I came across this post on Facebook (credit @WeirdPeopleRock) and thought about the changes in conditions I see as age increases in patients. It is true that a lot of injuries for teenagers and even young adults are due to physical activities. These injuries tend to resolve more quickly because of numerous factors including the injuries themselves being acute as opposed to chronic or overuse, the condition of the individual, the daily requirements of the individual, and the drive for more physical activity. Adults tend to have jobs and responsibilities (daily requirements) that are sedentary which results in physical detraining, which makes one more likely to become injured. Because of the sedentary activity and physical detraining, the the body is less capable of dealing with the injury. The injury causes many to avoid physical activity and stick with sedentary activity... creating a negative cycle.

It is always advisable to seek professional care for injuries. One of the reasons for this is because you want to break that negative cycle but do it safely. One of the comments under the facebook post was how come no one told me I could get hurt from sitting? Let me be clear, you can get hurt from sitting! This is called a musculoskeletal disorder which includes repetitive strain injuries, cumulative trauma disorder, occupational overuse syndrome, sprains, strains, and musculoskeletal injuries. Remember, exerting a force (even at very low levels) for a sustained period without a break can lead to pain, discomfort, and injured tissues. This is where the adult injuries in the facebook image stem from.  The hashtags that I use #GetMoving and #ExerciseIsMedicine are true but the focus needs to be on the correct exercises, movements, and activities to help you muscles, joints, discs, and ligaments heal. The secondary focus is to shift away from sedentary activity and the physical detraining that results so that your body can better handle the forces it has to sustain during those daily requirements.

If you are experiencing low back pain, neck pain, nerve impingement, shoulder pain, foot pain, or any other muscle, ligament, or joint pain, I recommend you seek the services of a health professional near you to help recover from and prevent further injuries. At Haptic Health and Chiropractic we offer manual therapy, exercise therapy, acupuncture, and custom orthotics for overuse conditions such as these. If you have any questions of how we can help, give Dr. Judith McCann a call at 905-235-6777.

Ready to book your first appointment? You can call, email, or view our availability online:

Did you that the heart is a muscle? It is not the same type of muscle that makes your joints move (known as skeletal muscle), nor the type of muscle that is found in organs like your bladder or your stomach (known as smooth muscle). The heart is made up of three layers, the middle layer consisting of cardiac muscles or myocardium. This is responsible for the pump action of the heart that sends blood to the different parts of your body.

What's really cool about the heart is that similar to skeletal muscle, we can improve the efficiency of our heart's actions through exercise. Numerous studies have looked at high level athletes to see the extent to which we can make improvements to the hearts functional ability. ​The left ventricle (LV), that receives oxygenated blood from your lungs and pumps it out to rest of your body, is particularly affected by exercise.

Don't be the weekend warrior going all out occasionally and injuring yourself. Especially if you have an injury, find activities that are going to help you heal and help your body adapt to better handle stressors. What are some outdoor activities that you can do?

We all know that physical activity is good for you. The latest Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans came out with new evidence for health benefits (above and beyond those listed in the 2008 guidelines). So what are these "new" health benefits?

• Improved bone health and weight status for children aged 3 through 5 years
• Improved cognitive function for youth aged 6 to 13 years
• Reduced risk of cancer at additional sites
• Brain health benefits, including improved cognitive function, reduced anxiety and depression risk, and improved sleep and quality of life
• Reduced risk of fall-related injuries for older adults
• For pregnant women, reduced risk of excessive weight gain, gestational diabetes, and postpartum depression
• For people with various chronic medical conditions, reduced risk of all-cause and disease-specific mortality, improved function, and improved quality of life
• #ExerciseIsMedicine #GetMoving

This article covers all aspects of bringing physical activity into your life, from what the different types of physical activities there are, intensity, progression and overload, specific recommendations for different age groups (or conditions), and injury risk.

There are more types of physical activity than cardio and strength exercises? Yes! There is bone-strengthening, balance activities, and multicomponent activities. Yoga and dance are great examples of multicomponent activities: yoga works on balance and strength. Depending on what type of dance you do, you can work on cardio, strength, bone strengthening, AND balance!

Our November newsletter includes information on Fall Prevention Month, Movember, and snow! While winter doesn't officially start until Dec. 21st we certainly get snow and have to shovel in the Fall. Shoveling is a great way of adding activity into your day!

Falling

• There are many contributing factors to falling and the consequences for the individual, their family, and the healthcare system are numerous.
• According to a Cochrane review in 2012, multifactorial risk assessments can help reduce rate of falls, and exercise (strength and balance) rehabilitation programs can help to reduce the rate of falls and the risk of future falls.

Services for Fall Prevention

• We are able to provide the assessment, individualized home strength/mobility/balance exercise programs,
• As well as referral to healthcare specialists for areas that need further evaluation as indicated by the assessment (medication, eye health, foot care, etc.).

November is a busy month. You may see an excess number of moustaches!

Movember is a time to promote awareness of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. While there are only a few days left, you can still get involved by giving a donation, growing a moustache, and by moving!

If you are interested in learning more about mental health services, we share our clinic space with Lamppost Counselling Services.

Neck pain can result from tight muscles or restricted movements in joints; overuse injuries that occur after prolonged sitting or improper posture; or injuries and accidents that may be sport, work, or even motor vehicle related.

When muscles in the neck are tight or injured they may cause pain at the site of muscle or tendon attachment. It is also possible for muscles to refer pain to other parts of the body away from the neck. For example the muscles at the base of your skull can refer pain to your temples. Joints are very similar to muscles in that they can refer pain away from the site of injury. Injury at the joint, like a tight or injured muscle, can result in restricted movement. Neck pain can also affect the nerves in your neck which can produce symptoms such as numbness or tingling in your arms and hands.

When receiving treatment for tight or injured muscles and joints, your chiropractor may give you strengthening exercises in addition to stretching exercises. This is especially important in overuse injuries as the goal is to not only reduce pain, improve range of movement, but also to decrease the frequency of occurrence.
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Not sure what to expect at Haptic Health and Chiropractic? We offer free 15 minute consultations to answer these questions. Dr. Judith McCann is a chiropractor in Sharon trained to assess neck pain, headaches, neck tightness, and associated numbness and tingling in your hands, as well as provide appropriate treatment or referral as needed.

We can still do the things we love while getting movement into our day. Check out this video for tips on how to be active while reading your book, watching your show, or being on your tablet/laptop. Exerting a force (even at a very low level) for a sustained period without a break can lead to pain and discomfort. Adding movement into your day is a great way to give your muscles and joints a break from these forces, allowing them to recover, and reducing the pain and discomfort brought on by sedentary activity.

Typically simple neck pain, shoulder pain, and upper back pain that is related to sedentary activity is titled "occupational overuse syndrome". The difficulty with this term is that it puts a lot of emphasis on occupational or work based sedentary activity. While sitting at work may be a contributing factor, a lot of people go home after work and spend a lot of their leisure time sitting and further contributing to the overuse aspect and muscle pain and stiffness. When you are at home, or even at a friends, try some the tips from this video to get you up and moving.

​Be sure to have your chiropractor or other health care provider assess you neck, shoulder, and back pain. While sedentary activity can contribute to your pain and stiffness, it is always important to have a thorough examination to determine the cause(s) of your discomfort to determine the best treatment and prevention strategies for you and your health. Dr. Judith McCann is a Newmarket chiropractor offering examination and treatment for these types of conditions.

While we often think of chores as boring, have fun with them. You can put on some music and do one chore a day (sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning mirrors and glass, etc) getting in a bit of movement each day. You can participate in household chores together - this gets everyone up and moving instead of sitting around waiting for someone else to get things done. For example when someone is cooking dinner, someone else can start on the dishes, while someone else can set the table. Household chores become social, fun, and active!

Often times we do too much in one go and "over do it", having to go see our chiropractor, physiotherapist, or other manual health care provider. Doing chores is a great way of adding in movement, but remember to take breaks in between to give your muscles and joints time to recover. If you're having any back pain or other pain that comes on after doing chores and doesn't go away after a couple days, make sure to go see your chiropractor or other health care provider. Dr. McCann is a Newmarket chiropractor who specializes in musculoskeletal health like low back pain. Have any questions? Give us a call for a free 15 minute consultation or to book an assessment for a thorough examination: 905-235-6777.

We spend so much of our day sitting, which is why it is great to find things to do in your leisure time that help you get out of the house and keep moving. Take what opportunities there are in your town, community and region to help you with this.

There may be events going on. Most weekends there is some type of event going on either hosted by the town or local organizations. There are lots of parks and even hiking trails just outside of town if you’re looking for something beyond a cement path. If you don’t know where to look a good place to start is the town of newmarket website, snapd newmarket has an online calendar, or even the town of newmarket facebook page.

A couple tricks to help you get out of the house:
1- Most times when you get home you don’t want to leave so take advantage of being outside of the house on your way from work and do something before getting home.
2-If you set a time and place with friends or family you’re more likely to follow.