Another Cause For That Knot In Your Back

Does your upper back pain feel like a "knot" or muscle spasm between your shoulder blade and spine?

Last time we talked about muscles in your torso that could cause this pain. Today we will talk about another cause, which is almost always overlooked.

The muscles that can cause that "knot" in your back are on the side of your neck. There is a set of muscles on each side of your neck called the scalenes.

When the scalene muscles get tight, or aggravated, they develop "trigger points." If you have a therapeutic massage to work out your knotty back problem, and it doesn't help, then the problem isn't in your back. (I am assuming here that your therapist worked ALL of your back and rib muscles, not just the knot.)

The problem is in your scalenes.

Trigger points in your scalene muscles are "firing" or causing pain in your upper back. If you get a well-trained massage therapist to work on your neck muscles and release the trigger points, your back pain will go away.

If you suspect this may be what is causing that knot in your upper back, you can try to release the scalenes yourself.

Press gently into the side of your neck. Using the pads of your fingertips, explore the muscles that run on the side of your spine, or neck bones.

If you feel hard, knobby things, those are probably the edges of your vertebrae, or neck bones. If you feel a pulse, move off it.

Thoughtfully and carefully explore the length of your neck from your jaw to your collarbone. If you run into a very tender area, gently hold pressure there for about 12 seconds. If it doesn't "release" or become less painful, move on. You can come back to that tender area a few more times, after letting it rest for a few minutes, to see if it will release.

If an area refers pain into your "knot" on your back, you have found the trigger point that is causing your pain! Apply gentle pressure with your finger pads for about 12 seconds and see if it lessens. You can repeat as needed.

As you explore the muscles on the sides of your neck, you may be surprised by all of the sensations you feel. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Many of our upper body muscles refer, or cause sensations, in our head, back and arms. You may even notice sensations in your carpal tunnel area.

Don't be afraid to explore. It's your body.

You can discover more about how to get rid of that miserable knot in your back naturally at http://KnotsInYourBack.com

Got Achy, Breaky Shoulders?

If you have achy, breaky shoulders you are not alone!

Our lives cause us to overstretch our upper back muscles often. We work on a line, at a desk, holding our babies, cooking, or other things. All of them require us to hold our arms and hands in front of us for long periods.

The upper back muscles get overstretched and very often complain. They ache. They hurt. They cause headaches. Ouch!

Try these simple movements to strengthen your shoulders and make them feel better.

Let your breastbone lift by pretending there is a hook attached to it pulling you skyward. That will move your head back over your shoulders where it belongs.

Now lift your shoulders up toward your ears, and then let them roll backward. Move them down toward your waist. Lift, roll, move down. And do it again. Try squeezing your shoulder blades together as you bring your shoulders back and down.

Lifting and rolling our shoulders back and down does many good things:

1. It gets circulation going around our shoulders and neck.
2. It loosens the muscles around our shoulder blades.
3. It strengthens the muscles that hold our shoulder blades toward our spines.
4. It gives our poor, overstretched muscles a break!

If it feels good to you to roll your shoulders in a big circle, front to back or back to front, then do it. But, if it feels uncomfortable when you move your shoulders forward, don't do it. Just lift, roll and lower your shoulders behind you.

Please remember, if you do a movement which your muscles haven't done in a long time, they may get sore from the new movement. So, start slowly, just do a few, two or three. As you muscles start to remember what they used to do, and become used to the movement again, you can start to increase the repetitions.
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Lift, roll, squeeze your shoulder blades toward your spine, drop. Repeat.

Feels so good to get the muscles moving again!

Ahhhh.

And you can find a lot more about natural remedies and causes for shoulder and back pain at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com

Can Your Back Heal Its' Pain?

We have really, really strong backs. Really, we do!

But, sometimes when something happens, like a spasm or a "catch", we start to think that our back is frail, or fragile. We think we have to "baby" our back.

When we start to baby our back, or move tentatively, we are setting ourselves up for injury. We start to move stiffly, instead of smoothly. We are more likely to get hurt when we move stiffly instead of gracefully.

The bones of the spine are called vertebrae. They are built in a way that allows them to bend, twist and move in a variety of ways. The vertebrae in the neck and upper part of the back are smaller, but the lower back bones are larger and sturdier.

Pads of tough tissue, called disks, cushion the bones and separate them from each other. The disks give us more ability to move.

Long, strong muscles run the length of our spines. They secure each bone to the rest of the spine bones so that the spine acts as one long unit. Muscles allow us to move. Muscles move bones.

Sometimes we panic when our back hurts. Sometimes we become afraid it will always hurt. We may make an appointment with a doctor or surgeon, hoping they will "fix" our back.

Now, I will admit, occasionally someone does have a back problem which requires surgery. For instance, a chip may have broken off a bone, maybe through an accident. If the bone chip presses on a nerve, it may require surgery to remove it from the nerve. That should correct the pain.

And, thank goodness that doctors and surgeons are available for the times when we truly need them.

But, can your back pain heal naturally? You bet!

Think about it. If you cut your finger, does it heal by itself? If you scrape your knee, does it heal? If you break a bone, will it heal? (If it's a bad break, it will require repair, but the bone will heal, with or without repair. The repair will help the bone heal in the correct position.)

Our skin heals itself. Our bones heal themselves. We get germs, and get sick, and we get better again.

So, please don't panic.

Ice helps muscle spasms. The rule of thumb is ice for the first 48 hours, and then you can switch to heat, or alternate heat with ice. Ice for 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. Do this several times in rotation.

Take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen. If there is inflammation, or swelling, in the muscles, an anti-inflammatory is supposed to help reduce the swelling. Reducing the swelling may take pressure off a nerve, if you are having nervy pain.

Keep gentle movement going. Move with as much fluidity as you can. Try to be graceful, not lurching. Gentle movement keeps the muscles warm and keep fluids moving through our tissues.

If you have extreme pain, or lose control of your bowels or bladder, see your doctor immediately.

But, even with extreme pain, if you are patient, your body can usually heal by itself.

I had a client who had such pain that he could only kneel on the floor with his upper body supported on the bed for two days! He crawled to the bathroom and crawled back to his bed. Kneeling helped him feel a little better because with his belly supported on the bed, it took some pressure off whatever nerve was getting aggravated.

It took several weeks for him to feel well again, but it did happen. He resumed walking, but it was from picnic table to picnic table at the park. Eventually, he could walk normally again.

Lots of manual muscle therapy, or therapeutic massage, helped his tight muscles relax and took pressure off his nerve.

When he was first injured, his doctor said, well, you could have surgery, if you'd like.

The problem is, sometimes surgery helps and sometimes it doesn't. Back surgeries are done less now than they used to be, because often they didn't help.

Often muscles are the cause of our pain. Really often.

And muscles are really good at going into spasm, but they are not so good at releasing their spasm. If we keep moving gently, use ice and an anti-inflammatory on a consistent basis, and get manual muscle therapy if possible, our backs can get better.

Posture plays a big part in back injuries. If you suspect that your back is not as strong as it should be, that would be a good thing for you to work on.

For more about getting a healthy back, visit me at www.SimpleBackPainRelief.com

Pain-free backs rule!

How Many Causes Does Pain Have?

Wow. Today I am feeling really insignificant.

I love helping people feel better, to reduce their pain. Sometimes I even help them see things differently, so they can function better. I help them move better and hurt less. I help them understand why they hurt.

And I have my own story about pain.

I have had scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. With it came not only neck pain but also migraine headaches that would take me out of commission for three days at a time. Three days of barely being able to think that if I died right then it would really, really be okay.

I have had various types of pain in my hands, fingers and arms. Understandable, after all the years of using them extensively treating people as a neuromuscular therapist.

You will notice that I said I have had those problems. I do not have them now.

But today, I began reading a book about pain which is very well written. And that author also helps people. She had much more pain than I ever did. Much more formal education than I ever did. And much more training than I have had. And, she basically healed herself with education and by taking action. (And, so can we, by the way.)

So, I am feeling insignificant. She has a lot on me.

But, I know she doesn't have any more heart about helping you than I do. My sincerity is as much as hers. My desire to help you is just as strong as hers. And, I, too, have a lot of education! (But not the beautiful resume' that she does.)

So, here is my plan.

I will continue to share with you information about the many causes of pain. The reasons why you hurt, and the actions you can take to reduce or eliminate your pain.

I will share with you the physical reasons. Sometimes we will talk about the psychological or emotional reasons for pain. We will talk about diet and nutrition. We will discuss the role of medicine for pain relief. We'll talk about massage and bodywork.

We will talk about getting stuck and losing the abilities we had as children. We'll discuss posture, car seats and couches. Walking and breathing correctly. I will give you good sources of additional information, and I will offer programs to help you. And much, much more.

And, definitely, we will talk about the ability of your body to feel better, get better and be better.

Because you can!

Release Back Pain, Part Two

Nice to see you again. I hope you are feeling well.

Last time we talked about a simple back pain relief method.

You were to follow the directions in that article to lay on the floor with your legs at 90 degree angles at the hip and knee. Both calves were supported on a chair seat, or similar piece of furniture.

Here is the second part of the movement to relax your back.

Please read all of the directions first, so you understand what to do before you start.

You have determined which piece of furniture you will use. You have chosen something which is the correct height that will allow you to do the movement with both calves up.

Now, you have to determine whether that piece of furniture or another will allow the following movements. Also, you need to determine whether you can position yourself by yourself, or if you will need assistance from someone else.

For the second position, move over toward the edge of the furniture. One calf is still supported, but your other leg is now flat on the floor.

So one leg is still up on the chair or footstool with hip and knee at 90 degrees.

The other leg is flat on the floor, in line with your body.

Keep the toes of the flat leg pointed toward the ceiling. Don't let that foot flop outward. If you need to, prop that foot with a pillow or some books to keep your toes pointed toward the ceiling.

And just lay there.

After half the amount of time you have decided you can allot, move over or move the furniture so that you can place the flat leg back up on the chair. Let your other leg be flat on the floor.

Remember, the more your back hurts, the longer the time you should spend in these positions.

A minimum of five to fifteen minutes per position would be a good starting place. That is a total of fifteen to forty-five minutes.

You may do this as often as you like. If you can manage several times a day, or more extended sessions, that is good.

And while you are laying there, pay attention to your breath. Breathe into your neck, your midback, your low back, your hips.

Breathe so your chest rises. Make your belly rise. Breathe into your thighs.

If you can't really feel your breathe everywhere yet, then pretend you can.

Imagine the healing powers of your breathe, your body.

Your body wants to be well.

It can be well.

Sometimes it just needs some attention, some time to be still and heal, and some time to breathe.

Don't be disappointed if you have a temporary relapse. That happens sometimes while we are in a healing stage. You know, two steps forward and one step back? And then two more steps forward.

You are on the road to wellness.

Kathryn

Easy back pain relief tip

Hello, again,

When your back hurts, you don't feel like doing much. It may feel strained, or you may have more uncomfortable pain than that.

Try this tip:

Read everything before you try this. Do it only if you are certain that you can get back up, as you feel now. Or, make sure to have someone around to help you, in case you need help.

Lay on the floor. Position yourself so that your tailbone is close to a chair or couch, or even a table. You will be placing your calves on this piece of furniture.

Have this picture in your mind before you start: Your hip joints and knee joints will be bent in right angles (90 degree angles.) Your calves will be parallel to the floor.

Get both calves onto the couch or furniture. Get your "sit bones" as close as you can to the couch.

Now all you have to do is lay there. Fifteen minutes would be great. The more pain you are having, the longer you should rest in this position. It relaxes the low back and all of the muscles which attach to the back.

You could use this position several times a day if you are in a lot of pain. Or you could use it once a day when you feel the need.

There is a second part which I will share with you next time.

P.S. Remember, breathing is not only necessary, it is a good way to relax. When you are laying down, practice breathing in a way which will expand your chest and back.

And relax.

What Creates Pain?

Did you ever think that there may be a simple, logical reason for most of our pain? I'm going to share a secret with you. This is not something most doctors learned in school. That is why they cannot share it with you. The most common reason for pain is, are you ready, muscle imbalance.

Let's say that I sit for eight hours a day at a desk. Maybe I walk around for ten minutes during the whole day. My muscles get used to being in that seated position. Some muscles are shortened in that position. Some muscles are being unused, so they shut off.

Or maybe I drive around all day in my pickup. I like to stick my left elbow out the window and keep my right hand down low, on the gear shift. Of course, I have my right foot on the accelerator. By and by, when I get out of my truck, those muscles will stay where they have become used to being. My muscles now think that this new position is comfortable. Now when I sit on the couch, I assume the same posture, because now it is "comfortable."

We are always most comfortable in our disfunction. Whatever we get used to is what feels comfortable to us. Is it best for us? Will it help us grow older strong and straight? The answers are no.

What muscle imbalance does do is cause us pain. Sometimes current pain, always future pain. When we lose that nice balance we used to have, when we were toddlers, we are setting ourselves up for future pain and dysfunction.

Headaches, migraines, neck and shoulder pain are all caused by muscles complaining. Upper and lower back pain, carpal tunnel pain, almost any pain you experience is caused by muscles. When muscles are unhappy, they complain. When muscles complain, you experience pain.

It is never too late to get back into balance, and start getting out of pain. It takes some work and dedication, but is well worth the payoff: Having straight posture with a strong back will take us into old age in a healthy, happy body.

If you are already doing an exercise program of some sort, be sure to incorporate exercises to strengthen the backside of your body from neck to knees. Squeeze your shoulder blades toward your spine. Do exercises to strengthen your shin muscles.

Be strong and be happy.

Simple Pain Relief Secrets

Dear Friend,

I recently read an excellent book. It has a great disclaimer. It said, basically, if you think you need the protection of a disclaimer, then close the book now. The author believes that the most important consultation is the one each person has with him- or herself. He believes in taking personal responsibility for one's own health. I think he is very wise, and you will be very wise if you take responsibility for your own health and well-being.

Your body wants to be well and pain-free. There are simple techniques we can follow to get out of pain. There are easy movements and simple tools which will help us get back to where we want to be. There are logical ways to eat, move and live which will enable us to feel well.

I am looking forward to sharing with you.