Many people will easily link smoking to the symptoms of coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath, but how many people who complain of aches and pains in the lower back will think it could be related to lighting up a cigarette?
Smoking can have a range of negative effects on the body, but it is the interruption of the body’s transport system and the supply of fresh blood and nutrients to certain areas that can ultimately cause pains in the lower back region. If you do smoke, it’s important to be aware of the risks you may be putting your body through; it’s not just the lungs that suffer when you inhale cigarette smoke, but the general health of the whole body.
For those that decide to stop smoking, there are various ways in which you can help the body adjust to a healthier way of life, here are a few tips:
– Drink plenty of water, as it helps to flush nicotine from the body
– Cut down on caffeine by drinking less tea and coffee as caffeine can act as a stimulant and induce nervousness
– Walk briskly for half an hour a day – you’ll be more positive, burn up stress and calories and develop more energy and endurance
– Think positively about what you are doing. Instead of thinking that you are depriving yourself of a cigarette, think of all the good you are doing for your body
If you want to stop smoking, or need some help and advice, visit the NHS Stop Smoking website for more details.
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 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.
Did you know it is estimated that a sixth of the UK population suffers from back pain at any one time. And according to the National Office of Statistics, a staggering 31 million days of work were lost last year [2016] due to back, neck and muscles problems. These huge numbers of back and neck related complaints have been linked to our modern lifestyles and a lack of steps taken by many of us to prevent the problems before they become too serious.
Sitting in an office – what’s the problem? Sitting for long periods of time lessens blood flow to the discs that cushion your spine and thus places more pressure on it than walking or standing. What can you do? It is crucial that you have a good posture while sitting at your desk. Make sure your head is straight and not tilted down when you are reading or typing. Avoid slouching and if it is possible, tilt your chair back slightly to help alleviate any excess pressure on your spine and make sure your feet are placed firmly hip width apart on the floor. Take regular breaks to stand up, stretch and walk around.
Increasing your exercise – what’s the problem? It is advised that we take 10,000 steps a day; most of us normally only manage to get between 3,000 and 4,000! What can you do? If possible, park further away from your destination or get off the tube a few stops before you normally would and walk the rest of the way. Why is walking so good for us? As walking is a good, low impact exercise, it can not only help to relieve back pain but also prevent it without putting too much strain on your body. Even walking for just 30 minutes a day 3 – 5 times a week can have real benefits for you back health and your overall wellbeing!
The majority of lower back problems can be influenced by everyday movements or postures that are repeated thousands of times – and if they are not done properly they can cause plenty of issues. How many times a day do you stand up from sitting down?
Challenge: Can you stand up without your knees going in front of your toes, without using your hands on your knees, and keeping your back straight?
If you have issues with this ask your Chiropractor for more advice.
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. The lower back is also pushed forward causing the hips and the spine to become dis-aligned. The changes to the posture can 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 can also determine the weight carried 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 where possible to wear as lower a heel as possible!
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 where possible. 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 able 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.
If you suffer from arthritis, or very stiff joints, exercise may be the last things you want do. However… getting out into the fresh air and doing some low intensity, aerobic exercise can be extremely beneficial and help to prevent stiff joints. Some sports can help to build up your core muscles, the muscles which support your joints, and also reduce joint inflammation. These include: Yoga Pilates Swimming Cycling Walking
Opt for gentle movements and light stretches and build up slowly, the gentle stretching involved in each exercise can help you to maintain mobility and movement. Be careful… try and avoid any hot or power yoga as this can end up putting excessive pressure on your joints.
Try this… Swimming can be particularly good as the buoyancy of the water can help relieve any pressure on your joints while you exercise, giving you that extra supportive barrier which will help cushion any inflamed joints.
Or this…. Cycling also acts in a similarly supportive manner as it helps you avoid the pounding of high-impact aerobic activities. A gentle cycle can help to strengthen your leg muscles that support your joints. So whether it’s on an exercise bike or in the great outdoors, cycling can be an effective way of staying fit while making sure your joints aren’t placed under too much pressure.
If you are experiencing a severe flare up it is best to rest for a couple of days before part taking in any kind of physical activity. Remember, it’s not a race. Don’t push your body to do anything if you feel you can’t manage it. If you feel like it, you could simply go for a walk, but make sure not to push yourself too much if you are in pain. The best thing you can do is to listen to your body. Remember… pain is your body’s way of telling you to stop, so always go at your own pace!
Phew! It’s been a long week but hopefully all our advice has made a difference and you’re feeling pain-free and zen!
We’ve given you a lot to take in over the last 7 days so here’s a quick run down of our top tips…
Set a reminder to get you up and moving! this is the quickest and fastest-working option. Set a countdown timer on your phone, pop up email alert, sticky note on your screen, whatever it takes to get you up and out that chair!
Use your settings and apps – again, why fight technology when it has built-in settings that make your life easier! Do not disturb, airplane mode, yellow filters; they all take minutes to set up and you will feel the benefits within a few days!
Stretching is good for the soul – whatever your tech habits, stretches will benefit you! Work out a 5 minute routine that can be done anywhere, and your neck, back and shoulders will thank you for it. (For a personalised routine ask us next time you’re in the clinic!)
Ensure your work desk is set up correctly. Run through your check list – eyes, neck, shoulders, wrists, legs. Everything in align? Good, now that working day will not be such a pain in the neck!
Remind yourself it is just a phone! Mindfulness sounds like hippy rhetoric, but it’s very important to de-clutter and de-stress your mind, as a calmer mind means less tension in your body, which should mean fewer aches and pains. Remember that just because a piece of electronics is telling you to check it, it can probably wait!
We hope you’ve found our suggestions useful, and if you have any of your own handy tips then let us know on Facebook. Hopefully you’ll have liked and shared our videos from the week, so check back on the 19th April to see if you’re one of our lucky winners….
Gaming is an incredibly popular past-time, with more and more people playing, and for longer periods of time. This is great if you want to find out exactly what Big Boss has planned for Snake, or you need to save your civilians from the mother ship invasion, but I’m guessing posture is the last thing on your mind when gaming. That’s why Andrew has hand-picked the best stretches for you, and you can watch and practice them here. We recommend doing your stretches when there is a load screen, a cut scene or when your character dies and you have to reload. Essentially, if there is a break in gameplay, it’s time to get up and stretch!
And don’t forget to head over to our facebook for videos everyday this week, and for your chance to win!
We hope you are well rested today after following our advice for a good night’s sleep phone-free!
Today we want to challenge you to put down that tech and get outside. We want you to give up your evening of sofa-surfing, and head out on an adventure! It doesn’t matter where you go or for how long, but we want to see you enjoying your evening away from the screen. Post a picture on our Facebook page before midday on Wednesday 19th April to show us your adventurous evening, but if we see you online for more than 15 minutes this evening, we’ll know you’re cheating & you’ll be disqualified from the contest! The best adventure photo will win a biodot product of their choice*, and we will announce the winner later on Wednesday 19th April.
