Clinic News
As we start another month of lockdown it is hard for us to envisage when it will ever end and things will start to get back to normal. It is great to hear many of you have had your first vaccine now and we must admire the speed and efficiency by which this has been rolled out across the country. If there is something this pandemic has taught us, is that we must be patient and we cannot rush the reopening and resuming of life as we know it as it just knocks us back again. So, hang in there, you are doing a great job and it will be worth it when the time comes.
Let us keep you going with activities to keep you fit and mobile, reminding you about your posture and helping out when things go wrong, check out our articles below.
Did you enjoy the snow? Why not send us any lovely pictures you took of snowmen or other structures you built in your garden and we can share them in next month’s edition.
Did you get to see us in the line-up for our award for the Royal College of Chiropractors PPQM at the online winter conference? This is normally an excuse for us all to have a lovely day out in London and link up with friends and colleagues. We certainly miss our conferences - we think maybe the future of them is looking unlikely. The savings in cost and time is huge and attractive by way of being able to attend many more that we normally would not get access to.
If you recall last year we told you that Alex was mentoring Troy and Lucy on their Pre-registration Training Scheme for the Royal College of Chiropractors and part of this involves them observing each other during treatment sessions. This has been on hold so that we minimise infection risk but thanks to technology we have found a way around this. We have been setting up Zoom sessions so we can really be the 'fly on the wall' during the observations and we thank those of you who have already been 'spied' on for your support and understanding. We just have one or two more to do and this will tie up their observation tasks.
We have noticed one or two of you are getting in a pickle with the online booking - Firstly, for this to work WE NEED YOUR CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS - this is the one you need to access JaneApp with and is on your file. If you cannot access your account with the email it may force you to open a new file for yourself and this will lead to you being asked to pay in advance for your appointment. This is fine if you want to pay in advance, but usually only asks new patients or patients new to JaneApp to do that. Please contact reception if you're having difficulties.
To know if we have the correct address for you, you should be getting a reminder email 48 hours before your appointment and a self-screening Covid -19 form 12 hours before your appointment. If you are not getting these then it is likely that we don't have the correct email address for you. Please contact reception to update your records.
WE NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE - a colleague of ours is doing a survey for her Masters in Chiropractic Public Health and she is looking at what you as parents think about how qualified NEW graduates should be before they work with children and babies. Please follow this link and let's give her some data for her research - thank you in advance:
https://aeccuc.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/chiropractic-educational-study?fbclid=IwAR26CZpGNlh2rslxx0HHTzbkmBkimJoGuZvWLQRoIh1fmA3gKIIubpG2TJo
Finally, Alex gets another chance to talk to Alan Clifford at BBC Radio Nottingham on Friday 12th February from 10:15 - How many of you are working from your bed - Tut tut?? Alex discusses the real truth following a survey by the British Chiropractic Association - why not listen in or catch up on the podcast later.
Pilates
Pilates is one of the best exercises you can do for your spine. It is low impact, gentle on your joints and is a great choice whether you are trying to prevent injury or recovering from one.
Pilates is a full body experience that provides a challenging workout while also strengthening the spine and trains the muscles in your body to work in unison.
Pilates focuses on supporting the structure of your body, which is centered on your spine. It focuses on working from your core outwards. Each exercise starts from the muscles that support and surround your spine. When your spine is supported, your whole body functions better. You become more balanced and have more freedom to move.
Pilates lowers stress and increases energy levels. The focus on breath with movement encourages fresh oxygen intake and the release of toxins into your lymphatic system to be dispensed.
Feeding more oxygen into the body helps decrease stress levels and leaves you feeling energised and ready to go. Pilates has also been linked to a reduction in stress and better sleep.”
Pilates is for everyone, regardless of age, shape, size, fitness, or ability level; it provides benefits for all.
Visit the website at to book chiropractic appointments.
Avoid Sitting Down for Excessive Periods
Sitting is one of the worst positions for the lower back. The amount of pressure put on discs when sitting is double compared to when we are standing. The lower back is negatively affected and this can cause recurrent pain.
Without doing any wrong movements or direct injuries, the back can be hurt by long term sitting. It will definitely have an impact on your nervous system, which is your body’s communication tool. If your nerves don’t communicate properly it can impact your overall health.
An evaluation by a chiropractor is important to make sure that any misalignments in your nerve system are treated before they start to negatively affect your overall health. Standing is the best counter reaction to sitting. This is why standing desks are becoming more and more popular.
You should move and stand up for a minimum of 5 minutes every hour that you sit. Use your lunch break to go for a walk or just stand for a while.
We may think we are too tired to stand but in fact our body gets more tired the more we sit. Try to reduce your sitting period by an hour daily and your body will notice the difference.
Chiropractic Care After Car Accident
Car accidents often cause whiplash which creates misalignments in the neck or back. Sometimes the pain is felt almost immediately, but it can also begin after adrenaline levels have stabilised. Even if there is no immediate or subsequent pain, it is a good idea to have the alignment of your neck and back checked by a qualified healthcare practitioner.
If you experience dizziness, headaches, soreness, nausea or discomfort in your neck or in your back, you may have had whiplash. These symptoms do not always show up immediately, so if you begin treatment promptly, you can help save yourself from pain and discomfort.
It is a natural response for your body to become inflamed after a car accident in response to muscle and ligament stretching and tears. If you are feeling sore and achy, inflammation may be to blame and chiropractic care could help realign the spinal column and release muscle tension, easing pain and discomfort.
It is not uncommon to avoid seeking medical care after a car accident when you are not experiencing intense pain, but you should know that minor injuries can lead to long-term chronic pain and other issues.
Frozen Shoulder
Frozen shoulder, a painful condition that many people experience, is also known as ‘adhesive capsulitis’, and affects around 5% of the UK population.
This condition occurs when the capsule of the shoulder suddenly becomes thickened, in which it adheres the humeral head of the upper limb. This causes a significant loss of motion, as well as associated pain and a loss of normal function.
While the exact mechanism for frozen shoulder remains somewhat unclear, it is thought to occur in response to prolonged inflammation within the shoulder joint.
Frozen shoulder has been shown to result in significant postural deviations that are typical of people who spend too much time in a seated position.
This means excessive thoracic curvature, forward shoulders, and a permanently elevated scapula. In this manner, the shoulder often appears to be in a position of permanent ‘shrugging’.
Chiropractic care is commonly used to treat frozen shoulder. Joints and muscle tissues undergo manipulation. The chiropractor applies pressure and stretches key points to help reduce pain and resolve the condition.
Are you getting enough magnesium?
Most of us are aware of the importance of calcium for our health, especially for our bones. However, magnesium is another vital mineral for our bones, as well as for our muscles and nerves, it can actually be more difficult to get enough of this mineral in our diet than to get enough calcium.
The many roles of magnesium
- Magnesium is needed for normal muscle and nerve function. Without
magnesium, our muscle fibres wouldn’t be able to relax after they have contracted, and nerve impulses wouldn’t be able to travel around our body properly.
- Magnesium is vital for strong bones and teeth too. If you’re trying to improve or maintain your bone strength, it’s essential to include lots of magnesium-rich foods as well as calcium-rich foods.
- Magnesium is also necessary for our cells to convert the food we eat into usable energy, and also for healthy ‘psychological function’ – including mood and how we deal with stress.
For these reasons…
Symptoms of not getting enough magnesium may include: muscle cramping, tight or weak muscles, increased pain, and loss of bone strength, as well as lack of energy, low mood, greater susceptibility to stress, and even poor sleep or insomnia.
As chiropractors, we regularly see patients with these symptoms – especially pain and muscle dysfunction, of course. If any of them ring true for you, you are likely to benefit from getting more magnesium into your diet.
Where can we find magnesium?
The main sources of magnesium in our diet are plant foods, particularly the following:
- Green leafy vegetables such as kale, chard and spinach
- Seeds and nuts – particularly pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds
- Whole grains – especially buckwheat and rye
- Beans and pulses.
How much magnesium do we need?
The general adult recommended daily allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 375mg. Like any nutrient, our requirements can vary, and the amount of magnesium present in foods – even the foods mentioned above – can also vary. But as a general rule, we need to eat four to five servings of one of these foods a day to get enough of this mineral. (One serving is about 80 grams or one handful green leafy veg, or two tablespoons of seeds, for example.)
Remember…
Drinking milk or eating cheese to get your calcium is not enough on its own to maintain strong bones – make sure you get plenty of those plant foods too! Also, don’t forget that weight-bearing exercise is one of the most important things to maintain bone strength.
We treat all conditions that affect any muscle or joint in your body, from your head to your little toe! One of the most common complaints that we treat is back pain and Chiropractic is recommended by the government authority, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) for acute and chronic back pain. Some of the other conditions that we treat are neck and headache, shoulder pain, leg and hip pain, knee and foot pain, sciatica and arthritis. Our registered Chiropractors all have at least five years of training. Treatment costs can be covered through most health insurers. If you are in any doubt, we are always very happy to talk with you on the phone to see if your condition will respond well to Chiropractic treatment. Call the clinic now to arrange an appointment time that works for you. 0115 9225085 If you would like to opt-out of receiving these newsletters please follow the unsubscribe link below, email alex@beestonchiropractic.co.uk or let us know at your next appointment.
