 Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash Do you want to know the truth about pain? Then read on, my friend.
Simply put it is just a signal perceived by the brain that something is wrong. The brain senses the pain signal and tells you that something is off balance, out of the neutral, out of the order. Next the mind starts producing rather unpleasant thoughts accompanied by rather unpleasant emotions. The usual response to pain in the body goes like this. The muscles tense up, the breath becomes shallow, shoulders ride up to the ears, the ribcage lowers down to the pelvis, the hips and calves tense up. Sound familiar? Feeling all of this nonsense happening in your body brings on more unpleasant emotions and thoughts. You tense up more, clench your jaw, tighten your fists and the buttocks. Now you are creating compression on your joints and organs. The brain screams louder and you get caught up in the cycle of negative signals going between the body and the brain. Now imagine if you were going on vacation tomorrow. You are boarding the plane and arriving at a beach paradise. Palm trees, sunshine, the waves crashing, the breeze in your hair… Or maybe you head up to the mountains. Snowy peaks, sunshine, snow covered trees, the quiet… For a moment the mind gets taken away by the beauty of nature and you get a flood of pleasant emotions, thoughts of happiness and relaxation. The body responds by relaxing the shoulders and the hips, now you want to take a deep breath, and slowly a smile appears on your face. And what happens to the pain? You forgot about it! For a split second, you forgot about it! Yes you did! Or maybe it was longer than a second or maybe it just went away? On its own? How could this happen? Well, my friends this is the beauty of mind body connection. You take your mind off of something and it no longer exists in the awareness. Out of sight, out of mind. I have two little kids, you know what is the best way to get them to quiet down after a scraped knee? Switch their attention to something else. All of a sudden the tears dry, the smile is back and they are chasing after Josie (the dog) again. The knee is still scraped though, the problem is still there… but it gets better after about a day or two. It heals on its own because of our wonderful built in healing potential. You are wired to be resilient and to get better. Now I know, some of you had knee pain or back pain for years and it is not going away on its own. However, every day when I ask my patients what took them so long to get help, they respond with “oh it would just come and go, get better and then get worse.” Yes! It gets better when you are happier and it gets worse when times are hard. This is the mind body connection at work. Unfortunately it doesn’t go away completely, right? That’s because the muscles have become habitually shortened, so they are creating compression on the joints and joints hurt or deteriorate with time. When you are in pain, you start moving differently. Your body does a magnificent job compensating for lack of mobility. The problematic area becomes extra sensitive because of lack of movement and old swelling. The area of the brain that senses the signal from the original injury becomes bigger. This is called the sensitization. Now add an emotional component to this mess and you got yourself a big problem. Luckily, there is a way out of this. There are many different bodywork techniques that can be done to release the tight muscles. Here at Healing In Motion we do a variety of different techniques. It may be massage, dry needling, work with nervous system (Neurovascular Integration), etc. We place a lot of emphasis on work done by hand, because honestly, you need it. Humans need to be touched. The studies on babies show that babies who are not touched don’t gain as much weight. Touch is healing, it’s love, it’s comforting and it feels awesome! Next there is the integration piece. This is when we teach you to move. All the tension which was binding your muscles is going to come back if we just do the manual work. The wires of the brain to muscles need to be reconnected. We do this through really cool Pilates and Somatics exercises. The goal is to get you to experience the joy of simple movement. The joy of breathing, the joy of walking, the joy of feeling alive in your body. When the tension is released, and you are moving correctly you feel like a kid again – FREE! You can do a quick jog instead of walking because it’s fun, or you can choose to jump up and down in place because you are excited. My kids do it all the time. When and why did we lose this ability to be joyful? Yes, it can be done! And you got absolutely nothing to lose just by learning more about it. Do you want to explore this further? Click HERE to talk on the phone. Or maybe you want to take it a step further and talk in person, click HERE to register for a Sample Session. Anyhow, life is too short to spend it grumpy and in pain. So let’s talk if you are ready to make a change. Now go out and enjoy that Colorado sunshine. We are so lucky to have 60 degree day today! Talk soon, Elena
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 Photo by sharon wright on Unsplash What’s up with neck issues lately? It seems like all of my patients are complaining of headaches and neck pain. Is it the winter thing?
So this week I decided to talk to you about headaches and neck pain since it seems to be the ongoing theme. The biggest cause of neck pain and headaches is…. Drum roll please…. STRESS!!! I’m willing to bet money that if you are having neck pain, you are likely in the middle of some challenging times in your life. Seriously, the common thread showing up with every single one of my patients who have neck pain is stress. “I’m under so much stress…” “The work has been crazy lately…” “So many things are happening, they are all good, but I’m so stressed out”. Let’s take a look at this mind body connection a little closer. You know when you get stressed out, our natural reaction is to bring the shoulders up to the ears and clench the jaw. Your body prepares for fight or flight. Your heart races, your breathing becomes shallow, your muscles tense up. The rational way out would be to acknowledge this and take a break. Say “No” to certain responsibilities, sleep in, eat good food and just take care of yourself. However, we are emotional beings and can’t stop in the middle of a roller coaster ride. The bills have to be paid, useless paperwork needs to be done, the house needs to be clean, the kids need to turn in their homework and the dog needs a walk!!! You know, the usual. So the stress stays in the system. The shoulders slouch and the head moves forward on your body. Now the tiny little muscles in the back of your neck and your lower back have to work twice as hard to keep you upright and support that 15-20lb ball of brain on your shoulders. The muscles on the back of your neck and the front of your neck have different referral patterns. That means if there is tension in those muscles, the pain can be referred to the back of the head, the eye, the side of the head or the jaw. So you pop a couple ibuprofens and keep going. So many times I hear my patients tell me that they have been self-medicating with ibuprofen for months and the headaches only get more frequent because the underlying issue of stress and forward head posture is not resolved. Hey, sometimes it can get so bad that injections and surgery are suggested. Sometimes you have to wait until it’s that bad to finally get help. Luckily, there is a way out of this. Through the combination of hands on treatment and posture re-educating exercises we are able to get you out of pain. One of my patients had headaches twice a week for couple years. Finally his girlfriend booked him a session with me. After 3 treatments headaches were gone. My other patient had such bad pain in her neck and around her shoulder blade that she scheduled surgery. After several treatments the headache was gone and she cancelled the surgery a day prior to scheduled date. So this is how we take care of this nasty problem. First the tight muscles have to be released by hand. Next we use NeuroVascular Integration Technique. This is very cool and kind of magical. We balance out your nervous system. Yup, it can be done. And all you need to do is just lay on the table. It doesn't hurt and kind of feels amazing. Since it calms down the nervous system now we can work on your posture. This is even more fun. So check this out. The muscular holding is completely reflexive. This is how we are wired. You get stressed out and the muscles tense up. So it becomes my job to teach you how to relax and become aware of your posture. I base my exercises on work done by Joseph Pilates and Thomas Hanna who were complete geniuses in teaching people how to move. Now, this is not the type of exercise like lifting weights or running. This work is super relaxing and feels more like a yawn. We get into your muscle memory and unconscious muscular holding to teach you how to move again. The result – you feel energized, light, free and tall. You feel like your head can just center itself on your shoulders and the tension is gone. True story! In fact, I am so fired up about this exercise system that I am going to put together the “Joy of Movement Workshop.” Stay tuned. Yes, movement and life can feel terrific. You can feel happy, energized and young despite being of a certain age (J) and busy. Yes, it is possible and it is my job to show you how. I want to help you find that joy of movement again. But I’ll tell you more about it later. We don’t have to be bound by our life stresors, there is a different way. And you can keep your job and your responsibilities and feel amazing. The sooner you do something about it the better, the easier it is to take care of it. So if you or someone you know is suffering from headaches and neck pain, pass them this information and let’s get them some help. Headaches and neck issues are miserable and so preventable. You can start by downloading one of my E-books HERE or maybe you are ready to chat so press HERE. Or maybe you just need a little more time. I understand. Just remember, if you don’t take care of it, it only gets worse. Now go out there and have a terrific day! Elena  Photo by Israel Gil on Unsplash “You know, for the longest time I thought that these problems with my back are just a normal. The older I get, the more I feel it. I had no idea I could do something about it.” I hear this statement daily from my patients. All too often traditional health care fails in treatment of neck and back pain. Time and time again many physicians are writing off stiffness and ache to aging and telling patients to rest and take medicine.
Unfortunately, most people don’t know that what may first appear as stiffness and discomfort can quickly progress to something more serious. Back stiffness if left untreated will progress to mild discomfort, then to pain, then to numbness and tingling, further to burning and possibly result in muscle weakness. At first, rest and medication will mask the symptoms. Later, you may need something stronger like an injection and then if left untreated you may require surgery. What most conventional doctors fail to tell you is that there is a different route you can take. Start taking control over your symptoms by educating yourself. Internet is full of good and bad advice, so how do you know what is wrong and what is right? Make sure you are getting your information from a credible source. Here at Healing In Motion Physical Therapy we specialize in ending back pain and helping you return to the lifestyle you desire. We loaded up our website with downloads and blogs to help you make a good decision on what to do next. Don’t settle for the idea that “it’s just aging.” What may seem like an easy excuse you can give yourself to stop going to the gym, giving up golf, not picking up your grandkids, etc. will lead you to a darker place of pain, weakness and loss of mobility and independence. You see, as we age, we adopt certain posture and movement patterns. You can picture your parents and grandparents. Forward shoulders, forward head, knees bent, leaning on a cane or a walker. They always complained about their neck and back hurting. The great news is that you don’t need to end up like your beloved family members. You can change your future and thrive into your 70s, 80s and possibly 90s. I work with people of all ages and what I noticed, is that the people in their 80s and 90s who are vibrant, healthy and happy are the ones who are active and refuse to sit still. They are busy in the community, babysit grand kids and take care of their sick friends. You may have noticed how stress, sit down job, sitting in traffic causes you to stiffen up in the hips and shoulders. When the hips are tight and you try to stand up, your tight hip flexors are creating a pull on your back. Also, when the shoulders are tight and your midback is stiff, you will increase the pulling forces on the lower back and neck. Now you feel stiffness and compression. If immobility has caused your symptoms, it makes perfect sense to counteract it with movement. But why does your doctor tell you to rest and take pills? Unfortunately some doctors don’t believe in physical therapy. And they have a good reason. Back pain is very complicated and can be coming from a variety of different factors. It is difficult to treat and most PTs are limited by 30 minute appointments and are burnt out by seeing 20 - 30 patients a day. They mean well, I’ve been there myself, but it is simply impossible to give quality care on something complex when you are mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. At Healing in Motion Physical Therapy we believe in quality of our care. We offer 1 hour appointments and don’t see more than 6 patients a day because we want to feel rested and creative so that we can deliver a good outcome for you. Back pain is the symptom of your lifestyle. Your habits and behaviors need to be changed in order to treat the root cause. Otherwise, anything you do just covers it up. For you to be completely free of back pain, you have to stand differently, sit differently, be more active, drink water and adopt an active lifestyle. It is that simple, yet it is very difficult. This change takes skill, time and patience. Manual therapy and core exercises are not enough. The great news is that this can be done and we change people’s lives everyday here at Healing in Motion Physical Therapy. We refuse to settle for the excuse that “this is just your age”. We continue to invite you to take advantage of our Free Sample Session. Do you know how easy it is to be pain free? Better yet, do you know that you don’t need a referral from your doctor or a pre-authorization from your insurance? A lot of times people wait and procrastinate because they don’t know what to do. Start here, start with a Sample Session and find out what you can do to age gracefully, be more active and healthy. There is no financial commitment required from you. The session is absolutely FREE to you. If nothing else, use it to find out what’s wrong and what your options are. Don’t wait any longer. One thing I can promise you is that nothing is going to change unless you take that first step. Here is to your vibrant health, Elena  Would you rather get old or grow up? I for sure would rather grow up. Although getting old is inevitable, I want every year to bring me wisdom rather than deterioration. We are all afraid of getting older because we associate old age with weakness and mental decline. This doesn’t have to be the case and I am going to explain why.
I read this amazing book “Somatics” by Thomas Hanna. Thomas Hanna was one of the original students of Moishe Feldenkrais. Who in the world is Feldenkrais? Well, he was a brilliant man who came up with a system of exercises to overcome pain. You see, when we are born we are equipped with 2 reflexes. Hanna refers to them as “Red Light” and “Green Light”. Our first reflex, “Red Light” is necessary for the survival and to avoid pain. When under stress, our natural reaction is to curl into a ball to protect ourselves. This reflex stays with us through our lives. You have probably noticed when you are in an uncomfortable situation, your shoulders ride up to your ears, your back stiffens, your breath shortens and you find yourself bending your hips and knees. This is a deeply wired reflex, just like the one when a doctor taps you on your knee and your leg kicks out. Green light reflex is different and it makes you take action. Think of a baby learning to move. First, he or she gets control over their neck muscles and extends their head. Then they learn to roll and, crawl and later walk. The body mechanics associated with this reflex are extension of the spine, hips, shoulders and head. Now many years later, think of what happens in your body when you have to do something that you don’t want to. Your neck extends, shoulders move back, hips extend and you are ready to go. Green light reflex takes over when we have to be responsible adults, go to work and pay bills. What is interesting is that we get stuck in constant battle between these too reflexes. Our daily lives are full of good and bad stressors and our bodies get stuck with two sets of muscle groups pulling in opposition. Typically when one muscle contracts, the opposite muscle group relaxes. For example, in order for you to do a bicep curl, your triceps have to relax. With time and continued stress we forget how to relax the opposing group and get stuck with opposing muscle groups staying slightly contracted. The result is stiffness. We mistakenly attribute stiffness to old age. Think of the time when you were a kid and could move freely. You had your needs met and were free to play all day. Fast forward to present time: sit down job combined with stress is the main reason why you feel stiff. The problem is that we forget how to move. Thomas Hanna came up with absolutely genius exercises that teach you how to move again. I first read his book before I became a PT. My own physical therapist shared it with me and honestly this book is one of the reasons why I became a physical therapist. Last month, many years later, with lots of practice, knowledge and experience under my belt I re-read it and was completely blown away. I have since incorporated these exercises into my practice and noticed amazing results. One of my patients with really bad hip arthritis improved her hip mobility within 5 minutes. My other patient who had a very stiff ankle improved her ankle mobility and her gait within several minutes. My other patient who had a very stiff and painful shoulder was able to scratch his middle back, something that he was unable to do in over a year. Somatics exercises a pain free and feel very good. I started doing morning cat stretch routine and my body feels much more flexible. When I do them at night, I wake up without stiffness. I also noticed myself standing taller and felt more balanced. Pretty cool stuff. This is the reason I love what I do. Oh, and another incredible thing that I noticed was that I felt less tired. It makes perfect sense: it takes more energy to move when your muscles are tight. It is that simple!!! It is very empowering to know aging doesn’t have to mean that you have to feel stiff, sore, tired or weak. You may need to do a little more stretching, you may need move exercise up on your priority list, but it is a small price to pay for life experiences, growth and maturity. Life should be like fine wine. Better with age! |
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