Get Rid of Neck Pain

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In general, there is no one cause of neck pain that applies to every patient. If you have chronic neck pain, you may have received a diagnosis of disc herniation, whiplash, strain, sprain or something else. Regardless, most of these conditions have one thing in common: Certain muscles are affected, and these are the muscles we need to target before progressing to more challenging exercises or activities.

There are certain muscles in the neck that are designed to help us maintain our normal and healthy curve of the spine. In addition, these muscles are designed to hold our head up all day. The technical names of these muscles are the longus capitus and longus colli, more commonly known as the deep neck flexors. They are the muscles that attach to the front of your spine. Because they're located deep in the front of the neck, we often ignore them.

In people with chronic neck pain, these muscles are often fatigued a lot quicker than in people without neck pain. That means other muscles pick up the slack and begin working harder. The muscles that begin working harder are the ones we generally end up stretching. Have you ever noticed that when you stretch stiff muscles, they feel good for a short period of time, only to get tight again? The thing is, if you don't address the other muscles, the ones that get fatigued and gradually stop working, then your stretching program will not work as well. All these muscles need to be in "balance."

The best way to see if your deep neck flexors fatigue is to try and lift your head off the ground when you are lying down. The technique is simple: Simply tuck your chin in to your chest and lift your head off the ground, and then attempt to hold it there for 10 seconds. If the neck begins shaking, or your chin is unable to stay tucked in, your deep flexors are fatigued and need to be addressed. For most people with chronic neck pain, this can be a difficult exercise. That's why you can begin your exercise program by doing simple chin tucks while sitting or standing.

Simply tucking your chin in and holding it until you fatigue will help reactivate these muscles. You can start with 12 repetitions of this exercise, working your way up to three sets of 12 repetitions each. Ensure you take adequate rest (several minutes) in between each set.

Once you get comfortable with basic sitting/standing chin tucks, you can try doing the exercise lying down. The goal is to be able to do it 12 times, holding each one until you fatigue. The next goal is to work your way up to three sets of 12 repetitions, with rest in between each set. Then work your way to three sets of 15 repetitions and then three sets of 20 repetitions. Remember, this is a marathon, not a race. The goal is to increase the endurance of your muscles rather than their strength. Your neck is designed to carry the weight of your head all day, not to lift trains or buses! That's why building up endurance should be your first priority.

Neck pain is an all-too-common condition that can prove debilitating if left untreated; fortunately, your chiropractor is the perfect health care professional to help you get rid of the pain.

To Your Health, March 16, 2010 [Volume 4, Issue 7]

Perfect Your Posture

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The most common signs of postural stress are one ear being higher than the other and unlevel shoulders or hips. You can also detect postural stress from the side if the ear looks as if it has moved forward of the tip of the shoulder or if the hips appear to have moved forward.

The foundation of posture is actually the feet. It is very common for there to be slight differences in the arches of the feet, which create a slight imbalance. This imbalance can cause a chain reaction all the way up the spine, affecting postural balance. One sign of foot imbalances is when one foot flares out more than the other. Both feet should point forward with only the slightest outward flare when you walk.

Here are a few things you can do to ensure ideal posture and correct any postural problems you may be experiencing:

Get checked – If your posture is breaking down as a result of improper foot balance, it is important to have your feet examined to determine if a custom-made, flexible shoe orthotic will be beneficial. Orthotics create a solid foundation for your pelvis and spine by limiting excessive motion in the feet.

Improve flexibility – This is important because postural stress causes some muscles to work harder than others, creating tension and stiffness. Mirror image exercises are stretching and strengthening exercises designed to restore muscle balance by stretching in the direction away from the postural imbalance. If you are looking in a mirror and one shoulder is higher than the other, you will want to stretch and strengthen in the direction that makes the shoulders level. The same concept works for the lower back.

Work with your chiropractor – Be sure to work closely with your chiropractor in developing a plan of action, and then check your progress with a postural analysis. It is important to remember that the body works best when it is in balance, so that should be the goal of all of your stretching and strengthening exercises.

To Your Health: February 3, 2009 [Volume 3, Issue 5]

Top Health and Fitness Myths

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The first truth, albeit a regrettable one, when it comes to health and fitness is that if there is a dollar to be made, someone will step up to the plate and act as if they are an expert. That's why we're inundated with infomercials touting weight-loss products, fitness equipment and other products "guaranteed" to fulfill our health and fitness needs. But are the claims supported by fact? Let's take a look at some of the more common health and fitness myths:

The Longer You Exercise, the Better Your Results. Many people think that the longer they exercise, the more weight they will lose. The reality is that in most cases, the more you exercise, the more you stimulate your body to burn fat. That's good, but it also increases production of a hormone called cortisol, which often causes your body to store more fat as fuel for the next time you work out. The key to optimizing weight loss is to exercise for approximately 45 minutes per session. If you want to exercise more during a day, that's OK, but divide up your workouts so you only work out for 45 minutes at a time.

Eat Less Food = Lose More Weight. While in general this is true over time, many people think that if they essentially quit eating (eat only a few meals a day, or eat very little) they will lose weight. The body senses the lack of food, digestion slows down and the body holds on to fat. To lose weight effectively, don't stop eating; eat smaller meals more often to optimize your metabolism. That way, your body will burn more fat instead of storing it; in fact, it will burn fat even when you're not exercising!

Exercising on an Empty Stomach Helps You Lose Weight. When to eat and what to eat around your workout is simple. If you are trying to lose weight, eat more carbohydrates and fats when you can burn them. Your meals should have more protein if you are not working out for a while. Your ratio of protein to carbs to fat should be about 40 percent to 55 percent to 5 percent two hours before and two hours after a workout; for other times, the ratio should switch to 55 percent protein, 40 percent carbs and 5 percent fat. It is also best to avoiding eating 4-5 hours before you go to bed.

When it comes to health and fitness, stick to the basics, use common sense, and keep it fun and simple. That's the most important advice I can give you. Too many people think it is too complicated to exercise or eat right. It's not unless you make it complicated. Eat a balanced diet, work up a good sweat when you exercise, and you'll do just fine. And remember, discuss your health and fitness goals with your doctor; they can help design the fitness program that's right for you - and help dispel more of the myths of health and fitness.

To Your Health [Vol.4, Issue 17] August 3, 2010

Taking Control of Neck Pain

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Common causes of neck pain include watching TV, using a computer, reading a book, or talking on the phone, especially with the receiver held on your shoulder or under your chin. Fortunately, this pain usually subsides within a short period of time, particularly if you discontinue the offending activity for a while. On the other hand, chronic neck pain, the kind that doesn’t go away or that keeps “coming back,” can be a far more serious and debilitating problem.

Current treatment of chronic neck pain runs the proverbial gamut, from anti-inflammatory and pain-relief medications to group gymnastics, neck massage and manipulation. Neck-specific strengthening exercises have also been suggested as a potential treatment option. In a recent study designed to evaluate this potential, 76 men and women with chronic neck pain received active care, home care, or simple recommendations on exercising.

Active care included postural control exercises, relaxation training to reduce muscle tension, and cervical muscle endurance/coordination training. Home care comprised a neck lecture and training on exercises to be performed at home. The third treatment protocol (the control group) received a lecture on neck care and general recommendations to exercise.

Patients in the active group reported greater satisfaction, reduction in pain severity, and improvements in working ability at three and 12-months compared with the home group and the control group.

Reference:
Taimela S, Takala E, Asklof T, et al. Active treatment of chronic neck pain: a prospective randomized intervention. Spine 2000: Vol. 25, No. 8, pp1021-27.


To Your Health

Health Benefits of Tea

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Recent studies praising the many health benefits of tea – reduced rates of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and some cancers – have increased its popularity and consumption. Additional research now suggests tea can help focus a scattered mind.

Much of the current research has examined the healthful properties of tea: antioxidants, flavonols, catechins and lignans. These elements can help the body fight off disease, improve blood vessel dilation and lower the risk of aortic atherosclerosis.

New research suggests components in the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant could help people focus and pay more attention to certain tasks. The purported mechanism for this action is an amino acid called theanine, which is found in green, black and oolong teas.

As more and more properties are studied, tea could prove to be a great ally in the fight against other major diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. In fact, a study done on mice at the National Parkinson Foundation Centers in Israel found that the main antioxidant in tea showed an ability to slow brain cell death and encourage neurons to repair themselves.

So, next time you're at your local coffee hangout, don't order a cup of joe – try a soothing cup of tea instead. Give your body and mind a boost.

To Your Health [April 8, 2008]

Rotator Cuff Problems

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By Joel Schwartz, DC
The most common cause of shoulder pain is a problem with the rotator cuff muscles and tendons of the shoulder. You may have heard of these muscles before in conjunction with injuries to baseball players, tennis players, golfers or other athletes. The truth is, these injuries affect most of us to one degree or another.

1. Despite their small size, these muscles provide the primary means of stability to your shoulder joint. They are working hard with any movement your arm makes.
2. These muscles are inadequately strengthened by most fitness and sports exercise regimens, thus they are not properly conditioned.
3. Most of us lack coordination in the joints of our shoulder, neck and upper back region as a result of poor posture and repetitive motions. This results in a continual friction and abrasion to the rotator cuff muscles and tendons.
4. Previous shoulder injuries treated only with rest and medication were not properly rehabilitated and are prone to re-injury until properly conditioned by corrective exercise and deep massage.
5. The blood supply to the rotator cuff muscles starts to atrophy somewhat in people over the age of 40.

These problems present a truly unique opportunity for the massage therapist. With proper training, you can have the best tools for the non-drug or non-surgical treatment of these injuries, as they respond very well to exacting soft tissue work and exercise. So, really no other health care practitioner has an advantage over you here.

Although there are many causes of rotator cuff problems, one very interesting and common cause is impingement. Understanding impingement is critical to being able to successfully treat rotator cuff problems. Impingement exists when shoulder joint structures get pinched as the arm is raised. The structures that can get pinched are the subacromial bursa, the supraspinatus tendon and the tendon of the long head of the biceps brachii. These important structures are located in the subacromial space.

The subacromial space is located underneath the coracoacromial arch. This arch is a bridge-like structure spanned by the coracoacromial ligament, which runs between the acromion process posteriorly and the coracoid process anteriorly.

Why do structures of the subacromial space get pinched? This occurs for basically two reasons. First, the height of the subacromial space might be decreased. This could be due to a bone spur growing off the undersurface of the acromioclavicular joint, or sometimes the acromion itself might be hooked and projecting downward into the subacromial space. Secondly, the proximal humerus can fail to glide inferiorly in the shoulder joint socket as the arm is raised. If the proximal humerus does not glide downward, it will rise up when the arm is raised and the tendons and bursa will be pinched between the humerus and the coracoacromial arch. The humerus can fail to glide downward either because the rotator cuff is weak or the shoulder joint capsule is tight in its posterior and inferior portions.

The weakness in the rotator cuff and tightness in the shoulder joint capsule can be treated with therapy. Bone spurs and the actual anatomy of the acromion cannot be changed, but better movement and control of the shoulder joint can make them less of a factor in impingement. Correcting the factors causing impingement will have a huge positive effect in the client with rotator cuff problems.

How do you correct these factors?

• Use neuromuscular and myofascial techniques to treat adhesions and trigger points in the muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff. When these muscles and tendons are free of adhesions and trigger points, they will be stronger and function much better in their important job of stabilizing the shoulder joint. They also will not be a source of pain.


• Learn techniques to increase the flexibility of the shoulder joint capsule itself.
  Comprehensively strengthen the rotator cuff muscles and also the key scapular stabilizers such as the lower and middle trapezius, the rhomboids and the serratus anterior.


• Strengthening the scapular stabilizers will prevent a secondary impingement, which results from a lack of the control of the scapula as it glides along the chest wall.

Treating the rotator cuff in this manner allows you to provide a service to your clients they cannot easily get elsewhere. Most people still have these problems treated with rest and medication, which provide no long-term benefit in preventing re-injury. Thus, you provide a much-needed service and all that is required of you is to acquire the necessary skills. I hope this will wet your appetite for learning about this interesting area.

Feel Better in Just 20 Minutes a Week

Massage is known to help decrease stress through it's effect on the parasympathetic nervous system. Workouts combined with massage have been found to be highly effective in helping increase muscle and tendon recovery.

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"Harmonizing the body, mind, and soul"

A mere 20 minutes a week of any physical activity, including housework or gardening, will boost mental health, according to a large study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The researchers surveyed almost 20,000 men and women about their mental state and how much physical activity they did per week.

It turns out that any form of daily physical activity was associated with a lower risk of distress. The range of beneficial activities included housework, gardening, walking and sports. The strongest effect was seen for sports, which lowered the risk of distress by 33 percent.

Results also indicated that as little as 20 minutes of activity per week improved mental state. As you might expect, the more activity a person indulged in, the lower their chances of psychological distress. And obviously, there are physical benefits to increasing one's physical activity.

The researchers stated, "Mental health benefits were observed at a minimal level of at least 20 minutes per week of any physical activity, although a dose-response pattern was demonstrated with greater risk reduction for activity at a higher volume and/or intensity."

So grab your vacuum cleaner or your gardening trowel and spend at least 20 minutes brightening up your house or your yard, as well as your mental state!

To Your Health

July, 2008 (Vol. 02, Issue 07)

Melt Your Aches with Hot Stone Massage!

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(article by Jon Lumsden © 2003 Massage Marketing. All rights reserved.)

Your personal condition sets the stage for how you experience each day of your life. It’s only natural to want to feel the best you can. Those who take an active role in improving their overall health know that one needs to address all aspects of life —the emotional and mental as well as the physical. A great way to accomplish this is to help your body to relax with regular massages.

If you are interested in experiencing the best bodywork session possible, you’re going to love a massage that incorporates hot stones! Combining the many benefits of massage with the addition of soothing, penetrating heat, this treatment will take your bodywork sessions to a new level.

How does bodywork help?

One of the main reasons massage is able to do so much to improve health and function is the way it helps to deal with stress. According to Sandra McLanahan, M.D., “Massage therapy is beneficial for almost all diseases. Eighty percent of disease is stress-related, and massage reduces stress.”

Your body does much of its maintenance, regeneration and healing while you are resting. It follows that when your body is more relaxed, it will be better equipped to do its job and keep you healthier. Relieving the stress and tension that so easily accumulates in your neck, shoulders and back can help to open your body’s lines of communication. And when the stress goes, you feel like a brand-new person, happy and alive!

What part do the stones play?

Massage alone does a great job of bringing about this relaxation of tense muscles, etc. By adding the penetrating heat of these smooth stones, the result you can experience is enhanced greatly.

Adding this comforting source of warmth increases both the speed and degree of relaxation you’ll experience. Additionally, this deeper state of muscular relaxation allows a more intense level of bodywork on those trouble areas with little or no lingering soreness afterward.

Most of us have used a heating pad or hot water bottle on an aching neck or back and know how soothing the application of heat can be. Now imagine the combination of relaxing massage strokes and heated stones loosening all those tense muscles and relaxing your joints. The deep, penetrating heat draws blood into the area, increasing circulation and creating an extremely relaxed state.

An ancient therapy rediscovered...

Though relatively new in our modern culture, hot stones have been used therapeutically for thousands of years. The ancient civilizations in Egypt, China, and Japan as well as North American Indians all found beneficial treatments using the soothing stones. From a means of alleviating pain and stress to helping with menstrual discomfort and even serving as an aid during childbirth, the hot stones helped our ancient ancestors deal with many of their physical complaints and to pursue improved health.

Too often in modern society, the common approach to dealing with pain and discomfort is to mask the sensations with pain-killing drugs. A much better approach is to do something that works to handle the source of the problem. Helping your body deal with tension and soreness has never been more enjoyable, thanks to the availability of hot stone massage.


In summary, incorporating hot stone therapy into your bodywork sessions:

• Increases circulation
• Increases metabolism
• Decreases pain
• Decreases muscle spasm
• Decreases joint and tissue stiffness

This article is excerpted from the Staying in Touch client education newsletter: Hot Stone Massage.

Stress Reduction Techniques (article)

TitanGoddess Holistic Therapies

"Harmonizng the body, mind, and soul"

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Stress is more than a discomfort. Studies indicate that it can be a threat to your health. A study published in the journal Neurology in 2003 found that the people most prone to distress were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease as the people least prone to distress. A Duke University study found that heart patients could dramatically reduce their chance of further cardiac problems by practicing stress-reduction techniques. A study published in December 2005 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that stress can increase the odds of developing skin cancer.

More recently, scientists from Australia's Garvan Institute have found that during periods of stress, nerves release a great deal of neuropeptide Y (NPY) into the bloodstream. NPY directly impacts the cells in the immune system that seek out and destroy bacteria and viruses -- which suggests people may be more vulnerable to illness during periods of stress. And last year, the journal Science reported that stress can even make you forgetful.
So what can you do to keep your stress levels low, and help yourself feel healthier? Following are some tried-and-true tips from fibromyalgia patients:

• Margit Crane suggests a warm bath scented with a favorite aroma. Aromatherapists tout lavender as one of the scents that help people relax. You may want to relax in the tub by candlelight, or add bubble bath to increase your relaxation response.
• Breathe easy. You can find books about different breathing techniques, as well as a number of websites (http://www.breath.org/ and http://www.breathing.com/, just to name two), which contain tips for relaxation breathing. Or just try a very simple exercise: inhale deeply, and take twice as long to exhale as you did to inhale. A few minutes of relaxation breathing can make a very big difference in a stressful day.
• Prepare for fighting future stressors. Laura Collins created lists of her negative stressors, or "downdrafts," and a list of her positive stressors, or "uplifts." These are things she enjoys doing, things that make her feel better. "When I am experiencing a 'downdraft,' I pick two cards from my 'uplift' deck and do those," she says. "It balances me."
• Take some time for yourself every day -- a few minutes to meditate, go for a leisurely walk, or just enjoy a cup of tea. Laura R. McMullen also recommends scheduling larger blocks of time for yourself. "Take a day off a week," she suggests. "Work your schedule so that you can enjoy one day, or one afternoon, to yourself, where you're not required to do anything."
• Keep an eye on your diet. When Miriam Deniz feels stressed or unwell, she craves broccoli; McMullen found that her outlook dramatically improved when she eliminated all refined sugar from her diet. It is especially recommended that fibromyalgia patients avoid aspartame, caffeine and alcohol.
• Find a passion. Even if it's an activity that sometimes causes you physical discomfort, the pleasure you take in the activity itself may improve your outlook -- and create a relaxation response. For Scherry A. Clarke, that passion is her horses. "They keep me active and busy, help stave off depression, and have raised me up during some of the lowest points of my life with their love and loyalty," she says. "Yes ... I will feel pain from my activities, and sometimes that pain will be mind-blowing; severe enough to literally knock me off of my feet. However, I will never, ever stop trying to get up again. This is my life ... and I can either choose to 'sit it out' or 'dance.' I have chosen to dance."
• Adopt a relaxation practice, such as meditation or hypnosis. Be sure to practice on a regular basis!
• Embrace spirituality. "Understand, with certainty, that you can make your situation more tolerable, no matter what the circumstances," says Celeste Taylor. "Realizing that stress will most likely never change the outcome of a situation, begin to relax and place your faith in God or a higher universal being of your choice. Smile at this comforting realization."

Elisabeth Deffner is the editor of Fibromyalgia AWARE magazine and the National Fibromyalgia Association's e-newsletter, FMOnline. For more information about fibromyalgia and the National Fibromyalgia Association, go to http://www.fmaware.org/.

Compliments of NewsTarget.com

Links

As you begin to develop a meditation routine, different and sometimes unexpected emotions might emerge. Whether joy or sorrow, don't be afraid to let your emotions out. You also might discover that you have more energy and less fatigue throughout the day. As this habit becomes a natural part of your life, you'll see how differently you will begin to view situations that used to stress you out or push you over your emotional limit.
To Your Health Newsletter, January 8, 2008

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Listen To Your Body

Have you ever noticed how your body reacts when you're around people and situations that agitate and stress you out?

Begin to recognize how your muscles tighten and what areas of your body are affected. Greater awareness of your body will help you maintain balance in stressful situations.

When you feel your body reacting in these situations take a moment to breathe and focus your thoughts. Put this exercise into practice consistently and notice the difference in how your body feels.

Combine this with a monthly massage to help handle the day to day stress in life.

TitanGoddess Holistic Therapies

"Harmonizing the body, mind, and soul"

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