Posture Imbalance from the Feet Up

As can be seen in the adjacent picture, the body is a biomechanical kinetic chain. If there are abnormal movements at one line, or joint, these can interfere with proper movements at other joints. This means that excessive pronation of the foot or feet could have an effect further up the kinematic chain, even all the way into your spine.

What is Foot Pronation?

Pronation is a term that describes the normal rotation of a body part downward or inward. So foot pronation is actually a normal action that occurs when walking. However, if it happens excessively, pronation can contribute to global postural problems. The major cause of over-pronation or excessive pronation in the feet is a decrease in the foot arch height.

Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers?

The normal foot anatomy has three distinct arches, which create an architectural vault. The three foot arches are the medial, lateral and transverse arches. So the three arches help improve our postural stability and walking/running function.

Foot Levelers believe that properly fitted Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers in your shoes help support the feet to control excessive and unwanted pronation or supination. The result should be to reduce any unwanted mechanical and neurological stresses on the body.

Providing improved shock absorption through shoe orthotics should help reduce repetitive stress on joints and muscles, permitting smoother function and possibly decreasing arthritic symptoms. So if you were to wear shoe orthotics like the Foot Levelers Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers it would be for the long-term.

Foot Levelers Spinal Pelvic Stabilizer shoe orthotics look at supporting the foot through the three phases of the gait cycle which are: heel strike, mid-stance, and toe-off. Each pair of shoe orthotics from Foot Levelers  can be varied according to your activity level and what your chiropractor feels would be best for you. You could see the full product range by Foot Levelers including Brooks shoes with built in custom made Spinal Pelvic Stabilizer shoe orthotics. You could also see my pair of shoe orthotics called the “original spinal pelvic stablizers” what they look like after 2 years daily wear.

Scanning your Feet Arches

Foot Levelers latest tool for scanning the three arches of your feet is the Associate Platinum™ foot scanner. the Associate Platinum™ foot scanner is a scanner that lets a chiropractor examine your feet and each foot’s three arches, then show you a colour photo of your feet instantly. The scans may help you understand and see where you place pressure and if there is a difference between the left and right foot. All this information would aid in helping you understand how dysfunction in your feet could affect the rest of your body. It is from these feet scans on the Associate Platinum™ that a pair Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers custom-made shoe orthotics could be made for you.

To perform the digital feet arches scan on Foot Levelers Associate Platinum™ scanner,to see how well supported your feet are, can be done within a minute by your chiropractor. Foot Levelers Associate Platinum™ foot arches scans can help chiropractor to screen for postural imbalances that contribute to problems in any number of places, like your knees, hips, and lower back, even if your feet don’t hurt!

So from the digital foot scan any areas of abnormal pressure can be seen which could show an imbalanced distribution of weight between the feet indicating a fatigue of one of the three arches in the foot.

Who Can Benefit from Shoe Orthotics?

So far I have mentioned how the feet are the foundation of the entire spinal pelvic structures posture. This would mean that any fatigued fallen foot arch can cause pain, now or later in life, in either the feet, knees, hips, or back. From my own personal experience with lower back pain and shoe orthotics I found that dysfunctional arches play a role in lower back pain which can be helped with a good pair of shoe orthotics.

So I feel most of us could benefit from wearing a good pair of shoe orthotics to help performance or prevent pain like lower back pain. So should you want to find a chiropractor somewhere in the world who are recommending and prescribing Foot Levelers Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers shoe orthotics you can contact Foot Levelers here.

Best Cervical Neck Pillow

There is such a wide variety of cervical neck pillows that are marketed as reducing your neck pain. All the different types of cervical neck pillows claim they get the best results due to better cervical spine posture creating more comfort during sleep. As I do myself, many of these cervical neck pillow products are endorsed by different health associations and recommended by clinicians as part of a pain management programme.

So you have such a choice of fillings for a cervical pillow like: feather, down, cotton-filled, latex/rubber, springs, buck wheat, memory foam & more. You also have such a choice of the shape and size of the cervical neck pillow that I thought I would explain a little more about what I feel is important when looking for the best cervical neck pillow for you to sleep on tonight.

My Cervical Neck Pillow Story

I have been sleeping on different memory foam pillows since my days as a student at Chiropractic college. This was when I really learnt the importance of a good cervical neck pillow. I slept on what ever was the cheapest pillow from any local furniture store till one morning I woke up with a severe neck pain. It was the classic neck pain where you cannot turn your head to the side and move like you are Frankenstein with a bolt in your neck. Trying to sleep on a poor supporting pillow with a neck pain like that will drive you mad from waking so often. So I began my journey trying different cervical neck pillows.

It started being a student at the time by trying different cheaper pillows from local furniture stores that felt thicker so they supported my neck. However they would sag overnight where my neck was and not keep it lifted up causing pain. Then I got a contoured cervical support pillow like this one from Tempur. This was great cos it helped to life my neck up long enough for me to sleep for longer periods without waking with pain. However, I found that even the contour cervical support pillow would annoy my neck after awhile. The contour pillow didn’t let me forget I was sleeping on a pillow with a raised end in it. So I then progresses onto a “normal” looking memory foam pillow and this is what I have been sleeping on for the last 5 years.

Memory Foam Pillows

So I currently recommend memory foam pillows that are shaped like a normal pillow. I do however, suggest you feel the different memory foam pillows as the density (hardness/softness) can vary greatly between memory foam pillow manufacturers. So like mattresses, some of us like hard ones some like soft ones. I have tended to see men who are heavier and broader shoulder like a heavier memory foam pillow whilst women definitely need a soft marshmallow-like memory foam pillow. I will admit that I too like the softer memory foam pillows again because the pillow doesn’t remind me in the morning that I was sleeping on some different pillow. It just feels comfortable to sleep on.

Points to Remeber

So remember that when choosing a cervical neck pillow:

• Pillows come in many fillings (I currently sleep on memory foam)
• Memory foam comes in different densities (I like the softer marshmallow feeling ones)
• Pillows come in different shapes and sizes (I like regular shaped memory foam pillows)
• You may need to experiment to find the pillow that suits you

So as you may read in the research below¹ that studies on pillows hasn’t found the perfect cervical neck pillow yet, but there is a pillow out there you will like. Happy sleeping.

Sources:

Shields,N., Capper,J., Polak,T., Taylor,N. Are cervical pillows effective in reducing neck pain? New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, March 1, 2006

Memory Foam Bed

As mentioned already Tempur Pedic mattresses are apart of the memory foam bed range. Using memory foam to sleep on can be one of the best mattresses you could choose. This is because memory foam beds apply less pressure on your whole body compared to traditional spring mattresses. The pressure relieving memory foam has been shown to create fewer hot spots especially on high pressure contact points when sleeping like shoulders, hips and ankles. Tempur Pedic make memory foam pillows also read more here.

Tempur Pedic Mattress Range

Tempur Pedic mattresses come in a variety of bed sizes and memory foam thicknesses. You can even get a Tempur Pedic  memory foam mattress topper instead of the whole memory foam mattress. This could help you still you your existing mattress as a base.

Here are some of mattresses available from Tempur Pedic:

The Tempur Pedic® mattress range below combined with a Tempur Pedic® pillow will probably provide the most pressure relieving effect on the whole body.

Tempur Pedic 15cm Mattress

The 15cm height contains (A) 7cm Tempur visco-elastic foam and (B) 8cm polyurethane foam base.

Tempur Pedic 20cm Mattress

The 20cm has (A) 2cm extra of “soft touch” Tempur on top of the (B) 7cm Tempur visco-elastic foam and (C) 11cm polyurethane foam base.

Tempur Pedic Mattress Sizes

Tempur Pedic mattress measurements are in Width x Length x Height.

1. 90x185x20 | Single mattress

2. 90x200x15 | Single mattress

3. 90x200x20 | Single mattress

4. 135x185x20 | Double mattress

5. 135x200x15 | Double mattress

6. 135x200x20 | Double mattress

7. 150x185x20 | Queen mattress

8. 150x200x15 | Queen mattress

9. 150x200x20 | Queen mattress

10. 180x185x20 | King mattress

11. 180x200x15 | King mattress

12. 180x200x20 | King mattress

How to Buy a Tempur Pedic Mattress

So where can I buy Tempur Pedic mattress in the UK? Well you can buy your Tempur-Pedic matress directly from Tempur UK by calling 08000 111 083. You may also find your local chiropractor may stocks Tempur-Pedic. They could source you a Tempur Pedic mattress directly or any other Tempur Pedic memory foam product. The chiropractor could then give it to you on your next visit or you ring your local chiropractor and ask for Tempur products.

Why Use a Memory Foam Pillow

I have been using a memory foam pillow since my chiropractic college days. Doing lots of studying played havoc on my neck from time to time causing neck ache. So I decided to try out a memory foam pillow to help my neck. Memory foam pillows are a good product choice for people suffering from chronic headaches/migraines/neck ache/cervical disc problems etc… In general though I believe anyone can benefit from sleeping on a good memory foam pillow. Your pillow can make up an important part of your sleep comfort. So if you have a good mattress, but a poor supporting feather pillow then you are holding yourself back from a really good nights sleep. So memory foam pillows are good for both thos in pain and those wanting a better nights sleep.

Why Chiropractors Like Memory Foam

Chiropractors are great believers in the memory foam types of pillows. You are likely to find your local chiropractor stocking a memory foam pillow supplier like Tempur Pedic UK. So what is memory foam? Well memory foam is a moulded flexible polyurethane foam that has slow recovery after compression characteristic. You will see most companies advertise a hand imprint on the cover to show the slow moulding recovery properties of a memory foam pillow. This is why chiropractors like these memory foam pillows. They lower the contact pressure on the side of your head and neck when sleeping on the memory foam. This lowers ‘hot spots‘ from occurring at the main contact points like your ears, which, can stop you from tossing and turning so much to relieve the pressure.

Keeping your neck (cervical spine) in a good lordotic curve is another reason why chiropractors like memory foam pillows. The heavier part of your head will sink in further than the lighter part of your neck so the memory foam will be in uniform contact with your neck to support it better than a normal pillow. Why this is important is to lower abnormal stress build-up on the neck joints (facet joints) when suffering neck ache. This will allow your body a better chance to recover from the days stress on the neck joints by having a restful nights sleep.

Disadvantages of Memory Foam Pillows

Most people will never talk about the cons of memory foam pillows, but unfortunately I feel there are some. The pillow is temperature sensitive so when it is in a cold room, like in winter time, the material tend to harden. Some people have complained about this hardening as the feel the pillow becomes too hard and is uncomfortable to sleep on. However, your head and neck will warm it when in contact with the pillow. So the memory foam pillow will soften with your natural body heat. Memory foam pillows are also heavy in weight. A normal memory foam pillow can weigh ±2.9 kg so to travel with it in your plane luggage can be a problem. However, companies like Tempur Pedic UK do have memory foam travel pillow sets designed to be hand carried.

Other Advantages of Memory Foam

Since memory foam is made of open cells, meaning there is air gaps between the round foam cells, bugs like dust mites don’t like living in them. So memory foam producers like Tempur Pedic UK have claims on them to be hygienic pillows compared to normal pillows as they prevent growth of fungus and dust mites. This makes them hypo-allergenic as so good for allergy sufferers.

Memory Foam Pillow Conclusion

So if I believe if you are looking for an ergonomic, orthopaedic, doctor, chiropractor recommended pillow then memory foam pillows are what you are looking for. Hope you have a good night sleep.

Sportron is a wellness company making nutrition and supplements products using FoodState™ technology. Having vitamins and minerals supplements in a more natural food-like state increases the bodies ability to absorb and use them better. Sportron has a wide product range to which they apply the FoodState™ technology to improve absorption.

Nutrition and Back Ache

Back and joint ache is looked at from not only a mechanical viewpoint by your chiropractor, but also nutritionally. Poor nutrition can increase pain and severity of conditions of your body like osteo-arthritis, gout, high blood pressure and more. Chiropractors may recommend you consider improving your diet to improve your spinal health and if you wish to supplement then Sportron supplements are an option for you.

Our poor choice of food sources can be a reason we don’t get enough essential vitamins and minerals. Either way it is becoming more important for us to consider supplements in our daily life to help maintain health if we don’t eat a balanced healthy diet. FoodState™ technology aims to concentrate micro nutrients into food complexes. The technology is supported by independent research, including work by Nobel Prize winner, Dr Günter Blobel. FoodState™ form allows up to 12 times more bioavailable and retained up to 16 times longer by the body. The bioavailability is so efficient that they need only be taken in conservative amounts so amounts shown on the label may look less than the recommended daily allowance (RDA).

Sportron, as mentioned earlier, has many products which can be bought directly through a Sportron representative or by clicking this link to buy Sportron products. View some of the popular Sportron products below.

Sportron Products

Below you will find some information on the most popular Sportron nutritional products.

1. Ultragard Forté

The Combination of Phytocology and FoodState® Technology. Ultragard Forté is considered to be the ultimate daily supplement available in the world. This highly advanced supplement combines both the FoodState™ and phytocology technologies in a single, powerful product. Ultragard Forté is a complete supplement providing the dosage of vitamins and minerals required by the body on a daily basis, ensuring that the body gets an optimum amount of nutrients in a form as close to nature as possible.

The three main functions of Ultragard Forté are:

* Protection – providing advanced nutrition to protect the body from the threat of disease.

* Maintenance – to ensure effective maintenance of health.

* Energy – to provide the body with nutrients that enable us to enjoy boundless energy.

Each two capsules contain:
FoodState® complex: Betacarotene (2.2mg active) 82mg, Vitamin D (2.5µg active) 103µg, Vitamin E 21mg, Vitamin C 123mg, Thiamin 3mg, Riboflavin 8mg, Niacinamide 37mg, Vitamin B6 5mg, Folic Acid (100µg active) 10mg,Vitamin B12 (0.5µg active) 103µg, Biotin 15mg, Pantothenic Acid 12mg, Calcium 185mg, Phosphorous 123mg, Iron (7.5mg elemental) 154mg, Magnesium 62mg, Zinc (2.5mg elemental) 51 mg, Iodine (75µg elemental) 5mg, Selenium (150µg elemental) 54mg, Potassium (3mg elemental) 62mg, Boron (0.5mg elemental) 52mg, Copper (0.25mg elemental) 26mg, GTF Chromium (25µg elemental) 13mg, Choline 10mg, PABA 10mg, Inositol 10mg, Molybdenum (15µg elemental) 8mg, Manganese 5mg.

Ultragard herbal blend: 200mg (Broccoli, Kale, Radish, Cat’s Claw, Chelidonia extract, Curcumin extract, Tomato, Carrot, Celery, Turmeric concentrate, Rosemary) Betatene 32mg (Betacarotene 2.3mg, Alphacarotene 72µg, Zeaxanthin 14.4µg, Cryptoxanthin 17.6µg, Lutein 11.2µg), Grape skin extract 50mg, Cabbage 30mg, Grape seed extract 20mg, Green Tea 20mg, Garlic 12.5mg, Seaweed 10mg, Lipoic Acid 5mg, Coenzyme Q10 2mg, Lycopene 2mg, Resveratrol 0.4mg.

2. Respitron

Respitron is a uniquely formulated dietary supplement designed to support the nutritional status of the respiratory system. Smoking, airborne pollution and poor dietary practices all play an active role in creating system disturbances, such as congested sinuses, hay fever, sneezing, & allergies.

Respitron can be taken by people who are experiencing disturbances of this nature in order to ensure that the body maximises its defence mechanisms. It comes in both a tablet and syrup form, which is easier for children. Respitron has a blend of herbs which have been shown to be beneficial on nasal congestion, sinusitis, headaches and coughs.

Tablets contain: Atractylodes, Angelica, Chaste tree, Chrysanthemum, Citrus peel, Codonopsis, Ledebouriella, Magnolia, Mint, Moutan, Perilla, Schizopeta.
Each 10ml syrup contains: Vitamin A (750µg RE) 2500iu, Vitamin D 250iu, Vitamin E 25iu, Vitamin C 50mg, Thiamine(Vitamin B1) 5mg, Riboflavin(Vitamin B2) 2mg, Vitamin B6 5mg, Vitamin B12 5µg, Pantothenic acid 5mg, Calcium 50mg, Magnesium 20mg, Zinc 2.5mg, Betacarotene 1500iu, Methyl Sulphonyl Methane 100mg, Pineapple extract 20mg, Histadine 20mg, Tyrosine 10mg, Chickweed 5mg, Licorice root 5mg, Echinacea 5mg, Quercetin 5mg, Garlic 0.04mg, Drosera 20µg, Hydrastis 20µg, Honey.

More Popular Sportron Products:

1. Ultragard Forte (Multi-Vitamin)
2. Omegatone (Omega Oils)
3. Melotone Syrup
4. Whizz Kids (Children Multi-vitamin)
5. A-Tron (Joint Support)
6. Ultravine super juice (Anti-Oxidant)
7. Calcitone 30’s or 60’s
8. Completron
9. Nasogard nasal spray (20ml)
10. Calcium Forté
11. C-Gard (vitamin c)
12. Aloe Vera Juice
13. Circutron
14. Digestron
15. Femtron
16. Gentron
17. Neurotron 30’s or 60’s
18. Respitron
19. Respitron Syrup
20. Uritron
21. Coloplex
22. Femplex
23. Floraplex 10’s or 30’s
24. Glucoplex
25. Infagard (30ml or 100ml)
26. Mental Fitness
27. Phytocology Sleep
28. Phytogard
29. Phytogard Syrup
30. Prime X

Sportron is a company that uses FoodState™ form technology to provide a more bioavailable supplement so if you want to take supplements you can get the most out of it. To find out more about the history and the other Sportron products we can recommened reading chiroclinic.co.za/Sportron.htm