Tension-type headache, otherwise known as a stress headache, is a very common type of head pain with a 30-78% portion of the general population experiencing this condition at some point in their life (lifetime prevalence).1 The International Headache Society has established a process to identify chronic tension-type headache with the following 5 points:1 Headache occurring…
Knowledge of Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is controversial and incomplete; however, there is enough information out there for patients and parents to make an informed decision about management options. The list below offers noninvasive and surgical options: 1,2 Observation Specific education Awareness of postural defects Ergonomics Exercise Encourages active spinal movements over passive movements Postural…
“Skoliosis” = Ancient Greek term meaning “a bending” “Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is three-dimensional deformity of the spine.”1 The cause of AIS is unknown. AIS occurs in persons that have not reached skeletal maturity. Skeletal maturity is the age of the bone when they finish growth as a young adult. AIS is a rare spinal deformity…
Try this: Sit or stand with your head hanging down, eyes looking to the floor, back slumping, with shoulders rounding forward Take a deep breath in What do you notice? Your muscles in your thorax (torso) become compressed and breathing volume is restricted. Furthermore, the forward head posture restricts airflow through your neck. The esophagus…
An astounding 81.8% of working hours are spent sitting during a working day.1 Office workers sit for long durations without breaks, longer than 30 mins, or even longer than 55 minutes at a time.2 Uninterrupted sitting for work and school are the main settings for this sedentary behaviour; prolong sitting is also associated with driving,…
In modern societies, the office workplaces are characterised by low activity of sustained sedentary sitting! “Australian employees spent 77% of their working hours being sedentary.” 1 Prolonged unbroken bouts of sitting are considered to be 30 minutes and longer.1 “Sedentary ‘activity’ is defined as any waking behaviour characterized by an energy expenditure ≤1.5 METs while…
What is the LARGEST and LONGEST spinal nerve in your body?! Sciatic nerve! This nerve is made up of FIVE nerves (L4, L5, S1, S2, S3 spinal nerves). What does the Sciatic nerve do? It supplies sensation, strength, and reflexes to and from the muscles and skin of the thighs, lower legs, and feet. What…
Muscle tenderness over the surface of the skull (pericranium) is widely reported to be prevalent not only in sufferers of tension-type headache and cervicogenic headache but also in migraine sufferers.1 Neck pain has a lifetime prevalence of 45-71% and increases for those with headaches.2,3 Neck pain leads to high rate of work disability and lower…
Computers and internet access improve work efficiency and productivity. There is an increasing number of school children using laptops too. The weekly mean time for computer use increased from 5.9 hours in 1997 to 14.6 hours in 2003.1 Imagine the average Australian’s weekly hours of computer work in 2016…?! As a part-time researcher, most of…
Posture is more important than just appearance No individual will look happy or powerful when they walk around with a hunched back, head down and with shoulders closing in. The ideal posture is a state of musculoskeletal balance and provides prevention of spinal dysfunction, joint degeneration, and pain. Furthermore, the muscular state when standing or…
