Let’s look into what our feet do for us and how important they are to us. Flat foot in our society might be more prevalent than you think! Combining different study findings, the percentage of flat foot seen in children aged 2-6 is 21%-57% and up to 14% in adult populations.(1) The feet and ankle are important to support our daily activities. What could happen if you are putting extra stress into your lower limb joints every step when we walk or do exercise?
As its name suggests, flat foot is a collapsed foot arch when our foot touches the ground(stance phase) in gait. We can imagine the middle rock taken out from an arch bridge and it collapses. In most flat foot sufferers, one of our bone’s called the talus in our mid-foot is found to be shifted forward. This becomes mobile and unlocks the foot arch.(2) Studies have shown that people suffering from flat feet can expect to see excessive foot pronation (rolling in), knee rolling inwards, internal rotation of hip and compensatory back problems.(3) That is one reason why some people get pain in their heel and get tired quicker on their feet when shopping or walking. Another study found other comorbidities such bunions, calluses and arthritis in flat foot sufferers.(4) It is very easy to identify a flat foot! If you can fit one to one and a half fingers underneath your foot arch, you are not a flat foot sufferer! If you could not fit two fingers in your foot arch, it is a good idea to see a podiatrist, as well as musculoskeletal profession to check out your potential lower limb and back compensatory change! If you or your love ones failed the test, speak to our chiropractors in Sprouting Health and see how we can help manage your issues! References 1. Aenumulapalli A, Kulkarni MM, Gandotra AR. Prevalence of flexible flat foot in adults: a cross-sectional study. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR. 2017;11(6):AC17. 2. Van DB, Sangeorzan BJ. Biomechanics and pathophysiology of flat foot. Foot and ankle clinics. 2003;8(3):419-30. 3. Jahani MR, Jalalvand A. Effect of Flat Foot on Excursions of Lower Limb Joints during Running. SSU_Journals. 2020;28(2):2373-83. 4. Shibuya N, Jupiter DC, Ciliberti LJ, VanBuren V, La Fontaine J. Characteristics of adult flatfoot in the United States. The Journal of foot and ankle surgery. 2010;49(4):363-8.
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By 15 years of age, the percentage of children experiencing back pain is approximately 50%-70%, which approaches adult rates of 70-80% (1).
Most school children experience some sort of neck or back pain. Studies have shown there is a significant association between the weight of the backpack the child uses and the likelihood of reporting back pain (1). In a study of 640 school children with back pain, the authors collected data for 25 years. They showed an 84% lifetime prevalence of continued back pain as an adult. Therefore, it is extremely important to do as much as you can to deal with the issue causing the back pain for your children now! Here is our 5 tips to help prevent back pain in your children this year
If you would any further information about what we do at sprouting Health Chiropractic head over to our website or ring us today to book an Appointment to see if we can help. References
One of the most common questions we get asked in the practice is “Why could babies need a check-up?”. To answer this question, we need to look at one of the biggest physical stressors that can affect an infant which is childbirth.
Birth injury, unless major and life threatening, is under-recognised and under-treated (Gottlieb, 1993). In a recent study of 200 infants presenting to a clinic with pain and other physiologic disturbance, 95% demonstrated notable birth trauma. In a much earlier and larger study of 1250 newborns, 89% showed some mechanical strain or restriction (Frymann, 1966). Many injuries including asymmetry of the head, facial asymmetry, torticollis, asymmetry of the mandible, nasal septum deviation and spinal, rib or clavicle dysfunction often go undetected until associated health problems arise. It is increasingly common for births to be assisted with vacuum extraction instruments or surgery (Kozak and Weeks, 2002). Vacuum extraction has been shown to be a strong predictor of early cessation of breastfeeding (Hall et al, 2002). Even under normal conditions, birth consists of significant traction and rotation of the baby’s head and with sufficient force, clavicle fracture is seen as an “unavoidable side effect” in up to 10% of vaginal births (Miller et al, 2013). Babies with mild injuries have a high rate of cessation of breastfeeding, however a study by Miller et al (2009) found that 79% of new mothers presenting with feeding problems were able to exclusively breastfeed after a short course of manual therapy. More research is needed here, however these are promising results. Aside from feeding issues that may be associated with birth trauma, there are some other really important cues to look for in babies to see if they may be experiencing pain:
So if you baby is exhibiting any of these behaviours, give our Practice a call today so we can screen for musculoskeletal issues and help support you and your baby thrive as they grow and develop. References
What are they?
Magnesium, zinc are very important minerals and B6 is a water soluble vitamin. What are they good for? B6 - helps liver detox, helps normal brain function, helps nervous system, can help with pregnancy nausea, cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Zinc - helps liver detox, immune function, wound healing, creation of DNA, growth of cells and is necessary for almost 100 enzymes to carry out vital chemical reactions in the body. Magnesium - helps liver detoxification, helps with alleviating effects of stress, electrical conductivity of nerves, regulation of blood pressure and other cardiovascular processes, muscle contraction, maintenance of hormones, essential vitamin formation, glucose and energy metabolism, neurotransmitter production, brain function, digestion, cell division, maintenance of bones, migraines, depression, type 2 diabetes. What foods are they high in? B6: Beef liver, tuna, salmon, chickpeas, poultry, dark leafy greens, bananas, papayas, oranges, cantaloupe Zinc: Shellfish: oysters, crab, lobster, beef, poultry, pork, legumes, nuts, seeds Magnesium: Almonds, peanuts, cashews, Pumpkin seeds, Peanut butter, Beans (black, kidney), Soybeans, soymilk, Cooked spinach, Swiss chard, White potato with skin, Brown rice, Salmon, Beef, Poultry, Banana, Raisins What should I do next? Talk to the team at sprouting health about what's important for your body. References: The Nutrition Code. Suzzane Labrie 2017. The Nutrition Source. Havard. 2023. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ When we experience back pain, it can be hard to understand where the pain is coming from – whether it be a disc, a joint, or your muscles! However, most people do not know that our back pain can also be a result of our gut inflammation!
Gut inflammation can occur for several reasons, but a lot of the time it can be due to an imbalance of certain bacteria, fungi, viruses or more! For example, the Candida Albicans fungi can overgrow in our intestines when our gut microbiota is not intact. Your gut works hard to keep you healthy, so we must work hard to keep our gut healthy! Gut bloating, belching, passing gas, heartburn, intestinal pain, constipation and/or diarrhea are all symptoms of gut inflammation which can ultimately affect our pain levels that present in our back and even our hips! When our body is in “fight or flight” for extended periods of time, our digestion shuts down because your body is under stress and is focusing on keeping you alive, therefore your digestion isn’t an immediate concern. When our digestion capability is compromised, it is important to try and encourage it to be better in any way that we can – this means feeding it food and nutrients that it likes and can re-create an effective microbiome. Research shows you may experience less low back pain when you limit: Alcohol, caffeine, simple sugars, refined foods, fried foods, gluten, and dairy. Proper nutrition cannot eliminate all pain, especially among patients with chronic pain and inflammation, but it is a great place to start. A healthy diet and a healthy gut can help your body reduce inflammation substantially. When combining a healthy diet with chiropractic care, you are giving your nervous system the best chance to thrive and have proper function restored. We want to remove the interference to the body’s natural processes. Combining a healthy diet with a chiropractic care management plan, proper hydration, exercise, and stress reduction is a fantastic way to help lower inflammation in your body and gut. References: https://www.physicaltherapystudiocity.com/post/gut-and-back-pain Low back pain is one of the most important cause of disability globally (1), and is responsible for vast societal impact (2). Although the majority of low back pain complaints are recommended to be managed conservatively, rates of surgical intervention for lower back pain and its associated disorders continue to rise globally (3). Do you or a loved one experience low back pain? This is an important article that could make the world of difference to you.
“Over a 10 year period (2004-2015) spinal surgery increased by 190% in Asia (4)” Persistent spinal pain syndrome is a term that defines chronic or recurrent pain of spinal origin, and it is divided into 2 types. Type 1 being without previous surgery and type 2 are patients who have had previous relevant surgery, with type 2 affecting 20-40% of patients who have had spine surgery (5). Having had surgery for the lower back and being still in pain, are there other options for patients to seek for help in managing back pain? Is chiropractic safe and effective for patients who have had spinal surgeries? In a recent research literature, 31 adults with persistent spinal pain syndrome type 2 who have received chiropractic care were retrospectively reviewed. Looking at baseline and follow up data on their Numeric Pain Rating Scale and Oswestry Disability Index. It was found that for the 31 adults looked at, improvements were observed with chiropractic care, which was seen to be more effective in patients who were younger, had a shorter duration of symptoms and/or had a higher level of pain or disability before treatment (6). Though a larger sample size of patients would help further substantiate these observations, indications are positive for chiropractic care being safe and effective to help patients manage lower back pain/s that are still experienced after surgical procedure. If you want to find out if chiropractic may help manage low back pain for you or your loved ones, have a chat with one of our chiropractors to see how they can assist. “Prevention is better than cure, though it is never too late to start your health journey” 1.Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, et al. What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. Lancet 2018;391:2356–67. 2. Dagenais, S., Caro, J. and Haldeman, S., 2008. A systematic review of low back pain cost of illness studies in the United States and internationally. The spine journal, 8(1), pp.8-20. 3. Yap, Z.L., Summers, S.J., Grant, A.R., Moseley, G.L. and Karran, E.L., 2022. The role of the social determinants of health in outcomes of surgery for low back pain: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. The Spine Journal, 22(5), pp.793-809. 4. Kobayashi, K., Ando, K., Nishida, Y., Ishiguro, N. and Imagama, S., 2018. Epidemiological trends in spine surgery over 10 years in a multicenter database. European Spine Journal, 27, pp.1698-1703. 5. Christelis, N., Simpson, B., Russo, M., Stanton-Hicks, M., Barolat, G., Thomson, S., Schug, S., Baron, R., Buchser, E., Carr, D.B. and Deer, T.R., 2021. Persistent spinal pain syndrome: a proposal for failed back surgery syndrome and ICD-11. Pain Medicine, 22(4), pp.807-818. 6. Chu, E.C.P. and Trager, R.J., 2022. Effectiveness of multimodal chiropractic care featuring spinal manipulation for persistent spinal pain syndrome following lumbar spine surgery: retrospective chart review of 31 adults in Hong Kong. Medical Science Monitor: International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research, 28, pp.e937640-1. Restless Leg Syndrome is a nervous system disorder characterised by the uncontrollable urge to move the legs. This is a widely common condition that affects millions of people worldwide, negatively impacting quality of life and significantly creating sleep disturbances 1. In conjunction with the irrepressible urge to move the legs, restless leg syndrome is usually accompanied with sensations such as itching, tingling, and crawling. Symptoms tend to worsen during long periods of inactivity or at night.
Chiropractic care focuses on promoting musculoskeletal and nervous system health through numerous techniques and methods. Chiropractic care can help manage symptoms associated with restless leg syndrome through:
References:
Lower back pain has always been a hot topic in clinical settings. The statistic shows 80% of the population will experience lower back pain at some point in their life.(1) This includes muscle spasms and minor muscle tear injuries to the more debilitating condition such as disc herniation. Knowing the prevalence of lower back pain is undeniably high, it would make sense to know how injuries can happened, and who is more likely to hurt themselves.
Over the past few decades, researchers have learnt the spine is extremely robust, combining vertebrae and intervertebral disc (IVD), it allows us to perform different activities such as walking, jumping, lifting and other occupational work. Yet, injuries can happen when the loading is greater than what our spine can handle, especially during compression, axial rotation, flexion and continuous loading.(2) A few different studies were performed over time, aiming to find out what postures would put our spine, more specifically lumbar spine, into the most vulnerable position to injuries.(3) The top 3 highest loading to lumbar spine are lifting with knees straight, followed by lifting with arms extended(load away from centre of gravity), and lifting in squat or sitting position.(3) Our hardworking tradesman or labour workers are higher at risk, however simple tasks like picking up a coin, using the whipper snipper, cleaning or reaching to your kids at the back seat, can equally put yourself at risk! The top 3 least loading activities to lumbar spine are lying down flat, siting and standing up right without extra load.(3) These positions are generally the most comfortable and best for recovery for patients who suffer from acute disc injuries. Just because numbers don’t lie, there’s more! The incidence of a herniated disc is about 5 to 20 cases per 1000 adults annually and is most common in people in their third to the fifth decade of life, with a male to female ratio of 2:1.(1) That means men in their 30s to 50s are the most at risk of a disc herniation injury. At sprouting health, we believe spinal health is way far beyond the absence of pain. Check out our previous blogs to discover more about how spinal health can positively affect hand grip strength, proprioception and balance. If you or your loved ones are suffering from back pain, please don’t hesitate to speak to one of our chiropractors to see how we can help manage your concerns. References 1. Al Qaraghli MI DJO. Lumbar Disc Herniation StatPearls [Internet]: Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 [updated 2023 Feb 12. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560878/. 2. Desmoulin GT, Pradhan V, Milner TE. Mechanical aspects of intervertebral disc injury and implications on biomechanics. Spine. 2020;45(8):E457-E64. 3. Bassani T, Stucovitz E, Qian Z, Briguglio M, Galbusera F. Validation of the AnyBody full body musculoskeletal model in computing lumbar spine loads at L4L5 level. Journal of biomechanics. 2017;58:89-96. |
AuthorBlogs by the team at Sprouting Health Archives
May 2024
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