Category: chiropractor southend

Perfect Posture This Summer

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posture advice from our southend chiropractorArif often gets asked by patients how they can improve their posture. He has made a short video, ably assisted by Susan, to demonstrate a very simple exercise you can do at work, at home or anywhere you like which will help you straighten up and improve your posture. Do this exercise 3 times a day and you’ll soon be on the way to a straighter taller you.

The Exercise

If you have a therapy band then use this to do this exercise or you can use an old pair of tights. However, don’t worry if you have neither, you can do it with just your arms, making sure you clench and squeeze the muscles between your shoulder blades whilst staying upright.

When doing the is exercise stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips apart – thinking of the shape of the Eiffel Tower will help.

Pull your chin into your Adams apple while still looking straight ahead.

Bend both elbows to 90 degrees. Keep your elbows tucked into your sides and gentle try and stretch your hands outwards to 90 degrees as far as you can and bring your hands slowly inwards.

Repeat about 5 times.

This exercise will help to strengthen your upper back and by keeping your chin into your chest it will strengthen the deep flexors in your neck.

If you want a straighter taller you then do this exercise 3 times a day and let us know how you get on.

Arif’s Intro

 

Watch Susan demonstrate the exercise

 

Are You Up Up And Away This Summer?

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back care advice from our southend chiropractorIt’s summer time and while the weather here in the UK is sensational at the moment, many people will be hopping on an airplane for their summer breaks searching for what is usually elusive sunshine!

Taking a break can be a very good thing and our chiropractors recommend it, however, it can lead to us doing things we wouldn’t normally do, which can increase the risk of injury. Picking up heavy luggage, twisting the back pushing a luggage trolley and sitting awkwardly in a confined space for long periods are just some examples of things we wouldn’t do on a daily basis which can all lead to back pain.

Our chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic in Southend want your summer holidays to be a time to relax, enjoy and have fun and not be ruined by a bad back. With this in mind they have put together some simple things you can do to protect your back when flying and it all starts with some preparation:

Prepare wisely:

  • Use lightweight cases, preferably with wheels, to minimise the weight you have to carry. It’s best to choose a case with wheels that allow you to push the case in front of you than having to twist your body to pull it.
  • Depending on your airlines rules, it is best to use two lighter evenly balanced cases than one heavy one.
  • Pack as lightly as possible. Most of us are guilty of packing way to many clothes and accessories for our time away.
  • Make your luggage stand out from the crowd so that you don’t have to lift too much luggage off the carousel mistakenly! A simple way to do this is to tie coloured ribbon to the handle.
  • Get a good night’s sleep before heading off to the airport. Tiredness can lead to mishaps!

At the airport:

  • Avoid using a luggage trolley if possible, especially if your luggage has wheels. Trolleys so often have  a life of their own and can result in a lot of effort and body contortions to keep then going in the direction you want.

On the plane:

  • Take care lifting and removing any luggage into and out of the overhead containers.
  • Avoid stiffness during the flight by doing some simple exercises in your seat. Shoulder shrugs, foot circles and buttock clenches are good exercises to do.
  • If it is convenient then stand up and take a walk around the plane.
  • Stay hydrated. Flying is dehydrating on the body so drink plenty of water or juices. Avoid drinking alcohol as this will add to the dehydration.

After the flight:

  • Get walking as soon as possible after you get off your flight. This will help get your joints moving. Avoid using travelators or walking along the travelators.
  • Take care lifting your luggage off the carousel.
  • Don’t forget to avoid using a luggage trolley if possible.

As much as we love to see our patients we really do want to help you avoid back pain and a trip to the clinic. Follow these simple steps to help avoid back pain if you’re flying this summer and do have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Not Keen On Taking Exercise – Try One of These

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The sedentary lifestyle that many people are living is seriously damaging their health and this includes the health of their spine.  Our chiropractors are keen to persuade everyone where appropriate to be more active and to take regular exercise. Whatever your age, level of ability or health condition there’s a form of exercise that will suit you.

Our chiropractors are committed to helping people take better care of themselves and have developed programmes that help support people in doing this. Two such programmes are The Back Story and Back to Business.

Having seen the effects that modern day living is having on all generations, Arif Soomro, one of our experienced chiropractors developed The Back Story.  Arif says, “We all understand the importance of taking care of ourselves; it’s better for our quality of life, especially as we get older. But at Cliffs we’re treating the effects of modern day living and are now seeing more and more 20 and 30-year-olds with the kind of neck, shoulder and back problems usually associated with much older people.”.

The Back Story enables you to click on your age-group and offers you suggestions for the best forms of exercises you can take to help you increase your energy levels, strength and flexibility. Check it out here.

If you spend hours working at your desk all day, you may very well be complaining of a stiff neck, aching shoulders or a bad back. If any of this sounds familiar, then our Back to Business programme is for you. There are six simple exercises that are really easy to do, especially in the confines of an office. Why not take a look here.

Our chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic in Southend are committed to help you gain the best possible health.

Summer Festivals – Have Fun And Keep Your Back Safe

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back care advice from our southend chiropractorSummer is here and the Summer Festival season is well underway. We Brits can’t seem to get enough of them – there are all sorts organised across the country. Whatever your interests are there’s  a festival out there somewhere for you. From arts, music, literature, food and so much more, getting out and experiencing the fun of a festival is a great way to spend a day (or more).

Here in Sounthend we have festivals happening over the summer. This year the Southend Festival is on from 1st July through to the 15th August and is inspired by events like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It’s a six week programme of cultural events in venues around Southend. The events combine art, comedy, music,literature and pride.

Whatever Festival you are intending to go to this year there are some things you will inevitably find yourself doing such as standing for long periods, sitting (or sleeping) on hard surfaces or carrying bags around. One or all of these can put pressure on your back.

Our chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic in Southend want you to have a fun time whilst keeping your back safe. With this in mind they have put together their advice to help you keep your back safe.

Clothing: Wear comfortable shoes and loose clothing. You’ll thanks us after all the walking and standing you’ll do!

Carrying: A rucksack offers the best option for carrying provided you wear it appropriately. Slinging it over one shoulder isn’t going to help your back. However, if you wear it over both shoulders and adjust the straps so that the rucksack sits against your back with the weight inside evenly distributed, it will help keep your back safer. If you are using traditional carrying bags and have a heavy load, it is better for your back to split the weight evenly across two bags and carry one in each hand rather than carry all the load in one heavy bag.

Standing: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Standing this way will help support your back and hips.

Drinking: Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Not wanting to dampen the spirit but do remember that alcohol will cause dehydration.

Camping: If you’re planning to camp at the event then invest in a good quality camping mat and inflatable pillow.

Have lots of fun and follow our chiropractors’ advice to keep your back safe.

 

 

Will Your Back Love You After A Summer Of Sport

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If you haven’t heard, the football World cup kicks off on 14th June and goes through to 15th July – yes a month of football coverage on TV. And that’s only a small fraction of sport that will be played out in living rooms and other venues across the UK this summer.

If you’re a sports fan the chances are this summer you may well be clocking up some serious hours in front of the telly cheering on your favourite team or sports star. However, our chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic in Southend want to make sure you stay safe and don’t cause your back too many problems.

Many people are unaware that sitting for prolonged periods of time can trigger back pain. To help you keep your back safe our chiropractors have put together some tips for you to follow.

  • Sit right back in the chair or sofa  so that your back is fully against the back of the chair or sofa. Check your posture from time to time and if you find you’re slouching or slumping then readjust your position.
  • Stand up and move around at least every 20 minutes. During a break in play, say at half time, do a few simple stretches.
  • Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Sorry but alcohol doesn’t count!

Follow this advice and keep your back safe this summer.

 

Get On Your Bike For Bike Week

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back care advice from our chiropractor in southend June 9th sees the start of Bike Week and annual event organised by Cycling UK to promote cycling. The aim is to demonstrate how cycling can be incorporated into our daily lives in addition to the many benefits of cycling.

Cycling is great way to get active. It has many benefits ranging from health, social and environmental ones.

As chiropractors we encourage people to get get active and take exercise. It is so important for a healthy spine. Unfortunately many people don’t realise how important it can also be to their recovery from back pain. It’s not uncommon for our chiropractors to treat patients who believed that resting would have helped ease their back pain.

Cycle offers many benefits which include:

  • helping improve the health of your heart and immune system
  •  helping you manage your weight
  •  reducing stress, anxiety and improving mental health
  •  helping you sleep better
  •  improving your fitness

If cycling is for you then we couldn’t live in a better place than Southend. Cycle Southend are set up to help Southend residents in all things bike! Their website is jam packed full of information from learn to ride tips, bike maps and suggested routes, groups to join on rides and even bike friendly cafes for those welcome pit stops – you can find it all on this website.

Our chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic Southend have put together some tips to help you keep our back safe if you do get on your bike.

  • Make sure you adjust the bike to suit your body before setting off. You should be able to reach the handlebars without overreaching or putting strain on your back, neck, shoulders or wrists.
  • Ideally the seat should be sloping forward or flat. Adjust the height so that your able to sit on the seat with your legs almost straight. When the pedal is in the most downward position your leg should be slightly bent at the  knee.
  • Start slowly and build up your intensity. Don’t overdo it on your first ride out – you’ll either injury yourself or put yourself off going again! Remember not all exercise is the same – even if you do some other form of exercise regularly, cycling may use different muscles groups.
  • Allow time to warm up before setting of and cooling down at the end of the ride.
  • Wear appropriate clothing that will be comfortable and not restrict your movement. You may want to consider some suitable padded clothing for cycling!
  • Change your position from time to time when cycling.

Why not get out there and have a go you may be surprised at how much you enjoy it.

If you haven’t take any exercise for a while or you are suffering pain or discomfort then you should seek advice from your chiropractor or health care professional before getting started.

Our experienced team of chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic are here to help and advise you.

 

 

 

 

A Wonderful Sunday Lunch For A Wonderful Team

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Arif hosted a Sunday lunch for the Cliffs’ team at the end of May. The company was fabulous, the food was abundant and the sun shined – what more could we ask for:)

Arif says “I am blessed to spend much time with a team I truly cherish. I was able to have them and their families for Sunday lunch. It was a small way to show my gratitude for the positive influence they are in my life and I believe in the lives of the many they touch.”

 

Let’s Talk Handbags And Back Pain

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Whilst small handbags are making a comeback it doesn’t appear that leaving behind larger and heavier bags is going to go away anytime soon. There’s always too much stiff to carry around, right?

Unfortunately there’s often a price to carrying these large and heavy bags around. Research* undertaken by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) in 2017 revealed that oversized bags and those worn on one side of the body was in the top 5 most worn clothing item that may cause back pain in women.

Our team of chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractor in Southend offer this back safe advice to all of you who can’t leave the house without a large and heavy bag:

  • Declutter: Empty your bag out and leave behind all the unnecessary clutter. It may be surprising just how much clutter there is.
  • Avoid certain types of bags: Bags that must be carried in the crook of your arm, for example, result in the bag being carried away from the body, pulling one shoulder lower than the other and twisting the neck and spine, which is not a good thing.
  • Alternate shoulders: If your bag has a strap then alternate the shoulder you are carrying it on.
  • Wear the bag across your body: If your bag has a long enough strap then wear it across your body.

If you are experiencing back pain for more than a few days then you seek professional help. Our chiropractors at Cliffs advise that an undiagnosed problem could lead to longer-term problems if left untreated. If you are in pain, you can call our friendly reception team and they will make an appointment for you to visit one of our chiropractors.

*The 2017 research was carried out between 14/02/2017 and 20/02/2017 on a sample of 2,082 UK adults aged 16 + on behalf of the British Chiropractic Association

Most popular clothing choices among women which could cause neck and back pain:

Women
Skinny jeans 48%
Bags worn on one side of the body 46%
Coats with large fluffy hoods 37%
High heeled shoes 26%
Oversized bags 24%
Backless shoes e.g. mules 20%

 

Ditch the car and walk to school

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back care advice fom our southend chiropractorIt’s Walk to School week (May 21 -25) and if you are taking up the challenge to ditch the car and walk your kids to school this week then congratulations. Last year 400,000 children and families participated in the Living Streets challenge. Every year Living Streets come up with a new fun, themed challenge designed to encourage children and their families to walk to school and get a taste of the many benefits walking can bring.

With back pain in children and young people on the rise our chiropractors cannot stress enough the importance that exercise plays in the health of children’s backs. Back pain is on the increase across all ages and a major contributory factor to this increase is down to lifestyles that are heavily sedentary and it’s sad to say that children are not immune to being increasingly inactive.

It’s important that children and teenagers take adequate exercise during the day – one hour is recommended. Taking exercise not only has health benefits but it is good for the brain too and can improve memory and thinking skills.

One of our experienced chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic, Arif Soomro, is so concerned with the state of children’s and people’s spines that he developed the Back Story. The Back Story was developed by Arif to be a proactive guide to enable anyone to help themselves take better care of themselves depending on their age.

By choosing an age group you can learn what’s happening to your body and how you can increase your energy levels, strength and flexibility. Making a few lifestyle changes today, and sustaining them, can give you benefits that last a lifetime. The information starts with toddlers and goes through to the 80+ age group. If you have children then you will definitely want to read the appropriate sections for their age.

Now back to ditching your car and walking  your kids to school. You may have missed out on being a part of the Walk to School challenge this May but why not create your own challenge. Try walking to school 5 days and see the benefits. If you have a long drive to school why not park the car 10 minutes away and walk from there.

We know it can be tough to fit in the school walk and ditch the car with everything else that needs to get done but in the long term we think it’s worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

Back pain ‘cures’ we wouldn’t recommend

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Suffering back pain can be challenging. It’s surprising how much of what we do involves our spine. The slightest movement can be excruciating. Therefore, it comes as no great surprise that some people suffering back pain will take up some of the strangest suggestions for ‘curing’ it.

Members of the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) have shared some of the strangest ‘cures’ back pain sufferers have tried. These include using WD40, drinking ones own urine and hanging off door frames.

Whilst we can only describe some of these as wacky, one common belief that many people have is that they should rest a bad back. Consumer research carried out by the BCA revealed that 50% of people believed this to be the case. This percentage increased to 64% in the 16 – 24 years old age group.

It may seem like a good idea to rest when you’re suffering back pain, however, in most cases this is the last thing we would recommend. It is important to keep moving and take moderate exercise even with back pain.

It is also important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Chiropractic offers a safe, effective and drug free treatment for back pain. With at least four out of five adults experiencing back pain at some point in their lives, low back pain is one of the most common conditions our team of experienced chiropractors treat at Cliffs Chiropractic in Southend.

If you are suffering back pain why not give us a call on 01702 430 430.

 

 

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