A big thankyou to everyone for your patience and understanding during the recent February Statewide lockdown, in regards to rescheduling care.
Important dates to be aware of include:
Monday March 8th – Closed for Labour Day Holiday
Friday April 2nd – Good Friday
Monday April 5th – Easter Monday
Dr. Michelle will be away from Monday April 12th, returning April 21st. During this period, Dr. Olivia will be taking care of patients. If you have any concerns or questions, please speak to Dr. Michelle.
“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others use your heart.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Kids and Flat Feet
I recently read an email from Dr. Dorte Blandt in regards to kids and flat feet. Here is a summary of the article.
It’s vitally important that we observe our children’s feet and observe for any sign of decreased arch as they grow. This is because flat feet or Pes planus, in adults has been associated with several issues including back and lower limb and foot pain and degenerative joint disease.
Arch development in children typically occurs between ages 3 years to 8 to 10 years. We are all born with flexible flat feet. This helps to provide stability for a child when first learning to walk and run, by allowing maximum foot surface area to be in contact with the ground. The degree of ‘flatness’ that we see in a child’s foot and its probability of being problematic is not well-defined. A review of the literature conducted by Haley Uden, Rolf Scharfbillig and Ryan Causby, didn’t find a consensus for an accepted procedure of assessment or definitive criteria of when to provide treatment for kids with flat feet.
Many things can impair or change the development of the arch in the foot including;
- Physical inactivity
- Being over weight
- Constant wearing of closed-in shoes from when first beginning to walk
- Overall muscle tone of a child
- Postural and spinal development
- Joint hypermobility and ligament laxity
So, when determining if a child has true flat feet, it’s important to look at the child as a whole, and not just the static position of the foot bones. One way to assess for true flat feet versus functional flat feet is to have the child to sit with their feet dangling or to rise up on their toes – if the arch appears or increases, then the child may have more of a functional flat foot issues and could improve from performing exercises such as: - Walking barefoot on various uneven surfaces (when safe to do so)
- Scrunching up paper or towel with toes
- Spreading toes
- Folding and unfolding a face washer with toes
- Picking up small objects with toes
These all help to improve the strength of the intrinsic foot muscles, helping to preserve an arch. Combine these with exercise to help strengthen the calf muscle and ankle such as; skipping, hopping, rope, tree and wall climbing, can help improve a child with a functional flat foot, by helping to improve better development of intrinsic arch support.
How Chiropractic Care Affects Your Brain
Most people assume that when they get adjusted, the chiropractor is moving bones to take pressure off the nerves to relieve pain. We know from research that the adjustment helps the brain to have a better awareness of joint position, that is where and how the joint is functioning. When we suffer an injury, or repeatedly maintain poor posture (think leaning forward with your head down while using your smartphone), the body can change joint position, in an attempt to move away from a point of pain, discomfort or altered movement. This causes the body to recalibrate and change the information it sends to the brain. This in turn changes the information the brain sends back to the tissues supporting and maintaining the damaged joint. This decrease in body awareness increases the susceptibility to further injury, pain, etc, occurring in the future.
The brain needs to be aware of what’s going on, 100% of the time to be able to make decisions of how to best help you to adapt to your daily stresses.
Research shows that regular chiropractic care helps improve this brain–body awareness, providing another important reason why regular chiropractic care is vital for health and wellbeing.
Are You As Mobile As You Think?
During March, we at Carrier St Chiropractic will be asking our patients to get more mobile this Mobility Month!
A recent survey by the Australian Chiropractors Association (ACA) found that one in ten Australians claim their pain hindered their ability to play with their children; one in ten indicated impacts on intimate relationships; and one in 20 realised their persistent pain resulted in increased friction with their partner.
With statistics like these, it is important you are staying on top of your mobility and monitor any changes in your strength, balance and flexibility. This Mobility Month, try out these four simple exercises to discover how ‘mobile’ you are:
1) Neck Rotation: testing how far and evenly you can turn your neck on each side.
a) Sitting down, keep your shoulders still and against a chair.
b) Turn your head all the way to the left as if you were looking over your shoulder. How far around did you get?
c) Repeat on the right. Was it even? Was it comfortable?
2) Trunk Side Bend: testing how far you can run your hand down each side of your body.
a) Stand with your feet comfortably apart.
b) Run a hand down the side of your leg so you side bend without leaning backwards or forwards.
c) Repeat on the other side. Was it even and was it comfortable to do?
3) Sit-to-Stand: testing the ease at which you can rise from your chair with crossed arms.
a) Sit in the middle of your chair. Cross your arms over your chest.
b) Keeping your back straight and arms across your chest…
c) Stand straight up and then sit back down. Did you do this easily or was it hard?
4) Single Leg Stance: testing how well you balance on each leg.
a) In a safe environment free of trip hazards, stand upright with feet together and place hands on hips.
b) Lift one foot off the ground. Do not allow your legs to touch. Time how long you can stand without moving.
c) Repeat on the opposite side. Are you able to stand on each leg for at least 40 seconds? (If under 60 years)
How was your flexibility, strength and balance? If you find that you are struggling with one of the exercises, not to worry. We at Carrier St Chiropractic are here to help. Ask us about getting more mobile this March by contacting us via 5762 5151.
Anxiety
Anxiety can manifest itself in many ways. Feelings of frustration, being overwhelmed, even with the simplest of daily tasks, difficulty sleeping, feeling agitated, fatigued, stressed, fearful and nervous can all be signs of anxiety.
Trauma and stress can cause us to become anxious but so can neurotransmitter and hormone level imbalances, poor diet and thyroid issues. Research has shown some simple every day habits can help to ease your anxiety.
1) Stay hydrated – helps to improve brain cognition and judgment
2) Exercise regularly – helps to improve and balance neurotransmitters and allow release of feel-good hormones known as endorphins. Exercise also helps regulate blood sugar levels, sleep patterns and appetite.
3) Eat healthy foods – especially those rich in omega -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as salmon, sardines, avocados, walnuts, chia seed and dark green leafy vegetables. Fats are important for building blocks for our cells, hormones and brain. Can also use extra virgin olive oil, flax seed and hemp oil.
4) Try some fermented foods – Why? Because fermented foods have been shown to improve gut microbial health and it may surprise you that some neurotransmitters like serotonin, are manufactured in the gut. Gut Microbial affects mental health, in particular depression and anxiety, therefore when you heal your gut, you are helping to heal your mind as well. Great sources of fermented foods include Kefir, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, yoghurt and fermented soy products such as tempeh and miso.
5) Include heaps of vegetables and fruit into every meal
6) Get sunshine – research has suggested that early morning sunlight can act as a strong anti-anxiety natural medication.
7) Don’t do it alone – It can be hard and you can feel at times very alone but seek out help from friends and family, your health professional, and community support groups. Remember a problem shared is a problem halved.
8) Get Adjusted – Improving spinal joint motion improves the feedback mechanism to the brain. Chiropractic care help’s the brain and body to communicate better, aiding how your body functions.
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
Henry Ford
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