Oops I did it again?
In clinic we frequently see clients who had an issue with either their neck or shoulder or their lower back that was resolved then a few weeks or months later they are back with the same issue. So why does this happen? First, it depends upon the client, as human body is unique and the issue.
What I want to explain below are some influencing factors:
Posture – Because lots of clients come to us in pain, when they walk out of clinic they are very vigilant about their posture. When they start to feel like the issue has been resolved good posture becomes less of a priority. More importantly bad posture creeps up on us slowly – particularly slumping at you desk when you have a tight deadline!
Over training – One of the most common questions we get asked, is when “will I be able to go to the gym again?” – clients are always very eager to get back training. If you are unable to train for a while, you need to gentle easy yourself back into training. Over training is when the physical trauma from exercising occurs faster than the body can repair the damage.
Overuse – An overuse injury typically stems from: training errors. Training errors can occur when you take on too much physical activity too quickly i.e. when you are training for a marathon you build up your distance and speed too quickly.
Related Posts
Is the way you breathing causing your neck pain? – Part 2
In my last post, I explained how both your scalenes and sternocleidomastoid can become both tense and painful from shallow breathing. Obviously deep breathing will help as it will address the cause. But what if you have a bad habit of shallow breathing, and know its causing tension in your neck muscles? First there are some stretches that will help.
Finally you can book a Seated Acupressure Neck & Shoulder massage.- Sternocleidomastoid Stretch
The sternocleidomastoid muscle runs like two long strap-like muscles on either side of the front of the neck.
To stretch it, rotate the head to one side as far as is comfortable. Then tilt the head to the same side, as if trying to reach the ear to the shoulder.
Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side of your neck.
- Scalenes Stretch
Is deep pressure in a massage ever bad?
One of the first things you learn as a massage therapist is that everyone wants deep pressure in massage. This is because no one wants a light fluffy massage because they feel there will be no benefit and they have wasted both their time and money. The second thing you learn as a massage is that everyone has their own idea what deep pressure is and what would be light pressure for one person is deep pressure for another person. Even if you take one client, the pressure they consider deep on their tight shoulders will be different from their idea of deep pressure on their legs. So there is no fixed concept of what deep pressure is, it varies from client to client, and with the same client it varies treatment to treatment and depending up on the part of their body your are treating. Given all this how do we work out pressure in clinic. First, we base it on our experience, your body type, the tension in the muscle we are working on. But most of all we talk to you about how the pressure feels to you and respect your preferences for pressure. I am sure most of you have heard me talk about good pain. Its based on a phenomenon that I have seen in clinic over the years. This is where someone comes into clinic in pain, we apply pressure and the pain turns into a good pain – because the pressure is a source of relief. For some people this “good pain” just feels right. This good pain is strong but welcome and came sometimes be described as a “sweet ache”. For some clients the good pain, is such a welcome relief that pain doesn’t even seem the right word. A word of warning, I like all my other therapists are only human and sometimes we get it wrong. This can be if we have missed a trigger point that is very sensitive, and we go into deep or the opposite can happen where a muscle locks up and we apply pressure and you as the client can’t feel anything. These situations can also arise due to change with your body i.e. an intense gym session or longer work hours than usual so lots of extra time sitting at your desk. I try to ask all my clients regularly without sounding like its some automated message, do you want the pressure deeper or lighter and if so let me know. I know the other therapists in clinic do this as well. In clinic we always want you to get the most out of your treatment. So please remember we always welcome feedback on pressure throughout your treatment.
How to test if you have good posture
We all know that we need good posture. So today I wanted to share with you how to test if you have good posture.
The Wall Test - Stand with the back of your head touching the wall and your heels six inches from the baseboard. With your buttocks touching the wall, check the distance with your hand between your lower back and the wall, and your neck and the wall. If you can get within an inch or two at the low back and two inches at the neck, you are close to having excellent posture. If not, your posture may need professional attention to restore the normal curves of your spine.
The 'Jump' Test - Feel the muscles of your neck and shoulders. Do you find areas that are tender and sensitive? Are the buttock muscles sore when you apply pressure? What about the chest muscles?
If any of your muscles feel tight, sore or achy then why not book in for a massage.
