Top 5 Tips for Selecting an Office Chair

Work Accidents

Low Back Exercises

Car Accidents

Learn From Us!!

A good pillow for sleeping should be comfortable to lay your head upon, but most importantly it must support your neck, keeping it in alignment with the rest of your spine. There are many different pillows on the market from traditional feather and fiber ones to shaped pillows, memory foam and buckwheat pillows. It can be difficult to know what to choose. There is no one "best" pillow for everyone.

Try these tips to pick the pillow that is right for you:

​​​Choose a size of pillow that is suitable for your body size or frame. The pillow should cover the entire back of your neck to avoid putting pressure on your spine.

1. Try out the pillow. Most pillows are packaged in a plastic wrapper so you can lay it on a display bed in the store and put your head on it. This is the best way to find out if you are on the right track.
2. A hypoallergenic pillow is a must if you suffer from allergies, but it is also a good choice for anyone.Buckwheat filled pillows have become increasingly popular. ​
   
3. Buckwheat is hypoallergenic, it will mold to the contours of your head and neck providing good support, but it will also change shape when you move.
   

A good quality, supportive pillow provides many benefits including a better night's sleep, improved circulation, fewer aches and pains and even reduced snoring. Take your time and choose carefully. Your neck and back will take you for it!

When things go awry on the job, it's your health that can suffer.  If you've been injured at work calling  a chiropractor maybe the first way to get yourself back on track to feeling better. Through the WSIB program, the Ontario Government has created many treatment programs for different work place injuries to allow chiropractors to provide treatment to individuals who have injured themselves at work.

If you have injured yourself at work and would like to learn more or received treatment give us a call.

1. Nagging neck pain
   
2. Low Back Pain
   
3. Postural Correction
   
4. Shoulder Pain
   
5. Healthy Back Exercises

MOST DISCUSSED

Our modern digital age has brought us many conveniences. BlackBerry devices, IPhones, tablets and e-readers allow us to communicate and be entertained with the push of a button. Technology can improve our quality of life, but it comes with a price: being huddled over devices for long periods of time can do more harm than good.

Using devices for extended periods of time can easily lead to neck strain, headaches, and pain in the shoulders, arms and hands. Anyone who has used a cellphone or tablet for an extensive amount of time has probably experienced the strain it puts on your upper body. These conditions even have their own name now: Text Neck.

​

Here are some simple strategies to help shut down text neck strain:

Take Frequent Breaks

Taking frequent breaks and looking up from your device can provide your neck with some relief from the pressure of looking down.

Sit Up Straight

It is important to sit up straight while texting. This way you can maintain good posture, relieving your back and shoulders from the strain of being hunched over.

Hold Your Phone A Little Higher

Holding the phone closer to your eye level helps maintain a healthy posture and puts less strain on the neck.

Stretch

 Be sure to stretch often between long periods of extended use of devices. You can rotate your shoulders with your arms by your sides to relieve some tension. You can also tuck your chin down to your neck and then look up - this helps to relieve some tension in your neck built from the common forward-down position you adopt when looking at your device.

A Good Pillow?

Other Treatment Topics

Text Neck: How to Avoid Strains and Pains

​Carriage Square Chiropractic Health Centre

• Stretching
  
• How chiropractic works
  
• Workplace injuries
  
• Benefits of acupuncture​ 
• Sports Injuries
  
• Fighting migraines
  
• Dealing with fatigue
  
• Benefits of massage
  
• Chronic Headaches
  

When shopping for the best ergonomic office chair, getting a chair that fits your unique needs should be the top priority. Not all chairs labelled 'ergonomic' have all the adjustment features necessary to truly be ergonomic. Here are the top 5 things you need to consider to help make a better decision. 

Seat Pan Comfort and Shape  

When you sit in a chair the seat pan should be at least 1 inch wider then your hips and thighs on either side. The seat pan should not be too long for your legs otherwise it will either catch you behind the knees or it will prevent you from leaning fully back against the lumbar support. The seat pan should also be contoured to allow even weight distribution and it should be comfortable to sit on. 

Think Adjustable

 Always make sure that the chair is pneumatically adjustable so you can adjust the seat height while you are sitting on the chair. You should be able to adjust the height of the seat pan so that the front of your knees are level or slightly below level and your feet are firmly on the ground. In most cases there should be no need to use a footrest. The mechanism for adjusting the seat height should be easy to reach. 

Lumbar Support Is Key

Many chairs have a cushioned lumbar support that can be adjusted up or down and forwards or backwards to best fit your shape. If the chair will be used by many people then this level of adjustment will be required. 

Don't Forget About the Hips 

A chair that does not provide enough hip room can make you sit too far forward on the seat pan, which does not provide support for the thighs.

 Have a Long Term Strategy 

Think about how the chair will feel after about 60-120 minutes. Low-density foam seat pans can become permanently deformed after long term use which can affect cushioned support leading to discomfort, imbalance and hip and back fatigue.