Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that most often is diagnosed in adolescents. Firstly, let’s say that there are 2 main types of scoliosis: Functional and Structural. Indeed, Functional S. is a type of scoliosis due to a muscular unbalance in the body. The spine presents a curvature but no rotations. On the other hand, Structural scoliosis is due to a structural abnormality, like a bond deformation along with the skeleton and it diverges from a functional S. due to rotation in the spine, and not just a curve. Said so, to diagnose the differences between functional and structural, we can ask the client to band forwards from a standing-up position, by trying to reach the floor with the hands. As the client band forward, if there is torsion in the torso, that’s a sign of structural scoliosis. About 80% of scoliosis, is structural. There are then different levels of scoliosis: Mild Cobb angle measurement of between 10 and 25 degrees Moderate: Cobb angle measurement of between 25 and 40 degrees Severe: Cobb angle measurement of 40+ degrees Very severe: Cobb angle measurement of 80+ degrees The Cobb angle is the most widely used measurement to quantify the magnitude of spinal deformities, on plain radiographs. Scoliosis is defined as a lateral spinal curvature with a Cobb angle of >10°. Furthermore, the different levels of scoliosis can be defined as: Idiopathic This is the most common type of scoliosis and as it doesn’t reproduce any pain at a young age, it is often missed diagnosed becoming the cause of pain in the adult stage of life. It does affect more women than men. Are you struggling with pain and or body ache? Book now your next massage appointment at Fitzroy North Clinic. Neuromuscular As per the name, in this case, scoliosis is associated with neuromuscular issues. Often it is diagnosed at a young age, and the 2 conditions have to be treated separately. Degenerative As per the name, this type of S. is due to a bond degeneration at the level of the facet joint. As per the result, the symptoms are like: lower back pain, (that’s where most commonly a degenerative facet can happen), sciatica pain, and difficulties in walking. Congenital Congenital scoliosis is a condition that affects a child that is not born yet. As the fetus is forming, one or more vertebrae may fuse together, or bony spinal segments or vertebrae fail to form properly. Traumatic Traumatic scoliosis, as the term already described, can be the result of an accident or a major physical trauma. Like a car accident. Given now a clear explanation of this condition, we are a bit more aware of what a curve in the spine is about. Corrective exercises are the key answer to scoliosis. Physiotherapy is probably the best medical practitioner to refer to for corrective exercises related to this condition. Said so: Q: “I got lower back pain. That means I got scoliosis?” A: “No. Lower back pain is one of the symptoms of scoliosis, but there are several reasons why you may suffer from lower back pain.”
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Aug
Muscle Firing pattern Muscle firing pattern is the sequence in which muscle should get activated to complete an action or movement. Whenever we move a joint, is not just 1 muscle to do that action there are multiple numbers of muscles that allow the action to happen, and other multiple numbers of muscles counterbalance that action. So, the muscles that control the action are called agonist muscles and the antagonist are the muscles that counterbalance that action. The antagonists are usually the muscles that do the opposite action to the one played. Said so we have also to introduce another term, that in the massage industry is known as synergetic muscles. Synergetic muscles work together to make allow a joint to complete an action. But let’s look into an example. Leg extension firing pattern. Leg extension is controlled by the synergetic muscle: gluteus max (GM) hamstring (HM erectors spine (Esp o) (opposite side of the leg) erectors spine (Esp s) (same side of the leg) The antagonist in the leg extensions are the Quadriceps. So, let’s focus on the agonist of this action for now. If the GM is weak or inactive, when we go for leg extension the Hm gets overpowered. As the Hm gets overpowered the ES starts firing too early to stabilize the pelvis abandoned from the weakness of the gluteus. Moving forward with this unbalance, the ES on the same side could end up to start being the first muscle that gets fired for doing the action of leg extension when it should be the last one. And this could happen because the Esp o is holding the body still to get the action done. Lower back pain or hamstring tear can be often a consequence of these unbalances. Lower back pain can happen when the firing pattern is like: 1st Erectos Spine (opposite or same side) 2nd Hamstring 3rd Gluteus Max (because if weak or inactive) Hamstring tear can happen when the firing pattern is like: 1st) Hamstring 2nd) Eroctos Spine (opposite or same side) 3rd) Gluteus Max (because if weak or inactive) But nothing is lost, and the firing pattern can be reorganised. For doing that we have to look into exercises for firing pattern reestablishment. For the leg extension, for example, the exercises would be: Lying in a prone position (face down) Tugged the toes under the feet Squeeze the gluteus one against the other With the gluteus, squeeze and extend the knee Still with the gluteus squeezed to release the knee The final step, release the gluteus. Repeat 30 times for 6 weeks every day. To don’t fall back into an incorrect firing pattern, make sure to strengthen the gluteus. Massage would help to release the trigger point in the GM. Thanks to the release of trigger points the muscle can start to be trained to get stronger. Are you struggling with pain and or body ache? Book now your next massage appointment, at Melbourne Massage and Treatment. Also, massage can help in fastening the process of firing pattern reestablishment, by reducing tension in the hamstring and or reducing pain in the lower back by flashing out the tensions that have been accumulated over time.
Aug
Lower Back Pain Lower back pain is a condition which can deliver lots of stress and can affect our daily habits. It can be a terrible experience to live, as it can make many tasks difficult or impossible to take. Here below you will find a series of questions and answers in regard to my experience with lower back pain, as a person and as a practitioner. Q: Did/do you ever experience lower back pain? A: Yes, I did suffer from lower back pain when I was a teenager and that was a trigger for my massage career.Said so, at the age of 16, I was not thinking yet to become a massage therapist.More experience was needed before I did decide to step into the massage career. Q: How common is lower back pain within the Australian population? A: It is estimated that in Australia between 2017 and 2018 4.0 million people did suffer from back pain, whereas 70-90% out of those 4 million did suffer from the lower back itself. Q: What are the causes of Lower back pain? A: Lower back pain can come from different causes. Here below are the most common: bulge disk muscle strain fascia tightness trigger points muscular-skeletal unbalance physical trauma stress Q: I feel pain on my Rx or Lx side on a horizontal line. What can be? A: That’s what we call a red flag. A pain that spread on a horizontal line can be given by a bulging disk. More tests must be put in place to confirm a diagnosis. As a massage therapist is not in our scope of practice to diagnose a bulging disk. Our next step would be to refer you to a GP for further investigations. Q: So, what is a bulging disk? A: A bulging disk is a condition (hernia) where the disk that seat between the vertebrae, gets a tear in it. As a consequence, the disk touches the nerve running along the spine and creates a pain sensation. There are 4 different stages of herniation of the disk. Disc protrusion Prolapsed disc Disc extrusion Sequestered disc. Q: What are other symptoms related to a bulging disk (for the lower back)? A: Other symptoms of a bulging disk (for the lower back) can be: Numbness in the glutes, legs, feet. Weakness in the leg/feet movement Pain increases when seating, like the disk, gets compressed and decreases if standing, like the disk, gets decompressed and less pressure is applied to the nerve root. Difficulties in going to urinate, it is a strong sign that there could be a bulging disk in the lower side of the lumbar area. Medical attention is urgently recommended. Q: Why a bulging disk can occur urine blockage? A: The nerve that controls the spasm of the bladder is rooted between L1 and L2. Indeed, Pressure on the main root, between these 2 vertebrae, would then transform into nerve dysfunction. This condition is called Cauda Equina Syndrome. Q: My lower back pain moves vertically. Why is that? A: A sign of lower back pain that moves vertically is more luckily related to muscular inflammation. In fact, there is a group of back muscle called Erectus Spinae, (Spinalis, Longissimus, Illiocostalis) that originates in the lower side of the lumbar area and extend vertically along the cervical area. Q: What triggers muscle inflammation? A: Many are the reason why muscles can get inflamed.Repetitive movements pour posture, the incorrect firing pattern of a muscle group, in specific the leg extension firing pattern. Q: How massage can help? A: Massage can be an effective approach to release tension along the lower back. Given the training that I did go for, I would ensure to use the knowledge learned along the Remedial Massage and Myotherapy course to identify what back pain is related to. Based on the finding and on the willingness of the clients, we can then disgust with the client what technique of massage they may prefer, Remedial Massage, Dry Needling (if applicable), Mobilisation (if applicable) or Thai Massage. Even MLD can be an effective technique, as it can be used to reduce inflammation, swelling, tension and stress. As previously mentioned, if I got suspicious of a bulging disk, I would not hesitate to refer the client to a GP for further investigation. In regards to the Thai massage technique, I will ensure to warm up the area first with some simple passives stretch and or cupping and then work on the muscle that needs some tension released if it is safe to do so, or on the muscle surrounding the area, like gluteus, hamstrings and or shoulder muscles. Q: Would you use your knee to massage my back? A: The use of the knee is not compulsory. If it is safe to do so, yes, I may use my knee to massage the back. A correct and proper evaluation of the injury must be applied before doing so. If you are in pain or even just feel tight along your lower back, don’t hesitate to book a massage appointment. Any of the techniques offered at Melbourne Thai Treatment can be really effective in reducing pain and ache and giving you back the mobility lost. Said so, for chronic conditions their massage can help till a certain point. Exercises and other treatment options have to be evaluated.
Aug
Breathing Wave In the previous post, we did talk about the benefit of breathing in by the nose and breathing out by the mouth. Well, now, I am going to talk about the Breathing Wave. The breathing wave as it sounds already is a technique of breathing that involved a wave moving along the body (upper limb). Along the breathing in, we can take in air within 5 pouches (bottom to top): above the reproductive system chest (lungs) throat below the skull above the skull So the breathing wave starts by inhaling air through the nose, directing the air in the lowest pouch first and towards the highest one last. As we take in air, lowest pouch would fully expand and by holding a hand on to it, we can feel the expansion happening. In regard to the chest, we can place the opposite hand on it, and start feeling the chest expanding too. About the above pouches, you may find it hard for the first few times to recognize a physical expansion, but as you would practice the breathing wave, more and more, you will build awareness about it. On the breath out then, we want to let go of the air out by the mouth by dropping the jaw and relaxing the abdominal muscles so as to release first the abdominal one and follow the thoracic, the neck the bottom, and the top of the skull. The idea to let go of the air is implemented by avoiding any force contraction in the abdominal muscle area. Those muscles do not need to be activated to push the air out, and the face muscles don’t need to be engaged to push or control the out airflow. Why this technique is so helpful? Now imagine the body like an accordion. Our nervous system runs along with this accordion, and it’s affected by its motions. Indeed breathing is a contraction and expansion movement of the punches above mentioned. Therefore imagine those pouches expanding and contracting and visualize how they can softly massage the nervous system itself. Furthermore, this breathing technique would allow proper oxygenation of the body. A couple of minutes of this breathing technique would allow you to calm down and feel more relaxed. In addition, this technique is useful if you want to practice body pressure on someone or something with minimum effort. That is how the Thai Massage technique I did learn from Pichest Boonthumme works, and that’s the principle behind the Thai Yoga practice. Do you feel like you need help with your neck pain? Book now your next appointment, at Fitzroy North clinic. So, how to practice the breathing wave? A simple way to practice this breathing technique is to lie down and place one hand on the belly and one hand on the chest. As you breathe in by the nose, feel or look for the bottom hand to rise and for the top hand to stay steal. As the bottom pouches are full now keep inhaling and feel or look for the top hand to arise too. Once you are ready to breathe out open the mouth and gently release the air accumulate in the belly then release the air from the upper chest. Keep repeating. It is normal to start with the coordination is not there. But with a bit of practice, it will become easier and easier.
Aug
The importance of breathing. As a massage therapist, I realise along with my studies and work-practice, that correct breathing is not something that many of us are aware of. Indeed, breathing is important to oxygenate our organs, muscle and all body parts and also, breathing is what would boost the healing process along a massage session. In fact, when we breathe, we introduce into the body Oxygen. Oxygen is what our body uses as the first form of energy for functioning and self-healing. Furthermore along with oxygen, when we breathe, there are a lot of other substances that get pumped around the body with the blood, like vitamins, minerals, hormones etc. So how should we breathe, during a massage session? To breathe we can mainly use the noose and the mouth. By breathing by the nose we partly clean the air that we take in, things that wouldn’t happen when we breathe in by the mouth, as we would breathe whatever is in the air. If this post is talking to you, and you are in need of a massage, book your next session by clicking here. But that’s all? No. Air inhaled through the nose is both warmed and made moist at the same time, but also preserves oral hygiene. Furthermore, breathing in with the nose is a slower process and helps the mind to stay calm and grounded. Breath-in by the mouth can lead to hyperventilation, that’s a cause of stress and or a response to panic and anxiety. The mouth is part of the body that we should use to breathe out. As we breathe out we want to let go of all the air that we inhale without interruption. So, a better way of breathing would be, to breathe in through the nose and out of the mouth. But where into inhaling the air that we breathe? This is a question that we will see in the next blog post that would talk about the breathing wave exercise, an essential technique to calm down the mind, regulate blood flow and stimulate the relaxation of the nervous system.
Aug
Exercises for Upper Cross Syndrome As previously mentioned, the UCS is caused by a constant habit of poor posture, to achieve a correct posture on top of massage therapy, we would need to do exercises for Upper cross syndrome. So, there are 2 main groups of muscle that we want to target. 1st group, the tense muscles: Levator Scapulae Upper Trapezius Pectoralis Major Second group, weak muscle Deeper Neck Flexors Rhomboids Middle Trapezius. Now, let’s go through some exercises for Upper cross syndrome. Brugger exercises for Neck deep flexors. This exercise is going to focus on improving the strength of the deep flexors. Stand straight with feet apart ; Place 2 fingers, one on each sternocleidomastoid and start gently and slowly flexing the head forward. The fingers seating on the Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) would allow you to keep those muscles deactivate and so would place all the strength of flexion on the deeper muscle that we are trying to train in gaining strength. If you are not sure where the SCM is, place a hand horizontally between the neck and the upper chest, along the Clavicle line. Rotate your head gently right and left and those 2 muscles that pop up below your hand when you rotate the head are the SCM. Just be aware that the L SCM will activate when you rotate right and vice versa; 3 repetitions for 10 head flexion. Do you feel like you need help with your neck pain? Book now your next appointment at Fitzroy North Clinic. Strengthening the Rhomboids and Middle Trapezius. For this exercise, we would need an elastic rubber band for exercises. · Stand straight, feet apart, and wrap the elastic band on your fist, thumb facing out. · As you breathe in flex the elbow at 90, breathe in and bring the rubber band in tension. As you breathe out extend the elbow out. · Release and start again. 3 repetitions of 10. All those exercises have to be done daily for 6 weeks in order to be effective to change the UCS. Self Massage for Pectoralis/Upper Trap/Levator Scapulae. Pectoralis Self Massage exercises: Lie down in a prone position with the arms along the body; Place a tennis or a spiky ball right between the Pectoralis and the floor; Keep the foot’s toes anchored on the floor; Gently push yourself forward and back by breathing in (from the nose) and out (from the mouth). If you would like more pressure, is enough to open the arm at 90 and lightly extend the arm, by lifting the hand from the floor. Upper Trap and Levator Scapulae Thai Yoga exercises: Start by lying in a supine position and the ball will be seated between the shoulder and the floor. Place the ball right next to the upper angle of the scapula. This time keep your shoulder flexed at 90 degrees, so with the hand facing the ceiling. Start gently a slow rotation movement at the shoulder, by drawing a circle with the hand. 3 series of 6 repetitions for each rotation movement. With Thai Yoga, you wanna make sure that each exercise is done slowly and gently. Those exercises often work on the delicate area of the body and can reproduce massage pain. Moving the body slowly and gently and having constant breathing in and out would allow you to live Thai Yoga at its full potential.
Jul
Why food and massage are such important things? In a fast and modern society like the one that we are living in today, knowing what food to consume, can be a tough task. Even though food shapes our body, our health and indeed food can intake can increase the benefit of massage. Often we have a short time, and a tight budget and we go for what catches our eye which is not always the healthiest option. As the food industry did evolve to be one of the most complex marketing industries in the world, if someone has to sell you food before thinking about your health, most of the time, they will think about how to sell you a cheap and high-profit product. There you go then with colourful and ergonomic packaging, health benefit status and star rating. But why we would need all these suggestions about what to eat when we could work out our diet on our own by being present in the body and the mind? Is that so hard to do it? And how massage therapy can help? Let me share with you my path, which did allow me to build some food and body awareness. When I was a kid/teenager I grow up in a family where food preparation/consumption would be a ritual and a way to spend time together. Mum would spend most of her free time cooking for the family (3 kids and husband) and would try to vary the intake of nutrients by following the seasonal products and the traditions of the culture she did grow up in too. On the other hand, I was the spoiled one who would have to complain all the time that the food on the table would not suit my taste. As I grow older and came to Australia (I was 22 at that time) I realized that I could eat whatever the fresh food industry would have to offer. In a matter of days, I lost the idea that processed food was the only thing I could go for and soon I realized that I did waste so much energy and time as a kid fighting back mum’s hard work. How I did do that? Well, everything started in Italy actually, just a few months before I was leaving for Australia. I had a blood test for general health concerns and my GP at that time did make me notice that my liver was stressed. I was not a heavy drinker or drug/medicinal user, so my liver could be under stress just because my food intake was not proper. Too many small goods, processed food and low intake of veggies and fruit. A few weeks later I did end up in Tuscany at Poggio Antico farm to do a WWOOF experience. Is there that I had my first and in-volunteer experience as a vegetarian eater. I was picking olives all day long and even if I was requested to work a few hours a day I was pushing myself to make the most out of that work experience. The family that hosts me, was a vegetarian and they would prepare and grow all their food, from Olive oil to cheese, bread, veggies and fruits. After about 10 days of hard work ( I was working voluntarily for about 8 to 10 hours a day) I end up gaining weight and was surprised when I end got back home I did another blood test and my liver was back to a healthy state. That experience gave me the biggest inspiration for food intake. Food is not what I want or what I would crave, but the food is about what my body needs and what Mother Nature has to offer. So soon after the Tuscany experience, I came to Australia and start working in the hospitality industry as Pizza Maker. That’s where I start acknowledging how for the sake of profit, those who sell you ready food to eat, will sacrifice your health in exchange for a bigger profit. In the following years, I stop eating processed food and became vegetarian too. Now, the fact that I choose not to eat animal flash is a personal choice that doesn’t suit all and I don’t think that has to be the choice of us all. I rather think that if your body needs meat/fish you should allow yourself to consume it. But just make sure to buy and consume sustainable products, of high quality and once in a while, not cheap stuff daily. How then be so in tune with the body? Well, the body will maybe not speak our language, but definitely will send out signals on what it does tolerate and what it doesn’t. For example, a daily intake of high sugar will puff the skin up. You will easily notice as the vain of your arms are not visible anymore, your stomach would swell and your breath will become heavy and smelly. These are a few signs of stomach acidity. The colour, consistency and timing of your faeces would not be regular too as your intestine is having a hard time processing the high-acid food. All these body signs will then affect your mood, so you will easily feel grumpy, depressed, or anxious and of how the correlation between body-mind and stomach-brain works you will easily end up in a cycle of eating for craving and not eating for northing your body. One way to break this cycle is to: Observe and also start writing down how you feel when you are craving high process food. As the craving arises, rather than opening a package of highly processed food go for seasonal fruits and raw nuts. Have regulars cycle meals such as Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner and fewer intermediate snacks made of processed food. When you want to buy package food, learn how to read and understand the ingredients that are in it. Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Cane Sugar Syrup, Cane Molasses, Golden […]
Jul
In this post we are going to talk about “Dive in, let it go” Often we get told that we should ” let it go “. How easy it is to say such a thing, but how hard it is to do so. When I was studying in Thailand to be a Thai Massage therapist, our teacher, Pichest, was making so much fun of us students when we were trying to approach his massage technique. And he was right to laugh. What students there are trying to do, is copy his movement without having his fluidity in approaching the Thai Massage technique itself. So, how does he teach others to let it go? This is how I did find a way to interpret Pichest teachings. Let’s start exploring the meaning of “let it go”. Let it go stands for no holding back on something/someone. No holding on to a loved one, an object, a situation or a feeling. So how we can recognise the fact that we are holding on to something then? This, I think, is the starting point. Recognize where and when we do hold on to something. From here, we can understand how to let it go. We tend to hold on to situations and feelings that make us feel safe, happy or protected. As these situations get exposed/under threat, we tend to tense up with our bodies. The first step, in order to recognise those tensions, we have to live in a clear state of mind, by reducing the body/mind intoxication to a safe/personal level. As the connection with the body gets clearer and deeper, we can start facing how that attachment affects our being. As you feel the body’s sensation arises, you should learn how to breathe through it. Let your breath be. Often when I do give Thai Massage or teach a Self Thai Massage class I have to recall the client of the importance of the breath. Breathe in and out from the nose and focus on the body area that is requiring your attention. Don’t feed the hunger or the fears that would arise, but do not either feed the excitement and joy of understanding the tensions, just feed your breath. As this cycle of understanding of the body takes place, we will automatically learn how to release the emotional tension/s related to the body’s sensation. Furthermore working from outside, just on the body level such as exercises and work-out is just a shallow approach to the let-go action. The strong work on the body will actually disconnect the body/mind connection. This is because hormones produced during physical exercise will fake up the body’s feelings. In conclusion, that’s how we can dive in to let it go, by slowing down the intake of sensorial input and by focusing on the body sensation that arises from discomfort situations.