Hello everyone!  We hope that you all have electricity by now.  What a week!  As everyone tries to get back to normal we want to make sure you keep your back/neck healthy and safe while picking up fallen branches and working around the house.  

Below are some tips and pictures for how to protect yourself and maximize your performance at work and home...

1. 1.Remove the stressors that create or worsen damage.  These include activities such as sitting with your head forward at work and at home.

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2. Enhance activities that build healthy tissue.  For instance, instead of sitting for long periods of time, take frequent breaks (every 10-15 minutes) to stand up and move around.

3. One of the major mistakes we see is people lifting with their back bent too much.  This places excessive pressure on the spinal bones and discs and promotes injury.  The best way to lift is to keep the load close to your body and maintain your normal low back curvature (also known as neutral spine posture).

        
 Back bent too much                Maintain your curve

4.  Pulling and twisting create large forces on the spine.  Where possible try to push the object.

      
Don't pull/twist like this!                      Push low through your waist

5.  When working with objects on the ground or gardening, use your knee to help minimize forces on your back and support your body weight.  This also keeps your spine in better posture.

     
Too much bend in the back!                      Use your knee.  Spare your spine!

These are just a few tips to keep your back and neck healthy.  Let us show you how to spare your spine.  Everyone is unique.  We can do an assessment in the office and then show you specific patterns of movement along with exercise geared to keep your unique spine in top shape.

Backpack Checks at Essence of Wellness
We check children’s (and adult) backpacks, so please feel free to book your appointment with your child for a complimentary backpack fitting/weighing.  We also have information available for you at the front desk regarding backpack tips.

Children's headaches misdiagnosed, chiropractic may offer relief
In a recent study, approximately 40% of the patients with migraine and 60% of the patients with tension-type headache had been misdiagnosed as "sinus headache". Children with chronic or recurrent headaches are frequently misdiagnosed as sinus headache and receive unnecessary sinusitis treatment and sinus x-rays.  Because of problems like this and the due to the effectiveness of chiropractic care in many types of headache, chiropractic is the most frequently used non-medical approach to tension-type headaches.

Backpacks associated with shoulder and back pain
Shoulder and back pain in school children is associated with wearing heavy backpacks. Such pain may be attributed to the magnitude of the backpack load and the manner by which children distribute the load over their shoulders and back.  Wearing a back pack that is heavy and such that the shoulders are not level (asymmetric) for extended periods of time may help explain the shoulder and back pain attributed to backpacks. 
See article here.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,
Dean L. Smith, DC, PhD
Jane P. Smith, DC
Jodi Knoll, RN

www.essenceofwellness.com
Contact Us at (937) 456-4555 or Email Us