Category: chiropractor southend

Fun Summer Activities to Fight Back Pain

Posted on

back care advice from our southend chiropractorSummer is almost here and there’s no better time to get out and about in the great outdoors with the family. But if you suffer from back pain, finding something fun to do that doesn’t make you go “ouch” can seem tricky. But our Southend chiropractor has just the advice you need for a summer that brings you pleasure instead of pain.

Walking

It is believed that walking has the lowest dropout rate than any other physical activity. And it’s easy to guess why! Walking is a great activity for anyone simply because it can be done anywhere, at any time and with minimal preparation.  All you need is a comfortable pair of walking shoes and a safe path and you’ll be on your way to better overall health and reduced back pain.

Walking can help to increase the stability of the spine and strengthen the muscles that keep the body in an upright position. It also encourages strong circulation which facilities the delivery of nutrients into spinal structures. Walk regularly and you’ll also benefit from an improved range of motion and a reduced risk of future spine injury. The bottom line? Walk. Walk. Walk.

Yoga

Yoga hosts an enormity of health benefits including improved flexibility, increased strength, stress relief and more. You’ll especially benefit from yoga if you suffer from back and neck pain because it offers a wide combination of physical movements, breathing and meditation.

Yoga movements have many practical ways of help to treat chronic back and neck conditions.

Paddle Boating

Ever wondered why you see so many people standing up on surf boards padding to and fro? They’re not just floating around day dreaming; they’re doing an activity that has many health benefits. Paddle boarding has become popular in recent years because it’s a low impact exercise that can help to improve strength, balance and core stability. Even just the relaxing nature of the activity in itself offers stress relief.

Try your hand at paddle boarding and you’ll engage almost every muscle in your body as you work to maintain your balance. It’s also incredibly easy on the tendons, ligaments and joints; which is why so many people with back pain enjoy this activity so much.

Who knew pain relief could be so much fun?

You should consult with a health care practictioner before starting an new form of exercise if you have concerns.

Three Reasons Your Neck Is Stiff

Posted on

Are your aches and pains literally a pain in the neck? Feeling like your cervical spine could do with a gallon of oil to loosen it up?

Our Southend chiropractor highlights three reasons why your neck may be so stiff:

1:  You’re a Smartphone Addict

Yep, that little device that you’re never more than a foot from can be bad news for your neck. “Text neck,” which is a modern cause of neck pain and stiffness, is becoming increasingly prevalent due to the amount of time people spend looking down at mobile devices.

2: Your Position’s all Wrong

Any activity that places your neck in an awkward position for a prolonged period can cause muscle strain. This may include holding your phone against your shoulder as you speak, carrying a bag on one shoulder or working for long hours at a computer.

3: Your Pillow Needs Changing

Ideally, your head and spine should follow a straight line when you sleep. If your pillow is too high or too low, it’s probably time to get a new one!

A stiff neck can be more than just an annoyance; it can be a sign that you need to change some bad habits.

The Best Gym Workouts for Back Pain

Posted on

Anyone who knows a thing or two about back pain will tell you that exercise is good for it! But now that you’ve got yourself a shiny new gym membership, what kind of workout should you be doing, exactly?

According to our Southend chiropractor, low-impact aerobic activities are the safest ways for people with chronic back problems to exercise. The benefits of this kind of exercise are wide reaching: it can help you to drop pounds which will relieve excess strain on your back, it can boost circulation which promotes disc healing and it can strengthen those all-important back and core muscles.

There’ll be a number of cardio machines at your local gym that offer low-impact workouts. Before you start any new exercise, talk to a reputable chiropractor or your healthcare provider for exercise recommendations specific to your back problem.

How Do You Deal With Pain?

Posted on

pain management advice from our southend chiropractorChronic or severe pain can interfere with your life on many levels and can even affect your ability to work, maintain relationships and sleep properly. But did you know that there are many pain management techniques that can work alongside your physical treatment plan to help relieve your symptoms?

Here our Southend chiropractor lists a few coping strategies that work effectively for many back pain patients:

Focus on your breathing

You may not be aware of this, but if your pain is severe, you are probably breathing more rapidly and shallowly than usual. Controlled, deep breathing can harness the nervous system’s “quieting response” and encourage a reduction in the pain you feel.

Lay down in a quiet room and switch of any distractions that may over-stimulate you. You can either close your eyes or focus on a specific point or object. Then, try to focus on nothing but breathing in and breathing out. If you can feel that you are in control of your body and take charge of your own breathing, you may feel in a more powerful position to stop your pain from controlling you.

Once you are breathing deeply, muscle relaxation will come naturally. The key is to try and let go of any feeling in your body and to remain entirely focused on your breathing.

Visualise a better place

Visualisation involves picturing a detailed situation and the emotions that accompany it. This technique can be extremely effective in providing pain relief.

If you suffer from severe or chronic pain, the situation you visualise may be one where you are pain-free, relaxed and feeling generally well. But there is not one visualisation that works for everyone; they key is finding one that works for you.

Many patients find it effective to visualise the sensations of taking a warm bath or relaxing on a beach. Religious or spiritual thoughts are also popular for helping patients to cope with pain. Oddly, even thoughts of food can help in some cases; some chronic pain patients find that focusing their thoughts on their favourite dishes helps to alleviate pain.

Remember that pain management is often subjective, and finding what works for you can take a little bit of trial and error. Make sure you talk to your chiropractor or health care professional and work together to find a strategy that suits you.

You don’t have to accept pain as part of your life.

Acupuncture is possible for the needlephobic

Posted on

Echo feature on Katie GoodwinTrypanophobia, otherwise known as a fear of needles and injections, is said to affect up to 10 per cent of the population. So what do you do when the only way to relieve your pain is through acupuncture, but needles scare you to death?

Katie Goodwin, 31, was faced with this dilemma. In fact she thought she’d have to live with her lower back pain until she eventually faced up to her biggest fear with Arif’s help.

After experiencing severe lower back pain and taking prescribed painkillers every four hour for a month that were not helping, Katie made an appointment to see Arif.

From the initial consultation, which involved an examination and x-rays, taken in the clinic’s on site radiography department, it was clear why Katie was continuing to experience a lot of pain. From his examination Arif could see that the lower back pain was being caused by her right hip. The X-rays revealed there was a loss of joint cartilage in her right hip.

Arif told Katie that the recommended treatment was medical acupuncture and manipulation. Medical acupuncture is a widely-used complementary medical practice that uses needles, inserted into specific trigger points on the body, to ease muscle tension, stimulate the release of endorphins – the body’s own natural pain killer – which alleviates pain, reduce inflammation and encourage healing.

Katie’s initial reaction was one of abject horror at the sheer thought of having needles put into her skin. However, over several weeks with support from Arif, Katie overcame her long-term phobia of needles.

You can read how Arif helped Katie overcome her phobia by clicking the link below to read the full article that featured in The Echo.

Echo feature on Katie Goodwin

 

Benefit from a Massage from Sophie Our New Masseuse

Posted on

Sophie smlWe are happy to introduce our new masseuse, Sophie.  Having been a patient at Cliffs herself, she is now a member of our team and we couldn’t be happier.

She is passionate about massage and its benefits as she knows how much massage can help people as she has experienced the benefits first hand from receiving regular treatments herself.

We all know that massage feels good but this is only one benefit of regular massage.

Many studies have shown that remedial massage can be beneficial for a number of problems from back pain to insomnia. Let’s run through some of the benefits of regular massage:

Corrects problems

Using specific techniques, a remedial massage therapist can address various problems such as injuries, joint issues or postural problems.

Reduces Stress

Massage brings on a feeling of calm and relaxation by encouraging the release of endorphins which are the chemicals that make us feel good. In turn stress inducing hormones are reduced.

Boosts immunity

The reduction in stress inducing hormones enables the immune system to function more effectively. Th effectiveness of the immune system is given a further boost with the increase in circulation and improvement in lymphatic drainage that massage stimulates.

Increases Mental Alertness

Mental clarity and alertness in increased as massage brings about a state of relaxation and removes stress.

Releases Muscle tension and pain

By focussing on problem areas with specific techniques massage can release muscle tension and pain whilst at the same time be oxygenating cells and removing toxins.

Increases Joint mobility

Massage can increase the range of movement in a joint by releasing tension around it.

Improves posture

By lengthening muscles and balancing the body, massage can correct many postural alignment issues. Many of these issues originate in the neck, shoulders and lower back.

Sophie is now on hand at Cliffs to help you benefit from the wonderful powers of remedial massage. You can call our reception team on 001702 430 430 to book an appointment with Sophie.

You can find out more about Sophie here.

Lisa Is Following Her Dream But There Is Hope At The Clinic

Posted on

Hope smlAfter 5 fantastic, dedicated and laughter filled years at Cliffs Chiropractic, Lisa, decided it was time to follow her dream to help animals and train as a veterinary nurse.

We will all miss her but she will find it hard to forget us when she receives her monthly delivery of chocolate from Montezuma every month over the next year😊

But there is Hope at the clinic. Hope has joined the team with a big smile and keenness to learn from the front of clinic team.

What we look for in a new team member is enthusiasm, an empathetic spirit, fun loving, and a desire to contribute their uniqueness as part of a team that adds  positive note to your day.

We’ll let Hope introduce herself to you …

My name is Hope Spicer, I’m 23 years old and a professional dancer. I started dancing at the age of 2 and then carried on to a professional performing arts college.

Since graduating two years ago I have been lucky enough to perform on a UK tour and on a worldwide cruise ship travelling around Asia and the South Pacific.

I am really enjoying working at the Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic because it is always a busy, social environment and all the patients who attend are friendly and chatty and I love chatting!

Functional Medicine Will Be Available To You At Cliffs This Year

Posted on

Functional MedicineIf you watched the BBC series, Doctor in the House, where GP, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, spent time with three families for several weeks to see first-hand how the way they lived was directly affecting their health you would have witnessed the amazing results that Functional Medicine can have on the health of people.

The Functional Medicine approach to health is entirely consistent with our own belief and approach to health both personally and for our patients who we value so highly.

Both Arif & Melanie will be offering Functional Medicine before the end of the year to both new and existing patients and are currently reviewing how best to integrate what they believe to be the future of medicine within the clinic.

In May Arif & Melanie will be training and hope to certify in Phlebotomy which will allow them to take blood for analysis in addition to DNA testing. This will build a unique patient profile of their health status and predispositions.

What’s the difference between Conventional Medicine and Functional Medicine?

Conventional medicine usually bases itself on how to treat disease states or a ‘down stream approach’, waiting for a condition to present with signs and symptoms when it can be labelled with for example Type 2 Diabetes and treated with a variety of drugs.

Functional Medicine employs an ‘upstream approach’ where the patient’s overall physical, metabolic, nutritional and lifestyle is assessed and predisposing factors so intervention can be earlier to optimise the patient’s overall health and divert the conditions that cause the patient to progress towards a state of increasing dysfunction or disease.

Ouch! That Hurts! Top Tips to Avoid RSI.

Posted on

Repetitive Strain Injury – or RSI as it is commonly known – is a potentially disabling condition brought on by prolonged repetitive hand or wrist movements. Office workers are among those most prone to developing RSI due to frequent computer use. Although the condition doesn’t generate as much media attention as back pain, RSI can lead to life-altering symptoms such as shooting pains in the hands, wrists, forearms and back.

We’ve treated many patients with RSI here at our Southend chiropractic clinic; and lots of these cases could have been easily prevented by doing simple things.

While modern ergonomics can be very effective at minimising the risk of conditions such as RSI, quite often, you simply just need to look at the basics such as ensuring you maintain good posture while you work and taking frequent breaks away from your desk. In fact; one of the best ways to reduce your risk of developing RSI is to ensure that your keyboard and mouse are in the right position. Ideally, your keyboard should be as close to you as possible and your mouse should be right next to your keyboard and close to the front edge of the desk.

So do these things:

  • Maintain good posture while you work
  • Take regular breaks away from your desk
  • Keep your keyboard and mouse positioned close to you

RSI can be a complex condition, but it’s usually really simple to prevent.

Designed For Less? How Modern Life Affects the Spine

Posted on

neck care advice fom our southend chiropractorHas the enterprise of technology started the demise of the human spine? It’s a worrying possibility, according to our Southend chiropractor who treats an increasing number of people for technology-associated back and neck pain.

Technology has evolved rapidly over the past few decades which has changed the way we live tremendously. For thousands of years, the human race spent time hunting and gathering for food, and running and fighting for survival.  Of course, we adapted and evolved, but over the last twenty years or so, we have become much more sedentary as a species. And the effects are a rise in diabetes, heart disease, certain forms of cancer and poor musculoskeletal health.

Neck pain is a common reason why patients visit our chiropractic clinic; and much of this is a result of poor posture when using (or overusing) technological devices. But think about it… if neck pain is becoming a common condition in the adult population, what will be the effect on our children who are using technology at such early stages in their lives and at crucial periods of their skeletal development?

Our chiropractor worries that the younger generation could begin to develop back and neck problems at an earlier age and risk the development of future illness. The earlier postural patterns develop, the more difficult they are to adjust and improve later in life.

So how does technology use pose such a danger to our spines?

Most technology involves flexing the head and neck forward, which results in looking down rather than straight ahead. This generally won’t cause problems when done on a temporary basis, but using technology for hours on end can be seriously bad news for our spines. To be specific, we’re talking about the risk of symptoms such as neck and back pain, shoulder pain, headaches and neurological symptoms like pain, numbness and pins and needles in the arms.

The solution is simple – limit the amount of time you and your children spend using Smartphones, tablets and technological devices in general. The spine simply wasn’t designed to cope with the stresses of modern technology. Expecting the human spine to withstand the overuse of technology is like thinking a castle will stand on quicksand; it just won’t.

They say technology is advancing at break-neck speed; that’s not far from a literal statement.

 

© Copyright 2026 Cliffs Chiropractor Southend
Powered by Roderick Pugh Marketing
Leave a Google Review