Poor posture at work causes back and neck pain, are you sitting comfortably?

For a vast majority of people today, work involves long hours at a desk in an office.  Sitting in one place for lengthy and stressful days, it is no wonder that work-related muscular and joint problems or Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs), account for an estimated 11.6 million working days lost each year.*

For most people, we are aware that our posture is probably not that great. Perhaps you are reading this now slumped in your office chair? Have I caught you?!

Do you find that you get an achy back sitting at the desk or a stiff neck looking at the computer screen? These are two of the most common problems that patients present to us at our Osteopathic clinic in Reigate.

Yes, treatments such as Osteopathy or Massage can help to provide excellent relief for these symptoms. But it’s not just about what treatment we can offer for aches and pain, it’s also about what you can do to help yourself...

So why does your neck or back ache when you are working at the computer or laptop? The answer usually lies with your posture and the way your desk arrangement is setup. If you spend hours slouched over a desk and computer, with your head not in the optimum centre of gravity, you will start to run into trouble.

Typically an adult head weighs around 5kg. We can compare the weight of your head to that of a bowling ball, now if you hold that bowling ball with your arms outstretched in front of you, they will tire out pretty quickly.  Now, hold it close to your body and you can support it much more easily. The same applies to your head, sitting up straight balances the weight of your head nicely on top of your spinal column. However, if you are hunched over your desk, the muscles and joints in your neck desperately hang on, supporting the weight of your head.

As your head pulls down and forward your neck gets totally overloaded causing strain to those muscles and joints.

So what can be done? Well in almost all cases of work related back, neck pain and various other forms of RSI we come across, the patient has paid little or no attention to desk setup or what is commonly  referred to as ‘office ergonomics’.

Why not get a colleague to secretly take a photo using their phone, of you busy at work? It has to be when you do not notice, and then we can see your bad habits at their worst!

How is your posture? Just some of the key checks to make are as follows:

§         Your Chair, is it too low or too far back from your desk?

 If it is, this encourages slouching and your back will not be supported, the head tilts forward, your shoulders hunch. You may even hook your feet into your chair base, restricting blood flow in the legs.

Shorter people may need the chair to be low enough so their feet are planted on the floor. But take care, if it is too low this may cause you to overstretch your arms or shrug your shoulders. You may require a foot rest to overcome this.

§         Your monitor, is it too low?

That will cause your head to tip forward and downwards. As a result your whole body leans further forward, moving your back away from the ‘back rest’ of the chair and encouraging you to slouch.

Remember the back rest, it does exactly what it says – rests your back! So be sure to make use of it.

Well I have been typing for far too long; it’s time for a break! Be sure to every so often, look away from your screen and focus on something in the distance this rest your eyes and get up at least once an hour and have a walk around your desk.

For any other work related problems get in touch with us, but we can only deal with musculoskeletal disorders, sorry we cannot do anything about your boss!

*(http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/msds.htm)

Does cracking knuckles cause Arthritis? Fact or fiction...

When somebody ‘cracks’ their own knuckles using their hands, an audible popping or crunching sound is often heard, that may make some peoples skin crawl! But does this mean something is broken or damaged and does it lead to Arthritis?


A joint is mobile part of the skeleton any place where the end of two bones come together and meet. The end of the bones where they are in union is covered by a layer of articular cartilage. This is surrounded by a capsule which engulfs the joint and its synovial fluid. This synovial fluid lubricates the joint and nourishes the joint surfaces including the cartilage.


The synovial fluid contains dissolved gases such as Oxygen, Carbon dioxide and Nitrogen. When a quick, precise force is applied to a joint, the space within the joint capsule increases in volume. On the other hand, the increase is restricted by how much synovial fluid is enclosed in the joint itself. The Synovial fluid cannot expand unless the pressure within the joint capsule decreases and the dissolved gases can be set free from the fluid. The audible ‘cracking’ noise is caused by a reaction to this pressure changing within the joint and the gases quickly escaping from the synovial fluid.


A number of clinical trials and research have been undertaken to determine if cracking knuckles causes arthritis. So far there has been no evidence to suggest that there was an increased incidence of arthritis among habitual joint crackers, however, a connection was revealed between knuckle-cracking, hand swollenness, poorer grip strength, injury to ligaments adjoining the joints and dislodgment of muscular tendons.


All in all, the research points towards that even though knuckle-cracking is not linked with arthritis, people who do it too often may cause some damage to other important structures of their joints.

Tips on starting back in the garden this spring!

Gardening is a very pleasurable activity enjoyed by many, but it doesn’t have to be torturous for your back. With a little care and planning, the eagerly anticipated return to the garden after the long winter can be a more enjoyable experience even if you have a bad back!

Before you start:

It’s important that you are in practical but comfortable clothing as to not restrict your movement. If it’s cold, wear plenty of layers so your muscles keep warm. Well fitting flat shoes that are strong and supportive with non slip sole are also essential.

It may not be obvious but gardening should be treated as strenuous exercise where injury is a real possibility. The importance of a physical warm up should not be underestimated as to avoid hurting yourself.

A basic suggested warm up:

• Walk on the spot, gradually increasing the height of your knees.
• After a couple of minutes build up this walk to a marching pace.
• Roll you shoulders in a circle forwards and then backwards for 1-2 minutes in each direction.
• With your arms relaxed swing them forwards and then backwards.
• Standing straight circle you hips around, be careful not to arch you back too much.

Start these gradually and then build up a routine that feels right for you.

Gardening tips, a general guide:

If you have been away from gardening for some time or returning after an injury, it is vital that you tackle it at a steady pace and build up gradually.

It is more often than not that you become very eager to get out in the garden, do too much and suffer the consequences with aches and pain the day after!

Any movement that involves bending, twisting and this combination together with lifting something puts your body at risk, in particular a strain on your back.

These simple guidelines can help you to protect your back whilst working in the garden:

·         Avoid over reaching or straining by working close to you, don’t over stretch to reach something

·         Don’t just bend your back, bend your knees to get down to pick or lift something up

·         Move your feet; don’t just twist your spine

·         Rather than overloading bags, wheel barrows or spades, use lighter loads

·         Be careful not to spend more than 10-20 minutes stuck in one position doing something

·         Push or roll heavy loads along the ground rather than carry it

·         If lifting look out for obstacles that may be in your way.

·         Divide heavy loads and make several trips if you are moving, rocks, stones or compost.

·         Keep your feet hip width apart so you have a stable base.

·         Carry heavy loads as close to you as possible

·         Test heavy loads to see if you can manage by attempting to lift one corner. If in doubt get some help.

·         Bend your knees rather than your back.

·         Use the whole of your hand to grasp a load, not just your fingertips.

·         Try to remember the importance of maintaining good posture when lifting, even when lowering a load; be sure to bend your knees and not your back.

If all fails and you do manage to hurt yourself, give me a call or email to discuss your problem.

James Clapham, Reigate Osteopathy and Sports Massage at Chart Clinic. Tel: 01737 248 023 or email: info@chartclinic.co.uk

Running the marathon and sports massage

“The factor that probably boosted Paula Radcliffe’s performance more than any other is her ability to regenerate. Her regular massages were to give extra maintenance to the whole body. Above all it’s to give Paula’s muscles and tendons the best chance to recover from the heavy workloads she puts them through” The training secrets of Paula Radcliffe article written by Orlando Pizzolato in TN40 July 2003.


If you or someone you know is getting ready for the marathon, no doubt you are aware of the hard work and dedication that goes into running the distance. There is a fine line between training hard and over doing it, it is all too often the case that this leads to injury.


Regular sports massage is by far the best way to make sure that those muscle tissues get stretched and gain ample blood flow delivering the right nutrients, keeping the body in top physical and mental condition.


Sports massage has some key benefits as follows:


A regular session of sports massage promotes healthy muscles and encourages the circulation of blood. Basically what happens is, a deep massage reorganises the fibres in your muscles, permitting new oxygen and nutrients to flow and therefore allows a more speedy recovery.


The other important system is the lymphatic system; there is no pump behind this, so the lymphatic system is reliant on movement in order to function whereas the blood is pumped by the heart throughout the human body. When muscles tighten they contract and this holds back the flow of blood. The flowing movements of a massage not only relaxes tension but encourages the flow of blood and lymphatic fluid, removing toxin build up from your body and introducing fresh blood into your muscles aiding their  healing and repair.


A history of injury may also affect a runner; there could be scar tissue at the site of the injury. However some of the scar tissue can be broken down with regular massage, energetically affecting performance of your muscles, ligaments and tendons. That is not to say that massage can totally get rid of scar tissue, but it will certainly help to increase its flexibility to smooth the progress of training with less drawbacks.


There is a huge psychological benefit of massage; this is due to the release of ‘feel good’ chemicals - endorphins, natural pain killers. Not only does this aid mental preparation for activity but will help maintain a positive mental frame of mind. Half the battle with increasing mileage with training is the ability to get motivated and then keep going on longer runs. Massage reduces any anxiety, helping you to reach a state of calm.


Taking a regular weekly massage will without doubt help to keep your body in top form as you prepare for your event. It is not advised to have a sports massage before a heavy training session. The muscles will have relaxed and will not be ready for high impact exercise and could cause injury. For the greatest results schedule your massage at least 2-3 days prior to your big event.