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Archive for the ‘General Info’ Category

Fix Bad Posture

5 Easy Exercises to help improve Bad Posture and Anterior Head Carriage

Great exercises for office works, drivers and people sitting at technology. Can help with neck pain pain, back pain, headaches and shoulder pain.

  • Wall Angel – Back, arms, and head flat against the wall, Arms at 90°, initially rotate the arms up and down, then pull the arms up to the ceiling then down to the floor, whilst keeping your body flat – 30-60Seconds Daily
  • Chin Tucks – Practise this on the floor with something soft behind your head initially. Its a subtle movement, firstly tuck the chin down slightly then pull (retract) the head backwards using the neck musculature and hold for 5 seconds repeat 5-6times
  • Foam Roller Extension – Against a foam roller or modify with a rolled up towl and create extension through your upper back shoulders and neck
  • Cobra Extension- Lying on your front, brace your core and then lift the shoulders, chest and neck up, with the arms pulled back and trying to pull your shoulders together. Squeeze in this position for 6-8seconds and repeat 3-5times
  • Pectoralis (chest) Stretch – In a door frame, bring your arms up to 90° move your feet forward so that you feel a tightness into your chest and then pull forward and back – Repeat for 20-30seconds.

As ever these exercises should be painless and not generate pain either during or after the exercise.

Advanced Chiro Core

5 New Advanced Core Exercises

5 Advanced Core Exercises –

Only to be done when recommended by your chiropractor. These positions are advanced with the potential to aggravate any underlying issue or effect your recovery. Do not try until you have mastered the beginner core exercises.

  • 1) Plank Taps & Plank Rolls – Each can be done for 30seconds- 1minute, control the movement, contract the core.
  • 2) Extension Superman – Lift chest arm and head with legs at the top end squeeze for 2-5seconds, should be slow and controlled not jarring.
  • 3) Bear Walk – On toes and hands with knees up, straight back and spine – move forward and back a few steps with control & keeping height in the back.
  • 4) Plank Walks- From a plank position walk the hands in towards the feet whilst hinging the hips, loading the gluts and hamstrings not your low back. (hinge)
  • 5) Boat Pose – 10seconds Holds, tall and long through your low back with chest high, keep the back engaged and not rounded in this pose

You can see all earlier exercises HERE.

Patient Education Programme

A series of training articles for health education and videos of stretching & strengthening to help support your chiropractic treatment

Articles – Chiropractic key lessons that build a foundation to health & movement!

  • Pain – What you need to do during an acute flair up of back pain
  • Stress – Easy things steps you take to help reduce stress
  • Breathing – How to breath properly and relax your body
  • Brace/Core – How to find and start using your core muscles
  • Hinging – How to safely move through your pelvis, hips and low back
  • Sleep – Mattresses, Positions & Pillows, the essentials on how to sleep
  • Supplements – Aid your healing & health

Videos – Chiropractic Stretches & Exercises to help maintain a healthy spine!

VIDEO SECTION UPDATING ALL EXERCISE VIDEOS CAN BE FOUND ON YOUTUBE TEMPORARILY >>>HERE<<<

  • Stretches – we want to start with movement
    • Neck – 5 Best Stretches for Neck Health Tension & Pain
    • Mid Back – 5 Best Stretches for Upper Back & Shoulder Health Stiffness & Pain
    • Low Back – 5 Best Stretches for Low back and Pelvic Health, Stiffness & Pain
    • Hip&Pelvis – 5 Best Stretches for the Pelvic & Hip Health, Stiffness & Pain
    • Shoulders – 5 Best Stretches for Shoulder and Upper Back Health, Stiffness & Pain
    • Posture – 5 Best Exercises to Improve Anterior Head Carriage & Posture
  • Strengthening — only once progressed through your treatment
    • Core – Starting Point to activate the muscles and develop control,
    • Advanced Core – Once control has been gained and you’re comfortable carefully and safely start into these much more dynamic core strengthening exercises.

Some Condition we treat and explained simply;

—> Sciatica —-> Headaches —> Disc Herniation —–> Posture

My Chiropractic Journey & Opening Dublin City Chiropractic

Know someone who needs help?

Best Core Exercises

5 Daily Beginner Core Strengthening Exercises to help Back Pain

Beginner Core Exercises

These should only be done once recovery and pain control has been underway and the initial mobility exercises have been done for a few weeks.

  • Plank – Aiming for a one minute hold – this can be build up in 20second holds.
  • Side Plank – Again aiming on a minute per side but can be build up in 20second holds
  • Superman – Strong table top back position use the arm and leg as counter weights, bracing the core and concentrating on a stable pelvis and truck – hold for 60 seconds
  • Dead Bug – Flatten the low back on the floor brace the core and smoothly move the arm and leg whilst keeping the low back flat against the floor – hold 60 seconds
  • Gluteus Raise – Raising the hips up with the feet flat and knees at 90degrees. Aiming to get good buttock contraction – move for 60seconds

See the mobility exercises for low back, mid back and neck

See the foundation lessons on how to breath, brace and pivot.

5 Amazing Low Back Stretches

Five Easy Daily Low Back Stretches, for Stiffness Aches or Pain!

Easy stretching exercises to be able to move and open the low back, hips and pelvis. For anyone experiencing stiffness aches or pain.

  • Cat Camel – Gentle smooth mobiliser, move to the top and bottom smoothly for 30-60seconds this can be repeated multiple times a day,
  • Lumbar Extension – Keep the hips and pelvis planted whilst lifting your chest, this may be a much smaller movement then shown in the video. The aim is to feel the low back tension when it reaches the pivot. Hold for 8-10seconds on each side and repeat 3x,
  • Glut Stretch -lying on your back, head resting, pull one knee up with both hands to the same shoulder once in this position try and pull the knee across to the other shoulder. Hold for 8-10seconds and repeat on each side 3x,
  • Lumbar Rotation – with both legs bent to 90degrees rotate to one side while rotating to the opposite side with upper body and arm. Hold for 8-10seconds and repeat on each side 3x,
  • Child Pose – Sitting deep onto the heals, gently fold at the waist and try to stretch both arms as far forward as possible, whilst sitting deep. hold for 10seconds and repeat 3x.

Click here for Neck Stretches or Mid Back Stretches

Learn how to breath, brace and pivot as your foundations to movement.

Upper Back & Shoulder Exercises

5 Simple Upper back, Shoulder and Shoulder Blade Exercises

5 Easy Daily Stretches

Fantastic Daily Exercises to help with upper back shoulder, neck, headaches pain, stiffness and tension.

Always pull into stiffness or tension be cautious and never pull into pain. Go at your own tolerance and build up!


1) Latissimus Stretch – Hold for 10seconds repeat 3times, twice daily

2) Thoracic Spine Rotation- Mobilise and rotate slowly up and down for up to 30seconds

3) Foam Roller Extension – Once a day for 1-3minutes. Go slow and start in the mid back roll up to the shoulders raising the hips and never roll your low back.

4) Brugger Break – Hold for 10seconds and can be repeated through the day. Fantastic for office workers sitting at a computer.

5) Pectoralis Stretch- Hold for 8-10seconds and Repeat three times on each side. Use a door frame of wall to create leverage.

If you’ve any questions please contact info@dublincitychiorpractic.ie

Click the link for further information on breathing, bracing, hinging and for Neck Stretching

Neck Stretches

5 Simple Neck Stretches

Daily exercises to help with neck & shoulder pain and tension

5 Easy Daily Neck Stretches!

Perfect for neck or shoulder pain, stiffness or tension & headaches. Aim to do these twice a day each exercise for 20-30seconds.

1)Shoulder Rolls– Twice Daily, Clockwise 10seconds Counterclockwise 10seconds

2)Trap Stretch – Twice Daily, Hold for 10 Seconds and repeat three times,

3)Levator Scap Stretch – Twice Daily, Hold for 10 Seconds and repeat three times,

4)Scalene Stretch – Twice Daily, Hold for 10 Seconds and repeat three times,

5)Chin Tucks- Twice daily, Hold for 10seconds repeat three times. You should pull into tension and feel stiffness but aggravate creating pain.

Never pull into pain but feeling tension, ache or stiffness is okay. You are in control of the stretch, stretch to your own tolerance levels.

For the foundations look at how to breath, brace and hinge.

Click here for Stretches for the upper back and shoulders.

Dealing With Stress

7 Easy Steps to Help With Stress During COVID19.

2minute video going through the 7 Easy Techniques

Daily Habits to help try and manage your stress levels;

  • Eat Healthy- whole healthy food, avoid sugar and trans fats,
  • Exercise- thirty minutes high intensity daily,
  • Breath- abdominal breathing pattern and 478technique,
  • Mental Health- Speak, Journal & Meditate to deal with your deep fears,
  • Sunlight- Exposure your skin to the mid day sunshine, increase your vitamin D,
  • Screens and technology- Get away from social media, screens and technology,
  • Sleep Routines- Monitor sleep quality and quantity have good nighttime routines.

Having a chiropractic health expert as part of your team is integral to deal with the physical and neurological effects of stress and posture on your body.

Neck & Shoulder Exercises

5 Great Stretches for neck pain, shoulder tension & headaches

5easy daily neck stretches

Complete each exercises daily and hold for 20-30 seconds per exercise and complete 3 to 4 times a day.

You should feel comfortable and tension through these exercises but no pain. Stretching is great at maintaining spinal health if you are experiencing pain whilst doing these exercises this please consult your chiropractor.

  • Trapezius Stretch
  • Brugger Break

Book your learn how to breath, brace and hinge as a foundation to exercise.

Hip Hinging & Lifting

How to lift and protect your lower back….

Avoid straining your low back!

An extremely common scenario is lifting or bending to pick something up, putting socks on, getting something from a cupboard then BOOOM a big excruciating back spasm.

Bending is the process of flexing through the lumbar spine, taking it away from its strong, healthier position, which in the low back we call a lordosis and is a tall soft inner arch.

Problems arise when your lumbar spine becomes unhealthy and dysfunctional, allowing the the perpendicular forces move against the longitudinal gravity and weight bearing structures creating a shearing movement error and subsequent inflammatory reaction.

How to bend correctly & support your low back

Its all about keeping support and height in the soft inner lumbar curve (lordosis). We’ve previously learnt how to breath and how to brace, good lifting technique requires these two elements.

safe spinal lifting

Bending should come through the legs hips and pelvis, creating a deep hinge at the hips which will protect the lower spine. A deep breath and abdominal bracing should be held through the movement

note- if its too heavy get assistance, avoid first thing in AM, make sure you’re feeling good and warmed up.

Exercise One;

  • Get a long hard stick like a broom, stick or mop,
  • Initially stand tall and straight,
  • Then hold the pole behind you centrally over your spine with a hand behind the head and the other hand down to wards your bottom,
  • Take a deep breath and brace the core,
  • Then Pivot through the hips whilst keeping the stick flat to your spine

You should be trying to use your pelvic and legs, sitting deep, to primarily drive this movement and not your low back.

Exercise Two

Repeat the hinge movement smoothly and safely as far as you’re able to pivot through pain free. Keep the back straight and put the movement through the buttocks and hamstrings. If you’ve very tight hamstrings don’t lock the knees, have a soft slight bend to them.

You can do three sets of 8-12 repetitions dependent on personal comfort levels.

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