More back to school information

Hi everyone

I have finally time to write a little note. I took a week off and recharged my batteries. I am ready for the fall and full of energy.

Now I thought I could share with you a few other things regarding the back to school. My kids started yesterday. Now we are slowly getting back in the school routine. Going to bed early, homework ( yes we had some on the first day!!) etc...

A few things to remember that this period can be quite stressful for kids. Some kids find it difficult to start up again and are anxious to see who will be their teacher and if their friends will be with them. Try to reassure them as much as possible. Make sure they go to bed early because they will be tired!!!

Another thing I like to question is where they are seated because you want to verify that they move around in the class and are not always sitting facing the board in one direction. So inquire how often they change positions.

Remind your kids to get their back packs on both shoulders and to put the heavy books close to the back. See my other blog on the back pack information.

Remind them about their posture at there desk. They should try to sit upright and lean against the back of the chair.

So I hope these tips will help your back to school routine be easier

Valerie

Choosing a back pack for school!

Hi everyone

Yes it is that time of year already! It seems like yesterday we were just finishing school and starting summer vacation but school starts at least for us in less then 3 weeks. When you go shopping all the back to school supplies are out!! I think it is very important to talk about back pack. Many kids have the wrong back pack, carry it poorly, and do not know how to fill it. Back packs do create a lot of neck, upper and even lower back pain in kids. So here are some important recommendations to follow when shopping for a back pack:

1- Choose a back pack versus a bag that gets carried only on one shoulder

2-You should make sure you can adjust the straps and that it has a waist strap

3- Adjust the back pack so that is it not higher than the shoulders and should not be lower than the waist or hips. So the size of your child will determine the size of the bag.

4-When you fill up the back pack put the heavy and bigger books towards the back of the bag closer to the back of your child

5-The bag should not weigh more then 10% of the weight of your child. So get the scale out weigh your child and then weigh the bag with a simple calculation you can figure out if the bag is too heavy for your child to carry

6- To lift the bag on the shoulders, your child should put it on a flat surface like a table and then put the straps and lift with the legs the weight of the bag.

7- Never wear the back pack on one shoulder.

So I hope this will help you choose your back pack. Have a good back to school and beginning of the school year.

Valerie

Be careful starting an exercise program!

Hi everyone

I wanted to talk briefly about starting out an exercise program. I had an interesting case come through the clinic on tuesday. The lady has an acute torticollis. She could not move her head at all right or left. She could not look up. The muscles were all in spasms around the neck and shoulder. So what happened? I questioned and asked a bunch of question and she said it just started like that sunday morning. So with my experience I inquired to see what she had done that would have been different on saturday and there it was! She mentioned that she had decided to do a spinning class. It had been a long time since she had done one she said. So questioning more I said " could you have used your neck muscles to help you pedal" the answer was "yes". She used other muscles to compensate for the weaknesses to help her in the spinning class. So I am pretty convinced that she injured herself on saturday but the inflammation and the spasms only came about 24 hours later.

This is so common where people who have not exercised in a long time decide to go out and do what they used to do. The issue is that their body is not ready for that. When you have not exercised in a long time you must ease yourself into it slowly otherwise your body will let you know!!! This is a recurrent theme in the clinic when people feel a little bit better, they go all out and do what they used to do. Usually I get a call the next day and we are back to square one!! so remember to slowly start and give a chance to your body to adjust to the change!!

Valerie

A bit of history!!

Hi everyone

I thought it would be interesting to share a bit of chiropractic history. Did you know chiropractic was discovered over 110 years ago!! Yes chiropractic has been around that long. Chiropractic was discovered by D.D. Palmer a canadian who then went to the United States. The history says that D.D. Palmer would have performed an adjustment on a janitor who was partially deaf and that is hearing restored. D.D. Palmer had been experimenting with the spine for a long time and decided to name his discovery CHIROPRACTIC. It comes from greek : Chiro which means hands and practic which means done by therefore done by hands. Since then chiropractic has made many advancement and research has proven that chiropractic can help many discomfort. Chiropractic is taught around the world and focuses on the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal problems. We use manual techniques or adjustments to help the joints, the muscles and the nervous system.

This is why I love this profession. We listen and touch our patients where they have pain. It is quite reassuring for patients when we can finally find why they have had pain for so long. Chiropractic can help you so do not hesitate to come see one!!!

Valerie