Gardening and Chiropractic

Preventing back pain when gardening

After a miserable and wet winter (and a pretty chilly spring), the weather has really warmed up! Many people (including my other half), are looking forward to getting being back in the garden and getting their hands dirty, but sometimes doing too much, too soon in the garden can cause back pain!

Most of the painful conditions I see are typically avoidable. If you struggle with poor mobility in the spine, hips or ankles then preventing back pain in the garden when bending or squatting is essential. The risk is increased further if you also spend a long period of time in one position or doing the same repetitive task under load. Here are some top tips to help you prevent back pain in the garden:

Don’t start with heavy-duty gardening.

Warm up with the lighter jobs, like mowing the lawn, or gentle sweeping or raking. When warmed up and moving well, then move on to something else a little more challenging.

Mix it up.

It is important to vary your activity every 30 minutes or so rather than be in one position for too long. Staying in one position can cause the joints and tissues to adapt and stiffen up, causing increased risk of pain or injury when moving again. Varying your activity can minimise this.

If you are laying a patio or doing any heavy lifting,

Keep the object close to your body and bend through your knees and hips. It is sometimes better to bend one knee rather than two to pick up or move objects (also known as a ‘golfers lift’) as your supporting leg gives you a position of strength.

If you are having any problems or gardening causes you back pain, then Chiropractic care could help. This may be in the short term for symptomatic relief, or with long term preventative or maintenance care to maintain good movement and function.

No matter what your problem, we will look to help you to address any underlying causes, empowering you in improving and maintaining your health.

We can help you to achieve better health. Why not come and see what our chiropractors and massage therapists in Stafford and Newport can do for you. We look forward to seeing you.

Chris Mallett
Principal Chiropractor
Pure Health Chiropractic & Wellness (Stafford and Newport)

Hip pain replacement

Hip or groin pain

If you regularly read my articles, you may know that I love to be active. Recently though, low back, hip or groin pain have stopped me in my tracks. Yes, even us chiropractors aren’t immune from pain or injury! Fortunately, I know how to deal with it which often means that I can help you too!

For those that are also struggling and can’t get around so easily, I know how frustrating it can be and I’ll do all I can to help you back to activity. However, when it comes to more complicated joints like the hip, it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the pain. It may not be the hip at all!

The hip joint is a hugely important joint in our ability to move well and stabilise through the rest of the body, particularly the spine. There are a multitude of muscles and other tissues that attach across the hip, pelvis and torso which help to keep us stable through our everyday movements like squatting or bending. If these tissues are not coordinating and contracting adequately, possibly due to injury, restriction or neurological misfiring, then pain and dysfunction can often occur. Over time this can lead to poor movement, weakness, instability and (if long-term), arthritic changes.

Hip and groin pain

It could even be that your pain is not coming from the hip at all – it may be your lower back or sacro-iliac joint thats causing all the trouble. The best way to find out is to get checked over.

No matter what your problem, we will look to help you to address any underlying causes, empowering you in improving and maintaining your health.

We can help you to achieve better health. Why not come and see what our chiropractors and massage therapists in Stafford and Newport can do for you. We look forward to seeing you.

Chris Mallett
Principal Chiropractor
Pure Health Chiropractic & Wellness (Stafford and Newport)

Featured image: X-ray Image ID: 3684. Photographer: Unknown., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Gardening and Chiropractic

Gardening and back pain

Well, we’ve had a miserable and wet winter, but things are looking up! Recent events can all soon get you down, but my hope grows that we might finally get some sunnier and drier weather so we can all brighten up and get outside more with family and friends. I think we are all looking forward to that again. Many people (including my other half), are also looking forward to being back in the garden and getting their hands dirty, but sometimes gardening can give you back pain!

Most of the painful conditions I see are typically avoidable. If you struggle with poor mobility in the spine, hips or ankles then bending or squatting to work in the garden can leave you open to an increased risk of injury. This risk is increased further if you also spend a long period of time in one position or doing the same repetitive task under load.

Don’t start with heavy-duty gardening. Warm up with the lighter jobs, like mowing the lawn, and then move on to something else.

Mix it up. It is important to vary your activity every 30 minutes or so rather than be in one position for too long.

If you are laying a patio or dong any heavy lifting, keep the object close to your body and bend through your knees and hips. It is sometimes better to bend one knee rather than two to pick up or move objects (also known as a ‘golfers lift’) as your supporting leg gives you a position of strength.

If you are having any problems or gardening causes you back pain, then Chiropractic care could help. This may be in the short term for symptomatic relief, or with long term preventative or maintenance care to maintain good movement and function.

No matter what your problem, we will look to help you to address any underlying causes, empowering you in improving and maintaining your health.

We can help you to achieve better health. Why not come and see what our chiropractors and massage therapists in Stafford and Newport can do for you. We look forward to seeing you.

Chris Mallett
Principal Chiropractor
Pure Health Chiropractic & Wellness (Stafford and Newport)

SPorts and Remedial Massage Therapy

Need a good massage?

Are you looking for a top quality sports or remedial massage in or around Stafford?

Meet our excellent massage therapists Liesa and Matt. Whether its general aches and pains, a muscular injury, or simply helping with training recovery – they’ve got you covered.

With the Stafford Half marathon just around the corner, regular massages could help you get that PB you’ve been after!

For more information, visit our Meet The Team and Sports & Remedial Massage Therapy pages.

We can help you to achieve better health. Why not come and see what our chiropractors and massage therapists in Stafford and Newport can do for you. We look forward to seeing you.

Gardening and Chiropractic

Calling all gardeners!

It’s been an interesting few days, with storm Ciara bringing rain, wind and snow to the region. Hopefully once everything settles back down we can get back to normal and spring will be on the way!

Spring seems to be the time of year when the gardeners come out in force and many of them end up seeing someone like myself for those new found aches and pains, so to help avoid potential problems, here are a number of handy tips:

Don’t start with heavy-duty gardening. Warm up with the lighter jobs, like mowing the lawn, and then move on to something else. It is important to vary your activity every 30 minutes or so rather than be in one position for too long.

If you are laying a patio, keep the slab close to your body and bend through your knees and hips. It is sometimes better to bend one knee rather than two to pick up or move objects (also known as a ‘golfers lift’) as your supporting leg gives you a position of strength.

If you are planning a trip to the garden centre to buy heavy items such as bags of compost or pebbles – buy multiple small bags rather than one big bag. Smaller items are easier and safer to carry. If there is no other option, ask someone else to help carry it to the car and then when you get home, shovel out smaller quantities straight from the car and put it into smaller containers.

Do not ignore pain. It can be a warning sign and could indicate something more serious or damaging. If you start to ache then stop what you are doing, have a break and come back to it later once the pain has eased. If there is no improvement, have it checked out as soon as possible.

Most injuries that I see are typically avoidable and we specialise in helping you to recover and then manage them. Studies have shown that chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation and mobilisation combined with appropriate exercises and education, is a very effective method in keeping back pain at bay.

We can help you to achieve better health. Why not come and see what our chiropractors and massage therapists in Stafford and Newport can do for you. We look forward to seeing you.

Chris Mallett
Principal Chiropractor
Pure Health Chiropractic & Wellness (Stafford and Newport)

Christmas

Christmas Opening Hours

Christmas and New Year hours are below 

Chris and Liesa are off from 24th December and back on 6th January.

Matt is still here over Christmas on 28th December and 2nd January (Stafford clinic only).

Wishing everyone a fantastic break over the holiday period 🙂

Featured Image: Esra [Copyrighted free use], via Wikimedia Commons

Stafford massage review

Clinic holiday hours!

Our lovely massage therapist Liesa and chiropractor Chris will be away on their holidays from this week and back on the 12th August.

But don’t worry – Matt our fantastic massage therapist and PT will still be here if you need a helping hand!

To book an appointment with Matt, call 01785 530911 or have a look at our online diary.

Family holiday

We hope you have a great summer and see you when we are back!

Best wishes,

Chris & Liesa
Pure Health Chiropractic & Wellness