Massage Warsaw- Massage Therapy – Warsaw Acupuncture

Category: Pain

  • Shin Splints

    The curse of all runners, shin splints can ruin a perfectly good run.  Shin splints describe a pain in the front of the shin that you might feel while running or playing sports. Shin splints are often caused by a muscle imbalance where the posterior calf muscles are very strong and short causing the front tibialis anterior muscle to be become overburdened and painful.   Basically, the back muscles of the shin or tibia are strong and are overpowering the front muscles of the shin.

    If you are prone to shin splints, there are a few simple exercises that can help you by strengthening the tibialis anterior muscle so that it becomes strong enough to withstand the constant force of the posterior calf muscles. The other half of the equation involves stretching out the calf muscles so they don’t pull on the tibialis anterior muscle as much.

    The first exercise to strengthen tibialis anterior is very simple and can be done while you are sitting at work. It involves sitting on a chair and tapping your toes. You will never find a simpler exercise to do, but don’t let it fool you. You will feel the burn very quickly.

     

     

    Here is another easy one to strengthen tibialis anterior:

     

    Remember that strengthening the front is not enough.  If you really want to improve you need to also stretch the back.    This next video shows two stretches for the calf muscles.  The first exercise stretches the gastrocnemius muscle and the second stretches the soleus muscle.

  • How to Cure Flat Feet

    Here is an excellent video explaining how the medial arch of the foot works and then illustrating how that affects proper gait.

    The arch of the foot is supported by muscles and ligaments and over time can start to fall as we age.  Some people have had flat feet their whole lives.  Most people will look to orthotics to support their flat feet or low arches, but a passive support like an orthotic arch does not go after the key problem: weak foot muscles and poor gait.  Strengthening these foot muscles can help to rebuild that arch without the aid of lazy footwear.  This may take a year or two to accomplish, but the benefits will last a lifetime.

     

    The following videos show a few exercises for strengthening the medial arch of your foot:

    The following video shows you the towel scrunching exercise to strengthen the general intrinsic muscles of the feet.  You might find it more challenging if instead of simply contracting and relaxing, you try to scrunch ALL of the towel into a ball

     

    It is also important to strengthen some of your calf muscles.  The tibialis posterior and tibialis anterior muscles do the bulk of the work lifting your arch.  Strengthening them will help to support the arch.  As an added bonus, these exercises will also help with ankle stability issues.  This video shows how to strengthen the tibialis posterior muscle:

     

    There are some good videos on strengthening the tibialis anterior muscle on this post.

  • Piriformis Wall Stretch

    This is a wonderful yoga stretch for the piriformis muscle and all the hip muscles. It is a unique approach because it is almost completely passive. You don’t have to do anything but lie there and wait for as long as you would like (spending 10 minutes in this position can be a freeing experience). Because it is so passive, it can also be meditative. Take this opportunity to work on your deep breathing and look for room to intensify the stretch further.

    Please note the person demonstrating the stretch is a yoga instructor and extremely flexible.  Your version of this stretch will look quite different.  You may want to start further away from the wall to decrease the intensity of the stretch.  Only bend the leg on the wall when you feel you are ready to increase the intensity.

    Guidelines for performing the stretches:

    1. Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.  It is especially important to rule out any disc problems before you do this exercise.
    2. Do the exercises slowly and gently.  Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
    3. Try to breathe  slowly and keep your body relaxed.  Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
    4. You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises.  If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
    5. Pay attention to the position of the lower back.  As the instructor explains, the back should be straight, not bent.  Bending at the lower back is cheating and does not stretch the piriformis muscle.  Also, if you are feeling leg pain or tingling because of true sciatica or sciatica due to a disc problem, you may cause more damage to the disc if you perform this exercise incorrectly.
    6. If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
    7. Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
    8. This stretch works best if you hold it for 5 minutes, but you can hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds.

     

     

  • Rotator Cuff Stretch Videos

    Here is a collection of videos on rotator cuff stretches. This should be the first step of any rotator cuff rehab program

    Guidelines for performing the stretches:

    1. Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
    2. Do the exercises slowly and gently.
    3. Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
    4. Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
    5. You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. Be especially careful of any sharp or pinching pain. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
    6. If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
    7. Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
    8. Hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds each time.
    9. Receiving massage or acupuncture treatments as part of your rehabilitation can improve your recovery.

     

     

     

  • Rotator Cuff Strengthening Exercises

    These exercises serve to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles and are very helpful if you are feeling weakness, pain or clicking in your shoulder joint.

    The exercises work on the internal rotators (subscapularis, teres major), the external rotators (teres minor, infraspinatus), and the abductors (supraspinatus)

    Guidelines for performing the stretches:

    1. Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
    2. Do the exercises slowly
    3. Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
    4. Buy a few different colours of thera bands for this.  Each colour represents a different degree of difficulty.  Start with the easiest band and only move up to a more difficult colour band after you have completed 2 pain free days of exercises.
    5. You should not feel any pain during the exercises. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
    6. If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
    7. Do the exercises a minimum of 3 times a day and 10 reps per set for best results.

     

    This last video goes over correct form and some common mistakes.

     

  • Treatment of Dizziness or Vertigo

    Dizziness or Vertigo due to Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is fairly common but can feel debilitating.  It can be difficult to walk, stand or sit without dizziness or sometimes nausea.  It is caused by a piece of crystal in your inner ear coming loose and positioning itself incorrectly.  The good news is that it is a relatively harmless safe condition and it can be effectively treated with certain exercises.

    The first step to treatment is a visit to your doctor to diagnose the condition.  Your doctor may even be able to treat you by performing the Epley Maneuvre or Canalith Repositioning Maneuvre.  If you doctor can’t perform the maneuvre, be sure that they diagnose which ear is affected and visit a physiotherapist that can perform the maneuvre for you.

     The Epley Maneuvre or Canalith Repositioning Maneuvre

    The Epley Maneuvre or Canalith Repositioning Maneuvre puts the patient in a series of positions in order to encourage the crystal to float back to its normal place in the inner ear.

    The Epley Maneuvre:

    – pillow under back to give 30 degrees extension of the head
    – Start facing the affected side.  Face left if the left ear is affected
    – wait 30 seconds after symptoms subside to change positions

    The general procedure is:

    1. lie on your back with a pillow under your shoulders.  Your head is 45 degrees rotated towards affected ear and 30 degrees extended
    2. head is 45 degrees rotated away from the affected ear and 30 degrees extended
    3. roll onto your side away from the affected ear with your head rotated so that you are looking at the floor
    4. come up to a seated position and look straight ahead

     

    Home care:

    – Do not sleep flat for 2 days.  This can be done by sleeping in a reclining chair at an angle of about 45 degrees.
    – For one week try to avoid moving your head in ways that might provoke another reaction.  Avoid the hairdresser, sports, looking up or down while working.

    It  is quite slow and gentle as you can see in the following videos.  This first video shows the Epley Maneuvre for BPP Vertigo of the left ear:

    The next video shows the Epley Maneuvre for BPP Vertigo of the right ear

     

    Brandt-Daroff Repositioning/Habituation Exercises

    After you are treated, you can do the Brandt-Daroff Repositioning/Habituation Exercises at home on your own. The following video explains the Brandt-Daroff Exercises:

     

    Hopefully these exercises will help you get your life back to normal.  A word of caution: This condition often reoccurs after a few years and treatment may need to be repeated.