Arm and Hand Stretches
These stretches can either be done as a complete series or individually and most of them can be done at your desk. Some will ease tension in specific parts of the body whilst others are generally relaxing. Please remember stretching should always be relaxing and never painful!
To get maximum benefit from these stretches you should do them daily and hold each stretch for 15 seconds and repeat twice unless otherwise stated.
Arm and Hand Stretches
- Stand with your feet together, keeping you feet together and your knees soft. Raise your arms alternatively swinging them over your head as if you were performing backstroke.
- Raise your left arm above your head and push up as high as you can. Feel the stretch down the left side of the body. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the right.
- Raise your right arm to the side, keeping at shoulder height. Point your fingers towards the ceiling and push your palm away from your body. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on left side.
- With your right hand by your side, point your fingers behind you with your palm facing up. Push your right shoulder and wrist towards the floor, then make a fist. Hold. Repeat on the other side.
- Keep your arms by your side and clench your fists as tight as you can, then spread your thumb and fingers as far apart as possible.
- Let your arms hang loosely by your side and shake them for about 15 seconds.
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Headaches Treatment & Prevention – Part 2
After introducing headaches, I then explored the downside of orthodox treatments and how massage can help. Now I want to share with you how other complementary therapies may help. Nutrition We all know that if you suffer from headaches you need to avoid becoming dehydrated. But what can be equally important is to control your blood sugar balanced by avoiding sugars and refined carbohydrates (i.e. anything sweet, fluffy or white!) . Certain food substances – such as histamine, tyramine and phenylethylamine – can trigger headaches or migraines. These foods include cheese, citrius fuits, red wine, chocolate & coffee. There is a time lag between eating these foods and an attack, as the problem arises when the food reaches the liver. Some research has been done on the benefits of Omega (3, 6 & 9) essential fatty acids will help control pain & inflammation for migraine sufferers. [Harel Z, Gascon G, Riggs S et al. Supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the management of recurrent migraines in adolescents. J Adolesc Health 2002 Aug;31(2):154-61. 2002.] Bowen Technique The Bowen Technique is a hands on therapy that is applied using very gentle pressure. The practitioner uses thumbs and fingers on precise points of the body to perform Bowen's unique sets of rolling-type moves which stimulate the muscles and soft tissue of the body. In association with the Migranie Action Assocation some research was carried out into the effectiveness of receiving Bowen Technique treatment to allieviate migraines. All study participants had been diagnosed as migraine sufferers by their GP. 31 out of the 39 study particpants experienced a positive result of either
- Reducation in frequency of migranies
- Reducation in the degree of pain experienced
- Reduction in both the frequency of migraines and the degree of pain experienced
More oops I did it again ….
We all wonder why after an injury or issue has healed and after several weeks of feeling pretty good, bang it flares up again, why? Last week I explained so factors influencing why this happens, now I want to explore the physiological aspects. The Physiological Law of Facilitation (the path of least resistance) The law explains why old injuries flare up under stress.
When an impulse has passed once through a certain set of neurons in your brain to the exclusion of others, it will tend to take the same course on a future occasion, and each time it does, the resistance will become less.
An analogy of this would be the image of rain on a dirt hill each time it rains the pathway becomes more entrenched, larger, and more intricate spreading out to nearby pathways. So once a nerve learns a pain pattern it tends to repeat it even in the absence of the injury. So the effects of stress to your mind and body can be a trigger for this response to kick in.
But wait, there is good news!
The Law of Facilitation can be maneuvered to help a massage therapist make the benefits of their treatment last longer. You may be wandering how can this be? In massage, patterns of imbalance which result from trauma, or from habitually stressful patterns like poor posture can be addressed. So your body should adapt to changes taking place in the musculoskeletal system and create new pathways.
The body likes sameness, which produces habitual patterns. When a pattern is established, it does not take as much stimulation to activate the response.
