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Luckily so far the temperatures haven’t been horrendous, but it won’t be long until we’re in 5 layers and shivering.

We’re starting to see the common seasonal winter injuries come through in clinic. Having been in practice for 15 years now I have recognised certain seasonal trends and common complaints. In the colder months we see tons of neck and shoulder complaints. Winter is a tough time in the UK- limited daylight, miserable weather, and no bank holidays! Not only do we all get a little cold, but many of us struggle to keep our spirits up, and with the current atrocities we are so sadly witnessing in the Middle East, it’s easy to find life all a bit heavy. I know I for one am feeling it right now, and as my husband placed his hands on my shoulders a few days ago, he didn’t need a Chiropractic qualification to recognise that I was holding all my stress in my shoulders.

Whilst at CBH we sadly cannot erase the winter or the state of the world, we can help you if you’re feeling this way- and we can give you some simple tips to help get you through.

1) Wear a scarf ….it may seem obvious and simple but it really does help to keep your joints and muscles warm and stop you from tensing up so much when out in the cold. It can also be good to wear a high neck top in bed as that’s often when a condition called Torticollis can hit- a breeze in the bedroom can result in waking with a pesky ‘cricked neck’

2) Breathe…. again- somewhat obvious, but good, controlled breathing can really help with stress and inflammation. Our wonderful new Chiropractor Charlie is a Breathwork practitioner and can help with this if it’s something you want to really immerse yourself in for these darker days (www.sourcebreathwork.com)

3) Take your Vitamin D…..many of my patients will vouch for the fact that I don’t shut up about vitamin d…..all year round really, but in the winter it is PARTICULARLY important that we ALL take a high dose vitamin D supplement. A common side effect of Vitamin D deficiency is musculoskeletal pain- so nip that in the bud with your supplements. We stock a high quality Vitamin D as well as Magnesium (also HUGELY important particularly for stress) , Collagen, and we will soon have Omega 3 in stock too. Watch out for our Black Friday deal on the supplements.

4) Stretch and move….as much as we all want to just curl up on the sofa and hibernate, sadly we can’t! So keep moving- it keeps you warm, increases blood flow around the body, and decreases stress. Simple neck stretches and mobilisations each day can really help keep things loose and happy – you can find some great examples on our instagram page -@chiropracticbyhand

If these 4 tips don’t quite cut the mustard then you know where we are if you want to come in for a consultation to delve deeper in to your niggles.

Everyday we’re a step closer to Spring and sunnier times.