Dr. Brett Hill - Eat Think Move Chiropractic

Many people in our modern society are victims of the latest fashions and fads. I don't mean that they are spending too much money on useless accessories or that they look ridiculous in the latest catwalk design; I mean that trendy items are actually affecting their health.

Many popular fashions can cause injury. High heels contribute to back problems, heavy over-the-shoulder handbags and school bags slung by one strap contribute to neck and shoulder problems. Then there are the technology fads. Injuries such as ‘Wii elbow' and ‘texting thumb' resulting from repetitive overuse are becoming more and more common, whilst laptops promote poor posture. Even your much-loved iPod can contribute to hearing loss later in life if turned up too loud.

These injuries are known as repetitive micro-traumas. People often think that in order to do themselves some serious damage, they must have a serious trauma like a car crash or a lifting accident. What they don't realise is that these smaller traumas add up over time. Any unnatural activity that you do often enough builds up. Hour after hour, day after day, year after year, these micro-traumas accumulate and can eventually cause more damage than the big traumas that we tend to focus on. I learned this the hard way when I visited my mate in Queensland back when Wii had just come out. After a full day sitting on the couch playing tennis and ten pin bowling, I had an aching back and shoulder and had to shuffle off to my chiropractor the next morning to get back on track.

If this rings a bell for you, there are a few simple tips that will help. Firstly, variety really is the spice of life: try to avoid doing any one activity for too long at a time. Keep yourself well hydrated - drinking plenty of water can help keep your ligaments and joints healthy. Become ambidextrous - fling that bag onto your opposite shoulder to help take the pressure off. And wear your sneakers to and from work so that you don't have to walk so far in those towering heels.

If you do yourself some mischief, don't just assume it will go away. The longer you leave it the bigger the problem is likely to become and the harder it will be to sort out. Change your routine and see your healthcare professional to get your body back on track. After all, there is nothing fashionable about a contorted neck or a wrist brace.