Sciatica is a condition that manifests as pain stemming from the compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve. This nerve extends from the lower back, through the buttocks, and down the legs. The experience of sciatica can range from dull aches to sharp, shooting pains, often accompanied by numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness. Such discomfort usually results from factors like inflammation, spinal misalignment, or disc injuries.

Many people tend to ignore their sciatica, hoping it will resolve on its own. However, without addressing the root cause, the pain might only find temporary relief through adjustments in daily movements. It’s essential to acknowledge that sciatica demands more than symptomatic relief; understanding and treating the underlying issue is crucial.

For those battling sciatica, consider these actionable steps:

• Determine the root cause of your sciatica for effective treatment.
• Use a pillow between your legs while sleeping to alleviate lower back pressure and maintain spinal alignment.
• Adopt an anti-inflammatory diet, incorporating turmeric, ginger, leafy greens, avocado, and olive oil, while limiting processed meats and fried foods.
• Reflect on the duration of your pain and the effectiveness of previously tried remedies.

Sciatica impacts millions, potentially hindering everyday activities such as walking, sleeping, or carrying children. Professional medical guidance is vital for an accurate diagnosis and customized treatment strategy.

Common Causes of Sciatica Pain

Sciatica can arise from various conditions, including:

• Herniated Lumbar Disc: The protrusion of disc material that compresses a nerve.
• Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal column, exerting pressure on the sciatic nerve.
• Degenerative Disc Disease: Age-related disc degeneration that affects nerve roots.
• Spondylolisthesis: A condition where a vertebra slips over another, causing nerve compression.
• Muscle Spasm and Inflammation: Tightness or inflammation in muscles can irritate the sciatic nerve.
• Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction: Abnormalities in the sacroiliac joint, leading to sciatica symptoms.

Addressing the specific cause is pivotal in managing and treating sciatica effectively.

Preventing Sciatica Pain

Preventing sciatica involves a blend of lifestyle modifications, physical activity, and ergonomic adjustments, including:

• Regular Exercise: Strengthen the abdomen and back muscles to support the spine. Activities like walking, swimming, Pilates, and yoga are beneficial.
• Proper Lifting Techniques: Use your legs, not your back, when lifting heavy objects.
• Good Posture: Maintain a straight back and avoid prolonged sitting to reduce spinal pressure.
• Quit Smoking: Smoking can lead to disc degeneration, a risk factor for sciatica.
• Weight Management: A healthy weight minimizes stress on the spine.
• Ergonomic Adjustments: Optimize your workspace to support spinal health.
• Stretches and Exercises: Incorporate specific stretches to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve and improve flexibility.

Lifestyle Changes to Alleviate Sciatica

Implementing certain lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the risk of sciatica and enhance overall spinal health:

• Maintain Physical Activity: Regular exercise strengthens spine-supporting muscles.
• Practice Good Posture: Use ergonomic furniture and correct your posture to prevent nerve compression.
• Manage Weight: Excess weight can increase spinal pressure, leading to sciatica.
• Sleep Smartly: Use supportive mattresses and proper sleeping positions to align your spine.
• Incorporate Stretching: Flexibility exercises support your spine, mitigating sciatica risk.

Exercises for Sciatica Relief

Engaging in specific exercises can alleviate sciatica pain by stretching and strengthening the affected areas:

• Knee-to-Chest Stretch: Lie on your back and gently pull one knee toward your chest.
• Pelvic Tilt Exercise: Tighten your stomach muscles while lying on your back to press the lower back into the floor.
• Standing Hamstring Stretch: Stretch your hamstrings by leaning forward while standing.
• Piriformis Stretch: Sit and cross one leg over the other, leaning forward to stretch the piriformis muscle.

Consistency in these exercises, along with avoiding activities that exacerbate the condition, is key. Always consult a healthcare professional before beginning any new exercise regimen, especially when dealing with sciatica.

Book your appointment here.

If you’re anything like most, you’ve probably experienced more than one headache in your time.

And, unless you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ll know how debilitating headaches can be. You can easily lose a whole day to a dark room and a cold compress.

Millions of headache sufferers visit their doctor each year. And most are prescribed medication and sent on their way.

But here’s the good news…

In the 25 years of running my practice, my clients have found their headaches have been relieved after regular sessions with me – without the use of medication.

My chiropractic sessions target trigger points within your back, shoulder, neck and head which my clients have said minimised their headaches in just a few sessions.

Research¹  has linked headaches to an area in your neck that can be treated non-invasively and without medication.

Headaches take a toll on the quality of life for virtually anyone who suffers.  If you’re a headache sufferer, I urge you to consider having your spine and nervous system evaluated.

Relieve Your Pain

At Bedford Chiropractic Clinic, our primary aim is to treat the cause of your pain.

 We don’t want to just mask your pain as meds do.

By finding the root of any pain it can be minimised, eliminated, and prevented in the future.

In 25 years of practice, I have seen that tension can be relieved in every part of your body – including your head! In my experience, not only do high levels of stress cause headaches and migraines but misalignments/tension in the neck and spine can also cause them.

A full-body examination during your consultation will determine the bespoke treatment you need.  We’ll carry out posture scans to highlight areas of high muscle tension and misalignments that need to be worked on.

You’ll also walk away with light neck and back exercises/stretches that you can work on from the comfort of your own home.

Bedford Chiropractic Clinic wants everyone to find relief, so we’re offering a discounted initial consultation, examination and first treatment. You’ll save £127 on this package.

This offer won’t be around forever, click here to secure your spot.

^1*1995 study published in the Journal of BioMedicine and Pharmacotherapy called “Anatomy and Physiology of a Headache”.)

In 25+ years’ experience of treating clients in my clinic, it’s become common knowledge to my clients that breathing and spinal adjustments work together to promote optimal health.

The clients I’ve treated have found they benefitted from better breathing after regular sessions with me.

Firstly, it’s important to understand that your spine coexists closely with your central nervous system. Around each segment of your spine, there are tiny neurons scattered throughout small muscles, ligaments, discs, and joints.

Normal motion within each vertebra allows proper communication between your spine and your brain.

Your central nervous system controls all autonomic functions. These are body processes, such as breathing, blood pressure and heartbeat. This system works automatically (autonomously), without conscious effort. Just like when you’re sleeping.

Misalignments in your spine alter both the position and movement of a vertebra. This causes interference within the central nervous system and subsequently impacts the autonomic portion of your nervous system.

So you might not be surprised to hear that spinal misalignments impact the body’s ability to function and heal at optimal capacity.

Many of my patients receiving a Chiropractic adjustment for the first-time report experiencing autonomic-related improvements in sleep, digestion, and you guessed it – breathing!

Bedford Chiropractor Clinic specializes and focuses on detecting and correcting spinal misalignments to allow better healing to occur, regardless of age, gender, ailment, or diagnosis.

Every person can live a pain-free life. Bedford Chiropractic Clinic provides you with the most effective, non-invasive, drug-free chiropractic care to improve your quality of life.

Life is too short to live with limitations.

If you want to start the journey to resolving your pain today, click here.

Back trouble is brewing

They’re seeing a large increase in people with neck pain, headaches, pain between the shoulder blades, pain down the arms, sciatica & lower back issues.

“We saw a 30% increase after the first lockdown in the number of patients complaining about pain & discomfort in their neck & back, and it is worse this time around”, says Dr James Barber (Nailsea Clinic). He added, “The problem is seriously affecting many people working from home. Lockdown fatigue is starting to bite.”

Many people have been working from home, shielding & staying indoors, home-schooling, not partaking in hobbies, have had their daily activities lessened…and the result? “More back problems, headaches & generalised aches & pains than we usually see in a typical year, and it’s getting worse.”

Tech-neck victims

However, chiropractic clinics remain open

However, there is a reason the Government has urged chiropractors to remain open & continue to offer our services. They are in the frontline, helping people get out of pain & back on track with their lives…lock-down is a pain enough, let alone physically being in pain, then being mentally drained.

Furthermore, Sandhu states, “Many people prefer to come directly to the Bedford Chiropractic Clinic, so it doesn’t clog up their GP surgery or to avoid getting put on a lengthy waiting list. They can be seen quickly, often within 48 hours.”

Are you experiencing any of the following?

• Back, neck & joint pain or an injury
• Pain between the shoulder blades
• Headaches & migraines
• Pins & needles
• Tingling sensation in arms & fingers
• Sharp, shooting pain/twinges in lower back, hips & thighs

Yes? Then it may be it is a sign that your body is not coping well. There are professionals out there who can work wonders! Chiropractic can be an amazing preventative measure, helping to maintain good body function, mobility, health & wellness. We welcome people of all ages & conditions!

Chiropractic has proven to be highly beneficial for millions of people globally. Many people visit a chiropractor because they’re in pain, experienced an injury, have poor posture, going through pregnancy or seeking injury prevention. In turn, there has been millions of success stories with chiropractic. So with 20+ years experience ourselves in chiropractic; here’s a list of our top 8 chiropractic benefits for you and your family.

1. Powerful Pain Releif

A huge chiropractic benefit is that it not only treats the cause of the pain, but can also instantly relieve pain & tension. Chiropractic, dry needling, deep tissue massage & RICE therapy are all the services we offer here, that can help relieve pain. During your consultation, we’ll carry out a body examination. We then tailor your treatment based upon what we find & treat these misalignments, release muscle tension & correct your posture.

For women experiencing pregnancy, chiropractic can relieve pain & tension in the hips, pelvis, lower back & ankles. This helps with alignment, posture and weight distribution.

2. Drug-Free Alternative

Medication can be a great source of pain relief, and consult with your GP if you have any questions about what you’ve been prescribed. However, it can be suggested that painkillers purely mask the pain.

Your body has an incredible ability to self-heal & we are here to help you discover that. Chiropractic is also an amazing source of natural pain-relief. So here at the Bedford Chiropractic Clinic, we aim to find the root of the pain during your consultation, to then provide a tailored treatment plan. This drug-free method is particularly useful and safe for pregnant women & children.

3. Non-Invasive Treatment

Chiropractic uses non-invasive techniques, using only safe, gentle & tailored physical manipulations on the outer body. A controlled & sudden pressure to a dysfunctional & misaligned joint is applied. This promotes structural alignment, improves the body’s mechanical function, restores mobility & relieves pain & inflammation. There is also no need to be on a waiting list for weeks, as we can promise to see you within 48 hours of you booking  your consultation.

4. Improves Bodily Function, Motion & Health

Back, neck & joint injury, misalignment & disease, can decrease your body’s function & motion. Pain & misalignments may be restricting your range of motion, which can also lead to the weakening of surrounding muscles.

We aim to identify the root of the problem to then treat & minimise/prevent the problem from reoccurring along with its symptoms. Chiropractic adjustments can help realign the joint which can instantly promote function & mobility. By adjusting the spine, we adjust the Central Nervous System, therefore encouraging better communication between the brain & the rest of the body.

5. Great Form of Preventative Care

Do you think you have to be in pain to visit us? Maybe an injury is waiting to reoccur any minute? Are you accepting age as an excuse for decreasing your daily activity or back pain? Regular chiropractic care is a great form of injury prevention & rehabilitation. It is never too late or too early to seek chiropractic care. Regular chiropractic adjustments can mean:

• Less work absences
• Less gym sessions/training skipped
• A pain-free active lifestyle
• More quality time with family & friends

6. Better Posture

Back, neck and joint pain can decrease your level of daily activity, your quality of life with family and friends, cause you to skip the gym or work & lose valuable sleep. In turn, your mental health is negatively affected. You may find you become more frustrated & helpless, particularly as many people become dependent on medication to mask the pain day-to-day.

However, chiropractic aims to identify, treat & prevent/minimise the root of the problem & it’s symptoms, whilst relieving pain. Chiropractic can also promote the release of endorphins – the ‘feel-good’ hormone. We can suggest better sleeping positions, recommend pillows (which you can buy in the clinic) & mattresses, natural sleep remedies, massages & Psyche-K therapy which can all help improve your sleep & mental health.

7. Better Posture

Whether you’re walking, sitting or looking at your devices, correcting & maintaining your posture is important to us. Good posture keeps bones & joints aligned, ensures the right muscles are being used, decreases stress on ligaments, prevents permanent bodily ‘wear-and-tear’, muscle fatigue and pain, whilst improving your physical appearance.

8. Suitable For ALL Ages

The last point on our list of chiropractic benefits, is that our chiropractic treatments are tailored to YOU and your NEEDS! We have 20 years+ experience treating all kinds of patients, with extra training to ensure safe chiropractic care for pregnant women & children. We adapt our equipment & techniques to suit the age, condition, size & needs of the individual. A tailored treatment plan is provided based on the findings produced during your consultation.

It is never too early or late for chiropractic care. We have treated thousands of patients from new-born to the elderly…and now we’re here to treat you too!

Millions globally are having to work from home during the Covid-19 lockdown, with differing challenges to face. One of those challenges may be transitioning from your office to home, whilst maintaining physical & mental health. Unfortunately, many chiropractors like myself, across the UK have had to close clinics, in order to comply with social distancing rules.

Anyway, here are my top 10 ways to work from home successfully, whilst keeping your health & wellness in mind.

1. Create Boundaries

It may be tempting to work in the comfort of your bed, or just have your laptop perched on your lap whilst flopped on the sofa. However, it is best you physically separate your working space from your living space. Preferably, this involves an environment away from TVs, game consoles etc., opting for a quiet workspace. Particularly when you work from home, even the shortest distraction can kill your productivity & disable you from distinguishing between work & ‘chill’ time. Research at the Michigan State University found that a 3-second interruption can double the number of mistakes you make in your work due to distractions. This also means separating yourself from social media on your phone during these hours where possible.

2. Sitting is the new smoking! Get moving!

A lot of research shows the major health risks of sitting for too long. So whether you’re at work or home, I strongly urge you to do anything you can to reduce your time sitting (I’m even stood up at my home desk whilst typing this sentence!). Maybe consider:

• Opting for a standing desk
• Take breaks every 20 minutes (go for a walk, stretch etc.)
• Exercise for at least an hour daily
• Frequently stretch & try yoga

in 2019, the Journal of Human Sport & Exercise reported on a 12 week exercise programme. This was conducted in a Greek prison (I’m not saying we’re locked in our homes like prisoners but we are confined to the home A LOT more). This study showed that those prisoners who participated in the programme felt a greater sense of self-esteem & quality of life, compared to those who didn’t.

Research at the University of Georgia found that even low-intensity exercise can boost your energy levels & mentally prepare you to work. Alongside the health benefits of keeping active, exercise can provide you with a regular dose of serotonin. We recommend you get involved in cardio, weights, HIIT workouts & yoga.

3. Hello again, how’s your posture doing?

Now there is no perfect seated posture for 8 hours a day…I prefer you didn’t sit for that long. Good seated posture is important to avoid aches & pains. When you’re hunched forward, it can result in the brain in thinking it is in a stressful situation. However, when you are alternating between sitting & standing, there are some tips that can help your posture whilst sitting.

Firstly, opt for a comfortable desk chair that enables you to adjust the height of the seat, the back-rest & has an adjustable headrest/arm-rest. Ensure you sit comfortably in your chair, where your hips are in a neutral position, thighs horizontal, with your knees no higher than your hips & not extended over your ankles. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Your bottom should be against the back of the seat & your shoulder blades against the backrest of the chair. Make sure your arms are flat & your elbow are level with your desk. Your laptop/pc should be at your eye-level to prevent tech-neck & you may want to invest in lumbar supports & laptop/book stands. Read more on tech-neck here.

Even whilst you’re netflix-ing, try not to slump or sit too long whilst binge-watching. Make use of cushions for support.

4. Expose yourself to ‘brainwave music’

Brain waves are patterns of electrical activity occurring in the brain. These are crucial in all aspects of brain function, including thoughts, emotions & behaviours. As brain activity can be influenced & altered through neurofeedback, desirable activity can be increased & manipulated. There are 5 main forms of brain waves, such as:

However, we recommend producing Alpha & Beta waves when you work from home or studying, depending on the tasks you are performing.

You can access brainwave music on YouTube or there are playlists on Spotify.

5. Protect your mental health

As if seeing the rising death rates on the news, being on lock-down & a lethal pandemic on the loose isn’t enough to trigger anxiety & depression, remote workers can be prone to bouts of poor mental health. A study found that when you work from home, you are more likely to experience high stress levels compared to office workers: emails are misinterpreted, work bleeds into family life & remote workers often clock more hours.

As well as switching off your laptop at the end of the day, make sure you engage in pleasurable activities too, to elevate your mood. If you feel that you’re becoming more anxious or stressed, then switch to exercise, reading, yoga, listening to podcasts, painting/drawing etc.

6. Combat Loneliness

Remember: WE ARE SOCIAL ANIMALS! You may not realise it, but a big part of going to work is that we love being around familiar faces. Petting your pets & face-timing family & friends are no-brainers, but maybe the interaction you have with your work-colleagues daily, is a huge reason you may feel lonely. We spend a lot of time interacting at work (don’t tell your boss). That type of interaction may be what we miss when we’re self-isolating. So why not arrange a meeting with work colleagues around the time you’d go for a break?

7. Learn something new

Work may actually have slowed down for you during this pandemic – so take this as an open opportunity to learn something new. You may decide to take up an online course to further your skills/knowledge in your existing work or something that interests you. Maybe you want to learn a new language, skill or do something to keep you cognitively active. It has been proven that lifelong learning improves happiness & your memory.

8. Structure your day like normal

Routine & structure are crucial to making the quarantine period tolerable. The start of that routine is SLEEP! Okay, you know to aim for about 8 hours of sleep a day (also there are some brain wave music to help you sleep better), but you should make the snooze button your enemy! Still try to eat, sleep, go for a walk, relax etc. at the same times you usually would if you were at work.

9. Stay hydrated

You should always keep a glass or a bottle on your desk, which will act as triggers to remind you to keep on drinking water. You may not need 8 glasses a day, but if you can then why not? Staying hydrated is beneficial as it:

• Helps maximise physical performance

• Positively affects your energy levels & brain function:

• Helps prevent & relieve headaches & migraines.

• Can protect your tissues, spinal cord & joints

Alternatively, check out this incredibly healthy drink:

Ready to work from home successfully?

So go set up your workspace with your posture in mind. Be mindful of your posture. Get into your work attire & grab some water. Set up some Zoom calls with your work colleagues. Stick on some brainwave music & get on with your routine. With your spare time, remember to enjoy yourself, learn something new & make time for your friends & family. If you’re experiencing any pain/discomfort or injury then book a virtual consultation/session with us here. Ensure you follow the Government’s guidelines & stay safe & well.