look at our phones and technology every day. Still, over the past weeks if not months, the average screen time has increased for almost everybody. The combination of collective stress and anxiety, with increased screen time and a lack of movement has caused many to experience headaches and neck/shoulder tightness. The more our heads strain down to read from a phone or computer screen, the more weight our necks needs to support. This can cause tension-type headaches and neck pain.
To strengthen the neck muscles, stand with your back and head against a wall, tucking in the chin and gently pushing the head back, using the wall for resistance. Hold for three seconds, then release for three seconds. Repeat 15 times.
Try some easy at-home stretches and vary your posture and position every hour. Take advantage of daily walks to breath in fresh oxygen and get the legs moving. Small but targeted changes to our daily routine can help us stay away from at home muscle pains.
The news has recently reported many stories regarding COVID-19, including symptoms related to the virus. Many people report experiencing shortness of breath, low oxygen levels, high temperatures/fever and fatigue. We can all easily identify three of the symptoms just mentioned, but what precisely is blood oxygen level?
Blood oxygen level refers to the amount of oxygen circulating in the blood. The oxygen is carried by red blood cells, which collect oxygen from the lungs and deliver it to the entire body.
Blood oxygen level is an indicator of how well the body distributes oxygen from the lungs to the cells. A normal level varies between 75 and 100 mm Hg while if oxygen levels are below 60 mm Hg, it is considered low and medical attention might be required, depending on the individual’s medical history.
There are many ways to measure blood oxygenations; one of the most widely accessible is via a pulse oximeter. There are no proven ways to self-assess oxygen levels without a blood test or oximeter, but by paying attention to the following symptoms, it is possible to identify an imbalance.
Low blood oxygen levels can result in abnormal circulation and cause dizziness, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, chest pain, headache and visual disorders. Low levels can be caused by environmental and physical factors and can be aggravated if the patient suffers from respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.
Here are some self-care measures to help reduce shortness of breath, and improve blood circulation and oxygenation.
Exercise. Any physical activity will help to improve our respiratory ability, letting our lungs expand and increase oxygenation.
Bring the outside oxygen in. Open your windows daily to bring in new fresh air. Dress your room with some plants, so they take-in carbon dioxide and release oxygen—the more plants you have, the more oxygen and overall better environment.
Quit smoking and vaping. This one is simple: smoking negatively impacts the lungs and the lungs of those around you.
Eat green and raw foods. Eating vegetables and uncooked fruit preserves all the vitamins and minerals they supply. Fresh juices and smoothies are a great way to implement raw foods into our diet.
Maintaining good oxygen levels and blood circulation is essential at any age. Most people will not experience many oxygen imbalances in their life, but if you have found yourself experiencing shortness of breath and heightened fatigue, consult with a doctor.
Most of us are aware of the importance of calcium for our health – especially for our bones. But magnesium is another vital mineral for our bones, as well as for our muscles and nerves; it can actually be more difficult to get enough of this mineral in our diet than to get enough calcium.
Magnesium is needed for normal muscle and nerve function. Without magnesium, our muscle fibres wouldn’t be able to relax after they have contracted, and nerve impulses wouldn’t be able to travel around our body properly.”
Magnesium is vital for strong bones and teeth too. If you’re trying to improve or maintain your bone strength, it’s essential to include lots of magnesium-rich foods as well as calcium-rich foods. Magnesium is also necessary for our cells to convert the food we eat into usable energy, and also for healthy ‘psychological function’ including mood and how we deal with stress.
For these reasons, symptoms of not getting enough magnesium may include muscle cramping, tight or weak muscles, increased pain, and loss of bone strength, as well as lack of energy, low mood, greater susceptibility to stress, and even poor sleep or insomnia. The main sources of magnesium in our diet are plant foods, particularly green leafy vegetables such as kale, chard and spinach as well as seeds and nuts, particularly pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds.
The general adult recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 375mg. Like any nutrient, our requirements can vary and the amount of magnesium present in foods can also vary. But as a general rule, we need to eat four to five servings of one of these foods a day to get enough of this mineral. (One serving is about 80 grams or one handful green leafy veg, or two tablespoons of seeds, for example.)
Remember that drinking milk or eating cheese to get your calcium is not enough on its own to maintain strong bones – make sure you get plenty of those plant foods too! Also, don’t forget that weight-bearing exercise is one of the most important things to maintain bone strength.
As from Monday 18th May 2020 we are please to inform you that the clinic will be open with a full team of chiropractors and front desk support.
Monday 18th May 08:00 -20:00 hrs Troy Magowan and Alex Newton
Tuesday 19th May 08:00 – 20:00 hrs Alex Newton Troy Magowan Lucy Honychurch
Wednesday 20th May 11:00- 20:20 Troy Magowan
Thursday 21st May 08:00-20:00 Troy Magowan Lucy Honychurch Alex Newton
Friday 22nd May 08:00-17:00 Alex Newton Lucy Honychurch
Saturday 23rd May 08:00-12:00 Alex Newton Troy Magowan
We have implemented careful procedures following a full risk assessment and staff training as advised by the British Chiropractic Association. After a few days of trialling these procedures, we are comfortable that we are able to deliver a safe environment and treatment for patients who are in need of our support.
We would like to encourage those patients who are in the high risk groups to delay as long as they can, but would like to reassure them that we are here for them in other ways. If they are unable to come in to the clinic we can offer Telehealth consultations and we are satisfied with the support that these can offer to them. Please ask for details or check the online booking system for an appointment.
There is a specific procedure to follow once you arrive on site and so far we are very grateful that the patients who have attended, have respected this and supported us in ensuring the safety of themselves our team and other patients. Thank you.
Please stay in your car once parked. The clinic entrance door will be locked. If you can check in online please do or scan the code reader on the door. You do not need to knock on the door or ring the clinic phone to notify us you are here we will come and find you. There may be a short delay in collecting you to protect other patients.
Please bring your own gloves and masks if you have them. We do have supplies so don’t worry if you don’t.
We will ask you to sanitise your hands, sign a consent form, take your temperature and get you changed. ALL patient will be expected to undress to their underwear and wear a clinic gown, gloves and a mask throughout their time in the clinic.
Please pay by contactless cards and dispose of your PPE carefully
We are sorry to inform you that the other therapists still do not have a start date.
Remember appointments can be booked on line via our new booking facility.
There will be further changes which will be announced in the June Newsletter about future changes to the clinic opening hours.
Monday 11th May 2020 11 :00 hrs- 20:00 hrs Alex Newton
Tuesday 12th May 2020 08:00 hrs – 18:00 hrs Alex Newton and Lucy Honychurch
Wednesday 13th May CLOSED
Thursday 14th May 2020 09:00hrs – 19:00hrs Lucy Honychurch and Alex Newton
Friday 15th May 2020 08:00hrs – 17:00hrs Alex Newton and Lucy Honychurch
Saturday 16th May 2020 CLOSED due to Team Training
Troy Magowan will be resuming her clinical practice from Monday 18th May 2020
Front Desk Receptionists returning Tuesday 26th May 2020
Ruth Taylor, Jenny Flowers and Anne Etherton – still awaiting authorisation – start date TBA
Please go to our Appointment Button ABOVE to book online or call during these times to talk to us. We still do not have any front desk receptionists for a little while longer, so please leave a message and we will call you as soon as we are free.
If you have an appointment please wait in your car in the carpark and the chiropractor will come and fetch you when it is safe for you to enter the clinic
Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to helping you out soon.
We would also like to thank all the patients who have ventured in through the door for our acute care service for their understanding and cooperation abiding by our Covid-19 policy to deliver safe and effective treatment.
