Stretching makes sense (from LivingEdge March 08)
Stretching is something we should all do on a regular basis, says Cheshire fitness expert Chris Norris. Find out more, including some stretching exercises, by reading Stretching makes sense (PDF file)
Stretch yourself (From Weight Watchers Mar 08)
A recent study by researchers at the University of Sydney has suggested that stretching before or after exercise could be a waste of time. But physiotherapist Chris Norris believes that stretching is important, especially if you lead a generally inactive lifestyle.
The study analysed the results of 10 scientific trials in which volunteers – young healthy adults – were asked to stretch from between 40 seconds and 10 minutes. The researchers assessed their stiffness after exercise and found that in most cases, stretching only had a tiny effect on subsequent muscle soreness, whether stretching was performed before or after activity. But they did admit that the trials were very small.
However, Chris says that stretching is more important if you are generally inactive than if you’re used to regular exercise. “Joints lose their natural healthy ‘springiness’ if you don’t move enough,” he says. “Stretching can therefore help prevent this problem.” He adds that gentle stretching can help if your muscles feel sore immediately after exercising. “ When we exercise, our muscles tighten and the blood supply is cut off,” he says. “Gentle stretching after this type of pain will help.”
Smaller Firms 'have higher risk of injury' (From Crains Manchester Business" , Feb 08)
Employees at small businesses are at a greater risk of suffering back and spine injuries than their counterparts at large companies, physiotherapist Chris Norris says.
“The problem is two-fold. The intensity of the work plus workers tend to have to do everything” in a small business, the owner of Norris Associates in Sale said. “They can't take light work like at a larger business.”
The best thing workers who are trapped at their desk can do to stay flexible is a regimen of stretches once every couple of hours, said Norris, who has been a physiotherapist for 25 years.
THREE SIMPLE STRETCHES WHICH CAN BE DONE WHILE SITTING AT A DESK:
Over head reach
Sit upright with shoulders touching chair back
Interlink fingers and reach overhead, keeping arms straight
Reach up and back, pressing your upper back and shoulders against the chair back. Repeat three times.
Chin tuck
Sit upright and keep looking forwards
Tuck your chin in to give yourself a “double chin”
Hold this position for 3-5 seconds and then release. Repeat five times.
Spinal twist
Sit tall and fold your arms
Twist to your right and gently pull yourself further round by pulling with your right hand on your left elbow
Twist to the left, pulling on your right elbow with your left hand. Perform three twists in each direction.
Release the stresses and strains of the festive season (from the Wilmslow Express Dec 07)
All I want for Christmas is …………… a lovely massage. Or maybe an aromatherapy treatment, reflexology, some acupuncture, or perhaps even some physiotherapy to treat a niggling injury or health problem.
Why not invest in a loved one’s health and wellbeing this Christmas by giving them a gift vouchers for Congleton’s and one of the North West’s leading specialist practices, Norris Associates?
Vouchers can be purchased from the clinic at 16 Lawton Street for any amount from £18.00 upwards.
Who wouldn’t appreciate such a lovely gift to help them unwind after the hectic festive period and put their health first in 2008?
For more information please visit www.norrisassociates.co.uk or telephone 01260 290564.
The Wilmslow Express has £50 worth of gift vouchers to give away to one lucky reader.
To be in with a chance of winning simply send your name, address and daytime telephone number to Norris Christmas Voucher Competition, Wilmslow Express, 15 Water Lane, Wilmslow. SK9 5AE, to reach us no later than Friday, December 21.
The winner will be the first name selected at random.
No photocopies. The editor’s decision is final.
Professional massage is a nice touch (from the Macclesfield Express Mar 08)
Is your Mum always rushed off her feet? Just think how much she would appreciate a little special time out where she could put her feet up and ease away the stresses and strains of everyday life with a professional massage or maybe a session of reflexology, acupuncture or physiotherapy.
Norris Associates in Congleton is one of the North West’s leading health practices, specialising in physiotherapy as well as offering acupuncture, chiropody and a range of relaxing holistic treatments.
Throughout 2008, Norris Associates is running Pain Busters, a campaign to encourage people to take action and tackle everyday aches and pains, rather than suffer in silence.
“Most problems can be solved quite quickly, easily and cost effectively,” says clinic director Chris Norris. “That niggle in your lower back or dodgy knee might be something you can cope with right now but, left untreated, such pain often becomes worse over time. This can result in people having to take considerable time off work or them not being able to carry out their usual range of daily tasks, be they driving the car, doing the washing and ironing or just walking the dog.”
Why not invest in your mum’s wellbeing this Mother’s day by encouraging her to go along to Norris Associates in Congleton to check out nay aches and pains, or simply take some time out to relax with a holistic treatment?
Vouchers can be purchased from the clinic at 16 Lawton Street for any amount from £18 upwards.
For more information, visit www.norrisassociates.co.uk or telephone 01260 290564.
The Macclesfield express has £50 worth of Norris Associates gift vouchers to give away to one lucky reader.
For a chance to win, simply answer the question below correctly and send the voucher to Norris Competition, Macclesfield Express, 37 Chestergate, Macclesfield SK11 6AL, to reach us no later than Wednesday March 5.
Q What is the name of the campaign Norris Associates is running this year?
PRACTICE of the month (from Comm Jan 08)
Why suffer in silence
Ease those aches and pains
MANY people simply think that their bad back or stiff neck and shoulders are just a part of everyday life.
Physiotherapists at Norris Associates on Eastway in Sale, however want to remind people that something can be done to ease their everyday aches and pains, and are encouraging them to consider giving their body a ‘once over’ for the new year.
As clinic director Chris Norris says: “Often aches and pains creep up on us. People just accept that their back is stiff in the morning or their knees ache when they have been standing for a long time. But the fact is that these aches and pains can be helped and often completely cured by a course of physiotherapy.”
And he should know. Chris has more than 25 years’ experience in physiotherapy and has written seven books on the subject. In addition, his clinic Norris Associates treats more than 100 patients a week.
“Modern physiotherapist quickly gets to the root cause of a person’s aches and pains,” explains Chris. “We take time to give a thorough examination of the body to pinpoint problems, and then use highly specialised techniques to treat them. The results are normally quick, and we then go on to strengthen the body to ensure that the problem can’t come back.”
Norris associates has both male and female therapists, and offer physiotherapy, holistic therapy, chiropody and acupuncture. It opens in the daytime, evenings and on Saturday mornings.
Contact the clinic on 0161 972 0512 or visit www.norrisassociates.co.uk to sign up for a regular free health newsletter.
“PEOPLE THINK THEY WILL LOOK LIKE A PENSIONER USING A SHOPPING TROLLEY, BUT WHEELS ARE SENSIBLE,” says Chris Norris (in EN Nov 07)
“You can pay £20 to get into these lounges where there are complimentary drinks, and the cost is well worthwhile if you are there for two hours.”
And he always opts for business class seats too. As someone who has his own “turn left rule” when boarding an aircraft, Evans says he is surprised to fly (false) economy: “If I have had a good night’s sleep on board a flight I will earn more money the next day than the difference in cost between economy and business class.” And he says there are other benefits too; “We try and spend as much money as we can with a single airline. We book hundreds of flights with BA and , every time we do, we get points back which can be used against a personal flight or hotel breaks. here are lots of budget airlines but it is sometimes best to pay that little bit more now and again and collect the points.”
But Paul Georgeson disagrees, and sees the budget airlines as key tools which allow him flexibility in his overseas business commitments: for example he rarely books return flights within Europe because he never knows where he’ll be going next.
He says, “We have opened up our stores in Europe because of easy jet, really. Wherever they fly gives us options to perhaps do business. I can make an easy. jet booking in two minutes. For me, business class is money out of my pocket.”
For example, earlier in the summer he and a colleague needed to travel from Paris to Stuttgart. Direct flying costs £1,200 but by flying to Frankfurt and hiring a car (which he needed any way) he paid just £250: “If I save £1,000, I don’t need to make that money when I’m there. And there is nothing wrong with flying out with one airline and back with another; you don’t get your tickets cheaper because you are booking a return ticket.”
Someone else who specialises in flexibility, albeit of a different kind, is physiotherapist Chris Norris, who has seen many a lower spine defeated by the trauma of long-haul business travel.
The founder of Norris Associates, which has 25 staff based in Sale and Congleton, says regular travellers must take care of their bodies. He warns that laptops are dangerous beasts as their expensive nature can lead to a reluctance to trust them to baggage handlers; “So some people carry a laptop, a PowerPoint presentation projector and cables; it can all add up to 20kgs, and it’s a hell of a weight. I saw a patient the other day who was literally lop-sided and that was through carrying their laptop.”
He says the most common symptom of “laptop sidedness” is pins and needles, and a wheeled flight case is the best solution: “People think they will look like a pensioner using a shopping trolley, but wheels are sensible. If you are not willing to do that, swap your bag between shoulders each trip.” Similarly Norris also suggests that those who fly long haul regularly should take an inflatable lumbar support to maintain the shape of the spine and stretch regularly to prevent aches, pains and long term damage.
So on your next trip if, apart from your luggage, you take some of this advice on board it should make you all the more relaxed for the ensuing nightmare security queue. EN
Physio marks World Teachers Day with 10% discount offer (from the Congleton Chronicle, Autumn 07)
To mark World Teachers Day tomorrow (Friday), and in recognition of the long hours teachers spend on their feet or at a desk marking work, Norris Associates, the Lawton Street physiotherapy practice in Congleton, is offering all teachers a 10% discount on physiotherapy, chiropody and holistic treatments throughout October.
The practice is run by Chris Norris, one of the country’s leading authorities on physiotherapy and holistic medicine.
He said: “As a parent myself I know how committed and hard working teachers are and I also know that many of them spend a lot of time on their feet, at their desks or in front of a PC.
“If someone is struggling with pain they tend to keep topping up with painkillers butt there is an alternative which not only helps to relieve pain but also tackles the root causes.
“Most people think physiotherapy and other treatments are expensive but this is not always the case and the sooner you consult a practitioner about a health problem the easier and faster it is to treat.
“However I think there is a culture in this country where we tend to put our health at the bottom of our list of priorities. We’ll spend money on getting our car fixed up or taking out pet to the vets yet will neglect our own health which can lead to greater problems in future.” All local teachers can now take advantage of a 10% discount on any treatment at Norris Associates during October 2007. These include physiotherapy, chiropody, podiatry, acupuncture and massage.
For more information please call Norris Associates on 0161 972 0512
Press coverage of The Complete Guide to Stretching
From Cheshire Life - February 08
(click to see a bigger image)
From the Congleton Chronicle, 16th August 07
Pilates pupil stretches hobby into modelling
Congleton woman Jean Nadin recently became a studio star for a day when she acted as a model during a photo shoot for a new book on stretching by acclaimed local author Christopher Norris, which is due on bookshop shelves in December.
Mrs Nadin, who is a regular client at the Alderley Pilates Studio at Monks Heath in Nether Alderley, was joined at the studio by Madge Slater from Macclesfield, Vicki Jones from Northwich and pilates teacher Suzie Gale from Prestbury for the day's photography, during which they were required to demonstrate exemplary technique for dozens of different stretches.
"It was certainly an interesting day," she said.
"I don't think we quite realised how much there was to know about stretching but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was delighted to have been asked to help out."
The shoot resulted in some 500 photos from which a selection will be made for inclusion in The Complete Guide to Stretching, published by A & C Black, and the lithe ladies can now look forward to seeing themselves appear in print when the book hits shops all over the UK in December. It will be available in Arabic, Italian, Japanese and Spanish language editions.
Mr Norris is a widely published physiotherapist with well-established clinics in Congleton and Sale and The Complete Guide to Stretching is his seventh book.
He said: "Pilates students are an obvious choice to demonstrate stretching becaue of the emphasis of this exercise form on flexibility, core postural strength and correct alignment - the same reasons that it is so helpful to many physiotherapy patients as part of their recuperation."