This Christmas and New Year our clinics will be open every day with no shutdown. Of course not every location will be catering on Christmas and New years day although there will be opportunities to come to either of our branches with practitioners roster on over the holiday period!
Below will be ways in which you can limit your aches and pains and avoid those Christmas blunders at your family events!
Thankfully we will be open over the Christmas period including New Years Day. This means that if you are in need we will be here to help out. Just be sure to book in early as times will be limited and we will not be working after hours on those days!
If you are someone that is suffering in pain at the moment do not hesitate to book online or give our team a call on 9302 1023!
Running has become an increasingly popular way to stay fit and enjoy the outdoors. However, with the rise in this activity, many runners have encountered unexpected aches and pains. While common running injuries are often associated with the ankles, knees, and hips, back pain is another frequent complaint, often felt on one side of the lower back near the sacroiliac (SI) joint.
What Is the Sacroiliac Joint and Why Does It Matter?
The SI joints are located where your sacrum (the base of your spine) meets your pelvis. These joints play a crucial role in absorbing shock and facilitating smooth movement between your upper and lower body. Although they don’t move much, their gliding motion is vital for activities like running.
When an SI joint becomes restricted or misaligned, your body compensates, potentially leading to pain in the back, hips, knees, or even ankles. On the other hand, prolonged sitting or tight muscles like the hamstrings and hip rotators can add stress to the SI joint, further contributing to discomfort.
How Chiropractic Can Help Runners
Chiropractors specialize in identifying and addressing joint restrictions, including those in the SI joint. Here’s how chiropractic care can make a difference:
Regular chiropractic adjustments can help maintain optimal joint function, reducing the risk of future injuries. Preventive care is especially beneficial for runners, as the repetitive nature of the activity puts ongoing stress on the SI joint.
Tips for Runners Experiencing Pain
Incorporate foam rolling into your routine before and after running to enhance muscle recovery.
Stretch your hip rotators and hamstrings regularly to relieve tension.
Running should be a pain-free and enjoyable activity. By addressing issues like SI joint dysfunction early, you can stay active and avoid interruptions to your training. If you’re experiencing discomfort, consider visiting a chiropractor to get back on track—literally and figuratively!
Here is a scenario, you have a muscle spasm in your low back and you are leaning towards one side when you walk. What that ultimately does is putting more weight on one knee when you limp.
Now, muscles adapt to new movements fairly quickly. A week of limping may be enough to allow the knee muscles to work differently and puts different pressure onto the knee joint itself. As time goes by long after your back spasm recovers, you may notice that you get the occasional knee soreness and that might be because your joints and muscles are just used to move in the improper way.
Conversely, if you have a history of multiple ankle injuries and the ligaments are weaker, this may affect the way you walk and in turn, affect your pelvic alignment!
Finally, the warmer weather is here, and it’s time to shake off the winter stiffness! As we transition from the colder months into the bright, refreshing days of spring, our bodies need a little extra care to adjust. After spending months in hibernation mode, wrapped in blankets, spending more time indoors, and moving less, many of us feel tense, achy, and a bit sluggish.
Now is the perfect time to take action. Spring represents renewal and fresh starts, and your health should be no exception. Here’s why you should include chiropractic care in your spring wellness routine and how it can help you feel recharged for the season ahead.
Spring brings more opportunities for outdoor activities, whether it’s gardening, hiking, running, or spring cleaning. But if your body isn’t prepared for this sudden increase in physical activity, you might find yourself dealing with discomfort or injury. Chiropractic care ensures your body is in optimal condition before you hit the trails or start moving furniture.
Neck pain or back pain after a minor car accident? Here are some facts: Aside from fractures and serious injuries, it is common for people to injure ligaments, muscles or discs after a minor car collision. This is known as a whiplash injury. Dizziness associated with neck pain and headaches, neck sprain and TMJ (jaw) pain are some of the examples victims noticed creeping up after a MVA collision impact.* Often after a MVA collision associated neck injury, the neck joints can become either lax (“loose”) or compressed.* This causes the surrounding muscles to compensate by tightening up even more leading to additional neck tension and headaches.
What to expect on your visit to a Chiropractor after a motor vehicle accident? On your first visitChiropractors will listen to your full history, go through a range of mobility, muscle and nerve testing to identify the root of the problem and recommend further imaging if necessary. Appropriate treatment is then provided and education on exercises or movements to avoid aggravation.
These are all to facilitate faster healing and prevent long-term effects. It is then important for us to continue to monitor your condition in order to be able to provide appropriate treatment and advise at different stages of your injury!
Do you know of someone suffering from the effects of a car accident? Send them our way and rest assured our qualified Chiropractors will provide them with the most appropriate treatment.
Walz, F. & Muser, M. (1995) Biomechanical Aspects of Cervical Spine Injuries. JSTOR 104(6), 1257-1263.
Bussieres, A., Steward, G., Al-Zoubi, F., et. al. (2016) The Treatment of Neck Pain–Associated Disorders and Whiplash-Associated Disorders: A Clinical Practice Guideline. JMPT 39(8), 523-564.e27
Did you know that at any given moment, an estimated 540 million people suffer from lower back pain globally? Or that four million Australians suffer from back problems every year? It is a concerning statistic and one of epidemic proportions.
Every year, we celebrate World Spine Day to raise awareness of spinal disorders globally and improve access to quality spinal healthcare. This is a call to action for Australians to prioritise their spinal health across all aspects of their daily lives. Whether in the workplace, at home or at school, fostering daily positive spinal habits is critical to supporting the spine at every phase of life.
It is crucial that people of all backgrounds and communities understand the importance of staying mobile, keeping active, regularly stretching and refraining from overloading their spines with excessive weight or strain.
Incorporating regular stretching exercises into your daily routines is an easy and time-efficient way to improve your spinal health immediately! The Straighten Up app offers a fantastic 3-minute exercise program featuring stretches that can help you stay aligned and reduce the risk of spinal issues.
The Melbourne Chiropractor Mill Park provides specialised techniques to help with all types of musculoskeletal problems. With a team of 10+ and expanding to 5 clinics across Melbourne’s North in the last 3 years our chiropractors have seen first hand what it takes to deal with all types of complaints/bodily issues. Our team pride themselves to be able to not only help with symptomatic pain but also long term longevity and postural correction by pointing out areas of postural neglect that can easily lead to a healthier spine!
Our assortment of chiropractors are thankfully not governed by a one size fits all approach meaning that our chiropractors in Mill Park have the ability to treat people from all ages. Specifically Paediatric care and Pregnancy chiropractic care. This is a great specialisation to have especially in the growing area of Mill Park and surrounding suburbs with new families who want to not only achieve better health but also ensure their children are not suffering from common things such as bedwetting, colic and reflux!
All our clinics in the north including Fawkner, Broadmeadows and Westmeadows have experienced chiropractors willing to help also for the time being! The clinics currently offer chiropractic services which also include modalities such as dry needling, cupping, sports taping, trigger point therapy, Stretching and exercise prescription.
Our clinics also accept referrals from GP’s for chiropractic services. If you are given a CDM or EPC plan you are eligible for up to 5 chiropractic visits per year!
What Can You Expect On Your First Visit To Our Clinic?
First Visit or First Treatment at either of our Mill Park or other health clinics includes a case history, posture scan, movement analysis, pain assessment, orthopaedic testing and a full body treatment. Referral for X-ray imaging (if required) is bulk-billed through Medicare.
Our Mill Park Clinic
Our Mill Park Clinic is spacious and easily accessible by car, bus and train. 5 Onsite Parking spots available with wheelchair accessibility! Being in a growth corridor our clinic also caters for surrounding suburbs such as Epping, Wollert, Plenty, Reservoir and Thomastown!
What Can Our Team Do To Help?
Depending on the severity of the injury or area of concern our practitioners in our Broadmeadows, Westmeadows, Fawkner and Mill Park Clinics will treat accordingly to your complaint. Treatments that may be provided but are not limited to include:
Spinal manipulation, Activator Methods, Drop Piece, SOT and other adjustive techniques can help alleviate joints that have restriction such as spinal segments and joints.
PNF/PIR/prescribed stretching – Stretching has shown to reduce pain, improve functionality of the wrist and hand also maintains strength and improves patients in both long and short-term outcomes.
Remedial Massage, Trigger point therapy or use of handheld massager – Have shown to decrease pain/tenderness, enhance both range of motion and quality of life and influence flexibility.
Advice on daily living activities/diet – This enables advice on how to change to make healthy actions into habits and may offer a valuable alternative with potential for long-term impact.
Prescribed exercises – produce more beneficial outcomes in terms of increased strength, improved function and reduced pain scores.
Dry Needling or Cupping to the surrounding musculature to help decrease tension and inflammation around the area of the hand and forearm.
We are noticing more and more older adults seeking chiropractic care. Recent data shows that at 30 June 2020, there were an estimated 4.2 million Australians aged 65 and over! Some of the common symptoms older people suffer from are decreased flexibility, poor balance, numbness and tingling and conditions like degeneration, brittle bones (osteoporosis) and arthritis. This brings us to the discussion on how Chiropractic care can enhance the lives of elderly patients:
Pain relief Back pain is one of the most common conditions elderly people seek treatment for. This is often a result of degeneration or a possible spinal compression fracture. As we age, bone density decreases, which can make one more prone to fractures in the course of everyday tasks. If your spine or joints are not aligned, it places increased pressure on the vertebrae and joints that can potentially increases your risk of a fracture. Gentle spinal manipulation and mobilization can help ease the pain from degeneration by relieving pressure from these joints.
Flexibility and range of motion Inflexibility due to stiff joints or tight muscles can be common with arthritis and degeneration. Helping them maintain flexibility and range of motion in the joints through Chiropractic care will allow them to stay active and independent for longer. This translates into better quality of life!
Quality of Life With confidence and joy to perform daily tasks and hobbies without aches and pains, one will more likely engage better with family and in the community. Thus, improving one’s mental and social wellbeing.
Balance and coordination There are small receptors in the neck that help your brain understand where your arms and legs are functioning in space. As we age, these receptors might not function as efficiently as before. This could lead to more falls, poor balance and coordination or even difficulty walking. Chiropractic care can help improve this communication in the spine and stimulate these receptors better.
Overall health When your spine is properly aligned, it allows the brain to communicate more effectively with all parts of your body decreasing unwanted stress. This allows the nervous system to continue monitoring and repairing the body when needed.
Dealing with burnout is important for mental and physical health. Burnout is a term used for a state of exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress! Some signs to look out for can include:
If this is something you feel like you may be struggling with it is important to have conversations with people you trust or speak to your health practitioner.
Some ways to manage burnout
Prioritize self-care by taking regular breaks throughout the day to recharge. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night and engage in physical activity to boost mood and energy levels.
Set boundaries between work and your personal time to ensure you have downtime.
Develop healthy coping mechanisms such as practicing mindfulness and engaging in hobbies or activities you enjoy and find fulfilling.
Connect with friends and family to share your thoughts and feelings.
Take time to rest. Whether that is a well needed holiday or a short break to disconnect and recharge.
Consider professional help from a therapist or a counsellor to work through your feelings and help develop coping mechanisms.
We all know the cold winter days can be tough on our bodies, so here are a few things we can all do to stay feeling good throughout these months!
Regular exercise can help our bodies a lot! We should aim for 30 minutes of exercise (such as walking, swimming, cycling or anything else you enjoy) 5 days a week!
Adequate sleep aiming for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night can help us feel rested and ready to take on the day ahead. It can also help to repair and strengthen our immune system.
Stress management practicing mindfulness can help to reduce stress levels. Practicing yoga, breathing exercises or meditation are all great ways things to try.
A balanced diet can help to keep our bodies functioning at their best. It is important to include a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as proteins, grains and healthy fats.
Hydration is important for a strong immune system. Adults should aim from around 2.4 to 3 litres of water per day.
Vitamins can be very beneficial in a multitude of ways. Certain vitamins can be extra beneficial in the colder months of the year such as vitamin D (comes directly from the sun but can also be found in fatty fish, fortified dairy, and eggs) and zinc (found in meat, shellfish, legumes, seeds, and nuts).
Consult your health practitioner for further advice or if you have any questions.
You can also check out our 100’s of previous blogs to understand and better educate yourself in ways that can help you achieve not only a healthier lifestyle but better productivity day to day!
