North Sydney Archives - Page 18 of 21 - Spine and Health Chiropractors Sydney

October 8, 2012December 16, 2023

Are you De-Evolving?

We have been brainwashed in to thinking that “aging” results in a failing body but the fact of the matter is that it does not have to be that way. Yes the chemical make up of our body changes but that is no reason for us to assume poor posture is inevitable. Like it or not daily effects of stress and trauma add up and take their toll on our body but we also know that our body can heal itself from the inside out. So what are you doing to aid your body’s healing mechanism?
So we have learnt that if we have correct posture we are more sound in mind and body so why not start there? What have we got to lose?

Degeneration occurs when we allow our spine to stay in a position that it was forced in to by chemicals, bad habits and inactivity. SO your sure fire way of staying as young as you feel is to maintain that posture in it’s ideal position.

Prolonged poor posture leads to a lessening of innervation to our body parts. We have an ideal posture and if, for example, the curve of your neck is not in its correct position then the spinal nerves that come from the spinal cord and exit through the spaces between the vertebrae of our neck are impinged and thus not allowed to work efficiently. This means that the flow of information between our brain and relevant tissues and organs cannot receive/give the correct or full amount of signals.

It all relates to the lifestyle we as a community has “evolved” to undertake. We have gone from being standing, running beings to sitting at desks, sitting on the train, sitting in front of the television. It is ruining the natural curves of our spine and thus harming the ability of our body to communicate with itself giving symptoms of back pain, neck pain, headaches, slipped discs… the list goes on.

So what can we do? It is pretty simple really – there are a several things that we all can and should be doing. Firstly you are what you eat! Take note of the ingredients of foods that you are purchasing. If you cannot pronounce the ingredients it is pretty safe to say that they have been processed and bare little resemblance to the food it originated from. Our bodies are designed to thrive on foods high in protein because protein is the building block of the cells in our bodies. Put down that Maccas burger and go to the grocery store and pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables! Combine that with some beef, fish, chicken or protein of your choice and what do you know, you have a natural healthy meal that your body will thank you for! It doesn’t take as much time as you think to prepare your own meals, all it requires is a change in attitude towards food preparation, being organised, and making the kitchen a fun place to be.
Secondly we are designed to be active beings. If you can implement a standing work-station at work then do it! Walk to work, ride your bike. We have been taught that 30 minutes of daily exercise is sufficient but realistically it means that we are still sitting for 75% of our day! Instead of having a meeting over a sit down coffee, get them to go and have a walk and talk! Again this requires a change in attitude and planning.
Finally, and most importantly, to get your posture back to where it should be and to maintain that (because lets face it we all do things that are going to put out our posture and so there is no quick fix… maintenance is the key) see your local chiropractor! The chiropractors on the lower north shore (Crows Nest and North Sydney) Spine and Health, are the experts in pain and posture. They understand the importance of having ideal posture and help hundreds of people on a daily basis to help themselves by slowly but surely encouraging their spine to the position it was intended to be in.
Every person is different and every posture is different but we all know those people who stand taller seem more confident and healthy so why cant we have that too!? Well the answer is that you CAN!

Do you have poor posture or are you suffering from degeneration? To have your posture digitally analyzed and to start your path to looking better, feeling better and moving better come and see one of our chiropractors today:

Crows Nest Ph 9460 8459

North Sydney Ph 9955 8055

September 17, 2012December 21, 2023

The Dangers of The Dreaded Schoolbag!

When was the last time you picked up your child’s backpack? It is astonishing just how heavy they are!

How much attention do you pay to the way your child carries their backpack? One shoulder? Hanging around their bottom? Why isn’t it cool to wear your backpack up high and held firmly against your back?
A recent study has provided some figures/percentages based on body weight versus maximum weight that one’s back should be able to handle without causing postural problems or pain. See chart at the end of the article.

Backpacks are a real problem for kids of today. It is causing current pain and long-term postural issues and chronic pain. Problems are related to the weight that is being supported by the spine and the knock on effect it has on the surrounding muscles. So what can we do about it?

• Ensure that the backpack has thick straps that are evenly spaced apart
(Thin straps can dig in to your child’s shoulders and effect nerve and blood flow)
• Avoid one shoulder bags
• Position the backpack up high over the strong mid-back muscles, keeping the weight close to your child’s centre-of-mass and ensuring maximum support. High and tightly positioned on the body.
• If you’re in the market for a new bag, get one that has a waist clip so that if your child has to have the occasional heavy bag day that they have extra support through their pelvis – note that this has it’s own problems (just shifting the problem) so is not recommended on a regular basis.
• Buy a bag that has wheels! Why carry the bag at all!
• Do they really need to be taking all of those books to school? Be organised and know in advance what you will need for certain. Lighten the load if you can!
• Organise the items so that the heaviest items are closest to the back.
• See your local chiropractor! They are experts in posture and can help you to realign your spine to better deal with the weight, minimize pain and long term effects (2).

Why does this all matter? Your child’s spine houses their spinal cord and thus directly effects nerve flow throughout their bodies. If a heavy weight is continuously held in an unfavourable manner it will activate muscles that are not usually firing. These activated muscles will pull at your vertebrae and hold them in an unnatural position, which in turn causes more stress on the body.
There is a connection between posture and personality! Your child’s backpack could be doing more damage than you think!

The Spine and Health chiropractors in Crows Nest and North Sydney, are experts in pain and posture. Take the time to examine your school-kid’s backpack and the way they carry it. And take the time to bring them in for a thorough spinal examination. If your child has a problem our chiropractors will be able to come up with an action plan to undo as much of the damage as possible and ways to ensure it doesn’t progress any further. It may effect them in ways you never dreamt! AND we have NEW Family Care Rates!

To enable your child to reach their potential please give us a call today on:

Crows Nest Ph 02 9460 8459

North Sydney Ph 02 9955 8055

Person’s Weight (kg)	Maximum Backpack Weight (Kg)
27	2
27-32	4.5
45	7
56	8
68	9
90+	11*

*No-one should carry more than 11kg .

Another standard rule is never to carry a bag that is more than 10% of your body weight.

August 20, 2012December 16, 2023

Posture, Personality and Pain

Have you ever noticed that the more confident, attractive, exuberant people seem to stand taller than the rest? A recent study done with a sample of French-Canadians found that introverts were more likely to have poor posture and a lower pain threshold (1).

The study, that was conducted this year (2012), found that there is a mind-body relationship: “the body shapes itself into different postures depending on the underlying mental and emotional state” (2). Thus there is a direct relationship between people who are extroverts and the upright kyphosis-lordosis posture. Equally it indicates that those people who are introverted have flat backs and sway backs. “Introverts appeared to have one of the largest reactions to psychosocial stress, demonstrating increases in normalized compression and lateral shear.” (3)

Charles Schultz was obviously on to something when he created the Peanuts cartoon: “When you’re depressed it makes a lot of difference to how you stand” – Charlie Brown. How does poor posture affect the rest of your body? Each segment of your spine has a centre of mass, and collectively they also have a centre of mass. There is an ideal posture whereby no body part is under unnecessary stress or strain. The moment a segment is out of alignment, the centre of mass of your body is displaced and compensatory actions are enabled to maintain your upright position. This means that your muscles and neurological system are put under undue stress and strain. Your neurological system of course is also in control of your state of mind and thus by displacing your ideal centre of mass you also displace your stable mind (4).

The Canadian study states that, “Complications with posture and back pain are projected to become a widespread medical and socio-economic issue across the globe, with more than 70% of the population predicted to be engrossed in the problem ”(1). So what can you do to have an ideal mind-body balance and save yourself from becoming a statistic? See your chiropractor!

“Chiropractic is the science of locating problems in the spine, the art of reducing their impact to the nervous system, and a philosophy of natural health care based on your inborn potential to be healthy” (4).

The Spine and Heath Chiropractors in North Sydney and Crows Nest are experts at diagnosing, analyzing and treating posture and spinal problems and pain.
Expert postural correction starts with an initial consultation with one of our chiropractors where they take a full history and analyze you as a whole. They will do a digital posture scan so you can see exactly how you stand and the effect that it is having on the rest of your body. If deemed necessary, the chiropractor may have an x-ray taken to have a closer look at the positioning of your spine and then discuss with you the best action plan for the correction of any issue you may have. If you require treatment we here at Spine and Health use the Advanced Biostuctural Correction (ABC™) technique, which aims at “unlocking” the areas of tension you have developed over the years.

Your body is a powerful instrument that has the power to correct itself should there be nothing stopping the communication pathways. This specialized technique will improve your posture, open the communication pathways, and enable your body to self-correct.

To look better, move better, and feel better come and visit us today.

Spine and Health:
North Sydney Ph 9955 8055
Crows Nest Ph 9460 8459

Tag: North Sydney