Maintenance Techniques for twitter-finger.

Having been a massage therapist for 13 years now I have never had an injury to my arms, wrists or hands.  You can use these simple exercises to ensure a long life in whatever job you have that requires extensive use of the hands and forearms.

Take computing for instance, there is no other way you found this information, how many hours a day do you spend on the keyboard, the mouse, or just hunched over in that nice chair?  Now, how many minutes a day do you spend providing regeneration to the injured/over used tissue.  Now, what is your plan for pain free longevity in this position you so love?

You may be the type of person who just prefers having a massage to treat aches and pains, great, I’ll take your money.  However, do you realize that hard earned money you invest in therapy will go so much further if you take some responsibility?

Take 5 minutes and follow me through on these exercises, if you need a band contact me and you can stop by, or I will ship one.

Stay Tuned…

Elbow, Forearm and Wrist Pain Exercises

Benefits of Steam Offered at Stay Tuned

Steamy Wonder Canopy available at Stay Tuned Therapeutics

Why steam is better than wrapping

Dr. John Welbes, Director the college of Massage Therapy in Omaha, Nebraska recommends steam baths in the treatment of cellulite, finding it superior to body wraps in raising tissue temperature. “Body wraps are very slow,” says Dr. Welbes, “it may take an hour to achieve the same temperature increase that you can get in about 10 minutes in a steam bath.” According to Dr. Welbes, the heat helps loosen the fatty tissue so that it is less solid and can more easily be broken down.

Potential Dangers to Wrapping:

The wraps and electric blankets that are commonly used to heat clients during a body wrap are often made of plastic. Plastic releases toxins when heated, which can then absorbed by the body, creating more toxicity. The blankets also create an electrical field effect which many people believe is not healthy.

Weight and Cellulite Loss Benefits and Steamy Wonder™

A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat off 500 grams of sweat in a sauna-the equivalent of running three to four miles or 475 to 600 calories. While the weight of the water loss is regained by re-hydration, the calories burned are not.

How steam and treatment packages help you lose weight and reduce cellulite

As you relax in the Steamy Wonder™, your body is actually working hard to eliminate toxins and burn fat. Weight loss becomes possible because body fat becomes water soluble at 110 degrees and the body can sweat out fats, toxins, and heavy metals. During a heat treatment your heart works harder pumping blood at a greater rate to boost circulation, supplying the conditioning benefits of continuous exercise. Heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate increase. Because the metabolism rate increases during the Steamy Wonder™ treatment you are burning calories, not just water!

Scientific Research

As the body works to cool itself, there is a substantial increase in heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate. Blood flow during whole-body hyperthermia is reported to rise from a normal 5 to 7 quarts per minute to as much as 13 quarts per minute.

This benefit was recognized in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association as long ago as August 1981: “Many of us who run do so to place a demand on our cardiovascular system, not to build big leg muscles. Regular use of a sauna imparts a similar stress on the cardiovascular system, and its regular use may be as effective, a means of cardiovascular conditioning and burning of calories as regular exercise.”

“Clients come for stress reduction treatments weekly and the side benefit is that their clothing size is reducing as well as their stress level. They haven’t changed anything in their routine for weight loss beside regular Steamy Wonder™ treatments.”
B. Carol, Lic. Esthetician, LMT & Ayurvedic Practitioner, Fairfield, Iowa

According to a study published in The American Journal of Medicine, sauna bathing is well tolerated, safe and has therapeutic value for most healthy people, as well as for most patients with stable coronary heart disease.

Researchers examined the benefits and risks of sauna bathing for healthy adults and children, as well as for patients with coronary heart disease, hypertension, and congestive heart failure. This comprehensive review of the world’s biomedical literature (1966 to the present) was carried out by investigators from the Department of Internal Medicine and University of Oulu, Finland, and the Division of Cardiology, Washington Hospital Center, Washington D.C.

Relief from Joint Pain

Steam therapy has been used for hundreds of years by many cultures in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, joint stiffness and muscle spasms.

How does it work?

The deep heat of the Steamy Wonder™ helps to relieve pain by causing the blood vessels to dilate. This causes increased blood circulation and allows more oxygen to get to soft tissue injuries and sore muscles. This helps to reduce pain and speeds up the healing process. Increased blood circulation carries of metabolic waste products and delivers oxygen rich blood to oxygen-depleted muscles, so they recover faster. Muscles relax most readily when tissues are warm.

Scientific Research:

Sauna bathing has been used as a thermal therapy to treat pain and other symptoms of rheumatic disease. In studies based on interviews of 0ver 200 patients, 40% to 70% of participants reported that sauna bathing alleviated pain and improved joint mobility.
(Source: The American Journal of Medicine February 1, 2001, Volume 110)

Muscle Pain Relief

Steam therapy using the Steamy Wonder™ has been found to significantly reduce muscular pain and spasms. Pain is found to be alleviated in just one session and the benefit can last for several days after the treatment. Regular steam treatments 2 to 3 times per weeks have shown to have profound relief for those having muscle pain due to injury, menstruation pain, headaches, fibromyalgia and low back pain.

How steam works

As heat penetrates the muscles, capillaries dilate and there is an increased flow of oxygen to sore muscles. Muscles and tissues become more pliable and relaxed helping to increase mobility and reduce stiffness.

Scientific Research:

Sauna bathing has been used as a thermal therapy to treat pain and other symptoms of rheumatic disease. In studies based on interviews of over 200 patients, 40 to 70 percent of the participants reported that sauna bathing alleviated pain and improved joint mobility. (Source: The American Journal of Medicine, February 1, 2001, Volume 110.)

In addition, a New Jersey Medical School Researcher found that heat therapy was more effective than analgesics for low back pain. Several different types of pain including the lower and upper back and menstrual pain can be treated with low-level heat therapies.

The results showed that the low level heat therapy provided significantly more pain relief beginning on the first day of treatment than the oral analgesics and the effects lasted more than 28 hours after the treatment was completed.

Contact Missy or Geoffrey today for a consultation or to book your session!

Women Need Expanded Musculoskeletal Care During Pregnancy

Stay Tuned Therapeutics offers musculoskeletal work for pregnancy in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Here’s why…

ScienceDaily (Mar. 12, 2007) — Despite the high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy, few women in under-served populations receive treatment for their low back pain, according to a February 2007 study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT).  Moreover, researchers found that pain in a previous pregnancy may predict a high risk for musculoskeletal complaints in future pregnancies.

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According to Clayton Skaggs, DC, the study’s chief author, 85 percent of women surveyed reported that they had not received treatment for their musculoskeletal pain, and of the small percentage who perceived that their back complaints were addressed, less than 10 percent were satisfied with the symptom relief they obtained.

“Based on the findings of this study, doctors of chiropractic and other health care professionals need to expand the musculoskeletal care available during pregnancy, especially in underserved populations,” Dr. Skaggs said.  “As a proactive step, health professionals should consider including back pain screening as part of early obstetrical care to help identify musculoskeletal risk factors and allow for early education and/or treatment.”

Researchers surveyed more than 600 women at a clinic that serves predominantly an uninsured, underinsured or Medicaid-insured population.  Surveys were offered to all obstetrical patients and were designed to collect information about pregnancy-related pain and quality of life issues.  Of those women who responded to the survey, two-thirds reported back pain and nearly half of all women reported pain at two or more locations, including pelvic pain and mid-back pain.

The study findings suggest that pregnant women with back pain are predisposed to sleep disturbances.  In the survey, close to 80 percent of women reporting sleep disturbances had back pain, whereas only 8 percent of women without pain reported problems sleeping.  More alarming was the significant relationship between reports of musculoskeletal pain and the use of pain medication.  Three-fourths of the women who reported pain also described use of pain medication.

“We saw a direct association between sleep deficiency and back pain,” the authors said.  “These results raise the question of whether or not the high incidence of pain medication use reflects a lack of education about potential risks of medications or more an inability for the pregnant women to cope with the pain.”

The study’s authors also found a relationship between pain in a previous pregnancy and pain in the current pregnancy.  Similar to the results of other studies, researchers found that 85 percent of women who experienced pain in a previous pregnancy reported pain during their current pregnancy.

The study was the result of on-going collaboration between Logan College of Chiropractic and the Department of Obstetrics at Washington University School of Medicine.

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Adapted from materials provided by American Chiropractic Association.

American Chiropractic Association (2007, March 12). Women Need Expanded Musculoskeletal Care During Pregnancy. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 29, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/03/070307075536.htm

7th Interdisciplinary World Congress on Low Back & Pelvic Pain

I will be going to the 7th Interdisciplinary World Congress on Low Back & Pelvic Pain.

We would like to invite you to join us for the 7th Interdisciplinary World Congress on Low Back & Pelvic Pain, to be held in November 2010 in Los Angeles, U.S.A. This program is held every three years. All the disciplines involved in the treatment and research of musculoskeletal disorders around the globe come together in a stimulating meeting related to musculoskeletal disorders. Those of you who attended the last meeting in Barcelona will need no further encouragement to attend what promises to be another great congress. This is a great opportunity to meet and talk with members of diverse disciplines from all around the world.

Scientific sessions are already being planned and the quality of the speakers will be excellent. In addition we will offer you a relaxed atmosphere to meet, chat and have fun.

We hope you will all be able to join us.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Andry Vleeming

Dr Vert Moony

Dr Colleen Fitzgerald

Scientific Committee
Andry Vleeming, Vert Mooney, Colleen Fitzgerald, Jaap van Dieen, Maurits van Tulder, Robert Schleip, Leon Chaitow, Mel Cusi, Paul Chek, Diane Lee, Paul Hodges, Peter O’Sullivan, Paul Watson.

What is Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques?

From Erik Dalton, PhD, founder of Freedom From Pain Institute, creator of Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques.

What makes MAT Special?

Well-documented theories explain how joints become fixated from myofascial stressors; yet relatively unknown in the massage therapy community is how joint dysfunction creates protective muscle spasm and dysfunctional strain patterns, such as forward head postures, slumped shoulders and scoliosis. This reflexogenic relationship between muscles and joints is the foundation of the Myoskeletal Alignment Technique and is considered not only uniquely different from traditional thinking, but possibly an important next step in addressing abnormal strain patterns caused by muscle/joint imbalances.

Massage therapists can now safely address all soft tissues, including ligaments, nerve dura, fasciae, discs and joint capsules, responsible for much of the pain previously blamed on muscles alone. Osteopathic methods, such as muscle energy, strain-counter strain and mechanical link, are also designed to relieve muscle/joint dysfunctions, but the MAT method complements today’s bodywork practices as it was specifically designed to fit a massage-therapy format.

One distinguishing goal that establishes the MAT method apart from other techniques is its dependence on identification and correction of joint fixations. This is accomplished by systematically releasing deep spinal muscles, ligaments and fibrotic joint capsules that torsion and compress spinal joints. In some cases, a bodyworker may apply direct pressure to bones to release fibrotic muscles that create joint blockages, but the intent is always soft-tissue work.

Posture’s Roll

Most manual therapists today agree that no therapeutic approach to neck/back pain is complete unless body posture is generally improved. Whatever the root of the client’s condition, special attention must be dedicated to posture-especially the correct positioning of the pelvis. Many therapists complain that postural assessments are often too complex, too time-consuming, too clumsy-in a typical massage setting with the client draped.

The MAT method lessens assessment anxiety with an efficient five-minute hands-on evaluation that quickly identifies gross body asymmetries, such as pelvic tilts, short legs, sacroiliac dysfunctions, scoliosis, facet restrictions and hip-capsule adhesions. MAT also incorporates Vladimir Janda, M.D.’s upper-and-lower crossed visual assessment method for easy recognition of muscle-imbalance patterns that cause neck and low-back pain. Combining these hands-on and visual assessment techniques allows the therapist to immediately tell which muscles are tight and pulling unevenly on the body’s bony framework, and which weak muscles are permitting the asymmetry. Janda’s muscle-imbalance research has gifted bodywork practitioners with a remarkably useful model for explaining how predictable muscle imbalances cause predictable faulty postural patterns, such as slumped shoulders, forward heads, swaybacks and dowager’s hump. (Hands on procedures using Janda’s formula are detailed in Part II of this series.)

Ultimately, for long-lasting relief of chronic neck/back pain, the MAT system works to achieve these goals:

balancing the head on the neck

balancing the neck on the shoulders

balancing the shoulder girdle on the rib cage

balancing the pelvis on the femurs

restoring pain-free movement

Recent studies have confirmed a noticeable reduction in noxious neural input entering the spinal cord and brain when the postural goals listed above are met. In 1979, biomechanical researcher J. Gordon Zink, D.O., coined the term “common compensatory patterns” to describe routinely found postural patterns in the neuromyofascial-skeletal system. His studies were the first to validate how structure and function play a dual role in posturally initiated pain syndromes. Eventually, he concluded that postural muscle stress leads to chronic, recurrent central nervous system irritation initiated by sensory receptors, such as mechanoreceptors, nociceptors and chemoreceptors.

Postural muscles are structurally designed to resist fatigue and function in the presence of prolonged gravitational exposure. If their capacity to resist stress is lost, the postural muscles become irritable, tight and shortened. Fortunately, as balance and function are re-established in distorted myofascial structures, hyperactivity in agitated joint and muscle receptors rapidly dissipates. Zink’s conclusion leads to the underpinnings of the client’s outcome: less sympathetic muscle spasm, less limbic system activation, less stress-and less pain.

Pain Management During Pregnancy

What happens to the abdominal muscles during pregnancy?

First the anatomy. The rectus abdominus consists of two bands of muscle fibers that are glued together by the linea alba. (See Picture). It runs from the 4th / 5th rib down to the pubic bone. 

During pregnancy the growing baby and hormones (primarily relaxin) cause the linea alba to “unzip” in such a way that the rectus abdominus separates. (See picture). This separation, referred to as diastasis, allows the baby to come forward rather than push backwards on the spine – normal condition of pregnancy. The problem comes when the recti over separate leading to lower back discomfort, sciatica, weak abdominals, separation of the symphsis pubis and more.

“Weak abdominal muscles, like diastasis recti, contribute to poor posture which in turn cause joint misalignments, nervous system interference, and ultimately, pain and inflammation.”- Dr. Laura Brayton.

“I see this frequently in my pre and postnatal massage practice; women who have a diastitis recti have more lower back pain than women who don’t have one.” – Mollie Bollers, CMT, CIMI, Doula

Do I have the separation?

Here’s a way to find out. Lay on your back with your knees bent. Place your finger tips directly on your navel pointing toward your feet. Relax your abdominals. Slowly lift your head until you feel a ridge pulling in the midline of your body. This is diastasis. For the majority of women this separation is detectable by the 5th month.

How to prevent the separation from worsening?

First, be informed that abdominal exercises such as crunches, criss cross, jackknife, roll-up, roll over, and other exercises that involves flexion and extension of the spine ARE NOT for the pregnant mother. As a rule, during pregnancy, do not perform exercises that in the prone position require exertion of the abdominal muscles through lifting of the head and shoulders off the floor or mat and/or double leg lifts.

Exercises calling for you to lay on your back decrease your circulation and your baby’s. Also, exercises that involve rounding and “curving” of the spine (for instance when your shoulders roll forward) shift your weight back onto the spine. The shift can over stretch ligaments of the spine, tilt the uterus back increasing your chance for back labor cause, supine hypertension (decreased circulation) and more.

What to do?

There are proper exercises that avoid these complications and allow you to modify abdominal or core strengthening exercises. The key is to do it correctly by working the transverse abdominus that wraps around the abdomen like a belt.

Here is an exercise that works the tranverse abdominus.

Step 1: Sit comfortably with the legs crossed. Head, shoulders and sacrum (area between the lower back and buttocks) should be supported by a wall behind you. If you feel tight in the lower back and hips and feel as if this may inhibit your posture, place a pillow(s) underneath your buttocks that allow your legs to rest at a sloping angle to the floor.

Step 2: Place one hand at the top of your recti (where your ribs come together) and the other hand over the center of button). Elbows should be relaxed and by your side. Chest and shoulders should also be relaxed much the same way they are in a sigh of relief. The same muscles are affected.

Step 3: Breathe in through the nose â” nose in hands. Keep your chest relaxed and still. Stretch the lungs by expanding the belly. Exhale with hands drawn back to the spine.

Step 4: Tighten the abdominals. Make a slight cough to engage the tummy muscles. Repeat 3 times breathing slowly.

Step 5: On the last exhale hold the backward movement. Count out loud to regulate your breathing. Start with 30 seconds and work up to 2.5 minutes a day.

Practice this exercise 3 times a day. Try it before breakfast, lunch and dinner.

And remember that most trainers are not aware of diastisis and other prenatal and post-pregnancy healing issues. If you need help with your mummy tummy, it is in your best interests to find a fitness specialist with knowledge and experience in the special needs of prenatal and post-partum women.
Editorial provided by Anne Martens. Anne is the owner and founder of Bella Bellies Studio which is a fitness studio designed for prenatal and post pregnancy exercise.

Father’s Day Special

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21.  Choose any two services for Dad this Father’s Day at Stay Tuned Therapeutics, and receive 20% off.

Dad’s do a lot for us all throughout the year.  Treat Dad to a special gift of health, relaxation, pain management, or beautification.

Choose from the list of services…

Myoskeletal Alignment  $75.00

Sports Pedicure  (hour) $50.00

Men’s Manicure (30 min) $ 20.00

Men’s Facial Hour (hour)  $ 60.00

Back Wax Treatment  (price varies $35.00 – $50.00)

Leg Wax   $ 55
Call Missy today at 928-699-1801 to purchase gift certificates.  Visa, Master Card, Discover accepted.  Purchase now to receive certificates by mail in time for that special man in your life!

3 ways to prevent snow-shoveling injuries

Did you know that the intense exertion of shoveling snow, combined with the freezing cold, can make your heart rate and blood pressure soar? And people often shovel first thing in the morning, when heart attacks are more likely. Add in the heavy lifting and you have a risk of pulled muscles and back injuries. Here’s how to protect yourself while clearing off your steps and driveways:

• Prepare wisely. Dress in layers, and wear boots with slip-resistant soles. Use a shovel with an S-shaped handle, which causes less flexing of the spine. But consider using a snow thrower if you have back problems.

• Use good timing and technique. Try to shovel promptly, when the snow is still light and powdery. Hold the shovel close to your body and push rather than lift the snow whenever possible. If you must lift, use your legs to raise and lower your upper body and the shovel, keeping your back straight and feet apart.

• Watch for warning signs. If you feel pressure or pain in your chest, or discomfort spreading to your shoulders, neck, jaw, arms, or back, call for an ambulance immediately, chew and swallow an aspirin, and lie down. You could be having a heart attack. If you have a history of heart problems, the American College of Emergency Physicians advises against shoveling.

Reduction of Lateral Epicondylitis

A common misconception in the self treatment of pain is that we always need to stretch where it is that we feel the pain. A classic example is in the case of lateral epicondylitis, or “tennis elbow”.

When I look at the mechanics of what is commonly the cause of this condition I see a few factors coming into play.

First off, this is not a condition that is solely seen at the racket club and on the courts. Lateral epicondylitis is often seen with wrench turners, bakers, massage therapists, sign language interpreters, and so on. Any body whose lifestyle requires them to repetitively flex the forearm is at risk for this pesky pain generator. To be fair, racket sports beat the hell out of these tissues, on the back hand, if they are weak!

Here’s the deal…I have found this to be true in 90% of my clients. Weak.

The fix…balance. Oh balance, what a concept. Aside from work and sport, we were gifted with all sorts of other interest and ability. Bike riding for lesier or transport, car driving, dishes washed, weeding the garden, holding young ones, typing a blog, we use our forearm flexors to do nearly all we do. Enough of that…..

The fix…strengthen the opposing muscle group. Stretch the tight line, strengthen the weak line. The following images demonstrate a few simple daily techniques to stop this potentially lifestyle altering, and oftentimes painful epidemic.

Stretch the tight line…

So whats the problem? Is that a tight muscle, a joint problem, or a weakness?

Stretching the flexor muscles of the forearm, in some schools of thought, will reciprocally strengthen the extensors of the forearm. Be sure you are stretching all the way out from the fingertips as is shown in the above image.