Back Pain In Children 細路肩頸背痛
Our recent article published in SuperPARENTS in Chinese with our Osteopath, Elaine Ward.
Our recent article published in SuperPARENTS in Chinese with our Osteopath, Elaine Ward.
Creative Commons: Miroslav Vajdic
The human body is a complex organism yet its needs are simple.
It is an efficient well designed engine of life which requires very little tinkering on our part majority of the time.
It has the ability to self regulate, maintain and repair itself. As long as we provide it with a variety of nourishment, a reasonable amount of rest and amusement. Our modern lifestyle takes our body into extremes: long stressful work hours, nutrition-less or over rich foods, too little or too much exercise, sleep deprivation and emotional turmoil.
All these factors have a deleterious effect on the overall body function and its ability to self regulate. After all, this is the key question:
“Does our body have the ability to adapt to ‘stresses’ in our environment?”
Stresses refer to any external or internal stimuli which your body may be exposed to, from temperature changes, noise, perceived threats, work deadlines, traumatic experiences, emotions to an overcommitted schedule.
Who does not have stress? You may have big stresses like job or relationship or health related or minor daily stresses like reaching somewhere on time, meeting deadlines or disciplining your kids. Whether your issues are big or small, stress has a cumulative and negative impact on your health.
Did you know that stress affects you in many different ways? Forget about your physical appearance, the frown lines, the clenched jaws, the forehead furrows and more, stress is so harmful that it can cause
Osteopathy focuses on treating patients through a unique philosophy of understanding what makes people unwell. It places a strong emphasis on the interconnectedness of the various systems of our body and how this determines our health. Health is not static but is a minute to minute, day to day dynamic expression of a well functioning organism.
The world of food nutrition and dietary science is one that is full of contradiction and misinformation.
Here is a guideline we work with to help our patients make better food choices.
It can be daunting at first when we first begin questioning our modern food culture.
Runners and non runners alike will likely have heard of this condition. Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a common affliction in runners between 35-55 years of age.
It presents as pain or burning in the foot and heel, and can be especially bad for those first few steps in the morning. It can be very limiting to the training program of beginner and experienced runners.
Most people are aware of the fact that the structure of the foot can cause foot pain and many have gait (manner of walking) analysis, foot assessment and orthotics made, but what about other causes that come from above the foot, higher up the chain?
When you hold your newborn baby in your arms, whatever other feelings you may experience, one overwhelming urge is the need to protect and keep them safe. As a parent you may be susceptible to suggestions of what is best for your child as you would do anything that you deemed of benefit to them.
Many people these days have heard that cranial osteopathy can be of benefit to babies addressing various issues from colic to sleeping, fussiness to feeding. But what exactly is it? And how does it help? Having an understanding of what newborn babies go through can help towards parents making the decision as to whether or not it is an approach they want to try.
Does your daily routine including taking a glucosamine supplement?
Recent studies suggest you might be wasting your money.
Glucosamine is an amino monosaccharide (sugar) made within the body and found in numerous tissues including the kidneys, liver and cartilage. It is a common diet supplement, widely used for osteoarthritis, joint pain and soft tissue injuries due to the belief it promotes cartilage repair. However, there are no reputable studies that explain how glucosamine works in the body. While advocates of glucosamine report a reduction in pain and swelling, quicker soft-tissue healing and prophylactic protection against damage to cartilage, we do not know exactly how glucosamine works these wonders.
In fact, recent studies are finding the popular supplement may in reality have no effect at all.
For example, a 2005 Canadian study found that when patients, who were taking glucosamine for knee osteoarthritis and reporting at least moderate relief of pain, had no difference in outcome when they were switched to a placebo.
Studies out of Belgium suggest that although glucosamine is easily absorbed by the body, recommended treatment doses (for example, 1,500 mg/day) barely reach the required therapeutic concentration in plasma and tissue.
The authoratative NICE – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence who provides guidelines for the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK has also taken glucosamine off the list of recommendations for the management of Osteoarthritis.
Another supplement which may be more beneficial, better researched and proven is fish oil, which has a natural anti-inflammatory effect.
Your money may be better spent on this instead.
References:
Henrotin et al (2012). Is there any scientific evidence for the use of glucosamine in the management of human osteoarthritis? Arthritis Research & Therapy 2012, 14:201. http://arthritis-research.com/content/14/1/201
Juni et al (2010). Effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee: network meta-analysis. BMJ 2010;341:c4675
Photo by andcombust, Creative Commons.
It’s not easy being a mother running around looking after everybody and keeping everyone happy and healthy. On our Open day, we have a few workshops that we think can be useful for you to help looking after yourself and those who are in your care.
With the common colds, coughs and flus, head and neck infections, there is a simple technique that you can perform at home as parents to help with your child’s recovery. It works with the lymphatic system (the body’s own policing system for infections which is an important component of our immune system.
Another common issue we are seeing in children is the increasing number of postural strains in neck and shoulders. There is no doubt a correlation with our increasing use of iProducts and sitting based activities. Our Osteopath Elaine who is a mother of 3 herself, will be sharing with you her experience dealing with postural issues in her children and her patients. She will also talk about ergonomics, growing pains and exercises you can do with your children.
One aspect of women’s health that is often overlooked is the health of the breast tissue. Akin to all living tissue of our body, it requires a certain amount of mobility and flexibility for it to function optimally. With our long hours of sitting and emotional stresses, we end up with overly contracted tight chest, head and neck muscles. Overtime these will impact adversely the physiology and health of the head, neck and chest. Postural strains aside, it may negatively impact on the physiology of the breast tissue – its ability to regulate its own tissue health (especially with the lymphatic system) and its milk producing property.
Marcia, our massage therapist will discuss her experience working with breast tissue in nursing mothers, women have had growths in their breasts and post surgical cases. Also, things that you can do at home to ensure the healthy function of your breasts.
If you or your friends are interested in coming on Saturday 25 April to attend these workshops, please call or register here.
City Osteopathy Hong Kong
Open Day Workshop Saturday 25 April 2015
Surrounded by so many beautiful trails in Hong Kong, it is unsurprising that running is one of our most popular sport in the city.
Most running injuries can be easily prevented if we learn a little about the anatomy of running. Type of running shoes, posture, how we run and our flexibility can all have a profound effect on our gait.
Ben will be discussing these and some of the common running injuries he sees in the practice and how they can be easily prevented with a simple 8 step stretching routine.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://www.cityosteopathy.com.hk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/20130823-66-5-BEN-cropped.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Ben is a Registered Osteopath in Australia, practicing in Hong Kong. Being a keen runner himself, Ben has been able to stay (mostly) injury free by applying his knowledge in biomechanics and osteopathy. [/author_info] [/author]
