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Take Care While Camping This Summer
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Have you been camping yet this summer? With so many beautiful campgrounds and provincial parks across Ontario, heading out into the great outdoors with your family or friends is a popular pastime.
The fresh air, a well-lit campfire, and a dip in the lake are difficult to resist. But preparing for camping is just as important as enjoying it.
Be ready for the unexpected!
Campgrounds and parks allow us to enjoy a large variety of recreational activities, which is what makes it a summer favorite. Preparing and organizing packing ahead of time can help you manage the unexpected and tackle challenges as they arise. To help out all our campers this summer, here are a few useful tips to follow before you load up the tent and strap your canoe on the roof of the car:
- Test your gear to ensure it works. Before packing materials in your vehicle, test your equipment to ensure it works. Do you have enough pegs for your tent? Does your air mattress inflate properly? Finding this out beforehand can save you a lot of frustration.
- Plan for activities. Plan your activities in advance to ensure that you have the right equipment and are physically ready for the challenge.
- Familiarize yourself with your upcoming campsite. Learning about the facility and what is available to you helps you prepare in advance for what to bring.
- Make a list and check it twice. Preparation is key! Make a list of the items that you may need, but consider what is truly essential. Packing extra weight can put a strain on your body, so be discerning and keep things light.
Like many other events in your life, camping can pose a number of risks to your musculoskeletal health.
Preparing for the challenges ahead can also help prevent potential injuries. If you plan on doing any activities during your camping trip such as hiking, biking, or running, it is a good idea to see your chiropractor in advance for tips and advice on how to physically prepare yourself when outdoors. Here are some tips to consider:
- Support your back. From packing to pitching the tent or while on a hike, keep neutral curves in your spine while keeping your core engaged and active. For exercises to improve your core, click here.
- Mind the lift. Remember to bend from the hips and knees while using your legs to lift. Keep a neutral spine and use your entire body to turn. Pivot from your feet to move your body.
- Pack light. Carry only what you need, and avoid excess. This can help prevent fatigue and strain from packing, hiking, or even canoeing. Being a minimalist can help prevent injuries. For tips on packing light, click here.
At Pickering Village Chiropractic and Massage, we provide our patients with more than just chiropractic and massage therapy services, but also the know-how to build better personal wellness habits so you can be at your best for work or play, every day.
To book an appointment or learn more about the chiropractic and therapeutic massage therapy services available at our clinic, call 905-427-3202.
Four Easy Stretches to Avoid Injury on the Golf Course
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Golf courses are opening up again in Ontario and you’re excited to get back on the course. But don’t let your enthusiasm keep you from understanding the strain and effort required to play golf.
To avoid injury, be sure to spend at least five minutes stretching before you start swinging!
Here are a few quick and easy golf stretches to help you get in the game without the pain.
Hip Flexor Lunge
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Step one foot forward into a lunge position. Keep your body upright and back straight.
- Bend both knees so that you feel the stretch.
- Do not let your forward knee pass over the ankle of your front foot.
- Use a golf club to keep your balance.
- Hold 15 seconds. Repeat twice on each side.
Seated Twist
- Sit on a bench or golf cart with your knees together and feet flat, pointing forward.
- Reach across the front of your body and grasp the back of the bench or cart.
- You should experience a stretch in your spinal muscles.
- Hold 15 seconds. Repeat twice on each side.
Seated Forward Bend
- Sit on a bench or golf cart, knees bent and feet flat.
- Place one ankle onto your opposite knee, and relax this leg so that your knee falls out to the side.
- Slowly bend forward, keeping your back straight.
- You may gently pull on your bent knee to generate a deeper stretch.
- You should feel a stretch in your buttock area.
- Hold 15 seconds. Repeat twice on each side.
Side Bending Stretch
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hold the golf club above your head with your arms straight.
- Slowly bend to one side, without rotating, until you feel a stretch along the side of your back.
- Hold 15 seconds. Repeat twice on each side.
For a full list of golf stretches, click here.
Suffering from back or neck pain from golfing? At Pickering Village Chiropractic and Massage, we provide our patients with more than just chiropractic and massage therapy services, but also the know-how to build better personal wellness habits so you can be at your best for work or play, every day.
To book an appointment or learn more about the chiropractic and therapeutic massage therapy services available at our clinic, call 905-427-3202.
Five Ways to Avoid Injury While Spring Cleaning
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With the Easter long weekend behind us and another stay-at-home order in effect, you may be ready to tackle your long list of household chores. Since some of these chores require a great deal of bending, reaching and twisting — all that can increase your risk of injury — we’ve pulled together some tips to help you stay safe while checking off your to-do lists:
1. Warm up before you start to clean
As with any type of physical activity, it is very important to warm up the body before engaging in your spring-cleaning routine. You can prepare your body by walking around the house or doing some simple stretches to help prevent injury.
2. Break up heavy loads and make a few more trips
Think back to the last time you did groceries. Did you try to carry all the bags into the house at once, instead of taking multiple trips to the car? We know how tempting it is to make fewer trips, but you may be risking an injury. Take the extra few minutes and only carry a few bags at once. Don’t drive? Consider investing in a cart or buggy rather than carrying heavy bags.
3. Divide and conquer and get it done gradually
Do you save chores for your day off and ambitiously power through your list? You may find that dedicating 30 minutes every day to your household tasks can decrease your stress and risk of injury or fatigue.
Bonus: by getting a little bit done each day, you will have more time on the weekend for fun activities with family and friends.
4. Maintain proper posture while doing your chores
Vacuuming and mopping the floors often require excessive bending, reaching and twisting. Rather than stretching out your arms and bending at the waist to do the job, hold the vacuum or mop handle close to your body and walk back and forth with it. Avoid excessive twisting and keep a relaxed, neutral spine while doing these chores. Your back will thank you!
5. Switch it up and use your non-dominant hand
To prevent unwanted strain on your shoulders, neck, and back, use both sides of your body to do your spring cleaning. Every once in a while, consider cleaning the bathroom tiles or washing dishes with your non-dominant hand.
With these tips, you can feel confident in tackling your to-do list safely and effectively. However, if an injury does occur, give our clinic a call at 905-427-3202 and book a consultation with our chiropractic or massage therapy team.
With content from the Canadian Chiropractic Association
How to Stay Healthy and Injury-Free as We Head into Spring
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Once we “spring ahead” an hour this weekend and start enjoying extended hours of daylight, our urge to spend more time outside increases. Unless you’ve spent your spare time on a ski hill all winter, you’ve probably spent a good chunk of your working and free time indoors.
Now that the snow is gone (hopefully until next winter), you may be ready to get active outdoors. But before you pull on those jogging pants, hop on that bike or even start working in the garden, there are a few things you need to remember.
Ease into extra activity
To avoid injury, preparing your body is key, especially if you’ve been relatively inactive over the winter months. The “no pain, no gain” philosophy is outdated and will likely leave you in worse shape than when you started.
“It happens every year,” says Dr. John Noble of Pickering Village Chiropractic & Massage. “We get a few warmer days and people go from little activity to a full day on the golf course or a morning spent in the garden…without any stretching or gradually working up to it.” Each spring, the warmer weather results in more patients seeking chiropractic care for back, shoulder and neck injuries. “It’s unfortunate because so many of these injuries could be avoided.”
Whether you’re golfing, gardening or hitting the tennis courts, be sure to ease into your activity and find the appropriate stretches to perform beforehand.
Get a good night’s sleep
As we head into the summer months, it may be tempting to stay up later to enjoy the extra daylight. Extra-long days, more activity…what’s not to love?
Don’t underestimate the healing power of rest, especially if you’re recovering from an injury. Poor sleep patterns have been linked to weight gain, heart disease, stroke, depression, inflammation and cell damage. A good sleep pattern, on the other hand, can improve immune function, maximize athletic performance and improve concentration and productivity.
Stay hydrated
Getting enough fluids in warmer weather, especially as your activity level increases, is crucial to staying healthy. Drinking ample amounts of liquid helps to maintain your body’s functions, including your heart, brain and muscles. Staying hydrated allows your body to carry nutrients to your cells, maintain a normal temperature, digest food and flush bacteria and impurities from your body.
How much is enough? The actual amount varies from person to person and is dependent on a variety of factors, including your weight, height and activity level. Ask your doctor how much water you should be drinking each day.
Maintain a healthy immune system with chiropractic care
Although many people associate chiropractic care with the treatment of neck, shoulder and back pain — and this would be correct — visiting a chiropractor regularly can also aide your immune function. At Pickering Village Chiropractic & Massage, our patients understand that by keeping their spine in proper alignment, all systems in their body are able to function at optimum efficiency, allowing messages to travel throughout their body freely and keep illness at bay.