Bursitis, why you may feel shoulder pain?

If you’ve been experiencing pain on the outer front side of your shoulder. It hurts when you lift your arm above your head. Could be swollen and may at times feel warm.  Those symptoms can mean you have “shoulder bursitis” see your doctor to confirm it.

Shoulder bursitis occurs from repetitive motion in your shoulder and frequently occurs in sports with overhead activities such as swimming, tennis, or throwing.  Also in activities or hobbies like painting or carpentry.

Everyone recovers from injury at a different rate not by how many days or weeks it has been since you felt the pain. In general, the longer you have the symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better and could lead to permanent damage.

To prevent it be sure to warm up properly and stretch your shoulder before such activities as throwing, tennis, or swimming. If your shoulder begins to hurt during these activities, you may need to slow down until the pain goes away.

The miracle of ice, ice and ice, this is an irritation or inflammation of the bursa in your shoulder so ice packs on your shoulder for 20 to 30  minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days or until the pain goes away will do wonders.  The following links also include helpful tips to help you recover.

Helpful info and tips:
Overuse injury tips
Bursitis symptoms

Disclaimer

Teeth grinding, 40 million suffer from it and you may be one of them.

40 million Americans suffering from bruxism (teeth grinding), we all tend to have it mild enough not to be a health problem it’s when you neglect the signs which can be more concerning. 

What is bruxism its grinding and clenching your teeth it could be during the day or while you sleep. 

 It’s one of the most common sleep disorder and it’s during sleep that causes the majority of health issues.

If you are not aware of it your dentist will be able to confirm it by the abnormal wear patterns in your teeth but before it gets to that point here are sneaking symptoms that will creep up on you when you’re not noticing so be aware.

Jaw pain and headaches
Anxiety, stress, and tension
Depression
Earache
Eating disorders
Headaches
Migraines
Loose teeth
Tinnitus
Gum recession
Neck pain
Insomnia
Sore or painful jaw

What causes it? Researchers classify bruxism as “a habitual behavior, and a sleep disorder.” It can originate from an allergic reaction, illness, digestive, anxiety to trauma. Once it becomes a habit the original cause can end but without ending the habit.

What are the perpetuating factors!
Disturbed sleep patterns
Maloclussions
Caffeine
Smoking
Drugs
OCD
Lastly, high levels of anxiety, stress, work-related stress, irregular work shifts, stressful profession and ineffective coping strategies

How to end the habit before it get’s worse? Finding the original cause and treating the perpetuating factors can reduce or eliminate if caught early before it becomes habit.

What helps treat the symptoms?  It’s not easy and there is no guarantee but try the following:
Apply ice or wet heat to sore jaw muscles.
Avoid eating hard foods like nuts, candies, steak.
Sleep on your back
Drink plenty of water every day.
Get plenty of sleep.
Yoga, stretching exercises to help restore a normal balance to the action of the muscles and joints on each side of the head.
Massage the muscles of the neck, shoulders, and face. Search carefully for small, painful nodules called trigger points that can cause pain throughout the head and face.
Relax your face and jaw muscles throughout the day. The goal is to make facial relaxation a habit.
Try to reduce your daily stress and learn relaxation techniques like deep breathing exercise. I have an example of one on my Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/maraiwantamassage.

Ignoring it will make it worse so it’s very important that you find a way to treat teeth grinding once you realize you have it!

Related Articles:
How can I stop grinding my teeth?
Jaw and Joint Disorders
Are You a Grinder? By Dr. Oz

Therapeutic Massage Therapy who needs it the most?

Massage therapy is relaxing and refreshing but did you know the right type of massage can be therapeutic. So who can benefit the most from a Therapeutic Massage? 

Athlete need it,  if you have prepared and need to recover from strenuous work outs…. you better believe it.  Why?

Increase joint flexibility
Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks
Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation
Reduce spasms and cramping
Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles

If you’re are not active…..ditto all of the above and then some……

Post Surgery
Reduce post-surgery adhesions and swelling
Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body’s natural painkiller

There are too many to think of it’s all based on you, the individual. So maybe the question should be what type of massage therapy or therapeutic massage should I get?

I would recommend if you don’t know whether or not a therapeutic massage therapy is right for you go in for one session and try it, therapist trained in therapeutic approaches to massage should be able to do this for you.

Related Articles:
Therapeutic Back Kneading May Lower your blood stream Pressure of Hypertensive Women and men
Chronic Stress May Cause Chronic Pain
Massage alleviates back pain: Study
Post Surgery Pain
Athletes Enhance Performance By Treating Muscle Spasm With Neuromuscular Therapy

Mara Nicandro NMT
Oak Park NeuroMuscualar Therapy
www.oakparknmt.com

Say no to “pain-killers” side effects, say yes to prevention and natural recovery!

As our tolerance and doses get higher not to mention the long list of side effects, pharmaceutical companies get richer and sadly we grow more dependent on the so-called “pain-killers”.  Who said health is wealth the money is in being sick for these companies.  I know we want the pain to go away quickly with little effort on our part it’s just easier, blame it on a very hectic lifestyle.

Just think about those commercials on TV listing the benefits but at the end the list of side effects is even longer, I always think to myself why would I want to risk putting those pills in my body.

How do they work in the first place?  When a part of your body is injured, special nerve endings send pain messages back to your brain. Pain killing drugs interfere with these messages, either at the site of the injury, in the spinal cord or in the brain itself. What I call a numbing effect so it rarely addresses the root cause of the pain. You don’t want to feel pain but it’s an important part in the healing process.

Your body is trying to communicate with you: If you feel pain, it means that your central nervous system (“CNS”) thinks the body is under threat, and that something has to be done about it.  In this sense, pain is a survival mechanism of fundamental importance. You may not know this but you don’t feel pain until the brain interprets the information and decides that pain would be a good way to encourage you to take action that will help protect and heal the damage. So numbing these signals does little to help you take action, always follow your doctor’s advice but ask questions if there are alternatives to taking “pain-killers”?

In General there are too many side effects for me to list here but two extreme examples that I was even shocked by would be. 

1. Acetaminophen has few side effects. If taken in very high doses, for extended periods of time or with excessive use of alcohol, this medication can lead to liver damage.

2. Opioids are used in medicine as strong analgesics (pain-killers), for relief of severe or chronic pain. Interestingly, there is no upper limit for the dosage of opioids used to achieve pain relief, but the dose must be increased gradually to allow for the development of tolerance to adverse effects (for example, respiratory depression). According to eMedicine, “Some people with intense pain get such high doses that the same dose would be fatal if taken by someone who was not suffering from pain.” 

Yikes a little scary isn’t it, you take that risk and then it may stop working and lose its effectiveness and you still have pain, then what? I won’t go into the addictive qualities and my wish is no one gets to that point in their life. 

Alternatives to avoid pain meds, it won’t stop the pharmaceutical companies from getting rich but will make your life a lot healthier is a therapeutic massage (neuromuscular therapy), feldenkrais, chiropractic, yoga, pilates, tai chi, acupuncture, etc. These work by creating noise to block the pain signals to your brain. 

A recent study on low back pain concludes that general massage therapy is more effective than standard medical treatment when dealing with back pain. This means that a weekly massage can do more to ease chronic back pain than painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs (think Advil) and physical therapy, good news for every “body” out there.

Do you have a story to tell on how you coped without pain meds and how it improved your life, leave a comment and share. Thanks Mara

Related Articles:
Lose the Back Pain!
Rotator Cuff Injuries when the pain won’t go away
More articles by Mara Nicandro NMT
Massage may be as effective as medication for low back pain, study shows
US docs are overprescribing drugs, study finds

Get rid of low back pain for good!

I am normally not one to say I told you so. However, this is what my blog is about and I do have an obligation to keep you informed.  I always find it wonderful to be validated by evidence based research that confirms why I love what I do.

Have you been looking for solutions to your back pain, look no further.  Experiencing pain schedule a massage, a new study gives massage the respect for its effectiveness with helping reduce or even eliminate your pain.

As published in a July 2011 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine, a study funded by the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine evaluated the effectiveness of massage therapy for chronic low back pain

In this study, over 400 participants with chronic low back pain either received weekly whole-body massages for relaxation, weekly massages that focused on specific muscle problems around the lower back and hips, or usual care.

• 36 percent of patients receiving weekly whole-body relaxation massage said their pain was nearly or gone altogether.

• 39 percent of patients receiving weekly massage that focused on specific muscle problems around the lower back and hips said their pain was nearly or gone altogether.

• Just 4 percent of patients receiving usual care said their pain was nearly or gone altogether.

As a therapist I feel very proud that I offer one of the most effective therapy to relieve your low back pain.  I also want to send a shout out to our industry professionals doesn’t it feel good that your work has been validated. 

So, why are you still dealing with muscular pain?  With a massage get rid of and recover from low back pain.

Mara Nicandro Nctmb
www.oakparknmt.com

Related Articles:
Massage therapy can be more effective than medication for lower back pain
Massage outperforms meds for low back pain, study finds
Lose The Back Pain

Disclaimer

Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21727288, A comparison of the effects of 2 types of massage and usual care on chronic low back pain: a randomized, controlled trial, Cherkin DC, et al, Retrieved July 10, 2011, Annals of Internal Medicine, July 2011

Fibromyalgia, you’re not imagining the pain!

You’ve gone to the doctor and seen specialist, their prescriptions haven’t helped you.  The mystery as to why you have been suffering with:
 
* Chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms or tightness
* Weakness in the limbs, and leg cramps
* Moderate or severe fatigue and decreased energy
* Insomnia or waking up feeling just as tired as when you went to sleep
* Stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position for too long.  

These are just a few of the signs and symptoms of your imagination, no it’s not,  but it could be symptoms of Fibromyalgia. 

If you’ve seen your physician or specialist I hope this wouldn’t be the first time you heard of this disorder. The definition of Fibromyalgia “A chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness in localized areas”. 

If you were diagnosed, something you may not know. Fibromyalgia is known as the “great imitator” because it can mimic other disorders.  However there are subtle differences so knowledge is power and learning more about them will help figure out those differences so you can take the next step towards health.

As if that wasn’t bad enough people with fibromyalgia are also at greater risk of developing a number of other disorders,  irritable bowel syndrome, bruxism etc.. many of which can exacerbate your current fibromyalgia symptoms.

Lastly but by no means least,  If the condition is not diagnosed and treated early, symptoms can go on indefinitely, or they may disappear for months and then recur.  Please see a doctor to get diagnosed but be armed with the power of knowledge, in the mean time.

I am writing to let you know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  You don’t have to continue suffering, here are three ways you can help yourself:

Learn more! Understanding what is happening to you it becomes easier to cope with and address. Also knowing that can greatly relieve any anxiety which leads me to the next tip

Reduce stress! Reducing stress can help with muscle relaxation,  need I say more?

Exercise! Low-impact aerobic exercises, such as swimming, cycling, walking, can be very effective. Please note with any new exercise program, you may have a mild increase in aching in the first two weeks. This increased aching is especially likely to occur if you have not been exercising and the muscles are de-conditioned. Applications of cold packs to sore muscles and tendons after exercising can help relieve muscle inflammation and soreness.

Hope this helps get you back on the road to health!

Related articles:
Fibromyalgia Symptoms, The Monster List of Fibromyalgia Symptoms!
Always Tired- Simple Steps to Natural Cure for Fibromyalgia

Mara Nicandro Nctmb
www.oakparknmt.com
www.facebook.com/maraiwantamassage
www.twitter.com/maranicandronmt

Are you looking for the culprit to your chronic headache? 5 helpful tips!

Injuries to your neck muscles that cause headaches are not always caused by head trauma.

Inappropriate head positioning, like working at a desk with your head to one side and projected forward. While looking intently at the screen monitor of your computer is one of the silent culprits.  Pictured on the left is an example of pain patterns that develop.

In my clinical massage practice I have seen many clients seeking treatment from chronic headache/migraine pain and after their initial assessment and continued treatment we found more than one culprit.

The following perpetuating factors of chronic headache and migraine pain
Fatigue
Tensing your shoulders
Cradling a phone between your ear and shoulder
A chair without armrests, or the armrests are too high
Typing with a keyboard too high
Sewing on your lap with your arms unsupported
Sleeping on your front or back with your head rotated to the side for a long period
Sports activities with sudden one-sided movements
Sitting without a firm back support (sitting slumped)
Bra straps that are too tight (either the shoulder straps or the torso strap)
A purse or daypack that is too heavy
Head-forward posture
Walking with a cane that is too long
Tight pectoralis major muscles

Here are common symptoms to help you recognize when you should seek help,
Headaches on the temples / “tension” headaches
Facial, temple, or jaw pain
Pain behind the eye
Dizziness or vertigo (in conjunction with the sternocleidomastoid muscle)
Severe neck pain
A stiff neck
Limited range-of-motion
Intolerance to weight on your shoulders

Why is it important to seek immediate treatment for your pain? When an injury is still acute, muscles have not had time to develop patterns of bracing and splinting, which can lead to postural distortions the body uses to “accommodate”, or “mask” pain.  So waiting until the headache goes away may not always work for the best.

Helpful daily tips:
1. Be sure to take frequent breaks.
2. Get a headset or speaker for your phone, or hold the phone with one hand. Shoulder rests are not adequate.
3. When having a conversation, turn and face the person rather than rotating your head in their direction.
4. Head-forward posture can be aggravated while sitting in a car, at a desk, in front of a computer, or while eating dinner or watching TV. Using a good lumbar support everywhere you sit will help correct poor sitting posture.
5. Swimming provides good aerobic exercise, and does not place impactful stresses on the muscles. Vary your strokes so you do not unduly stress the neck and shoulders. Just be careful when you turn your head to one side that you don’t aggravate your neck and shoulders.

Related Articles:
Self Help! 4 Natural Headache Home Remedies to help you find relief!
Scientists find genes linked to migraines
http://www.facebook.com/maraiwantamassage for tips on improving your posture

In this video testimonial you will hear from a client and his experience with migraines, I hope his journey helps you.  

The key to his treatment was inactivation of trigger points in the trapezius muscle which relieved the headaches within two treatments.  Stay tune for a bonus tip to minimize your pain.

Mara Nicandro Nctmb
www.oakparknmt.com

Reference: Many of the Common Symptoms, Causes of Trigger Points, Helpful Hints, Stretches, and Exercises are drawn from Travell and Simons Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: Janet G. Travell , M.D., and David G. Simons, M.D., Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, vol. I, The Upper Extremities, (Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1983), pp. 183-190.