Poor ergonomics causes a lot of musculoskeletal injuries like back pain, neck and shoulder pain, RSI, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches and eye strain. It also causes people to fatigue quicker, makes them irritable and generally less productive. So how should your children they set up their desk, chair and computer?

The chair should be adjustable so their feet touch the floor (or a footrest) and they are at a good height relative to the desk. The desk should not be too high so they are reaching, or too low so they …

In last weeks post I talked about the 3 most common causes of back pain in schoolkids. First on the list was a heavy backpack, which is defined as a backpack weighing more than 10% of the child’s body weight. Previous studies using MRI scans have shown that when the weight of the backpack gets much above this, the discs start to become compressed, and the spine starts to curve, probably because the children were trying to find a comfortable position. The danger here is that in addition to the compression, …

I’m going to write a series of articles about common issues your children might face at school this year. Hopefully having this information at the start of the year will set them up with good habits now and prevent problems that tend to build up over the course of the year.
The first thing I want to bring to your attention are the most common causes of back pain in children. According to a 2011 study, there are 3 things that affect kids the most:

A heavy schoolbag (weighing more than 10% …

Hola Amigos! And Feliz Navidad! Let me wish you all a wonderful festive season, safe travels if you are going away, fun and happiness with your loved ones, and a bit of time off so you can recover from a massive year and prepare for the one ahead.
If you need anything fixed up before the end of the year it’s best to call ASAP – I am still working all of next week but spots are running out fast.
I am going on my Honeymoon (at last!!!), leaving December 23rd and …

Inspired by all those reality TV home renovation shows, we have decided to give the clinic a bit of a makeover! For a couple of weeks in late October we will be rolling up our sleeves and getting the grout out which means a few changes in working hours over that time.
Call us on the usual number – 9389 6344 to make appointments. We will be working from pretty much the same address in the clinic next door to us on level 8. You will be given directions when you …

A recent analysis of the impact of falls has revealed some pretty scary statistics. According to the review, 5% of people who break their hip in a fall die when in hospital, and 25% die within a year as a result of the disability it causes.
Further to this, more than 10% go on to be admitted to aged care facilities. And you don’t need to be old to suffer these effects; the study found that more than a third of people aged 50 never regain their full mobility. One quote …

The answer is probably yes! According to a recent article on the Sydney Morning Herald website, “Millions of Australians are taking too many painkillers”. And some of these medications have quite serious side effects. Here are a few key quotes from the article:

“taking higher doses of something like ibuprofen or aspirin, you’re at a higher risk of gastric bleeds, stomach ulcers and bad indigestion”
“Paracetamol is actually really toxic once you get to certain doses, affecting people’s livers in ways that are not easily reversible, and people can die.”
“Ibuprofen-codeine tablets, such as Nurofen …

There are few things I enjoy more than meeting another Dr Google. And I must confess to getting amongst it myself from time to time, checking to see if that bruise on my toe could potentially be a rare form of untreatable cancer. Heck, the sooner I know, the sooner I can book my one way ticket to the bahamas!
The increase in information available on the net is proving to be a wonderful resource for a lot of people, but, and this might come as a shock to some of you, …

As you’ve no doubt recently heard, there are calls to make codeine a prescription drug. It is currently an over the counter pain reliever and something that a lot of people routinely use. Chances are you have used it yourself and if so, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. A new report published in The Medical Observer says that for the decade 2000-2009 the number of deaths from taking codeine in Australia more than doubled. Here are some of the key points from the article:

Almost half of these …

A new study, which followed 382 75 year-olds for 8 years, has concluded that low levels of vitamin D “may accelerate cognitive decline in older adults”. The subjects were examined to test their episodic memory, semantic memory, visual perception, and executive function.
They found that participants with signs of dementia had lower levels of vitamin D than those with either no cognitive impairment or only mild cognitive impairment.Also, “insufficient vitamin D was linked to much faster declines in episodic memory (recollection of people, places, and events), and executive function (your ability …