October Health Talk
Cosmetic Acupuncture
No cutting. No injecting. No scars. The latest face-lift requires only the use of ‘pins’.
Active Release Technique (ART) & Nerve entrapment
For those of you who suffer from peripheral nerve entrapmens (tingling/or weakness traveling down the arm or legs), ART offers a specific technique that may be the answer. From either injuries asociated with repetative strain, or acute athletic injuries, adhesions may develop along the path where the nerve travels. Nerve Entrapment ART passes focuses on breaking up these adhesions, while flossing the nerve through the tunnel it travels. Entrapment can lie in many sites stemming from the neck, and all the way to the terminal location. For example, the nerve that causes Carpal Tunnel can have five possible entrapment sites. It takes a well trained eye to find these adhesions. Check out the ART page for more information.
Dr. Jim Feng Bphe, CSCS, ART, DC, D’Ac
Ways to Identify Plantar Warts
Plantar warts are viral infections that affect the skin on the bottom surface of the feet. Warts tend to grow inwards towards the skin as a result of our body weight which is directly applying pressure to these areas. In addition, warts are particularly difficult to treat due to the thick layers of skin on our feet. So how do we know if it’s a wart?
1) Warts have black dots in the middle of them.
2) Shaving down the wart will usually lead to pinpoint bleeding.
3) Warts tend to have broken skin lines.
4) Warts tend to hurt more if you squeeze them.
Avoid walking barefoot or in public/communal areas e.g. public shower, swimming pools.
If you suspect that you have plantar warts, please book an appointment with Jennifer Lam, the Chiropodist @ Form and Function Clinic for a foot assessment!
Back Pain Returns With School Around The Corner!
Heavy backpacks causing back pain? What makes children more vulnerable is that their growth plates are made almost entirely of cartilage, making them more susceptible to small, repeated traumas. Also, their muscle growth is often not as fast as their bone growth, which can lead to muscle tenderness. Put simply, these injuries are a result of overuse of the muscles and tissues that are utilized by children to support the weight of their backpacks.
Other facts to know are that neither backpack weight, nor current back pain are good predictors of future back pain. What’s important to know is that muscular fatigue is the best predictor of future back pain. So if you are becoming fatigued while carrying the backpack, you should likely rest, or lighten the load!
So what are the consequences of carrying a heavy backpack? To put numbers on it, so that you can understand what these heavy loads do, a load of 15% of total body weight results in a 26.7% increase in load on the low back, while a 30% load body weight will result in a 64% increase in load on the low back! Also, children tend to lean forward and jut their chin out in order to balance out the forces going into the back. However, the movement they do to compensate for the heavy weight simply makes their posture worse, which can increase pain down the line. No kid wants to hear their parents telling them to stand up straight, so don’t train them to slouch by allowing them to carry heavy weights.
So how do you eliminate this problem? For a postural consultation or for more advise on postural stability & strengthening routines please book an appointment with our Physiotherapist, Christopher Chmiel @ Form & Function Clinic to find out more ways in which to achieve your functional or personal goals.
Back Pain Returns With School Around The Corner!
Heavy backpacks causing back pain? What makes children more vulnerable is that their growth plates are made almost entirely of cartilage, making them more susceptible to small, repeated traumas. Also, their muscle growth is often not as fast as their bone growth, which can lead to muscle tenderness. Put simply, these injuries are a result of overuse of the muscles and tissues that are utilized by children to support the weight of their backpacks.
Other facts to know are that neither backpack weight, nor current back pain are good predictors of future back pain. What’s important to know is that muscular fatigue is the best predictor of future back pain. So if you are becoming fatigued while carrying the backpack, you should likely rest, or lighten the load!
So what are the consequences of carrying a heavy backpack? To put numbers on it, so that you can understand what these heavy loads do, a load of 15% of total body weight results in a 26.7% increase in load on the low back, while a 30% load body weight will result in a 64% increase in load on the low back! Also, children tend to lean forward and jut their chin out in order to balance out the forces going into the back. However, the movement they do to compensate for the heavy weight simply makes their posture worse, which can increase pain down the line. No kid wants to hear their parents telling them to stand up straight, so don’t train them to slouch by allowing them to carry heavy weights.
So how do you eliminate this problem? For a postural consultation or for more advise on postural stability & strengthening routines please book an appointment with our Physiotherapist, Christopher Chmiel @ Form & Function Clinic to find out more ways in which to achieve your functional or personal goals.
August Health Talk
Be The Best Runner That You Can Be Preventing Running Injuries
Dr. Jim Feng (Hons), ART®, CSCS, D.Ac, DC
Do you suddenly feel minor stiffness in your shins while your run? Or have your shins gone from a mild ache to aconsistent pain during the whole run? Learn the top 10 ways to stay pain free.