High heels and the risk of arthritis

Women who wear high heels or badly-fitting trainers could be putting themselves at risk of arthritis, experts have warned.

The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists said the UK could be facing an "arthritis crisis" due to increasing levels of obesity, people living longer and poor footwear.

The most common form of the condition, osteoarthritis, causes pain and stiffness in the joints and affects at least eight million people in the UK.

High heels affect body posture, placing more pressure on foot, ankle and knee joints. This can cause stress to the cartilage and lead to the onset of osteoarthritis.

The condition is more common and severe in women, and can badly affect the feet. A quarter of women wear high heels every day or "frequently", a poll of 2,000 people for the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists found.

The poll also found that 77% of both men and women do not wear shoes designed specifically for the sport they are doing, which can cause injury and stress on the joints, increasing the risk of the debilitating condition.

Although you are more likely to develop arthritis as you get older, it can occur at any age and the good news is that there are simple things you can do to help prevent and treat arthritis. Choosing the right footwear will help minimize the stress placed on the feet and joints during everyday activity and helps reduce the risk of injury and joint damage.

For daily wear, the recommendation is to opt for a round-toed shoe with a heel height of no more than 2-3cm (one inch) and with a shock-absorbent sole to help minimize shock to the joints. When doing exercise, wearing trainers that are fitted and designed specifically for that form of exercise will both improve performance and protect from injury.

The survey found 36% of people do not know much about arthritis and 22% think it is an inevitable part of getting older. While 65% have suffered stiffness or pain in their lower body and feet, only half have sought help for their symptoms.

Experts say people should be on their guard because arthritis is on the rise, with 60% of cases in feet.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/8565796/High-heels-could-cause-UK-arthritis-crisis.html

David P. Chen, D.C.
Chiropractor
Laurel, MD 20708

Poor posture can lead to poor health

Prevention and awareness is the best care for health-related problems. One of the easiest and most logical ways to prevent bad posture habits is to think about the consequences.

1. Tension Headaches: Sitting hunched over at your job, most commonly caused by your hands reaching for the keyboard when typing on your computer leads to your shoulders and head slumping forward. This posture tightens the muscles in your neck, upper back and shoulders. After awhile, the tightness causes nerve irritations and muscle spasms which restrict proper flow of blood to the back of your head. This leads to tension headaches.

2. Diminished Breathing: Poor posture can lead to severe kyphosis (hunched back) causing the torso collapse leading to breathing difficulties. Rounded shoulders and overly bent or imbalanced spine restrict the expansion of the rib cage, which restricts the rise and fall of the breathing diaphragm. Reduced rib and spinal mobility will affect the normal breathing movement. If the diaphragm can't rise, it won't be able to draw in as much oxygen during inhalation.

3. Fatigue: Fatigue is one of the most common causes of bad posture. Tired and tight muscles cannot support the skeleton as they are designed to do. Your muscles have to work extra hard just to hold you up if you have poor posture, leaving you without energy. Lack of adequate muscle flexibility and strength, abnormal joint motion in the spine and other body regions will lead to overall muscle fatigue.

4. Make you look older: Never underestimate the beauty and health benefits of good posture. Often poor posture is just a bad habit that is easily corrected. Poor posture not only makes you look older, but could be the first step toward dowager’s hump, double chin, potbelly, and swayback as well as some internal problems too. When a person is hunched over or not standing straight that person may be perceived as older than they actually are. Good posture is not only beneficial to your body; it also makes you look taller and slimmer. What's more, good posture can convey self-confidence, which may just be the best accessory you can have.

5. Back pain: Most common consequence of poor posture, due to muscle strain, especially lower back pain. The back muscles, ligaments, and discs are under extra stress when the spine is not in proper alignment. Strong muscles help keep the spine in proper alignment and prevent back pain. Strong muscles also prevent the spine from extending beyond its normal range of motion, which is essential to protecting the ligaments and disks from injury.

Source: T. Moses Public Relations and Consulting, http://tmosespublicrelations.com

Dr. David Chen
Chiropractor in Laurel, Maryland
Laurel Regional Chiropractic

The Importance of a Well Aligned Body to Your Golf Game

Golf and chiropractic are a perfect combination. A chiropractor, along with a good golf instructor, can help you evaluate, treat, condition and train golfers. A chiropractor will look at the body in balance from head to toe, which is the essence of the golf swing. Anything interfering with the stance or the grip restrictions in the swing will have a profound effect on your golf swing. There are three fundamental causes of golf injuries: poor posture, lack of flexibility, and lack of balanced functioning of muscles. And, of course, poor swing mechanics is the fourth cause.

The golf swing is all about efficient energy transfer from the lower body into the hips, through each of the joints of the spine, into the shoulder girdle, down the arm, through the golf club, and finally into the golf ball. Posture at the address of the ball is important to position yourself to effectively transfer energy and hit that long straight shot you are visualizing. If back pain and dysfunction are impairing your posture, your swing will suffer. That means compensating during your swing that can lead to more biomechanical problems and pain in other areas of the body. Without good posture, pain can be a self-perpetuating cycle that inhibits your game.

Look at yourself in a mirror. Stand nice and tall with your hands to your side. Is one shoulder higher than the other? Now place you hands on your hips. Is one hip higher than the other? If you are serious about golf you should really be serious about your body. Most golfers will spend lots of money, time, and care on their golf equipment but spend little time with their most valuable equipment – that’s themselves. Take a few minutes every day to stretch before playing as it will make a tremendous difference.

Dr. David Chen
Chiropractor in Laurel, Maryland
Laurel Regional Chiropractic