All about stress & pain
Stress has a way of changing posture. As stress begins to tighten one's body, shoulders begin to roll forward, the chin lifts
and the neck moves forward. This happens to all of us as the everyday pressures of life close in around us. In the world of
psychology the term for this posture is armoring.
Think of a person sitting at a typing station. This person is not sitting erect, but leaning slightly forward. Her elbows are not
hanging by her side but are just forward of her body. As her fingers dance across the keyboard she not only has to hold her
forearms up, but has to hold her elbows forward. This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the muscles of her upper back
as well as her lower back.
There are two muscles that are punished the most by stress. We call these muscles the
stress muscles. However, their medical name is Levator Scapula. These two muscles
connect at the upper bones of the neck called the Cervical Vertebrae and connect to the shoulder blade, known as the
Scapula. When we are stressed our shoulders lift putting pressure on our neck. This pressure creates headaches and neck and
shoulder pain. The final result of this posturing is pressure on the Medial Nerve which eventually becomes Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome.
This condition is easily addressed by massage and three or four visits usually alleviate this stress. How often should you get a
massage? Probably once a week, if you have never had a massage before. Regularity is the key. However, time & finances may
be your deciding factor. It is my philosophy to alleviate any problems as fast as I can. If it is possible, I will do my best to
correct the issues in one visit. The way I see it, it is in both of our interest to shorten the number of visits needed.
As the shoulders lift, the vertebrae of the spine are pulled close together, which puts
pressure on the disk between the vertebrae. As the disk is crushed by this pressure it
widens and puts pressure on the nerves that exit the Central Nervous System at these
openings. As the nerves are impinged, everything in the body begins to shut down and we enjoy a lower level of energy. Life
becomes harder.
From our point of view, stress is the fundamental cause of most illness. The Ancient
Chinese said that disease was caused by congestion and wellness was the result of
circulation. This was written six thousand years ago and it seems they were correct.
Lack of Oxygen
Pain is caused by lack of oxygen. Lack of oxygen can be caused by a myriad of
possibilities. Some of the causes are a blow, a cut or a strain. One of the obvious causes of pain is the flu, as we go through
this period of discomfort, we ache all over. As our body becomes hot with fever, our muscle fibers begin to stick together,
inhibiting circulation, which causes lack of oxygen. When we recover from the flu it is necessary to address these muscle fibers
or they will remain stuck together. Dehydration is the catalyst that accelerates the aging process.
When muscle fibers are stuck together, fluid is no longer able to pass between these
fibers, causing lack of circulation. Lack of circulation causes lack of oxygen and in turn lack of oxygen causes pain. There is a
secret to creating an environment within your body that makes pain less likely. This is a secret that you have probably had
passed down to you by your grandparents and your parents too. This secret is to drink eight to ten 8 ounce glasses of water
every day.
Our bodies are comprised of seventy percent water and when this level of liquid drops we enter a state of dehydration.
Without water it is impossible to enjoy adequate circulation and we live in a constant state of pain. For those of you who have
never experienced a professional massage, we would recommend that now is a good time for your first session. Drink lots of
water, get lots of massage and live a pain free life.
Headaches
Before we can intelligently discuss headaches, it is imperative that we understand what type of headache we are addressing.
There are three types of headaches. First, there are tension headaches, which account for over fifty percent of all primary
health care providers' visits. Second, there are sinus headaches, which are attributed to allergies and the flu. Third, and the
most serious of all headaches, migraine headaches.
There are as many reasons to experience tension headaches as there are personalities
and lifestyles. Whether the cause is emotional or physical the result is the same, throbbing temples and mental discomfort. We
are certainly not at our creative best when our head hurts. Massage addresses tension headaches by relaxing the neck and
shoulders. As we relax, we soften our muscles and headaches disappear. These are the easiest headaches for us to address.
Sinus headaches are best addressed by face massage. As the sinus cavities become
relaxed, the fluids that are trapped in these spaces release and begin to flow, allowing us to drain and cleanse the sinuses. This
is a slow process and usually takes a few
massage sessions. There are simple techniques that any experienced massage
professional can teach you to allow you to release these cavities yourself. Between
massages, you will find relief with a few minutes of self-massage done on a regular basis.
Migraine headaches can be caused by either impingement of the nerves in the neck or by chemical imbalances. Massage can
address the impinged nerve problem by releasing the Levator Scapula Muscles. It is often necessary to address either the left
or right Levator muscle for several hours to achieve complete relief. Be sure to ask your massage professional if they have had
experience eliminating migraine headaches. You will probably need to shop around a bit to find a massage professional who is
willing to work just one muscle for two hours at a time.
Headaches cripple our ability to function optimally and are probably the most common form of what could be called
discomfort. Now is a good time to allow a massage therapist the opportunity to rid you of your headache discomfort naturally.
What is Repetitive Strain Injury?
The term "repetitive strain injury (RSI)" and "cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) mean the same thing - a muscle that has been
used so frequently, doing the same motion, that is has become injured. That is a very simple answer to a very complex muscular
condition.
Muscles are the reason we can move - when a muscle pulls on a bone, the bone moves. When the bone moves, we can walk, lift
our arms, turn our head, wiggle a finger or a toe, in fact it even takes a muscle to blink an eye. Our bodies have 300 pairs of
muscles for a total of 600 muscles.
All muscles have similar characteristics:
tendon. Each individual fiber works exactly the same way - it contracts and pulls on the tendon. Depending on the amount of
strength needed to perform a task, a variety of the fibers will contract (shorten and pull) causing the action to occur. With this
amazing system we have the strength to pick up a feather - or a heavy weight. The more fibers contracted, the greater strength
expended.
There is a phenomenon called "muscle memory". When a muscle is contracted repeatedly, the brain registers it as needing to be
shorter, and it changes the "set-point" of the muscle, making it shorter. Likewise, when a person stretches on a regular basis, the
brain registers the change and lengthens the muscle. This lengthening releases the tension on the insertion points of the
muscle, and eliminates pain that is caused by the short muscle, or its tendon, pulling on the bone.
When you do the same motion over and over, contracting the muscle continuously, several things happen:
1) The muscle fiber responds to "muscle memory" and permanently changes the muscle to the new shortened length. When this
happens a problem occurs because the origination point and the insertion point remain the same, but the muscle is now too
short to easily make the distance, so tension is placed on the muscle. While the tension can be at either end, it is more frequently
felt at the insertion point at, or just over, the joint.
2) As the muscle fiber is contracting, but the insertion points remain the same, the fiber may tear, causing pain in the muscle itself.
3) The tendon may begin to tear away from the bone. When this happens the body sends bone cells to the area to hold onto
the tendon. The build-up of bone cells forms a "spur". Nothing will stop the growth of the spur while the tendon is being
pulled away from its insertion point. If you try to remove the spur, without first releasing the muscle's tension on the bone, it will
either quickly return, or the tendon will tear. This is commonly seen when the calf muscles are putting strain onto the Achilles
tendon. As the muscles tighten, the tendon is pulled away from the heel, and a spur is formed on the back of the heel.
4) As tension is put onto a muscle fiber tiny tears happen, causing the muscle to put out a sticky exudates. The exudates then
sticks to the fibers surrounding the injured fiber in a phenomenon called "splinting". When the muscle is splinted by other fibers,
it is carried by the others while it is healing. However, after the fiber heals it is still stuck to the surrounding fibers, and you lose
strength because this fiber is no longer effectively pulling on the tendon.
5) In the case of muscles that insert onto the spine, the vertebre are pulled out of alignment, and pressure is placed on the spinal
cord and nerves. While there are many muscles that cause this problem, it is clearly seen in the case of the psoas (pronounced
"so-as") muscle. The psoas originates on the lumbar (low back) vertebre, goes around the inside of the hips, and inserts into
the front of the thigh bone. When the muscle contracts normally, you bend over or lift your leg. However, when the muscle is
shortened by muscle memory, the lumbar vertebre are pulled forward, and the spinal cord is pressed by the moving vertebre. You
now have low back pain.
6) Muscles can also trap a nerve, causing pain far from the site of the spasm. This is clearly seen in the case of the muscles of
the neck, the scalenes. When the scalenes are in spasm they trap the bundle of nerves that become the nerves of the arm and
hand. While the spasm is in the neck muscle, the pain and numbness is felt in the wrist and fingers. Until the spasm is released in
the neck, the pain in the hand will not go away.
7) Tight muscle tendons can also trap a nerve, causing the burning pain and tingling common with nerve damage. This is most
clearly seen when the flexor (forearm) muscles are contracted, causing the tendons to become taut, and the nerve to the hand is
trapped by the tendons. You have all the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, but all you actually are experiencing is the result
of muscle tension impinging on a nerve.
8) When a muscle is pulling tightly on a joint, it is common for the joint to become stiff. Many people are told to strengthen the
muscles that move the joint - but this is exactly the opposite of what actually needs to be done. The muscles need to be
stretched, not strengthened. This is often seen in all the major joints - especially the shoulders, hips, knees and elbows. People
will be told to lift weights, squeeze balls, cycle, or exercise to strengthen the muscles that move the joint. As they continue to
contract the muscle even further, the joint becomes less and less mobile, and the person is told they have "arthritis", "bursitis", or
they may even tear a tendon or ligament.
Repetitive Strain Injury can, and does, happen to muscles throughout the body. Every muscle spasm has its own referred pain
area, frequently far from the source of the spasm. The spasms are commonly called "trigger points".
Stress has a way of changing posture. As stress begins to tighten one's body, shoulders begin to roll forward, the chin lifts
and the neck moves forward. This happens to all of us as the everyday pressures of life close in around us. In the world of
psychology the term for this posture is armoring.
Think of a person sitting at a typing station. This person is not sitting erect, but leaning slightly forward. Her elbows are not
hanging by her side but are just forward of her body. As her fingers dance across the keyboard she not only has to hold her
forearms up, but has to hold her elbows forward. This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the muscles of her upper back
as well as her lower back.
There are two muscles that are punished the most by stress. We call these muscles the
stress muscles. However, their medical name is Levator Scapula. These two muscles
connect at the upper bones of the neck called the Cervical Vertebrae and connect to the shoulder blade, known as the
Scapula. When we are stressed our shoulders lift putting pressure on our neck. This pressure creates headaches and neck and
shoulder pain. The final result of this posturing is pressure on the Medial Nerve which eventually becomes Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome.
This condition is easily addressed by massage and three or four visits usually alleviate this stress. How often should you get a
massage? Probably once a week, if you have never had a massage before. Regularity is the key. However, time & finances may
be your deciding factor. It is my philosophy to alleviate any problems as fast as I can. If it is possible, I will do my best to
correct the issues in one visit. The way I see it, it is in both of our interest to shorten the number of visits needed.
As the shoulders lift, the vertebrae of the spine are pulled close together, which puts
pressure on the disk between the vertebrae. As the disk is crushed by this pressure it
widens and puts pressure on the nerves that exit the Central Nervous System at these
openings. As the nerves are impinged, everything in the body begins to shut down and we enjoy a lower level of energy. Life
becomes harder.
From our point of view, stress is the fundamental cause of most illness. The Ancient
Chinese said that disease was caused by congestion and wellness was the result of
circulation. This was written six thousand years ago and it seems they were correct.
Lack of Oxygen
Pain is caused by lack of oxygen. Lack of oxygen can be caused by a myriad of
possibilities. Some of the causes are a blow, a cut or a strain. One of the obvious causes of pain is the flu, as we go through
this period of discomfort, we ache all over. As our body becomes hot with fever, our muscle fibers begin to stick together,
inhibiting circulation, which causes lack of oxygen. When we recover from the flu it is necessary to address these muscle fibers
or they will remain stuck together. Dehydration is the catalyst that accelerates the aging process.
When muscle fibers are stuck together, fluid is no longer able to pass between these
fibers, causing lack of circulation. Lack of circulation causes lack of oxygen and in turn lack of oxygen causes pain. There is a
secret to creating an environment within your body that makes pain less likely. This is a secret that you have probably had
passed down to you by your grandparents and your parents too. This secret is to drink eight to ten 8 ounce glasses of water
every day.
Our bodies are comprised of seventy percent water and when this level of liquid drops we enter a state of dehydration.
Without water it is impossible to enjoy adequate circulation and we live in a constant state of pain. For those of you who have
never experienced a professional massage, we would recommend that now is a good time for your first session. Drink lots of
water, get lots of massage and live a pain free life.
Headaches
Before we can intelligently discuss headaches, it is imperative that we understand what type of headache we are addressing.
There are three types of headaches. First, there are tension headaches, which account for over fifty percent of all primary
health care providers' visits. Second, there are sinus headaches, which are attributed to allergies and the flu. Third, and the
most serious of all headaches, migraine headaches.
There are as many reasons to experience tension headaches as there are personalities
and lifestyles. Whether the cause is emotional or physical the result is the same, throbbing temples and mental discomfort. We
are certainly not at our creative best when our head hurts. Massage addresses tension headaches by relaxing the neck and
shoulders. As we relax, we soften our muscles and headaches disappear. These are the easiest headaches for us to address.
Sinus headaches are best addressed by face massage. As the sinus cavities become
relaxed, the fluids that are trapped in these spaces release and begin to flow, allowing us to drain and cleanse the sinuses. This
is a slow process and usually takes a few
massage sessions. There are simple techniques that any experienced massage
professional can teach you to allow you to release these cavities yourself. Between
massages, you will find relief with a few minutes of self-massage done on a regular basis.
Migraine headaches can be caused by either impingement of the nerves in the neck or by chemical imbalances. Massage can
address the impinged nerve problem by releasing the Levator Scapula Muscles. It is often necessary to address either the left
or right Levator muscle for several hours to achieve complete relief. Be sure to ask your massage professional if they have had
experience eliminating migraine headaches. You will probably need to shop around a bit to find a massage professional who is
willing to work just one muscle for two hours at a time.
Headaches cripple our ability to function optimally and are probably the most common form of what could be called
discomfort. Now is a good time to allow a massage therapist the opportunity to rid you of your headache discomfort naturally.
What is Repetitive Strain Injury?
The term "repetitive strain injury (RSI)" and "cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) mean the same thing - a muscle that has been
used so frequently, doing the same motion, that is has become injured. That is a very simple answer to a very complex muscular
condition.
Muscles are the reason we can move - when a muscle pulls on a bone, the bone moves. When the bone moves, we can walk, lift
our arms, turn our head, wiggle a finger or a toe, in fact it even takes a muscle to blink an eye. Our bodies have 300 pairs of
muscles for a total of 600 muscles.
All muscles have similar characteristics:
- all muscles pull - they never push
- muscles go in a straight line, not around corners
- muscle originate on one bone and cross over a joint
- muscles merge into fibers called tendons
- the muscle tendon attaches to a bone
- when the muscle pulls the tendon, the bone moves
tendon. Each individual fiber works exactly the same way - it contracts and pulls on the tendon. Depending on the amount of
strength needed to perform a task, a variety of the fibers will contract (shorten and pull) causing the action to occur. With this
amazing system we have the strength to pick up a feather - or a heavy weight. The more fibers contracted, the greater strength
expended.
There is a phenomenon called "muscle memory". When a muscle is contracted repeatedly, the brain registers it as needing to be
shorter, and it changes the "set-point" of the muscle, making it shorter. Likewise, when a person stretches on a regular basis, the
brain registers the change and lengthens the muscle. This lengthening releases the tension on the insertion points of the
muscle, and eliminates pain that is caused by the short muscle, or its tendon, pulling on the bone.
When you do the same motion over and over, contracting the muscle continuously, several things happen:
1) The muscle fiber responds to "muscle memory" and permanently changes the muscle to the new shortened length. When this
happens a problem occurs because the origination point and the insertion point remain the same, but the muscle is now too
short to easily make the distance, so tension is placed on the muscle. While the tension can be at either end, it is more frequently
felt at the insertion point at, or just over, the joint.
2) As the muscle fiber is contracting, but the insertion points remain the same, the fiber may tear, causing pain in the muscle itself.
3) The tendon may begin to tear away from the bone. When this happens the body sends bone cells to the area to hold onto
the tendon. The build-up of bone cells forms a "spur". Nothing will stop the growth of the spur while the tendon is being
pulled away from its insertion point. If you try to remove the spur, without first releasing the muscle's tension on the bone, it will
either quickly return, or the tendon will tear. This is commonly seen when the calf muscles are putting strain onto the Achilles
tendon. As the muscles tighten, the tendon is pulled away from the heel, and a spur is formed on the back of the heel.
4) As tension is put onto a muscle fiber tiny tears happen, causing the muscle to put out a sticky exudates. The exudates then
sticks to the fibers surrounding the injured fiber in a phenomenon called "splinting". When the muscle is splinted by other fibers,
it is carried by the others while it is healing. However, after the fiber heals it is still stuck to the surrounding fibers, and you lose
strength because this fiber is no longer effectively pulling on the tendon.
5) In the case of muscles that insert onto the spine, the vertebre are pulled out of alignment, and pressure is placed on the spinal
cord and nerves. While there are many muscles that cause this problem, it is clearly seen in the case of the psoas (pronounced
"so-as") muscle. The psoas originates on the lumbar (low back) vertebre, goes around the inside of the hips, and inserts into
the front of the thigh bone. When the muscle contracts normally, you bend over or lift your leg. However, when the muscle is
shortened by muscle memory, the lumbar vertebre are pulled forward, and the spinal cord is pressed by the moving vertebre. You
now have low back pain.
6) Muscles can also trap a nerve, causing pain far from the site of the spasm. This is clearly seen in the case of the muscles of
the neck, the scalenes. When the scalenes are in spasm they trap the bundle of nerves that become the nerves of the arm and
hand. While the spasm is in the neck muscle, the pain and numbness is felt in the wrist and fingers. Until the spasm is released in
the neck, the pain in the hand will not go away.
7) Tight muscle tendons can also trap a nerve, causing the burning pain and tingling common with nerve damage. This is most
clearly seen when the flexor (forearm) muscles are contracted, causing the tendons to become taut, and the nerve to the hand is
trapped by the tendons. You have all the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, but all you actually are experiencing is the result
of muscle tension impinging on a nerve.
8) When a muscle is pulling tightly on a joint, it is common for the joint to become stiff. Many people are told to strengthen the
muscles that move the joint - but this is exactly the opposite of what actually needs to be done. The muscles need to be
stretched, not strengthened. This is often seen in all the major joints - especially the shoulders, hips, knees and elbows. People
will be told to lift weights, squeeze balls, cycle, or exercise to strengthen the muscles that move the joint. As they continue to
contract the muscle even further, the joint becomes less and less mobile, and the person is told they have "arthritis", "bursitis", or
they may even tear a tendon or ligament.
Repetitive Strain Injury can, and does, happen to muscles throughout the body. Every muscle spasm has its own referred pain
area, frequently far from the source of the spasm. The spasms are commonly called "trigger points".
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