Schedule morning stretches into your day to ease back and shoulder pain

Are you sitting down for this? Research continues to show that sitting for more than four hours a day can contribute to back pain, neck pain, muscle degeneration, and osteoporosis. Plus heart disease, cancer and diabetes. It’s confronting; yet it’s not ‘new’ news. However, even if you work in an office or are temporarily set-up to work from home, you can still enhance how active you are throughout your day. Small changes, like some morning stretches, can have a big impact on your spinal health.

Digital devices have been incredibly powerful in keeping our communities connected and (increasingly) operational this year. Whether you’re texting a friend to say hello, assisting your kids with an iPad school activity, or attending virtual meetings from your home office – screens can dominate your life. There’s just no escaping it these days.

The thing is, increased time on electronic devices like laptops and tablets puts a huge strain on your neck. Commonly referred to as ‘tech neck’ – this everyday slouch or hunch contributes to neck pain. Simply speaking, your body was not designed to act like this. In fact, the younger you are when you start using a device with poor posture, the harder it can be to manage and retrain your body. Here’s how you can counter your screen scroll and improve your upper body posture.

Working from home is (temporarily) the new norm’. Good desk habits can help reduce your risk of headaches and stiffness. Here’s our five tips.

Do you suffer from regular headaches, back pain or struggle to motivate yourself? These symptoms don’t need to be everyday discomforts that you need to live with. In fact, these can all be a result of poor posture.

Do you feel a sharp pain that’s aggravated by simple everyday movements, like leaning back, twisting or turning? This discomfort – commonly referred to as facet syndrome – can affect the joints in the back and impact the enjoyment of your day to day life. 

In this blog, Dr. David Russo, Chiropractor (BChiroSci, MChiro) gives us a comprehensive overview of Facet Mediated Pain and how chiropractic care can help you find relief.

Shoulder pain and tightness is a common complaint. Watch Dr. Greg Sher demonstrate some great stretches to get some flexibility through your rotator cuff. The big tip:  As with any exercise program, a slow build up and progression is vital to prevent further injury. Good strength and stability through the whole range of the movement is vital, so make sure your movements are meaningful. 

Watch Dr. Greg Sher demonstrate some excellent exercises to improve your mid back flexibility and posture.  Progression 1: Progression 2: The big tip: As with any exercise program, a slow and steady progression is very important to achieve an optimal outcome. A slow and steady build-up of flexibility allows your body to accommodate to the new position, and will allow your ligaments to stretch and your muscles to help hold you in better postures. You

Do you sit at a computer to work, or stare down at your phone for extended periods? Watch Dr. Greg Sher demonstrate how you can stretch your neck to counter these activities.