In my previous post I showed 8 different sitting positions to try. In the post I said that there should be no 'turtle heading' and we should 'sit up tall' in these positions. I have been asked a few times what I meant by that. Rather than write a big blog post on it, I decided to shoot a quick video examining what means. I hope it clears things up. Continue reading to watch the short 1 minute video. If you have a soft tissue injury, for example a sprain or strain of the back or a rolled ankle, what is the best course of treatment? There has been lots of acronyms used over the years to help guide treatment with the most common one being RICE (rest, Ice, compression, elevation). I have also written a blog post a few years ago with the acronym METH (mobilisation, elevation, traction, moist heat). In a recent BJSM blog post, Blaise Dubois and Jean-Francois Esculier created a new acronym that helps cover the early stage of injury (PEACE) and also subsequent management once the initial acute stage has passed (LOVE). I really like this acronym and wanted to share it with you. Continue reading to find out what the acronym means. Improving balance is not difficult, it just requires a little effort and consistency. Ideally you can work at improving each of the 3 parts of the balance triad I discussed in the previous blog post (the vestibular system, the visual system and the proprioceptive system). The easiest one to influence is likely to be the proprioceptive system, this is the sensory information coming from the body. Continue reading to see how you can do this. When you think about, our balance system is truly remarkable. The fact that we can stand, walk, bend and move without falling is amazing. The thing is though, we probably don’t think about our balance system too much, at least until it fails us. It is often thought that our balance just naturally gets worse as we age, and for most people it does. The reason this occurs is not because we are just getting old, it is because we don’t train it. Like a lot of things in our bodies, if you don’t use, you lose it. Keep reading to see how our balance system works. A high proportion of headaches are caused by something that you can easily address, such as postural problems, neck dysfunction, dehydration, poor diet etc. However, in small number of cases, headaches may be a warning sign of a more serious problem. In this post I wanted to mention a few of these 'warning signs' or 'red flags' as we often call them. Continue reading to see what these may be. The next headache we will look at is the Migraine headache. The classic migraine presentation is an intense throbbing or pulsating pain on one side of the head and is often accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines can also be accompanied by an "aura". This is a visual pattern of flashing lights, lines or blind-spots running across your visual field. Want to know more? Continue reading to find out. Most people will suffer from headaches at some point in their lives. In my headache series of blog posts I have looked at several of the common headaches types and discussed what differentiates them from each other. In this post I wanted to share a video I made that shows several key things you can do at home to help ease the discomfort of headaches. The second common type of headache we are going to look at is the classic tension-type headache. Tension headaches are commonly referred to as stress headaches. They can be periodic or can be more constant in nature. People often describe them as a mild to moderate, constant band-like tightness, or pressure around the forehead or back of the head and neck. They can last a few minutes or can last days. People don't often get the visual changes that other headache types can create. How do you stop them? In the next few blog posts I will look at some of the more common types of headaches that I see in practice. The first being the cervicogenic headache. Basically, these are headaches that originate in the neck and there is referred pain into the head. They call this a secondary headache as it arises secondary to another problem. How can a problem in the neck cause a headache you may ask? continue reading to find out. Did you know that there are over 150 different types of headaches? Headaches are classified according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD -3). This 3rd edition was published in 2018 (For those that are interested, you can see it here). The ICHD-3 breaks headaches down into 3 main classifications; Primary, Secondary and Neuropathies & Facial Pains & other headaches. In this post I will briefly explain what these are and in future posts will look at some of the more common types of headaches. Keep reading to find out. Headaches are an extremely common occurrence in many people. The severity ranges from an annoyance to debilitating pain. They can also be short lived or last hours to days. People often think of headaches as a ‘normal’ thing. When inquiring about headaches during our initial assessments I often get the response of “I get the odd normal headache” or “I get the usual headaches”. This is an interesting response to me because headaches are not normal, you do not have to put up with headaches. In a lot of cases, they can be dealt with reasonably easily. Chiropractic care can be an effective approach to helping with headaches. In this first post of our headache series I have a short whiteboard video showing how chiropractic can help with headaches and some of the research that shows how effective chiropractic care can be. Walking is one of the best things we can do for our bodies. In this video I give my top 8 tips for getting the most out of your walks. Watch the video and try a few of the tips when you are out on your next walk. I know your body will thank you for it. Our spinal discs swell overnight, that is why we are taller in the morning than the evening. One study measured a loss of height over a day of up to 19mm. They also noted that approximately 54% of this loss occurred in the first 30 minutes after rising and 80% within 3 hours of arising. If you have disc related back pain then this could be a reason why it can be worse in the morning when you wake up and is also the reason why flexing the lower back first thing in the morning may not be the ideal thing to do. The best bet is to wait until you have been up and about for at least half an hour but preferably an hour before doing stretches. In his book, Low Back Disorders, Stuart McGill, suggests waiting at least 1-2 hours. NOTE: If your job requires full bending of the spine, then it will also be beneficial to make sure you have moved around or gone for a walk before starting to help reduce the risk of potential injury or flare up. Of course, If you have back pain, then it is important to have it assessed as different injuries usually require different stretches or require you to avoid different movements to avoid aggravation. If you have pain and would like to have it assessed, feel free to contact me (or your local health expert) to arrange a time to have looked at. Your body will thank you for it. References Reilly, Tyrell and Troup (1984). Circadian variation in human stature, Chronobiology International Stuart McGill, Low back Disorders, 3rd Edition In this video I show a simple tip that you can incorporate into your day to help look after your spinal discs. It has been said that the health of our spinal disc determines the quality of our lives. Sounds dramatic, but it is true. Having a 'bad back' can be quite debilitating. Hopefully this simple tip will be one way you can look after your spine a little better. Click the image below to watch the video. This video is from my Instagram page @drcraigbuscomb. If you would like to follow me over on Instagram, click here.
In this 1 minute video, I show you how using an air cushion could help keep your spinal discs healthy. It is simple, but can be quite effective. To watch the video, simply click on the image below This is a video I made for my Instagram page @drcraigbuscomb. If you don't follow me and would like to, click here.
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Dr Craig BuscombBringing you news, research and advice on health, wellness, exercise and chiropractic care to help take your health to the next level Archives
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It's what you do everyday that impacts your health, not what you do sometimes. |