We’re backing the future generation – literally.
On Monday 23rd April, our Head Chiropractor, Louise Hampton spent the day at Ralph Sadlier School teaching the children the importance of good posture and doing exercise. “I went through some stretches with the children which would be good for them to do on a daily basis and taught them about the spine and the importance of keeping healthy,” Louise said.
She continued, “All the children really seemed to enjoy the sessions and asked some very good questions. They were keen to learn what they could do to look after their backs like carrying their school bags correctly and I highlighted the importance of not sitting for too long in the same position and to move around. I seem to be treating more and more young people suffering from back pain so if I can get children to do some stretches and prevent back pain it can only be a good thing. It was a pleasure to teach such an enthusiastic group of children.”
If you worry about your child’s back, follow these simple tips from the British Chiropractic Association.
· Bag it up – if your child has to carry a bag to school – a rucksack is the best option as long as it is carried over both shoulders, and the straps are adjusted so that the bag is held close to the back. Loads are easier to carry when held closer to the body and symmetrically (try not to have a load held off to one side), ensuring weight is evenly distributed
· Check it– make sure your child is not carrying any unnecessary excess weight – check daily that all the items in their bags are essential. Ensure school bags are packed correctly – heavy objects should be packed first and placed on the inside of the bag, close to the spine and pelvis
· Best Foot Forward – Make sure your child has good footwear; soft-soled shoes that are supportive and have a good grip will make it easier for them to carry a heavier school bag
· Exercise – lack of exercise is your child’s worst enemy. Encourage your child to take regular exercise as, the fitter your child is, the less likely they are to injure themselves
· Don’t ignore pain or discomfort – If your child can’t stand up straight easily or they complain that the bag limits their movement – then it is too heavy. Encourage your child to tell you about pain or discomfort that may be caused by a heavy schoolbag. Pain in a child or teenager should not be ignored
Chiropractic Awareness Week 2012
Speaking as someone related to a seventy-year-old who takes the dog for daily walks of ten miles or more, I am very aware that health and exercise doesn’t stop as soon as you hit fifty.
However, we live in an ageing population, and the number of those aged 55+ who worry about their health paints a worrying picture:
· One in five (20%) aged 55 and over are most worried about becoming less active as they age.
· 48% of over 55’s admit that they are a lot less active than 20 years ago.
· 51% of over 55 year olds are currently suffering from back or neck pain with 33% of those complaining that they suffer daily and 24% stating they have endured some kind of back or neck complaint for more than 10 years.
At the start of Chiropractic Awareness Week 2012, the British Chiropractic Association is joining forces with the European Year of Active Ageing.
Active Ageing doesn’t mean daily 10 mile walks like I mentioned in the first sentence (I couldn’t manage that, and I’m only in my mid-twenties!), but small changes can make a big difference – just a couple of minutes stretches a day could help improve how limber you are, and that’s a good start. Walking is definitely an underrated form of exercise: try walking to the next bus-stop along (difficult in Buntingford where there are only three bus-stops in total!), or parking the car further away when doing the weekly shop. These little things can snowball.
Swimming is an amazing form of exercise which is normally subsidised for the over 60s, and helps tone the whole body and is less intensive – and more importantly, less hard on the joints – than running.
Lastly, if something hurts, stop doing it! If you suffer pain beyond a simple ache, make sure you visit your chiropractor – as I often state, we do so much more than just backs! We offer free consultations, as well as exercises to strengthen any damaged muscles and joints after your initial course of treatment is completed.
We hope this piece has given you some ideas about keeping active, and we always hope you’ll stay healthy along with us at Attend2Health.
Your chiropractic appointment – in pictures!
Now, we’re not exactly as interesting as the Guggenheim, but it’s good to know what a clinic looks like before you visit. Today’s post focuses on what you can expect when you come to Attend2Health to visit Alexander Smith, one of our chiropractors.
This is Attend2Health (sunshine not always as pictured). We’re on Buntingford High Street and just opposite the library.
Welcome to the clinic. This is Kat, who is part of our Front Desk team. More often than not, she’s slightly hidden behind the desk. Say hello, Kat.
Very good.
This is the chiropractic treatment room. In this picture is the bench, an activator, an ultrasound machine, and some blocks.
But! As useful as these are, we could definitely do with a chiropractor!
That’s better. On the left is Alex. In his hands is a spine. I have it on good authority that it’s a model, and not the spine of a previous patient.
On your first appointment, you’ll get a consultation where you discuss your complaint with the chiropractor, an examination, where the chiropractor examines the area causing discomfort, and a treatment.
The treatment may involve mobilisation (soft tissue work), activator work – which involves a small spring-loaded spinal stimulator – and adjustments. Adjustments are those ‘cracky’ bits that you may well be aware of. What an adjustment actually does is move the joint beyond its regular range of motion, but not beyond the range of motion which the joint is designed to move.
After your treatment, Alex may suggest you buy an ice-pack from our foyer, or reccommend ice and heat on the area for which you’re seeking treatment.
(As you can see, we have lots of ice packs. Among other things.)
Depending on the state of your condition, we may ask you to book in once a week, or may just wish to see you for maintenance in a month-or-so’s time. At which point, you’ll get to see Kat and Alex, or one of our other lovely Front Desk Team and Chiropractors.
So, we’re not the Guggenheim, like I said, but hopefully seeing what you’ll expect makes chiropractic, and our clinic, a little less abstract and a little more real.
“I can feel it in my bones!”
Do you feel the cold in your joints? Arthritis sufferers struggle with weather like this more than most, but hopefully acupuncture and Alexander Technique can help. The University of York has commissioned a three year study into the effectiveness of Acupuncture and Alexander Technique into care for Chronic Neck Pain.
Alexander Technique lessons are designed to help people improve their posture, co-ordination and balance, while reducing unwanted responses which can cause or aggravate pain and stress. Along with acupuncture, the treatment has been shown to improve back pain and offer value for money over the long term.
Acupuncture is recommended for chronic back pain by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
If you’re interested in whether we can help with your back or neck pain, give us a call on 01763 87 80 87, we offer taster sessions and consultations with our practitioners, so you can decide whether either of these treatments are right for you.
Santa-stic! (And a happy new year)
Happy New Year!
With the last of the Christmas pudding finally eaten, the mince-pies already on your waistline, and the weather as unhappy with January as the rest of us, we’re definitely starting 2012 with a bang. If you’re like us and don’t take down your decorations until Twelfth Night, make sure you look after your back while doing it: bend from the knees, don’t overstretch, and don’t fall onto the remains of the Christmas tree.
Speaking of Christmas… On Saturday 17th December, we held a charity treatment morning where we offered massage, reflexology and chiropractic treatments in return for donations. We raised over £250, which was then used to buy presents for children at the Lister Hospital over the festive period.
On December 23rd, Chiropractor Louise Hampton delivered the presents to the hospital.
Marylin Goodhew – one of the play therapists in the children’s ward – was extremely grateful for the donations, explaining that they unfortunately had a full ward for Christmas this year.
“I’m really pleased that the presents were so well received and made such a difference,” said Louise. “Thank you so much to all the patients who supported our charity morning, be it with their own donations of toys, or helping us to raise so much money for the children – it was lovely to give something back to the community, and we couldn’t have done it without the help of our patients.”
Moving swiftly back to the New Year, however – how are your resolutions going? Are you going for that run every morning, or has the weather hampered your plans before you ever managed to start? Maybe you resolved to swim every day (not too difficult in this weather), or to cut back on the carbs. Whatever you chose to do, congratulations! Committing to a resolution is the first step, and often the trickiest. Make sure you don’t over-do it in the first few weeks: stretch before and after all exercise, and stay with what’s comfortable – if you’ve not run since school, don’t expect to manage marathons before February! If you get any pains, make sure to book in with a chiropractor or sports masseuse – it might be nothing to worry about, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Our resolution (other than working off all of the Quality Street from the last two weeks) is to make this blog more reader-centric: let us know what you’d like to read about. Maybe you want more tips on how to take care of your back, maybe you want more information about the disciplines which we offer at the clinic. Maybe you want some more of my excellent chiropractic puns… Well, perhaps not the last one.
Whatever you’d like to see in the blog, leave us a comment, or email us at info@attend2health.co.uk and let us know.
Until our next update, we wish you happiness and wellbeing from everyone at Attend2Health.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Cricked-Necks
You’d be surprised how many Christmas Chiropractic jokes there are – what do chiropractors and Christmas table decorations have in common? They’re both ‘crackers’.
… I didn’t say they were good Christmas Chiropractic jokes.
Mind you, as there are only five shopping Saturdays left, it’s beginning to seem a lot like Christmas, whether you like it or not! (We bought our Advent calendars over a month ago, but that says more about the local shops than anything else.)
But, if you’re wondering what’s festive about a health clinic (other than terrible puns), you’d be surprised. If you’re struggling for ideas on what to buy for your sister/mother/great aunt Kit, we sell gift vouchers for Sports Massage, Therapeutic Massage, Reiki, Reflexology and Indian Head Massage. It’s a great treat for someone over what can be a very stressful season, and it makes a change from the same Body Shop kit every year.
We’re also gearing up for our Christmas Charity Drive.
This year, we’ve teamed up with the Lister Hospital in Stevenage for a toy drive collecting presents for the children unlucky enough to be in hospital over Christmas! From November 18th, we will have a Santa Sack in clinic accepting any donations from customers – and anyone who donates a toy will be entered into a prize draw for a free treatment and we’ll be throwing a half price treatment morning on Saturday 17th December with all profits going towards toys for the children.
If you have any questions, or are interested in booking an appointment for our half-price treatment day, please drop us a comment on this entry, or email us at buntingford@attend2health.co.uk, or pop into the clinic with any donations or questions you might have. We ho-ho-hope to see you there.
Helping you back into Winter
On Saturday 1st October, Attend2Health celebrated our 4th anniversary with cake, balloons, and a Charity Treatment Day raising money for Isabel Hospice and Buntingford Action for the Less Able. Thanks to you, we were able to raise over £200 for these worthwhile causes, helping those in need in Buntingford and Hertfordshire.
We would like to thank everyone who came down to the clinic on Saturday and booked a mini-treatment, who bought a raffle ticket, or who has just been one of our valued customers over the last four years. Without you, we literally could not have done this!
We would like to extend special thanks to Ione Woodger-Smith at Crazy Daisy and James Radley at J Oliver Radley Opticians for their generous donations to our raffle and for their support in our fundraising efforts.
Don’t forget that October sees World Arthritis Day on October 13th. If you have concerns about your joints, why not book in for a free consult with any of our friendly chiropractors. October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and our JustGiving page for Isabel Hospice will still be open all month if you wish to donate to them: www.justgiving.com/attend2health.
Much though we’re loathe to think about it, as the days get shorter and the nights draw in, the slide towards Christmas is inevitable. For a stress-free present option, we sell massage and reflexology gift-vouchers. And after the hassle of Christmas, who can say they wouldn’t benefit from a little pampering?
Although the weather may be changeable, our dedication to your health isn’t: we are here six days a week to discuss any concerns you may have, whether it’s about your cluster headaches or your ingrown toenails – we’re here for you from head to toe.
Attend2Health’s Four Year Anniversary: Help us give back to the community
How time flies! Attend2Health turns 4 years old this month, and to celebrate this milestone, we want to give something back to the community who welcomed us so warmly.
Louise Hampton, Doctor of Chiropractic, started Attend 2 Health on 25th October 2007. Louise has been a Chiropractor for 7 years after studying Chiropractic at the University of Glamorgan. Louise was also awarded a Fellow of the British Chiropractic Association last year and is the youngest Chiropractor to ever receive such an accolade. Even with the recession the practice has gone from strength to strength and now has a range of disciplines available from Chiropractic, Massage, Reflexology, Acupuncture, Foot care and Alexander Technique.
We will be holding a charity treatment morning on Saturday October 1st. We will be offering mini-reflexology and massage sessions, spinal scans and chiropractic treatment, all for a small donation to charity: the charities we will be raising money for are Buntingford Action For the Less Able – a local charity for those who suffer from motion-impairment, and Isabel Hospice – a Hertfordshire-based cancer charity.
There will also be a raffle, with prizes such as treatment vouchers, signed photos from X Factor finalists, and a grand prize of a digital camera.
If you’re interested, be it in donating an item for our raffle (all donations greatly received and all profits going to charity) or booking a treatment, please call our friendly front-desk team on 01763 87 80 87. If you are unable to attend, but still wish to donate, please visit our JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/Attend2Health. All donors will be entered automatically into our raffle draw.
Meet the chiropractors
As a multidisciplinary clinic, Attend2Health has a number of practitioners working under its roof. Today’s post is a little introduction to the chiropractors working within our four walls.
One foot is better than two crutches.
Our feet keep us moving, carry our weight, and help us stand tall, but we don’t always look after them the way we should. In today’s post, we look at common foot ailments, what may have caused them, and how to stop them.