Thoughtful Thursday - September 17th
Welcome back with NINETY-NINE DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS! (Can you believe that?!)
This week is focused on movement again and some refreshers on simple things you can do at home or the office or school – or Venus – so that your bodies make it till then!
Clinic Updates
Short and sharp this week…Grant from Putney is off for a week of camping and recharging – back Monday 28th with some more hours open. Our Chiro Student assistants start back at school next week as well, so you won’t see them as often. Wishing them a fab year!
Podcast(s) of the Week
This week saw the return of the live Insta chat, and Craig was joined by a special, non-chiro guest – pilates expert and good friend of Chiro.London, Luke Meessmann of Absolute Studios.
For anyone who’s ever been curious about pilates but never attempted a class, this episode is a must-watch/listen, as Luke explains the many applications of the pilates method and equipment, the positive effects it can have on the body, how it differs from yoga and how it can complement your chiropractic care! Luke also demonstrates a couple of nice exercises for the upper and lower body, so if you’d like to have a watch click here, otherwise if you’d prefer to listen you can check it out as a podcast here, and also on other platforms such as Spotify, Apple and Google.
And if you’re keen to give pilates a go after listening to this podcast, your first class is always free at Absolute – click here to book in.
Shameless Plug(s) of the Week
We may be a little biased, but this week’s shameless plug is an excerpt of an article published in The Telegraph on Tuesday, titled “How to avoid the working from home ‘posture pandemic.’”™
Yes, turns out it’s none other than our own Craig McLean who’s coined the latest catchphrase, which describes the issues many of us have faced – and are still facing – when working from home.
Dr Craig McLean, from Chiro.London, a chiropractic clinic with a base in Marylebone, has seen a rapid increase in clients seeking help for postural issues since the move to working from home was first announced, adding that these are mostly caused by "people cramped into work from home positions."
However, McLean says that phones are actually the biggest culprit of upper body pain. The hunched posture phone usage encourages (shoulders forward, with the neck bent down) can have an effect on 'cervical lordosis'. This is essentially when your spine in the neck region doesn't curve as it normally should.
“The reverse curve you have in the bones of your neck is designed to keep your head pretty much weightless on top of the shoulders,” he says. “The moment you lose some of the curve [the lordosis], you end up doubling the amount of work your muscles at the back of your spine need to do.”
Indeed, the problem is so pronounced that McLean predicts a “posture pandemic” among the younger generation. Figures from the BCA reveal that 68 per cent of chiropractors have seen an increase in children with issues linked to screen time in the last five years. Although it may feel unnatural, experts recommend holding your phone up to eye level, resting your elbow on your body for support.
McLean cites the second and third biggest causes of upper body pain as laptops, and poor positioning of devices, such as monitors. This is because laptops either force us to look down to see the screen or (if it’s elevated) raise our hands to type.
And it's not just muscle pain that homeworkers are grappling with. According to McLean, headaches called cervicogenic tension - caused by excessive stress to the neck - are becoming increasingly common.
“You end up irritating your nervous system that gives you a tension headache that can refer all the way round to the front of the head,” he says. “More often than not, this takes the form of a dull, throbbing headache deep in the base of the skull.
”Largely, this is all caused by poor posture. “All you’ve got to do is put your head forward and your chin up a bit, and you can feel how jammed it feels at the top of your neck,” adds McLean.
During lockdown, our practitioners provided some great and useful content to assist with the working from home lifestyle, so you’d like a little help or a reminder of ways to prevent yourself from becoming part of the ‘posture pandemic’, check these out…
Sammy from Fulham wrote this blog post featuring key points to remember when working from home to optimise your posture. Sammy also filmed these easy exercises to keep your body mobile during hours of sitting and/or sitting in not so idea positions – here’s one for the upper back and one for the lower body.
Luke M from Marylebone recorded this video to show you how to optimise your work from home set-up to keep both body and mind at ease.
Katie from Marylebone filmed a little series of videos featuring easy stretches to help counteract the pain and poor posture experienced when working from home. The first video turns your sofa from a villain to a hero by providing a few exercises to help with lower back pain that can be performed on your couch. The second video discusses sciatica and leg pain, which can be associated with poor posture and sitting for long periods, and offers some nice stretches to help alleviate the symptoms. The third video is all about the neck and shoulders, and provides some simple ways to stretch your neck muscles and ease the pain.
Ami-Bree from Putney addresses tension headaches and TMJ issues in her video, which can be caused or exacerbated by poor posture. This is a great one for anyone who finds they clench their teeth in their sleep or spends a lot of time looking down at their phone!
Tommy Tonkins, our marketing guru and long-time work from homer, made this video to offer his expertise on how to maximise productivity and set up an efficient home office schedule.
We also have a series of spinal exercises on our website, compiled by Craig. They cover the full spectrum – from necks to lower backs and hips – to ensure your body remains mobile and well stretched.
And if all else fails, Craig’s got Friday night drinks covered with his ‘quarantini’ workshop here!
If there are any areas we haven’t covered, or you have questions relating to working from home, or returning to the office/school, please feel free to get in touch and let us know. Always happy to help!
Ask the Team
George Ross DC answers your question…
What sort of desk do you recommend?
I recommend a desk that can move up and down, so you alternate between sitting for 45 minutes and then standing for 45 minutes throughout the day. A standing desk is ideal though, and the best option for your spine, which is why you see our chiropractic assistants standing at reception.
Well that was a nice reminder of all the lil stuff to keep your body moving, simply and easily. As always, get in touch with any feedback or, weirdly, book recommendations – seem to get a lot of those based on whatever our theme of the week is and they have all been fantastic, so keep them coming!
Keep it simple and look after yourselves till next week, team.
Cheers,
Drew