Monthly Archives: June 2016

Great Gentle Exercises that Improve your Spinal Flexibility

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Great Gentle Exercises that Improve your Spinal Flexibility.

 

Spines are designed to move, bend twist and  work. Guess what happens when  we  spent more hours sitting than moving .We shorten our muscle length, thicken our ligaments, and reduce the overall capacity of joints to move.  Combine this with our muscle fibre becoming less elastic as we age, stiffness is the end result.

So What Can you Do?
Sit less, move more!
  • Try these 2 gentle stretches to get you moving again!
Cat/ Camel Stretch
  • Perfect beginners stretch. Mobilises, the spine, imbibes healthy nutrients into the joints and discs. An oil change for your spine.

 

Image result for cat camel stretch

  • Get down onto  your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips  in the table top position.
  •  Tuck your chin onto your chest ,  round your back towards the ceiling until you feel a stretch in your lower, middle and up back (see  picture). Hold  the stretch for 2 seconds. Try to  exhale as you  do this movement.
  • Taking a breath in, drop your stomach and spine towards the floor, whilst looking up at the roof (see picture).  hold for 2  seconds. The stretch should  be felt in the muscles of the lower, middle and upper back adjacent to the spine.
  • Repeat the movement, 5 time in each direction.
  • Stop the stretch if it causes any pain.
Kneeling lunge Stretch
  • Great Stretch for opening the hips after a long period of sitting.

Image result for kneeling lunge stretch

  • Kneel in the lunge position with left knee , resting a towel or pillow. The right leg is forward as pictured with the right foot flat on the floor.
  • Your back should be straight and you shoulders directly over your hips
  • To begin stretch, lean forward with the right leg/knee, remember to keep your back straight, and shoulders over the knees. Try no to arch the back
  • The stretch will be felt in the upper thigh and front of the hip of the left leg.
  •  Hold a gentle stretch for 30 seconds.
  • Repeat both sides aim to do 3 times daily
  • Stop if you experience any pain

Both stretches are a great way, to improve your spinal flexibility. These exercises are so important to a healthy spine given to nearly every patient we see at Fluid Chiropractic.

 

Stay tuned for more stretches next week.

Do All Chiropractors Use The Same Treatment Techniques?

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Do All Chiropractors Use the same treatment Techniques?

 

No, no and no. There are literally thousands of chiropractic techniques out there that chiropractors can learn to aid in the diagnose and treatment of  neuromusculo-skeletal conditions.

A common thread between all chiropractors in Australia, is the 5 years university training, necessary to become a registered chiropractor and a primary health care professional. Once graduated however Chiropractors can choose out of thousands of different techniques to aid there existing skill set.

The  techniques used by chiropractors depend largely on their treatment philosophy. At Fluid Chiropractic, we use a variety techniques that aim to increase joint movement and range of motion.  To do this a combination  of joint mobilisation, manipulation, muscle stretching and dry needling can be used. This combination of techniques is referred to as diversified practitioner within the profession. Examples of other common chiropractic  technique systems include Gonstead, Sacral-Occipital Techique and Applied Kinesiology

 

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Joint mobilisation, is the use of gentle stretching movements and resistance, applied specifically to stiff joints, that can increase joint movement and decrease muscle stiffness. Osteopaths refer to joint mobilisations as muscle energy techniques, however they essentially the same method and have the same result and joint movement and muscle tone. More information on other chiropractic techniques can be found on this link https://fluidchiropractic.com.au/services/chiropractic/.

Common to all chiropractor is the knowledge to accurately diagnose and manage musculo-skeletal conditions, including both spinal and sports injuries.

 

 

Low Back Pain

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Low Back Pain: What to do when you injure your lower back!

 

Low back pain, can be caused by any irritation of the tissues of the lumbar spine and pelvis, including joints, muscles, ligaments, intervertebral discs, nerves, bones and tendons. The location of the pain and the type of pain, can vary between what anatomy is irritated and severity of the irritation in the spine. For example, Compression of the sciatic nerve, can cause regional pain in the lower back, but can also cause a referred pattern of pain anywhere from the low back, hips,  buttocks, legs and feet.

When suffering from an acute episode of low back pain, it is important to remember, that most episodes of low back pain resolve in 6 weeks. An episode of low back pain  will not equate to a life long low back pain.

So What Can you Do When you injure your Low Back?
  • Ice: Ice is an easy way top help ease the initial onset of pain. It is important to start as soon as back pain starts,   within the first 24 hours of injury, for a period of 15 minutes on 30 minutes off.

 

  • Heat: After the initial 24 hours of injury, a combination of heat and ice therapies can be used.  Alternating between 15 minutes of icing followed by 20 minutes of  heat  should be continued for the 2- 4 days post injury.

 

  • Keep Moving:  To often people with low back pain are advised to rest. In a lot of acute low back injuries, bed rest will only slow your recovery. Good advise is too keep moving. Gentle movement such as walking keeps the muscles that support the spine awake and firing. Keeping the muscles awake is an integral part of  a speedy recovery.

 

  • Follow the ’30 Minute Rule’ For Sitting : In many new low back injuries, sitting down really aggravates the pain. If you have to sit down follow the ’30 minute  rule’ for sitting.  Get up  out the chair and move, every 30 minutes. This will make a big difference to how you feel at the end of the day, and will help speed  up your recovery

 

  • Get an Opinion from a health care professional; Getting quality advise from a tertiary trained health professional, will help guide in the right direction for recovery from a low back injury. There advise  should a diagnosis,  pain management strategies, postural advise and corrective exercises.