Welcome to this week’s Thoughtful Thursday – hosted by Marylebone’s Darryl Lampen (aka the Dazzler), as promised. Darryl is a massage therapist and mobility coach, so this week’s theme is all about movement.

Clinic Updates

We are waiting for more info on BoJo's latest updates from our regulatory boards. Our clinics are pretty well spaced out, and all of you are doing the right thing (wearing masks/washing hands), so we’re hoping it won't affect your experience with us too much. Will keep you posted via our social media and here on Mondays and Thursdays. Any worries, please feel free to call us. :)

Marylebone Saturdays: We had a great response to week one of ‘Chiro/Massage Saturdays’ at Marylebone, hosted by the man responsible for this week’s email, Darryl, so we will keep them running for the time being. Give Tom and Lucy a call on 0207 724 4004 if you would like to be seen, and they might even offer you a lil discount if you mention this email.

The only team holiday to report is Erana being off from Marylebone/Tooting from Wednesday, September 16th and returning Wednesday 23rd. The rest of the team will be happy to look after you in her absence.

Podcast(s) of the Week

Craig has (in his own words), “managed a week without plonking a mic in front or anyone,” but we hear there are some fascinating guests lined up, so stay tuned for future episodes soon.

If you’re new to our newsletter or podcast (welcome!) or you’re curious to know just how Chiro.London (and this podcast) began, you can scroll it right back to the beginning and have a listen to our very first episode here, and also on other platforms such as Spotify, Apple and Google.

In the mean time, we've discovered a useful little article Craig wrote recently for the British Chiropractic Association featuring great tips for how to best sit and ride and a bike (yep, sounds easy but there's a bit to it!), which you can check out here.

Shameless Plug(s) of the Week by Darryl Lampen

"Don't limit your challenges. Challenge your limits!"

It's a mantra I go by for my clients' journeys, as well as my personal one. In my 20s, I was the guy who:

• Was prone to being injured – wrists, shoulders and hips, to name a few

• Had poor range of motion generally – I was the guy who couldn't touch his toes

• Had a body that didn't "behave" properly – some muscles were lazy, some muscles were working overtime

• Only went to see a chiropractor out of desperation

It was only during my late 20s, when I got sick of getting injured and frustrated with how my training had started to plateau, that I began to explore mobility and flexibility work, as well as start regular chiropractic care.

Before I delve into the benefits of mobility and flexibility, I'd like to touch on the differences between them. Passive Flexibility or passive range of motion (P-ROM), refers to the maximum ROM that can be produced by imposition of an external force without causing joint injury. Active Flexibility or active range of motion (A-ROM) – and often referred to as ‘mobility’ – refers to the maximum ROM that can be produced under active muscular control for a particular degree of freedom of any joint.*

Your flexibility (passive flexibility) will always be greater than your mobility (active flexibility), though with specific mobility training you can reduce the difference between the two. Moreover, increasing flexibility will increase the capacity and availability for more improvement with mobility (you can't actively stretch to a point that you can't passively get to).

The benefits of flexibility and mobility work include:

• Reduced risk of injury

• Improved movement quality

• Increased strength

So how does chiropractic care tie into this? Chiropractic care has helped me improve joint mobility and function, as well as helping the tighter muscles ‘loosen’; and thus, has been complementary to my mobility and flexibility work. So regardless of where you are with your flexibility and mobility training, whether you're doing rehab, prehab or pursuing goals like the splits, there will be some extra benefit.

As my 32nd birthday approaches, I've come a way away from the guy in my 20s! To see just how much improvement I’ve made from the easily-injured man who couldn’t touch his toes, simply check out my website or Instagram.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about functional range mobility training, please feel free to contact me at my website or Insta. I’ll be starting mobility classes on Zoom in October, too. Otherwise you can find me at The Berkeley Clinic, where I offer sports massage services. Just contact reception if you’d like to get in touch or book a massage.

*For further reading, see reference Supertraining.

Ask the Team

Darryl Lampen also answers your question…

When is the best time to have a massage – before or after an adjustment?

A question I often get asked as a massage therapist, with my short answer being, "Either!". The answer depends on your personal preference.

Getting a massage before your adjustment can help put your body in a more relaxed state, which is great if you feel guarded physically. Conversely, getting adjusted before a massage helps loosen up your muscles, as mobilising the spine helps the muscles relax.

I 'd also say that if you're new to either chiropractic or massage, you can start with the familiar treatment before having the other.

That's a wrap for another week. I found this one really interesting, great work Darryl! May have to hit you up for another one...

I have a few leads on takeovers from other non-chiros around our community coming up over the next month, so keep an eye out for some words and plugs from other local health and wellbeing providers soon! If you think you have something that would benefit our community, please do get in touch, would LOVE to hear from you!

Stay safe everyone!

Cheers,

Drew