Move to Live Newsletter by Choice Physical Therapy
Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life
WHERE DO YOU “CARRY” YOUR STRESS?
“My neck is always tight, that’s just where I carry my stress” If I only had a quarter for every time I’ve heard this expression (that’s right a quarter, not a nickel...honestly, when was the last time you used a nickel?!). (continued inside)
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Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life
WHERE DO YOU “CARRY” YOUR STRESS?
(continued from outside) Before we go any further, take a BIG, deep breath in. What moved first and most? If you’re like many Americans your stomach moved inwards, your shoulders moved up towards your ears, and your chest puffed out a bit. That’s NOT how it should be! Every muscle in our body has “tone”. Tone is the resting level of stiffness that has to be in a muscle so that we don’t succumb to the effect of gravity. Where we tend to get into trouble is when certain muscles become “hypertonic” (too stiff) or “hypotonic” (not enough stiffness). Our nerves and nervous system control how much tone we have in our muscles. For the purpose of this conversation we’re going to divide the nervous system into two parts: sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight mode, adrenaline response, protective mode) and parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest, think parachute...it slows you down). As a society, we tend to be stressed out and when that happens, one of our first responses is to change our breathing pattern. Typically, we’d prefer you use your diaphragm primarily while breathing (large muscle under your rib cage, has connections to your pelvic floor and plays a key role as a part of your core). Muscles in your neck and chest also should be active during the breathing process but really should serve a secondary or complementary role. When your fight or flight response
takes over there’s a shift in the powers that be...your neck/chest muscles take over as the primary breathing muscles and your diaphragm takes a back seat. As humans, we average 16 breaths per minute; 960 breaths per hour; 23,040 breaths per day; 8,409,600 breaths in a year! Light bulb moment: maybe we don’t “carry our stress” in our necks. Likely, we’re over using our neck muscles while breathing to the tune of 8+ million times per year! Starts to explain why no matter how much you try and stretch those muscles, they continue to always feel “tight”. Awesome, so what’s the answer? We take a two part approach. First step is teaching new breathing patterns, utilizing the diaphragm as opposed to overusing the neck and chest muscles (when taking that deep breath in, your shoulders and chest should stay relaxed and your belly should inflate with air...like a balloon). Second step, uncover what situations or postures are stressing your body and put a plan in place to address those. Let me know if you’re interested in learning more or ready to get to the root of your annoying neck stiffness!
Have a relaxing June as we keep getting closer to normal! Joe
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HOW DOES POOR POSTURE AFFECT ME?
Changes to your posture can negatively affect your body, and you may find yourself experiencing some of the following symptoms: • If your posture contains a forward head tilt– This forward-head posture creates a strain on the neck, which can result in neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, chronic headaches, and lower back pain. Tilting your head forward for long periods of time shortens the muscles in the back of the neck, and can result in soreness throughout multiple parts of your body. • If your posture contains slouching of the mid-back – If you slouch the middle of your back, you can drive your head forward and alter the way your ribs naturally align. By doing this, you may experience pain in the slouched region of the mid-back, in addition to pain in the neck. If this is your average standing posture, it is important to seek physical therapy treatment right away – over time, standing like this day after day may cause internal issues, as it creates pressure on your lungs, heart, and digestive system. • If your posture includes sitting for long periods of time – When you sit for prolonged periods of time, the muscles in your hips and legs will stiffen. When these muscles become stiff, they tighten and will pull on the lower back, causing pain. The joints also lose their range of motion, which can cause soreness or achiness in the hips, legs, and back, and can create issues with your gait. The way in which you walk can also have an effect on your posture. When you have improper posture, your center of gravity changes. This can cause your balance to decline, which can cause pain when walking, thus creating
a vicious cycle of overcompensation and pain. The most common symptom of poor posture is lower back pain, although pain can be present in other parts of the body, as well. The back muscles constantly contract to keep you upright, and they overcompensate when you slouch or hunch
Try this movement if you are experiencing back pain. Exercise Essentials Try this exercise to improve your posture. If you are experiencing pain, and you think it may be a result of your posture, give us a call today. We will help you get back to a comfortable posture with just a few sessions. They will evaluate your posture and gait to determine the best treatments necessary for you, and then they will create a treatment plan unique for your needs. They can improve your posture, eliminate your pain, and get you back to doing the activities you love to do. over. Over a period of time, constant poor posture can create an unusual amount of wear and tear on the lower back, which can increase the risk of arthritis in the spine. How can physical therapy help? If these at-home treatments don’t work, it is important to consult help from a physical therapist. Simply standing up straight is a fight against gravity, and if you have been standing the wrong way for several years, it may be difficult to change it on your own. However, physical therapists are dedicated to getting you on back on track to a pain free, and risk free life.
Patient Success Story
Improves Posture
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TANDEM WALK - WALL Stand with the fingertips of one, or both, hands resting on a wall. Place the feet ‘heel to toe’ with the left foot forward. Steady yourself in this position. Step forward with the right foot, placing the heel directly in front
of, and touching, the toes of the left foot. Step forward with the left foot, placing the heel directly in front of, and touching, the toes of the right foot. Repeat this sequence, moving forward down the hallway. Reverse direction, moving backward down the hallway.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
May i s Men t a l Hea l t h Awareness Month and our team at CPT took on the 31 Day Self Care Challenge with full force!! Each day the Nat i ona l Al l iance on Mental Il lness recommended an action to improve your self care, an impor tant component of mental Health. Check out the picture col lage of our team par ticipating in this challenge!!
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