How to use a simple posture trick to get rid of your back and neck pain!
Any posture held too long can be painful and potentially damaging; the article above is a quick way to help avoid the postural stresses that become ingrained in our daily lives now that technology has almost overcome us!
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction is a blanket term that refers to pain and dysfunction of the jaw muscles and the tempomandibular joints which connect the mandible to the skull. The most common symptoms are pain and restricted mandibular movement as well as grinding noises coming from the joint. This condition is more common in women then in men, and affects a large portion of patients suffering from fibromyalgia. Trigger points in the muscles of mastication are frequently involved in TMJ dysfunction. Trigger points in the pterygoid and masseter muscles for example will not only refer pain into the tempomandibular joints, but will also cause a dysfunctional movement pattern that can restrict range of motion. Trigger point therapy can be an effective modality to treat TMJ dysfunction.
Myofascial pain syndrome (trigger points) and fibromyalgia are often confused to be the same condition and while there is a lot of interrelatedness between the two they are not quite identical. The clinical definition of a trigger point is “a hyper irritable spot associated within a taut band of skeletal muscle that is painful on compression or muscle contraction, and usually responds with a referred pain pattern distant from the spot”. Trigger points form from an overload trauma to the muscle tissue. This is contrasted with fibromyalgia which is defined as “a medical condition characterized by chronic widespread pain and a heightened pain response to pressure. Other symptoms include tiredness to a degree that normal activities are affected, sleep problems and troubles with memory. Some people also report restless leg syndrome, bowel and bladder problems, numbness and tingling and sensitivity to noise, lights and temperature. It is also associated with depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder”. Fibromyalgia will also present with localized tender points which are often mistaken for trigger points. Where these two conditions become somewhat interrelated is via the nervous system. Fibromyalgia patients suffer from a super-sensitization of the nervous system causing hyperirritability and pain. Myofascial trigger points can be caused by,or be the cause of, super sensitization. An active trigger point will irritate the sensory nerves around it eventually leading to super-sensitization. Trigger points have also been showed to form of become active due to super-sensitization. Both of these conditions can perpetuate the other, leading to layers of pain and symptoms. This being the case, trigger point therapy can have a very positive effect on decreasing the severity of pain and symptoms in patients suffering from fibromyalgia.
Since 2005, Bryan has been dedicated to helping all people with chronic and acute pain caused by soft-tissue damage.
His training and experience make him uniquely qualified to treat a wide variety of pain and dysfunction and to give instruction on prevention and self-care.
Bryan is the only Massage Therapist in Manitoba — and one of the few in Canada — to be certified by the Certification Board for Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists (CBMTPT).
Bryan holds a degree as an Advanced Remedial Massage Therapist (ARMT) from the Massage Therapy College of Manitoba. Course work at MTCM includes
• over 2,000 hours of practice, as well as
• intensive course work,
• a supervised clinical practicum, and
• community outreach placements.MTCM has a credit transfer affiliation with the University of Winnipeg, ensuring that its courses are held to the highest level. When Bryan studied at MTCM, the college was the only massage therapy college in western Canada accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation. Today, the college is a member of the Canadian Council of Massage Therapy Schools.
Bryan is a member in good standing of the Natural Health Practitioners of Canada.
Bryan also has a background in Anatomy, Exercise Physiology, and Sport Sciences from the University of Manitoba, and he has worked as a personal trainer and fitness leader.
He is an avid natural bodybuilder and fitness enthusiast, and has a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Some great tips on how to prevent back pain when working a sedentary job from our friends at Silicon Republic. Check out the article below.
Try to walk around for between three and five minutes every half hour.
Everyone intuitively understands that hunching over the computer is bad for them, but it’s easy to fall into the most natural and comfortable – albeit unhealthy – sitting position while you’re in the flow of things.
A standing desk offers you the opportunity to alternate your position throughout the day.
The temporalis muscle is located in the temple area of the skull. It originates on the temporal lines on the parietal bone of the skull, and inserts on the coronoid process of the mandible. It’s main action is to close the jaw. The posterior and middle fibres bilaterally retrude the mandible. Acting individually, this muscle will deviate the mandible to the same side. Trigger points in this muscle refer into the teeth causing hypersensitivity, and into and above the eye and temple, causing headaches.
Yet another study has found that chiropractic care helps headache sufferers: Spinal manipulation seems to have a significant positive effect in reducing hours with headache and intensity of headache and analgesic consumption in cases of cervicogenic headache.
The lateral pterygoid muscle plays an important role in prober jaw function. It originates on the greater wing of the sphenoid bone and the lateral pterygoid plate, and inserts on the condyloid process of the mandible. It’s action is to pull the head of the mandibular condyle out of the mandibular fossa while opening the jaw. When trigger points develop they refer pain into the temporal mandibular joint and maxillary sinus. This referral is commonly mistaken for TM arthritis. In addition to the referral pain, trigger points in this muscle can also effect proper movement of the jaw.
A concussion is a blow or jolt to the head that disrupts normal brain function. Concussions, also known as Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries, most often result from falls, sports injuries, and auto accidents.
Concussion symptoms may begin immediately after an injury, but sometimes take hours or days to appear. The most common symptoms of a concussion include; headaches, light-headedness, dizziness, visual disturbances, ringing in the ears, confusion, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and difficulty remembering or learning new things. Patients sometimes struggle to understand conversations or make simple calculations like determining a restaurant tip. Patients often feel as if they are “in a fog”. Symptoms can range from subtle to debilitating.
Patients and their attendants should be particularly alert for signs or symptoms that could indicate a more threatening injury like; worsening headache, growing irritability, repeated vomiting, difficulty speaking or swallowing, shortness of breath, unequal pupils, fever, visual disturbances, seizures, clear discharge from the nose or ears, loss of consciousness, or increasing light-headedness, numbness, or confusion. These symptoms warrant immediate emergency medical attention.
Recovery times are quite variable and are dependent upon a number of factors. It is critical that you allow your brain to recover completely before returning to physical activity. A concussion can be likened to dropping a computer – you will need to allow time to reboot before trying to use it. Suffering a second concussion before the first has completely resolved can lead to significantly worse symptoms and long-term impairments.
Athletes who have suffered a concussion must not return to activity before being evaluated by a healthcare professional that is very familiar with concussion management.
Your posture plays an important role in your overall health. Poor posture leads to chronic strain and discomfort. “Upper crossed syndrome” describes poor posture that results from excessive tightness in your shoulders and chest with weakness in your neck and mid-back. This combination forces your shoulders to roll inward and your head to project forward.
To help understand how upper crossed syndrome causes trouble, think of your spine as a telephone pole and your head as a bowling ball that sits on top. When the bowling ball is positioned directly over the top of the upright post, very little effort is required to keep it in place. If you tip the post forward and the ball begins to roll over the edge of the post, significantly more effort would be required from the muscles trying to hold it there. This effort results in chronic strain of the muscles of your neck and upper back.
The chronic strain is uncomfortable and may also lead to neck pain, upper back pain, headaches, TMJ pain, and ultimately- arthritis. This postural problem is exceptionally common in computer workstation users. Correction of this problem is accomplished by stretching the tight muscles, strengthening weak muscles, and modifying your workstation.
