Archive for exercise

Five ways to ease muscle pain

It’s not uncommon to get muscle pain up to 48 hours after exercise. Even if you haven’t been to the gym or completed a triathlon, you can get muscle pain from working in the garden, or doing strenuous household chores.

The good news is that normal muscle soreness is a sign that your body is getting stronger. Muscle pain is often associated with something called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which occurs when your workout has created tiny tears in muscle fibres.  The pain occurs as the fibres repair and become even stronger. A burning sensation in the muscles is due to a build-up of lactic acid that often occurs immediately after intense exercise, but this tends to resolve itself fairly quickly.

Muscle soreness often goes away by itself within a few days. However, while the muscles are healing, it can be uncomfortable and restrict movement. Try these quick tips to ease your muscle pain.

  1. Rest

As your body recovers, it needs time to heal.  If you can, take some time out and rest the muscles to give them a chance to heal faster. 

2. Do gentle exercise

Even when resting muscles, it’s still important to keep joints and muscles moving for overall better mobility. Try doing some gentle exercise such as a walk, gentle stretch, or a swim.  Swimming in particular is great for easing those sore and stiff muscles.

3. Get a massage

Massages are a great way to ease muscle tension by improving blood flow and mobility. We have fantastic massage therapists right here in Pottsville.

If you can’t afford a massage, try a foam roll.  Place the foam roller on the floor underneath the sore area and roll your body over it. You can buy foam rollers from exercise equipment stores, and check out online videos about how to use them.

4. Have a salt bath

Epsom salts are great for alleviating muscle pain and inflammation.  Try some Epsom salts in a warm bath with a bit of lavender oil to aid relaxation.

If you don’t like the thought of a bath, you can carefully apply a heat pack to relieve muscle soreness. But be careful to apply the heat pack for no longer than 10 minutes at a time.  There is a risk with heat packs of burning yourself if too hot, or with causing inflammation to muscles and joints, which could make the problem worse.

If the heat isn’t working, try a cold pack to reduce inflammation and nerve activity. Also only leave this on for 10 minutes at a time, and never put ice packs directly onto the skin.

5. Eat antioxidants

While it may seem easy to take an anti-inflammatory such as Panadol, there is emerging evidence that antioxidants may be more effective in relieving muscle soreness. For example, watermelon has an amino acid called L-citrulline, which can reduce muscle soreness.  Other foods to try include cherries, ginger and pineapple. Antioxidant supplements such as fish oil and curcumin (found in turmeric) may also help. Using topical arnica on the skin can also relieve muscle soreness.[1]

The best way to prevent muscle soreness is to stretch before exercise, and to work your way up to vigorous activity rather than jumping straight into it.  Also, ensure to keep well hydrated throughout exercise so that the muscles have more fluid during intense activities. It’s a good idea to have regular chiropractic, massage or acupuncture treatments to help keep your joints and muscles in peak condition.

However, if you experience ongoing muscle pain even without exercise, or pain that continues for more than a few days, see your health professional.

Chiropractors can help alleviate muscle pain that is associated with joint dysfunction and restrictions in the body. This allows muscles to move much more freely, and helps to reduce the risk of future injury.

For more information contact Bruce at Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.


[1] https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/sore-muscles#22.-Hydration,-proper-form,-and-mindful-practice-are-the-only-way-to-prevent-future-soreness

New World Health Organisation guidelines recommend 150 minutes of exercise each week

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is now recommending that adults have at least 150 minutes of exercise each week, and children average one hour of exercise each day.

The WHO guidelines outline the health risks of lack of exercise, and the need for adults and children to limit recreational screen time and get their bodies moving for both physical and mental wellbeing. Any physical activity is better than none, and more is better. Aerobic activity no longer needs to last 10 minutes or more to be beneficial but instead our health depends on us moving more as part of everyday life.

Current physical activity levels in Australia show that 85% of adults do not reach the recommended levels of physical activity and muscle strengthening exercise, while only one in five children meet the guidelines for physical activity of at least 60 minutes per day.

The WHO guidelines recommend:

  • Children aged 5-17 years should do at least an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activity. Activity that strengthens muscle and bone should be incorporated at least three days a week.
  • Adults aged 18-64 years should do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity, or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous aerobic physical activity throughout the week. Adults should also do muscle strengthening activities on two or more days a week.
  • Adults 65 years and older should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity, or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous aerobic physical activity throughout the week. Mature adults should also do muscle strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity on two or more days a week. As part of their weekly physical activity, mature adults should do varied multicomponent physical activity that emphasises functional balance and strength training on three or more days a week, to enhance functional capacity and prevent falls.
  • Pregnant and postpartum mothers once cleared by their doctor should undertake at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity throughout the week, and incorporate muscle strengthening and gentle stretching exercises.

For adults in particular, it’s important to keep moving to reduce the risk of joint and back pain from excessive time spent on the couch or at the computer.

To learn more about appropriate exercises for your body, and how to reduce your risk of joint and back pain, contact Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.

Three reasons to get a health check before starting a new exercise or sport

With spring already upon us, and summer just around the corner, it’s time to get our bodies beach ready, right?

But before starting a new exercise program, or re-starting exercise after the winter hiatus and COVID couch quarantine, there are three key reasons why it may be a good idea to consult your health care professional first.

1. Avoid injury

If you haven’t done exercise for a while, or are starting a new exercise program, you may increase your risk of muscular, joint or back injury. It’s advisable to get an assessment to determine any existing joint or muscular stiffness or weakness, so that your health care practitioner can advise you about steps to take so that you can avoid strain or injury when you exercise.

2. Identify the right exercise program that will deliver the best results for you

Sometimes we’d like to try a new sport or exercise, but it may not be the best fit for our body, particularly if you are susceptible to any musculoskeletal weakness. Your health care practitioner can look at your musculoskeletal system and your biomechanics to determine if the exercise or sport that you’d like to do puts you at greater risk of injury.  Then, they can either identify an alternative exercise program that may be better suited to your body type, or provide advice about measures that you can take to help reduce your risk of injury.

3. Check your heart health

With many of us confined during COVID quarantine measures, we have probably spent more time on the couch this winter than in previous years. Suddenly starting strenuous exercise could put strain on the heart and may result in cardiovascular issues. It’s a good idea to check your heart health, even with a quick visit to your GP, so that you maintain a healthy heart during exercise.

It’s much better to be safe than sorry when it comes to starting a new exercise program, so that you can avoid injury or too much strain on the body and be able to continue your exercise without the interruption of injury.

Lane Chiropractic in Pottsville is offering free 15 minute spinal and biomechanical health assessments during September. Get your free assessment before starting your new spring/summer exercise program to give your body the best chance of avoiding injury. To book your no obligation, free back and joint health check call 6676 2270.

Three ways to boost your immune system this flu season

With concerns about a second wave of COVID-19 during the current cold and flu season, it’s more important than ever to protect and boost your body’s immune system.

Just like a three-legged stool, your body’s nervous, endocrine and immune systems are linked. Therefore, it’s important to take a holistic approach to your health. Here are three ways you can help boost your body’s immune system during this flu season.

  • Reduce stress

There is much scientific evidence that shows long-term exposure to stress negatively impacts the immune system. Cortisol in particular is a hormone that can boost your body’s immune system when released in short bursts but ongoing stress can cause you to have too much cortisol in your blood, which can then inhibit the immune system over time. Now is the time to focus on reducing stress levels through relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga and pilates.

Chiropractic and massage treatments can also help reduce stress by unblocking the nervous system, clearing message pathways between the brain and body, and reducing muscle tension and pain.

  • Increase blood circulation

Even though it’s cold outside, it’s important to keep your blood circulating through exercise. Your blood is important for transporting oxygen around your body and helping to remove toxins.  Both of these functions are vital in protecting and boosting the body’s immune system.

Chiropractic adjustments can also help improve blood circulation by removing pressure from nerves, allowing blood to flow more freely.

  • Nourishment

With more bugs in the air, it’s important to ensure your body has the right nourishment for its defence systems.  This means plenty of leafy green vegetables – the more colour from natural foods in your food bowl even better! There are many fantastic and easy-to-make soup and casserole recipes available. Make a big pot of nourishing food and freeze the leftovers for use throughout the week.

For more information about how to keep your body healthy contact Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.

Get the free walking app

According to the World Health Organisation, musculoskeletal conditions that reduce mobility, dexterity and functional ability, are the second largest cause of disability worldwide. Musculoskeletal conditions can have a damaging effect on your quality of life by affecting your ability to participate in work, social activities and sports.

With the burden of low back pain ranking first in Australia, it is likely that you or someone you know could suffer from back pain. Improving posture, maintaining an active lifestyle and keeping your spinal health in check can help you continue to do the things you love.

As the weather cools down, it can become too easy to live a sedentary lifestyle but it’s even more important in cooler weather to keep moving and alleviate stiffness in your joints.

If the gym or sports field isn’t for you then walking is another great way to keep active. Some benefits of brisk walking include increasing your heart and lung fitness, muscle strength and endurance, and it contributes to a naturally upright posture.

Need a little extra help to get you walking to a healthier life? The Just Start Walking app is just what you need. This free app was developed by the Australian Chiropractors Association to encourage Australians to get outside and to get walking! The app allows you to not only map your walk, but track the distance and time taken.

The app also displays your walking history, so you can see your improvements, features local walking events near you and lets you share your walk with friends on social media.

Download Just Start Walking and get active today!

Available on the App Store here: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/just-start-walking/id431040552

or Google Play here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.com.caa.JustStartWalking

Have you got your back?

Spinal Health Week – May 25 to 31

It’s national spinal health week, which is a great reminder that while your back supports you, are you doing the right thing to support your spine?

While it’s true that we all have a certain amount of mileage in our bodies, which are held up by our spines, here are three things you can do to increase your body mileage:

  1. Improve your posture

Posture is the position in which we hold our bodies while standing, sitting or lying down. When your posture is poor this can increase pressure on your spine and contribute to tension, soreness, headaches, back pain and fatigue.  Australian adults, on average, spend an estimated five hours per day sitting, with a quarter of the population sitting for more than eight hours per day,7 including the 67% that play video games recreationally.8 This time sitting and hunching over a desk or on the couch can add pressure to the spine.

That’s why it’s important to make sure whenever you are sitting or standing that you keep your head in a neutral position, keep your shoulders back and your spine straight. When lying down, make sure your back is well supported and avoid lying on your stomach, otherwise this requires you to turn your neck and that’s not good for the spine.

2. Keep Active

We need to remember that an active spine is a healthy spine. This is important at any age, however according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 56% of all Australians are not sufficiently physically active. This has a negative impact on your spinal health.

You don’t need to go to a gym to be active.  You only need to do regular exercise, whether that be walking, bicycle riding, swimming, or even stretching or yoga from the comfort of your own lounge room.  The key is to keep that spine moving!

3. Good nutrition

It is true that “you are what you eat”.  This means that whatever you consume is the fuel that drives your body.  To keep a well-oiled engine make sure you are eating plenty of natural, healthy foods and try to reduce sugar and fat in your diet.  Also drink plenty of water as hydration is key to good health.

For more healthy spine tips or to book a spinal assessment this week contact Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.

How to ease tennis elbow

Anyone can get tennis elbow, even if you don’t play tennis. It describes pain or discomfort around the outside of the elbow as a result of over use of muscles in the forearm. This condition is called tennis elbow because it is common among tennis players, who often put the tendon leading to their elbow under repeated stress.

Similarly, pain on the inside of the elbow is often referred to as golfer’s elbow.

Tennis or golfer’s elbow generally occurs more in men than women. Even though these conditions are more prevalent among tennis players and golfers respectively, they can occur in anyone who undertakes work or leisure activities that involve repetitive use of the elbow, hand or wrist. For example, hairdressers, gardeners and heavy machinery operators are among people who may be impacted by tennis or golfer’s elbow.

Tennis elbow symptoms

Tennis elbow affects the muscles and tendons of your forearm that extend to your wrists and fingers. Symptoms may develop gradually, with mild pain that slowly worsens over time. It isn’t caused by an injury but by overuse of the tendons in your forearm. Symptoms include:

  • an ache or pain that occurs after gripping or squeezing objects
  • weak grip strength and a pain or burning sensation on the outer part of the elbow.

Golfers elbow symptoms

Golfer’s elbow impacts the forearm muscles that attach from the wrist to the “funny bone” area of the elbow near the inner bump. These muscles are used for wrist flexion (the twisting motion of the wrist), which explains its connection to golf. In this case symptoms include:

  • pain or tenderness near the funny bone, or inner bump of the elbow, as well as reduced grip strength.

Easing tennis and golfer’s elbow

There are a number of stretches and exercises you can do to ease both tennis and golfer’s elbow:

Wrist stretches

For tennis elbow: Hold your arm out in front of you, palm facing down and gently pull your hand and fingers back towards you using your other hand. This shouldn’t be painful as it is intended to give a slight stretch to your forearm. Hold for 30 seconds, relax, and repeat three times.

For golfer’s elbow: This exercise is similar to the one for tennis elbow but in this case hold your arm out in front of you with the palm facing up. Gently pull your hand and fingers back towards your body using your other hand. Hold for 30 seconds, then relax. Repeat three times.

Forearm exercises

Wrist Extension:  Begin with your elbow at a 90-degree angle, palm facing down, resting on a table’s surface. Gently extend your wrist to lift it off the table (this should not be painful). Repeat ten times. As you progress you can add weight, like holding a water bottle, to add resistance and incorporate strengthening into the exercise.

Wrist Flexion: This exercise is similar to the wrist exercise above, but the palm is in the other direction. For the wrist flexion exercise, begin with your elbow at a 90-degree angle, palm facing up, resting on a table’s surface. Gently extend your wrist to lift it off the table towards the ceiling (this should not be painful). Repeat ten times. You can also add weight resistance to add strength training to the exercise.

Grip Strengthening: For this exercise, all you need is a squishy ball or “stress ball.” Hold the ball in your hand and gently squeeze. Hold for five seconds, relax, and repeat ten times. This exercise is helpful for both tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow.

Strength Exercise: One of the common strengthening exercises you can do is informally called the “hammer exercise.” You will need a hammer as your weight resistance. Hold the handle of the hammer, and keep your elbow at 90 degrees, rested flat on a table’s surface. Slowly rotate the hammer towards the centre of your body, turning the direction of your palm downwards. Then slowly reverse the motion, rotating the hammer outwards—your palm begins facing up with the heavy side of the hammer pulling on your arm. Rest briefly. Repeat ten times.

In addition to these exercises you may benefit from a compression or stability elbow brace available from the chemist.

Sports chiropractic is highly effective at treating and quickly reducing the symptoms of both tennis and golf elbow. If you need assistance with tennis or golf elbow contact Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.

Chiropractic can be the difference between winning and losing

For competitive athletes, the difference between winning and losing can be milliseconds, and the secret to this is biomechanics.

Biomechanics is basically how the structure of people’s bodies impacts their movement, which is why some people move more effectively and why some others are more prone to injury.

In competitive sports, athletes need to be at their peak of strength, speed and flexibility. Unfortunately, the sustained need for peak fitness means that athletes often suffer from injury, which is why they rely on chiropractic care.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, 90 percent of all world-class athletes use chiropractic care to prevent injury and increase their performance potential. In fact, you will see chiropractors treating many Australian sports teams at major sporting events such as NRL and AFL grand finals, the NBL, the Australian Open and Commonwealth Games.

Sports chiropractors use techniques that strengthen and support an athlete’s body structure to achieve peak athletic performance and reduce the risk of injury.  If an injury occurs, chiropractors also help to relieve pain without the complication of prescription drugs or surgery.

The most common sporting injuries we see as sports chiropractors involve knocking the spine out of alignment or causing stress on joints, muscles, nerves, discs and ligaments. Chiropractors are experts at gently re-aligning the spine and supporting recovery from situations such as head and neck injuries, back and shoulder pain, ankle and knee injuries, tennis elbow, groin pain, shoulder instability and even repetitive strain injury.

A key benefit of chiropractic care is improved performance. In fact, in one American study, athletes achieved a 30 percent improvement in hand-eye co-ordination after 12 weeks of chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic care also helps to improve muscle strength, boost speed, increase flexibility, improve balance and enable more effective training.

Another key benefit of chiropractic care is fewer injuries as a result of alignment issues causing unnecessary stress on the body. If your musculoskeletal system is in alignment, your body is less likely to suffer injury.

If you are injured, chiropractic care reduces the recovery time. Sports chiropractors use massage and stretching combined with movement to speed up recovery time and reduce the chance of further injury.

If you’d like to know more about how to improve your sporting performance, to avoid injury or just to generally improve your fitness contact Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.

Does cold and rainy weather cause back pain?

Often my patients tell me that they feel more aches and pains as the weather turns cooler and I am regularly asked if pain is linked to a drop in temperature.

With the cooler weather approaching and some much needed rain in northern NSW, you may find that you get a few more aches and pains. This is because when the body is faced with low temperatures, blood vessels narrow in your extremities and divert that extra blood to vital areas like the brain, heart and lungs to keep them warm.

When muscles, tendons and ligaments have less blood, they become stiff. It’s the same with the structures supporting your spine. When the weather is cold, there is less blood flow to the structures supporting your spine and they become naturally stiff which, in turn, places extra strain on the back. Additionally, if joints are already inflamed, a drop in barometric pressure or temperature can cause swelling and subsequent pain.   

It’s important to note that the majority of spine pain is caused, not by a problem with the spine itself, but by strain or injury to the muscles, tendons and ligaments that give it support. If these tissues are stiff and pull on the sensitive nerve endings in the spine—which is common—it can feel like your back is hurting despite the fact that the source of the pain is not the spinal structure. On top of this, tight or cold muscles, tendons or ligaments are much more susceptible to strain or injury.

Metal implants can further exacerbate the condition because metal implants react differently to human tissue. If they get cold, they can start lowering the temperature of the tissue and nerves surrounding them, which can lead to back pain. People whose device is simply covered by skin or a thin layer of soft tissue are much more likely to experience aches and pains in cold weather. 

COLD, DARK DAYS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO DEPRESSION, WHICH CAN AGGRAVATE BACK PAIN

Just as importantly, research has shown that cold weather and dark days can contribute to what is known as seasonal depression, which can cause or aggravate back pain. 

Seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD, is a type of depression that typically occurs yearly, starting in autumn and lasting through the winter months.

There are a number of factors that can cause seasonal depression such as the decreased amount of sunshine throwing off your body’s circadian rhythm and causing a drop in serotonin levels in the brain.

Seasonal depression can also cause fatigue, increased perception of pain and decreased interest in daily activities that can prevent people from exercising and strengthening the muscles supporting the spine, which in turn causes back pain.

How to avoid back pain in cooler weather

The key to reducing back pain in cool and rainy weather is to make every effort to keep yourself warm and ensure that you do daily low-impact exercise such as walking, swimming, bike riding, yoga or indoor aerobic exercise.

Our muscles need continued exercise to remain strong and if you are neglecting to work out when it’s chilly, you are opening yourself up to injury further down the line. 

Regular exercise is also a great way of releasing endorphins, those natural mood lifting hormones that help reduce depressive symptoms.

Overall, it’s important to know that daily back or neck pain is not normal. If this is something you’re experiencing or if you need advice about a winter exercise program to suit your needs, contact me, Bruce Lane at Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.

Are your biomechanics holding you back?

Want to improve your surfing? Then it’s a good idea to get your biomechanics checked.

Biomechanics examines movement of the body, in particular, how muscles, bones and ligaments work together to produce movement. Biomechanics not only includes the structure of bones and muscles and the movement they can produce but also the mechanics of blood circulation and other body functions.

In surfing, biomechanics is critical to maintaining balance and stability on the waves.
Balance is a combination of the centre of mass and base of support. With surfing, the centre of mass is the mid-point of your body and the base of support is the area of contact underneath the surfboard. Usually, the bigger or wider your base of support is, the more stable you become and this makes it easier to balance. Therefore, bigger boards are easier to ride. Also, you want the centre of mass and base of support to be close to achieve a sturdy position. Having more control of your body and the board can help you better manoeuver on the waves.

Factors that affect stability are body mass, friction between the body and the surface or surfaces contacted, the base of support and position of the centre of gravity.

In many other sports, balance is also a key factor in biomechanics, as well as the position and movement of the body. If you jerk too quickly, for example, it could mean the difference between a goal and a sprained ankle!

To minimise injury in surfing, footy, the gym or any of your favourite sports it’s a good idea to ensure you gently stretch before beginning the activity. It’s also a good idea to get the biomechanics of your body checked in case there may be an underlying factor that could make you more susceptible to injury.

Bruce Lane is a certified chiropractic sports practitioner and can help you identify any potential weakness in your biomechanics, as well as provide advice and treatment to correct any problems. If you’d like a biomechanical assessment contact Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.