Just Start Walking this National Chiropractic Care Week (23-29 May)

Chiropractors will be using the 23-29th May to help patients and the community to put their best foot forward and start walking their way to health and wellbeing.

National Chiropractic Care Week 2011 marks the launch of Just Start Walking, a new health initiative that highlights the importance of posture and mobility on our overall health and wellbeing.

It’s no surprise that in modern times we have become much more mobile through portable technology, but physically we are much less active.

Yet our human body is designed for movement, so to keep your spine at its best we need to stay active.  After all, an active spine is a healthy spine and a healthy spine leads to a healthier life.

The good news is we can do something about it. We can Just Start Walking. Why walk? Well it’s simple, inexpensive, easy and achievable.

Your overall health can be affected by the health of your spine so use National Chiropractic Care Week to make an appointment with our clinic  to assess your spinal health and discuss how you can start walking your way to wellbeing.

To get in tune with your body, contact Danny Croker Chiropractor 02 95294008 for an appointment today.

You can also visit the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia’s new website www.juststartwalking.com.au and download the mobile phone app to help get you on the front foot to health and wellbeing.

My wife and I have just had a weekend in Bowral attending the Calmbirth classes run by Peter Jackson, the course coordinator and founder of Calmbirth. Having a pregnant wife that is almost finished her Obstetrics and Gynaecological registrar training I assumed there was not too much she hadn’t seen or knows about childbirth. Certainly I must admit I have had my head stuck in the sand that my primary role was to get her to hospital in time for the expert midwifes and our obstetrician to take over and delivery our first beautiful baby.

For all the first time fathers or partners to be, can I completely recommend this course. Peter has had over 30 yrs of experience in General, Midwifery and Psychiatric disciplines of Nursing. He gives a very fair and even presentation on all of your options, never trying to favour one type of birth option over another. He backs this up with not only his own experience but the science and research that has gone on around the world to put your mind at ease about the bodies ability to perform this amazing process. It was nice to be reminded of the anatomy and physiology of childbirth that I learnt a university: what happens to the reproductive organs during delivery and how powerful and important your own hormones are in that process. Given the chance, and with the right mindset, the body can look after itself and perform unbelievable things…….just trust in it.

For me personally Peter’s account of how important and helpful the father or partner can be on the big day was very reassuring. Rather than being a “loose wheel”, my role in assisting and being an integral part of the process made me feel confident that I can actually help my wife through this unique and wonderful experience. I now look forward even more to the day we meet our new little bundle of joy. The techniques and strategies he teaches are excellent and I know they will be a big help on the day and in the future. My wife also found the course immensely beneficial and now has a wonderful sense of calm and confidence to add to her baby glow!!

It is always wonderful to find someone who speaks so genuinely and passionately about their area of expertise and interest. Peter has one of the most calming reassuring voices I have heard. Like all excellent courses Peter is booked months in advance so don’t hesitate to secure your place……you will not regret it.

http://calmbirth.com.au/index.html

Click ‘School Backpacks” below for a one page information flyer prepared by  the Chiropractors Association of Australia on this topic.

School Backpacks

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Aug/Sep ’10 Newsletter

When you are at your exercise class, yoga or pilates class, do you use the abdominal hollow or brace technique? Have you been given either one to assist with rehabilitation and recovery from a back pain injury? Both are used to assist with core stability and protect your back from injury and pain.

New research has been done that may help make the distinction between the two and help decide which is more effective as spine stabiliser.

The abdominal hollow aims to activate the deep core muscles of transverse abdominis (one of your abdominal muscles) and multifidis (one of your lower back muscles). At the same time it wants to keep larger muscles like rectus abdominis and the obliques relaxed. The technique of the hollow is to draw the lower abdomen inwards toward your spine.

The abdominal brace focuses on recruiting all of the abdominal and low back musculature. This contraction aims at tensing the trunk without drawing the abdomen in or out.

A recent study by Stanton and Kawchuk published in the journal SPINE 2008 Volume 33, Number 6, pp 694-701, looked at these two types of abdominal contractions in 28 asymptomatic subjects to determine if there was a difference in spinal stiffness (one measure of spinal stability). The abdominal brace was the winner as it provided an immediate stiffening effect that was significantly greater in magnitude when compared with rest and abdominal hollowing. Abdominal hollowing produced increased stiffness compared with rest. No gender differences were found and also there was no significant effect of age. The study noted that future research was needed to determine the long term effect of repeated contractions on spinal stiffness and low back pain.

So perhaps employing the abdominal brace rather than the hollow may provide more protection and stability to your spine whilst doing various exercises and activities of daily living.