Foam rollers. How effective are they? How do we best use them? If you could choose between a foam roller and a spikey ball which would you take?

These are all common questions in which we get asked at LiveWell Family Chiropractic so lets tackle them head on.

Spikey Massage Balls are a great tool for helping reduce muscular aches and pains, whilst also helping improve mobility and range of movement. They have become a popular tool and personally I couldn’t live without mine. But just how do Spikey Balls work?

Spikey Balls typically:

• Target and alleviate particular trigger points (small specific areas of muscular tissue tension).
• Reduce muscle tension; improve blood flow and aid in injury prevention and rehabilitation.
• Effects the myo-fascial system (the thin sheath that wraps around and holds muscle, connective tissue, nerves and blood vessels) to reduce any tightness and constriction of the region.
• Help to keep muscles relaxed and loosened in between massages.
• Used predominantly on neck, shoulder, lower back, gluteals and even feet. 

One of the most common reasons why people present to LiveWell Family Chiropractic is for neck pain. Unsure of why or how your neck is sore all of the time is also common. At times there is not just one quick solution or remedy we can provide but there are plenty of things in which we can control to help alleviate, prevent and keep on top of to make sure our cervical spine or neck maintains its shape and form.

With the current shift in technological advancements and increased time spent with handheld devices (we know 80% of you are more than likely reading this on your phone or tablet) and increased workplace stresses play a major part in why we are constantly experiencing neck pain!

We are a month away from summer. Where has the year gone. Despite what some mornings have offered over the last fortnight, the weather’s getting warmer, flowers are blooming and we are all starting to become more active! Whether it’s dusting off the old sneakers and re-introducing yourself to the run group you went missing from over winter or simply doing some Spring cleaning. The dreaded weekly housework at this time of year becomes more apparent as we are getting home from work and light is still shining on all those things we thought could wait till later, so when does the big clean begin? Are we fearful of the aches, pains and strains on our spine can easily occur from simply getting started?

 

It was noted that in 2015, 3.7 million Australians experienced lower back pain, with some of the contributing factors being simple everyday activities.

Vacuuming, mopping, washing windows, reaching for cobwebs and even washing dishes can add extra strain on the spine. How? The forward movement and bad habit of bending at the waist or having poor posture while performing repetitive movements can cause acute bouts of aches and pains in the lower back.

Giving up housework altogether however isn’t always an option. Yes, we can acquire help or hire a cleaner (some of us dream of such an opportunity), but let’s go through

Warmup – This is an easy one but often one we neglect. Now instead of thinking we are simply wasting our time doing a couple of quick stretches and slowly getting into it. Imagine how much slower or time you would waste if you injured yourself or re-aggravated a previous injury. Simple stretches, a gentle walk or beginning with smaller tasks which do not involve overhead reaching will also help.

Share/Reduce the load – Reduce strain on your spine whilst cleaning by making sure that when lifting or moving heavier objects from the ground or simply picking up buckets using all the muscles in your lower limb to pick them up rather than the muscles in your lower back!

Straighten Up – Keeping an upright posture when standing for prolonged periods of time will also help. Whether or not you’re doing the dishes, wiping the cupboards or cleaning the oven make sure you’re engaging your core stabilizing muscles and reducing the load on your spine, particularly your lower back.

Having the Right Tools – they say a good tradesman never blames his tools. Now this may be correct in some respects but when doing your spring clean, reduce the potential stress and strain on your body by ensuring you have the right tools and cleaning products at hand.

Our team at LiveWell Family Chiropractic can help if you are finding it difficult or have existing aches and pains in which you would like to have assessed. With a holistic approach and individualised plans, we are dedicated in helping not only restore your body’s best health but to also give you the confidence to perform tasks without the thought of pain.

Australian chiropractors see up to 300,000 people each week, so chiropractic care may be a great option for you to help keep your spine moving well too.

For more information on maintaining a healthy spine, call us on 9995 8164!

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing. Whether or not it is your first pregnancy or you are in your final trimester your body can start to unlike it normally would. A lot of people question “Is it safe to see a Chiropractor whilst pregnant?” The simple answer is YES! With 50-70% of pregnant women experiencing lower hip or back pain at some stage of the pregnancy Chiropractic care can help to reduce this stress and strain.

Understandably with the growing child in vitro, the change in hormones, the additional weight and change in centre of gravity your hips and joints in through the lower back can experience pain or bring about a pain response as this is not a normal degree of stress experienced.

During pregnancy, a woman’s centre of gravity shifts to the front of her pelvis. This typically results in an increase in stress and load on the lower back and pelvis. As the due date approaches and full term is reached the changes in the curvature of a womens lower back can overload vertebral joints, the sacrum and hips. With soft and gentle Chiropractic techniques complemented with some muscle relaxation therapies we here at LiveWell Family Chiropractic strive to help you manage and cope with what aches and pains you experience whilst pregnant. Sciatica is also a condition commonly associated with pregnancy. This pain radiates from the lower back all the way down the legs.

Maintaining pelvic balance is important and it’s going to help you feel and move better. Not only is it important to maintain pelvic balance whilst pregnant but sustaining core stimulation and training will also help after the birth has taken place. When your pelvis is misaligned it can reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby (known as intrauterine constraint) and that can reduce your likelihood of being able to have a natural, non-invasive birth.

Pregnancy can cause the spine to misalign to the degree in which is does not move back into place once the child is born. With this in mind movements and tasks such as carrying a baby, breast-feeding, and even simply bending over to pick things up can be painful and hard to do as your spine is no longer positioned or moving correctly. This isn’t pain that you have to just deal with.

A thorough Chiropractic examination will determine the best treatment to address the reasons why you are experiencing your pain and discomfort, tailored with our rehabilitation programs we will have you not only moving pain free but look to improve on your pre-pregnancy conditioning.

At LiveWell Family Chiropractic we understand each pregnancy is different like each individual is different. We carefully tailor our adjusting and management protocols to cater to your needs.

For more information or to make a time please call (03) 9995 8164 or email us on info@livewellfc.com.au.

Chiropractic Care revolves around the principle that the relationship and level of communication between brain and body is sustained and maintained by your nervous system and thus protected by your spine. The way in which your spine moves impacts not only your structure but also impacts on your overall function and thus your health. By reducing the level of interference or maintaining your best spinal health and movements you give your body the best opportunity to sustain and maintain healthy movement and spinal health.

Headaches and migraines are one of the main reasons if not the main reason why people typically present to the practice, seeking Chiropractic Care. Patients can often describe their headaches as a constant dull ache or throb which seems to start at the back of the head. To begin with we can often assume that it’s a one-off occurrence and that over the course of the day it will subside.

Does this sound like something you experience from time to time? We all love a quick and efficient solution so typically we rely on some Panadol or Nurofen to help ease the pain and let us get back to our day but there typically comes a time when this is no longer an effective way of coping.

Almost everyone will experience a headache at some point in their life but they are not all the same nor do they have the same effects or triggers. So what types of headaches are there and which do you suffer from/experience?

The 3 most common are

• Migraines: sensitivity to light and sound is common during migraine headaches.
• Tension Headaches: related to stress, anxiety, dehydration, posture and more lifestyle factors
• Cluster headaches: typically classified by pain behind or around the eye.

Diagnosing what kind of headache, you are experiencing or experienced is the first step in identifying the best care plan for you. Often a few simple changes in your daily routine have the potential to reduce or eliminate chronic headaches. Tension type headaches are the most common seen in the practice, with the shift and increase in time in which we all spend on computers, tablets and mobile phones the time we spend in these repetitive and static postures can be some of the main contributing factors to your headaches.

Taking a pro-active step of improving your posture and ergonomics at work, moderating screen time and reducing some foods such as cured meats, aged cheeses and alcohol which have been linked to headaches can have a positive impact on not only your headache severity but prevalence.

So how can Chiropractic care help with your headaches? Simple. A lot of tension type headaches and migraines can often originate from the neck referring up to the back of the skull or to the side of neck radiating to the temple. On examination, patients whom present with chronic headaches often have:

• Reduced range of movement in their neck (cervical spine)
• Reduced movement in thoracic spine.
• Compressed or pinched nerves
• History of neck pain
• Muscle tension in the shoulders

For more information or if you would like us to help you with your Headaches simply give the practice a call on (03) 9995 8164 or book online on the below link.