Our chiropractor, Dr Antoine Barrier has recently published an article in a French local newspaper Toronto L’Express.
In his article he talks about how electronic devices that we use daily ( including cell phones) have a negative impact on our neck. He also gives an advice on how to remedy the “text neck syndrome “.
With nearly 5 billion smartphone owners and a daily browsing time estimated at 6 hours, you are probably not spared by this situation. The “text neck syndrome” has been described by Dr. Dean L. Fishman, an American chiropractor.
The « text neck syndrome » is a source of neck pain secondary to your position while you are looking at your smartphone (or others electronic devices like iPads, laptops…). Indeed, an extended head position in flexion may induce some mechanical stress on your cervical spine and shoulders.
Sciatica: Symptoms and Solutions
You feel some pain in your lower back going down to your leg, and sometimes to your foot: that could be sciatica.
Sciatica is characterized by pain along the sciatic nerve from your lumbar spine to your foot, mainly on the posterior side of the leg.
In 85% of cases, sciatica is caused by a disc herniation. A disc herniation is a protrusion of a damaged or weakened lumbar disc which can press down on the roots of the sciatic nerve and create pain along this nerve.
But there are other causes of sciatica: trauma, lumbar arthritis, heavy weight lifting, bad posture…
However, there are things you can do to prevent this kind of pain :
- Pay attention to your posture: you need to keep your lower back as straight as possible.
- Be careful while lifting, pushing or pulling heavyweight.
- Strengthen your abdominal muscles to maintain and protect your lumbar spine. For that, you can practice plank exercises regularly.
To treat your sciatica, you have different options :
- A chiropractor for low back adjustments and home care recommendations regarding stretching, strengthening, etc.
- Practice yoga to release muscle tension and to relieve stress
- Receive therapeutic massage treatments
- Explore acupuncture, naturopathy, etc.
However, if you note abnormally increased pain, neurological symptoms (foot drop, bladder dysfunction, walking issues..) : consult your physician.
Dr. Antoine Barrier joined the Pacific Wellness Institute after successfully operating his practice in Toulouse, France for five years. He is available for chiropractic treatments in our clinic on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. He welcomes existing patients for follow up visits and new patients for assessments and treatments.