Tag: stretching

Take Care of Your Back During Pregnancy

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pregnacy posture advice, cliffs chiropractic clinic, back pain, arif soomroDuring pregnancy your body goes through significant changes some of which will affect your posture. Unfortunately it’s not uncommon for these changes to result in back aches and pains. Some of the more common changes which can result in back aches and pains during pregnancy include:

  • Lumbar curving increasing due to the increased weight being carried at the front of the body. In turn more pressure is put onto the spinal joints which can cause discomfort mad for some pain.
  • Increased pressure put on the upper back as a result of an increase in breast size can result in upper back aches and pain.
  • During the final stages of pregnancy the releasing of relaxin to soften muscles, ligaments and tendons can cause more problems when over stretching and lifting.

Our chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic in Southend recommend that you take care of your back during pregnancy.  Seeking advice from a healthcare professional to help advise you on exercises and stretches you can do to help support your spine is highly recommended.

Taking appropriate forms of exercise is important, especially exercises that will help strengthen the core. There are specialist pregnancy yoga classes that can be undertaken from 12 weeks. Swimming and aqua natal classes can also be beneficial.

Our chiropractors recommend that you seek the advice of a health care professional such as a chiropractor, your GP, midwife or other healthcare professional to advise you appropriately.

Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic in Southend s a leading chiropractic pregnancy care clinic. Arif Soomro, one of our experienced chiropractors, is a Fellow of the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association. He has helped many ladies through their pregnancies both patients and other chiropractors. Arif is also certified in the Webster Technique.

Arif says, “Caring for an expectant mother is an extremely rewarding experience. It offers an unique opportunity to positively influence two lives at once.”

If you are suffering back aches and pains during your pregnancy why not call us today and book an appointment with Arif.

 

 

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.

 

Heading to The Golf Course – Keep Your Back Safe

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As the days get longer and the weather improves, golfers will be spending more time out on the golf course!

As chiropractors we encourage everyone to stay active and if golf is your thing then go for it. However, we want you to stay safe and be able to enjoy playing for as long as possible.

Our chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic in Southend have put together some tips to keep you safe:

Keep it light: Golf bags are notoriously heavy and awkward to carry so invest in a light weight bag. Check that you’re not carrying around unwanted objects that add to the weight. In addition to finding a light weight bag find one that has dual harness straps over your shoulders – this will help keep the weight evenly distributed.

Warm Up and Warm Down: Not warming up before teeing off can too often result in muscle strains and injuries. Take a few minutes before heading off to do some simple stretches – focus on your hamstrings, quads, chest and shoulders. Repeat at the end of your round before heading to the bar!

Take care with your trolley: Pull trolleys inevitably mean twisting your back awkwardly – so be mindful if you are using one. Using a power or electric caddy may be a safer option.

If you are suffering a pain or injury then why not book an appointment with one of our chiropractors. Not only will they be able to help ease your symptoms you may just improve your golf game just like one of our patients did – here’s what Keith said:

“I was suffering from severe neck trauma after sharply turning my head. This affected my golf which I play three times a week ,noticing a significant reduction in turn and distance when hitting the ball. Now not only am I totally free of pain but I can achieve the golf I was playing 10 yrs ago when I was a 12 handicap. I am now on 16 handicap but expect to see this come down after a few weeks treatment from Arif!”

Love Your Back This Valentine’s Day!

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back care advice from our southend chiropractorIt’s the month of romance, but are you giving your spine the love and attention it needs? Your spine is an amazing structure, but it needs TLC to function properly. Millions of people are affected by back pain every day. And of course, as well as living with the pain itself, chronic back pain can affect your quality of life, causing you to miss work and social activities that you enjoy  In some cases, it can even prevent you from being able to carry out simple, everyday tasks. So it goes without saying that taking care of your spine will help you to reduce your chances of experiencing back pain later on in life.

Here are simple yet important adjustments to make for good spine health from our Southend chiropractor:

Lift correctly.

It’s very easy to twist the wrong way and injure your spine if you don’t lift correctly.  When lifting, our chiropractor recommends that you stand as close to the object as you can, and use the weight of your legs and knees rather than your back or upper body to pull up. It will also help if you bend your knees so your arms are at the same height as the object you’re lifting.

Sleep tight.

Sleeping well is important to good health, and this includes your spine health! Your body needs a good night’s sleep to repair itself, so don’t underestimate the power of quality sleep. To encourage good spine health, it’s also important to invest in a supportive mattress as well as a pillow that promotes proper alignment of your neck.

Stretch out.

Keeping flexible can help to maintain normal joint function and a good range of motion. It can also reduces the risk of back injury..

Stay active.

Despite what many people believe, being inactive will increase your risk of back pain and is likely to worsen any existing pain condition. Whether you make regular visits to the gym, walk, bike, swim, or play with your kids, it’s super important to stay active and keep your body moving to maintain a healthy spine.

Maintain a healthy weight.

Exercise, along with a healthy diet, will help you to lose any excess weight or maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese, or quickly gaining a significant amount of weight, are major risk factors for low back pain — extra weight (especially around your midriff) can put added stress on the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in your lower back, which can lead to pain and discomfort.

We hope these tips help you to love and look after your spine! We’re always here to help with any advice you need!

School Kids : Protect Their Back Health

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back care advice for children from cliffschiropractorsouthendWith nearly 80% of people experiencing back pain at some point during their lives, it’s important that children look after their spines from a young age.

Our Southend chiropractor, who has extensive experience in treating children, shares simple tips on preventing childhood back pain…

1:Keep Your Children Active

Staying active helps to keep children a healthy weight and builds those all-important spine-supporting muscles. Sitting in class for long periods of time can put excessive pressure on a child’s spine which can put them at risk of developing back pain. It’s a good idea to suggest that your child performs some simple stretching and strengthening exercises in between classes. The Double Arm Doorway Stretch is a fun and effective exercise that your child can take in turns to do with their classmates. Here’s how it works:

Your child stands in a doorway and braces their hands on each side of the frame. Keeping their hands and arms at shoulder level, they engage their stomach muscles and straighten their back. Next they take one step forward and lean their upper body so that they feel a stretch inside their chest and shoulder muscles.

If your child feels embarrassed or self conscious, they can even do this exercise as they are chatting to their friends and no one will even notice they are doing anything more than leaning on a door!

2: Buy the Right Backpack

Although it may be the “cool” thing to do, wearing a back pack with one strap puts excessive pressure on one shoulder instead of distributing the load evenly across the two. Make sure your child wears their backpack across two shoulders and the straps are tight enough for the bag to fit closely to the body. Your child’s back pack should rest evenly on the middle of their back and not sag down.

3: Practice Good Posture

Sitting in class for long periods of time can cause many kids to slouch, which again, puts an excessive amount of pressure on the spine. Teach your child about the health benefits of proper posture and get them into the habit of sitting in the correct position. While in class, your child’s feet should be planted on the ground with their back straight. Rounding the spine or slouching is a common issue than often leads to long-term back pain.

By working together, we can protect the next generation’s spine health.

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