Elbow Joint Mobility & Strength Exercises

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.

• 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

The scalenes muscle groups is made of three muscles; anterior scalene, middle scalene & posterior scalene.  Due to the location of these muscle tightness can contribute to tension headaches & can refer pain both to the chest and shoulder.  In addition the brachial plexus a network of nerves that supplies signals to the shoulder and arm.  Therefore tension within these muscles can also restrict these nerve signals, causing pain and pins & needles (paraesthesia) down the arm to the hand. Stretching the scalenes is relatively easy. Start by sitting in a chair. Put your right hand under your bottom and sit on it. This pins the shoulder down so that your neck can stretch without raising the shoulder. Tilt your head directly to the left bringing your left ear towards your left shoulder. If you don’t feel much of a stretch, bring your left hand up to Gently pull your head down towards the left more. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat this stretch tilting the head slightly in front of and behind the shoulder as well. This stretch can also be done lying down. See picture below.

One of the most common reasons for booking a massage is pain relief, whether its Neck pain Shoulder pain Lower back pain As a massage therapist to [...]

Recently scientists have looked at the impact of abdominal massage on people with constipation. Constipation affects twice as many women as men.  Older people are more likely to be affected and in addition taking certain medications e.g. opioids can cause it. A randomised control trail of 204 patients with constipation (from opioid medication), were split into two equal groups.  The intervention group were taught how to administer abdominal massage on themselves, in a clockwise direction over the intestines on the abdominal wall, which they performed twice a day for four weeks after breakfast & dinner. The control group received standard medical care, such as laxatives, suppositories and enemas. Both groups were asked to keep a diary of their bowel movements and to complete three questionnaires, including the Bristol stool scale for evaluating stools and bowel habits, the visual analogue scale, which contains questions about constipation, including severity, straining & pain. Patients in the massage group reported significant improvements in stool consistency, straining during defecation, the feeling of incomplete emptying after defecation and experienced increase bowel movements.  They also reported a reduction in the severity of constipation, pain, straining, gas & fullness in the rectum.  However, the massage had no effect on the stool amount. The researchers concluded that abdominal massage was an effective approach for managing opioid induced constipation.  So if you suffer from constipation consider abdominal massage. Reference https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31358243