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Putting Patients First – It’s What We Do

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Providing excellence in patient care is, and has always been, at the heart of what we do at the Longlevens Chiropractic  Sports Injury clinic. To receive official recognition of this from the Royal College of Chiropractors, with Commendation, is fabulous and I am so proud of my dedicated and superb team.

PPQM – Patient Partnership Quality Mark – what does it mean?  Basically, we are a Chiropractic Healthcare clinic with a patient focused approach.  We work with you and actively involve you in your care, and tailor each treatment plan to suit each patient.  In doing so, we achieve excellence not only in our results (of fundamental importance, you will agree), but also in things like our clinic environment, our policies and procedure, the education and information we provide, and your confidentiality.

Putting Patients First will always be at the heart of what we do.  It forms one of the most crucial and basic values upon which Simon Rose built the strong reputation of our clinic, and to which our wonderful reception team works to.

We don’t, however, plan to sit back and bask in the glory of the award – we plan to improve continuously as much as we can.  This is why we are implementing a new feedback and suggestions scheme – let me know what you like best and least about the clinic, and what you would like to see change, and you will be entered into our prize draw to win a hot stone massage with Kate West!

Lastly but by no means least, as really he did steal the show at last week’s award ceremony, congratulations to Danny (and also to Mentor Simon Rose) on his prestigious and highly sought after award.  It was a close contest but deservedly won by Danny who has made an outstanding start to his Chiropractic career with us, and is very highly regarded among patients and professionals alike.

Leah Rose

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Our Shiney New Plaque…

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Have You Spotted Our New Sign Yet?

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Gloucester based PPQM clinic

We are very excited about our trip to London this Wednesday 30th January, where Simon Rose will be presented with our Patient Partnership Quality Mark Award and Danny Adams will receive his Graham Heale Award at the Royal College of Chiropractor’s AGM.

In readiness we have had a new sign fitted to the front of our clinic, telling everyone that we provide an outstanding level of patient care.  We are very proud, and we look forward to showing off our Awards to you when we get home!

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Knee Pain: Iliotibial Band Syndrome, or Runner’s Knee

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What is the Iliotibial Band?

The Ilio Tibial Band (ITB) is the longest tendon in the body, it originates from the anterior iliac crest outer lip, anterior border of the ilium and the outer surface of anterior superior iliac spine. As well as from the Gluteus Maximus and Tensor Fascia Lata muscles. (In normal words that is an area of the upper outer edge of the pelvis, the muscles originating from the very front upper outer region of the pelvis and part of your bum muscle). Previously thought of as just a connective piece of tissue, recent research has found that tendons and fascia do in fact often contain smooth muscle fibers. ‘Smooth’ muscle fibers are the type more often found in the gut, ‘striated’ fibers are found in the muscles of movement attached to the joints. It aids in leg abduction (leg raising directly out to the side) and force distribution through the leg, it is also an important player in producing fascial tension that supports the Thoraco Pelvic Canister and therefore the lower back.

So What Happens?

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ITBS basically is due to repetitive rubbing of the band on the outer part of the knee (lateral femoral condyle), this leads to thickening of the band over time and eventually irritation that takes a number of months to resolve if not managed correctly. Self management of the lower limbs and building good movement patterns when not in pain are key to preventing this injury from coming back.

What can I do About it?

ITB Syndrome can be self managed in a variety of ways- a foam roller, tennis ball and an Ice pack are your key utensils to getting over this condition. Many rehab ‘specialists’ will recommend simply using a foam roller on the ITB to stretch it out (youtube it to see). However, there is so much more you can do to help this problem. It requires a lot of time and effort but the results will come a lot faster than simply ice and ITB foam rolling. A home treatment plan is not within the scope of this post and causes will differ from one person to another so a bio-mechanical assessment by a movement specialist is what we would recommend getting and a second opinion is always something worth considering. Just remember, the whole lower limb has to function correctly, not just one area. It is all related – foot, knee and hip, though it is the connecting musculature and fascia that are the cause of the problem with some areas more related to the ITB than others.

Sports Chiropractors at this clinic are movement specialists with further qualifications in sports science. We are constantly reading the latest books and research to enable us to get your body functioning better (not just the latest rehabilitation fad!). If you are suffering from ITBS or repeatedly suffer, then contact us for more info and advice.

 

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Award Winning Clinic and Chiropractors – That’s Us!!!

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It’s exciting times for the Longlevens Chiropractic & Sports Injury Clinic!  On 30th January 2013 we will be awarded the prestigious Patient Partnership Quality Mark (PPQM) 2013 – 2015 by the College of Chiropractor’s, who were themselves recently awarded Chartered status by the Queen.

The College of Chiropractor’s states: “The College of Chiropractors believes that chiropractic services should be centred on the users of those services. The College supports the delivery of services that are flexible and responsive to the needs of patients, acknowledging them as partners in their own care.” (Tim Jay DC FCC, President)

The award recognises the achievement of outstanding levels of care and service provided to patients, in areas including cleanliness and safety, communication and patient education, privacy, accessibility and record keeping.  More information will follow and of course pictures, after the 30th January ceremony!

In addition to the PPQM award, one of the Longlevens Chiropractic & Sports Injury Clinic’s Chiropractors, Danny Adams, will be presented with an award identifying him as Outstanding PRT Chiropractor of the Year on the College of Chiropractor’s postgraduate Training Scheme, under Mentor and Clinic Director, Simon Rose.

Congratulations also to Danny (who has been busy!) for recently achieving his International Chiropractic Sports Science Diploma, awarded by the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic.  This post doctoral qualification ensures extremely high standards of theoretical and practical competency in treating sports injuries and qualifies him to participate in major national and international events such as the Olympic Games.

More information will follow soon about all of the above.

 

 

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Safely Does it with the Christmas Decorations!

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There’s lots of helpful information on the British Chiropractic Association’s website.  We thought this particularly relevant and useful right now!:

Buying the Tree: When buying your Christmas tree, take care when getting it into the car. Use a trolly and ask for assistance when loading into the car. Same when you get home; don’t tackle it on your own – wait until you have someone to help. Don’t lift with your arms straight out, keep the elbows bent and to your side to minimise the stress on your back. Bend knees and not your back to pick items up.

Time for the decorations!: When putting up the Christmas decorations, try not to overstretch and use a step ladder to hang up your garlands or to put the decorations higher up your tree. When using the ladder or steps, make sure you are always facing them, keeping your shoulders, hips and knees pointing in the same direction. Rather than leaning or reaching, move the ladder or step regularly to keep up with where you are.  Any kind of ladder must be firmly and safely planted in position and, if possible, have someone else there to keep an eye on things.

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Look After Your Neck and Back at Christmas Time!

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A few seasonal tips to help you have a pain free Christmas this year :-)

Tip 1: Did you know everyone has a built in lower back safety belt? To put it on all you have to do is maximally contract your abs, then back it off 50%, then 50% again, this leaves you with a 25% of maximum contraction at the lower part of your abs. When wearing this belt your lower back is exponentially stronger, if you keep using this safety belt it will become natural and you wont even have to consciously think about putting it on. Just make sure your are wearing it when lifting any heavy Prezzies ;-) .

Tip 2: To avoid muscle tightness you have to move properly, when using your arms, whether it be for lifting, reaching, even subtle motions such as waving make sure you keep your upper shoulder muscles relaxed. Try to concentrate on using your arms without shrugging your shoulders, shrugging the shoulders repeatedly leads to chronic tightness. Make sure your aware of this when your around the house putting up those Christmas decorations :-) .

Tip 3: Stay loose, a tight muscle is usually sore, relatively stiff into touch and occasionally feels like it has strings of linguini running through it. If you notice you have muscles like these then I would recommend getting a massage or seeing a manual therapist such as a chiropractor help get them loosened out. Depending on the region of tightness tight muscles can lead to strains, sprains, headaches and muscle tears.

Remember, as Santa always says “HO HO HO!!” “always be pro active, not reactive!” :p and finally…

Have a Very Merry Christmas from us all at Longlevens Chiropractic and Sports Injury Clinic!

Danny Adams

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Is Wearing High Heels Bad for my Back?

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This is a common question I often get asked about, I have written this post as a recent study looked at the effects of high heels >10cm on the lower back.

The paper is called “The effect of walking in high- and low-heeled shoes on erector spinae activity and pelvis kinematics during gait” by Mika A, Olesky Ɫ, Marchewka A, Clark BC published in October 2012.

The conclusion they found was “wearing high-heeled footwear may have clinical consequences, including increasing general or muscular fatigue, creating swelling or limited movement, raising the possibility of cumulative strain, promoting fibrosis in the paraspinal musculature, altering joint loading profiles…this list could go on and all these factors could be both consequences and potential causes of LBP.” LBP is short for ‘Lower Back Pain’.

As usual like most research papers state there is always more research required. However, as you can see this paper found good reason to suggest high heels >10cm as a cause of lower back pain.

My answer to the question is usually that the high heels may be a contributing factor but not the sole reason for your back pain. There are usually lots of individual reasons that all add up to the crescendo that is the back pain. Eliminating/treating each small reason bit by bit is the route to a healthy back. Maintaining a healthy back requires continuing exercises and stretches at home to combat the inevitable compensations your body has to make due to the activities of daily life and our hobbies.

If you are going to wear heels, I would recommend doing the exercises and stretches necessary to reverse the effects they cause. Some of which are stated by the above stated research paper. A good Chiropractor should be able to help you with these problems and any back pain you may have.

Danny Adams

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Postural Advice From Danny Adams: The Brugger Break

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The Brugger Break, also known as the Brugger relief position is an exercise that is brilliant for desk workers as it reverses the effects of sitting at a desk for long periods. It is a quick exercise at only 10 seconds duration and is easy to perform. When performed regularly (every 20 minutes) it can be one of the answers to the nagging question “how can I improve my posture?”

Here is how to perform it: i) Sit forwards onto the front edge of your seat ii) spread your legs out to 45 degrees each side and lean forward slightly so that your body weight is distributed in to your feet as well as your back. iii) extend your arms and then pull them back and down behind your body with your thumbs turned outwards and palms open. iv) tuck your chin straight back in to your chin (essentially giving  your self a double chin) v) push you chest forwards vi) take a deep breath in… then out, as you are breathing out push your chest even further forwards, remember to keep your hands back and to the sides behind you. vii) hold the out breath for 10 seconds and then return to work. viii) Set a timer or write yourself a post it note reminder for on your computer so that every 20 minutes it can be performed.

it only takes 10 seconds and will improve your posture, decrease your chance of back pain and aid any on-going treatment you are currently receiving.

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Congratulations Mary and Mike on Your Ruby Anniversary

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 Today, Mary (one of our fantastic receptionists) and Mike Hall have been married 40 years.  Yesterday evening they celebrated their Ruby Wedding Anniversary at a very well organised surprise party that we were thrilled to be invited to!

It was an absolute success – a complete and total surprise to Mary and Mike and a great night out for everyone.  It was lovely to meet so many of Mary and Mike’s friends and family and be part of such a special celebration.   If you are in the clinic over the next few days catch me (Leah) – I filmed the surprise moment on my phone…! :)

And what a Mover!  Mary you can Jive!!  Mike spun you round so fast my litle Iphone could not focus!!

 Congratulations Mary and Mike, enjoy your day today, we are so happy for you and glad we could be a part of the celebrations.

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