For over 30 years, I have practiced as a qualified chiropractor here in Australia. During this time, I have witnessed countless transformations. People come into the practice with grimaces of pain, under a cloud of stress stemming from their conditions and walk out with smiles on their faces. And this is not just a temporary alleviation, these people are on their way to a pain-free existence and increased vigour and mobility.

Then, out of the blue, I experienced the devastating effects of a life-threatening illness myself. At one point, I was told I’d never be able to work again. This was one of the lowest points of my entire life. Happily, thanks to some excellent medical treatments and a long period of recovery, I have regained my physical health. Consequently, I have been able to get back to work – not working all the hours God sends, but happy to be back in the practice and able to make a difference. My personal experiences also reinforced another important element in the Mind & Body approach: to recommend other health professionals as and when appropriate.

At Mind & Body, we are completely clear about our position in the world of health professionals. We focus on musculoskeletal problems and the pain and debilitation they can cause. We work closely with other professionals in a variety of disciplines. We have a network of like-minded practitioners to whom we refer our patients as appropriate. Chiropractic is complementary to traditional medical science not competitive. Working with the natural resilience of the human body, we can work wonders.

Your neck is made up of seven bones stacked on top of each other with a soft “disc” between each segment to allow for flexibility.

Each joint in your neck should move freely and independently. Our examination of your spine has shown that one or more of the joints in your neck is slightly misaligned and restricted. We call this cause of neck pain, cervical segmental joint restriction.

To help visualize this, imagine a normal neck functioning like a big spring moving freely in every direction. A neck with a joint restriction is like having a section of that spring welded together. The spring may still move as a whole, but a portion of it is no longer functioning.

Cervical joint restriction can develop in many ways. Sometimes they are brought on by an accident or an injury. Other times, they develop from repetitive strains or poor posture. Restricted joints give rise to a self-perpetuating cycle of discomfort and neck pain. Joint restriction causes swelling and inflammation, which triggers muscular guarding leading to more restriction. Since your spine functions as a unit, rather than as isolated pieces, a joint restriction in one area of your spine often causes “compensatory” problems in another. Think of this as a rowboat with multiple oarsmen on each side. When one rower quits, the others are placed under additional stress and can become overworked.

Cervical joint restriction most commonly causes neck pain, muscle pain and stiffness. You may notice that your range of motion is limited. Moving your head and neck may increase your discomfort. Pain from a restricted joint often trickles down to your shoulders and upper back. Headaches, light-headedness and jaw problems may result from joint restrictions in your upper neck.

Long-standing restrictions are thought to result in arthritis – much like the way a slightly misaligned wheel on your car causes premature wearing of your tire.

Fortunately, chiropractic care has been shown to be the safest and most effective treatment for cervical joint restriction. Mind & Body Chiropractic at Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast offers treatment to quickly ease your pain.

To speed your recovery, you should avoid carrying heavy bags or purses on your shoulder, as this may aggravate your condition and be. Also be sure to have a quality pillow for sleeping and take frequent breaks from your workstation.

Mind & Body Chiropractic, The Gold Coast Chiropractor

1. Don’t Slouch.

Poor posture puts a great deal of strain on your back. Be mindful of your posture whether you’re sitting in an office chair at work, driving, or texting on your cell phone. If you’re unsure of what proper posture looks like, watch this video that covers proper sitting posture.

2. Don’t Be A Couch Potato.

People with sedentary lifestyles tend to have more occurrences of back pain. Sitting for prolonged periods of time contributes to many different ailments, including low back pain; so challenge yourself to move your body more often throughout the day.

3. Don’t Smoke.

Studies show that smoking increases your chance of having low back pain. If you want to quit, SmokeFree.gov can help. 

4. Don’t Sleep On Your Stomach.

This position places excessive stress on your spinal joints and muscles. A better option is to sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees or on your side with a pillow between your knees. This keeps the spine elongated and neutral. View our sleep posture tutorial video here.

5. Don’t Ignore Your Core.

Weak abdominal muscles can contribute to low back pain. If your core is weak, then your back muscles have to work harder to support your movements. This extra work often contributes to strain and injury. We commonly prescribe the Dead Bug, Bird Dog, and Side Bridge exercises to help build core strength. If you have back pain, be sure to check with us before starting.

6. Don’t Avoid Going To The Doctor.

Treating your back pain symptoms with ice and/or heat is a good self-care option for the short-term, but any back pain that persists longer than two weeks should be examined by a professional. A visit with your chiropractor can help determine the underlying cause and develop the most effective treatment plan to get you back to feeling yourself again.

Spinal stenosis means that the tube surrounding your spinal cord and nerve roots is too small, and your nerves are being compressed. Stenosis can arise in different ways.
Sometimes, people are born with a spinal canal that is too small. Other times, the canal may have been narrowed by surgery or conditions like disc bulges. Most commonly,
spinal stenosis arises from chronic arthritic changes that narrow the canal. This type of stenosis usually develops slowly over a long period, and symptoms show up later
in life.

The natural progression of stenosis is a slow, steady increase, although some patients’ symptoms remain the same or even improve over time. Symptoms grow in relation to the amount of nerve compression. Initially, most patients notice neck pain, headaches, and possible referral of discomfort into their shoulders and upper back.

If the nerves that exit your spine become compressed, you will notice radiating pain, numbness, or tingling travelling into your arm. If the condition grows to the point that your spinal cord is compressed, you may notice the loss of the fine motor skills of your hands, which translates to clumsiness, difficulty buttoning shirts, trouble using zippers, and changes in handwriting. Sometimes, pain, numbness, or tingling can radiate into your legs. Be sure to tell your doctor if you: notice leg complaints, have difficulty walking, notice balance problems, or have experienced loss of bowel or bladder control. Likewise, tell us if you notice a fever, unexplained weight loss, flu-like symptoms, or numbness & tingling on your face.

Although there is no non-surgical cure for cervical stenosis, treatments are available that may help ease your symptoms. Traction has been shown to help patients with cervical stenosis. If home traction is needed, our office will provide instructions on how this should be performed. You will be taught some stretching exercises to reduce muscle tightness and free up “trapped” nerves.

You may also be given exercises to help build strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, and conditioning. You should avoid activities that increase pain, especially looking too far up or down. You may find relief from your symptoms by using ice, heat, or visiting a massage therapist. In severe cases only, surgery may be required to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots.

If you or someone you know suffers from any of these symptoms, call our office today on 5559 1998. Our team has knowledge and tools to help you feel better quickly!

Standard stress management is a reactive process to the problem. When the ancient stress (fight or flight) response  kicks in, the body is flooded with cortisol and adrenaline. It can take over 12 hours to clear the body of these chemicals. Once the stress response has happened, people have various ways of recovering such as jogging, watching TV, meditating or self-medicating. These have varied levels of success.

We instead have the latest cutting edge computer technology to help you tackle stress and its effects. It’s called Heartmath and it brings a very affordable, new approach to managing and preventing stress. HeartMath gives us the means to measure your heart rate variability. So it’s a scientific way to identify stress levels. Your HeartMath Coach, will teach you a range of stress management techniques to pre-empt or turn off the stress response, it’s a simple, effective way to beat stress before it gets to you.

HeartMath works by identifying the stressor in the moment and not allowing the body to go into the stressed state. It works like a magic shield that protects you from the stressful events we all face. Essentially, it’s a way to stop the stress before it starts. HeartMath is safe, non-confronting and fun to learn.

The Initial Consultation to evaluate your stress levels, stress triggers and learn the first powerful HeartMath technique is free. So you have nothing to lose except the serious damage caused by relentless stress!!!!

So we do not take kindly to the latest attacks on our profession by the RACGP telling GPs to “seriously reconsider any support for chiropractic involvement in patient care”. Even more outrageously, they claim: “The evidence base for chiropractic care in any condition is low quality, and arguably no better than a placebo, with the harms being systematically downplayed.”

Yes, there are a few maverick chiropractors out there, who should know better, making outlandish claims to cure all kinds of diseases and ailments but they are very much in the minority. The majority of qualified chiropractors – and it takes rigorous training and discipline to become qualified in Australia – are highly skilled in identifying what they can and what they cannot treat.

We Work Closely With All Health Care Professionals

An important part of being a Mudgeeraba chiropractor is that we work closely with a variety of health care professionals. We have always referred our patients to the appropriate experts and we always will. We have a complementary network of like-minded colleagues who firmly believe in evidence-based solutions. This is an inter-disciplinary approach that is the future of health care in this country and around the world. It’s a pity that a few misguided “authorities” want to drag us back into the dark ages when the only choice you had was the overworked, time-poor GP.

Just to set the record straight, here is our position on this latest controversy to blight our profession: We support immunisation and vaccination unequivocally as a public health strategy. We do not attempt to claim cures to or treatment of conditions outside our scope of practice including: Colic, Reflux, ADD, ADHD, Autism or any other non-musculoskeletal condition.

We support our local allied health colleagues and refer regularly to them for the benefit of our patients. We acknowledge the key role that General Practitioners play as the central figure in most patient’s healthcare framework.

All chiropractors have a valuable contribution to make in the healthcare arena within an evidence-based model. Here, at Mind & Body Chiropractic, we pride ourselves on treating the whole person, addressing the causes of conditions and not just the symptoms. We see the evidence of the treatment’s effectiveness on a daily basis. We are constantly being surprised and delighted by the amazing outcomes, as are our patients.

Arrange for a FREE consultation

Arrange for a FREE consultation with our Mudgeeraba chiropractic clinic today, by calling us on 5559 1998.

This concern has been proven completely unfounded. The latest research (2015) shows that chiropractic the treatment comes with negligible risk. Click this link to see the research Chiropractic care and the risk of VBA stroke

So there you have it. CHIROPRACTIC IS REALLY SAFE.

Arrange for a FREE consultation

Arrange for a FREE consultation with one of our Gold Coast chiropractors today and let us safely alleviate your back pain, neck pain or headaches. We practice modern, effective, research-driven chiropractic treatment methods, for optimum results. Call us today on (07) 5559 1998 or book your appointment online by clicking here.

The effects of poor posture are not just reflected in your mirror. Major Journals have published studies showing posture is a strong indicator of overall health. Besides the obvious physical changes of stooped shoulders, sway back and head pushed forward, other problems are happening on the inside that we can’t see but can definitely feel. They include:

TMJ Pain – Neck Pain – Tension Headaches

Pain Between the Shoulders – Shoulder Pain

Stiffness – Low Back Pain – Hip Joint Pain

Knee Pain – Foot Pain – Dowagers Hump

Click here for the solution to improved posture.

Arrange for a FREE consultation

Arrange for a FREE consultation with one of our Gold Coast chiropractors today and let us determine your posture number with our complimentary examination.

We are offering you the opportunity to find out your Posture Number utilising PosturePro®, the state of the art computerised, digital image technology. A comprehensive written report of findings is also included. Call us today on (07) 5559 1998.

Your Posture Number is the result of the PosturePro® digital image examination. This allows us to get a very clear picture of your posture. It begins with us taking an accurate photograph of your front and side posture. That gives us our starting point.

Then we have software that cleverly enables us to measure posture in an objective way. The software enables us to do is to plot these key points: ear, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle and compare them to normal. Then the program from this data assigns you a Posture Number. Ideal posture is when the ear, the shoulder, the hip, the knee and the ankle all fall within the same vertical plane. This is a Posture Number of zero. Average posture is around eighteen. Poor posture is over thirty.

The reason it’s so important is that back pain, neck pain and headaches are often the result of abnormal posture which is identified as a high Posture Number!

It’s very useful to know exactly where you’re at now and how you can correct the problem. Our goal, as always, is to relieve the patient of their symptoms but more importantly, to correct the problem that’s causing the symptoms.

Once the pain has been relieved, monitoring the improvement in the Posture Number allows us to make sure the problem does not return.

The most common type of abnormal posture is what we call forward head posture. This is observed when the neck falls forward, bringing the head forward and making the shoulders round. The medical term for this is upper crossed syndrome.

Many aches and pains can be relieved without a change in posture, but these physical and mechanical problems nearly always recur. For a lasting improvement, there needs to be an improvement in posture. Posture correction typically requires three steps:

1. Chiropractic treatment to improve the position and mobility of spinal joints
2. Corrective exercises to stretch and strengthen affected muscles
3. Posture correction exercises

Click here for more information on these three steps.

Effective treatment usually improves a patients Posture Number to between zero and 10.

Do you know your Posture Number? Call us today for an evaluation.

Arrange for a FREE consultation

Arrange for a FREE consultation with one of our Gold Coast Chiropractors today and let us accurately evaluate your posture.

Your posture plays an important role in your overall health. Poor posture leads to chronic strain and discomfort. “Upper cross syndrome” describes poor posture that results from excessive tightness in your shoulders and chest with weakness in your neck and mid-back. This combination forces your shoulders to roll inward and your head to project forward.

To help understand how upper cross syndrome causes trouble, think of your spine as a telephone pole and your head as a bowling ball that sits on top. When the bowling ball is positioned directly over the top of the upright post, very little effort is required to keep it in place. If you tip the post forward and the ball begins to roll over the edge of the post, significantly more effort would be required from the muscles trying to hold it there. This effort results in chronic strain of the muscles of your neck and upper back.

The chronic strain is uncomfortable and may also lead to neck pain, upper back pain, headaches, TMJ pain, and ultimately- arthritis. This postural problem is exceptionally common in computer workstation users.

Correction of this problem is accomplished by freeing up stiffened neck and back joints, stretching the tight muscles, strengthening weak muscles, and modifying your workstation.

The best way of measuring improvement of Upper Cross Syndrome is improvement in your Posture Number.

Contact Mind & Body Chiropractic

If you’re suffering from the ill effects of poor posture and Upper Cross Syndrome, seek immediate treatment with our team of professionals at Mind & Body Chiropractor today.