Muscle Preparation

As I prepare for a long weekend snowboarding in Idaho, I feel like it is important to give my muscles a bit more attention. I have put together a short routine for the muscles where I feel the ripping and shredding the most. These are a few of the rolling techniques I have been using. You may find them useful as well. You carving, you carve, you carve, you carve, no slide.....even if it's icy.



(fig. 1.) Gluteal muscles. These guys get fatigued a bit in the squatting position used frequently in snowboarding. While in the squat, we are using our back foot to maneuver the tail of the board for steering. This position on the foam roller puts glute max on a bit of a stretch , as we roll the tissue all around the sacrum we also touch on the long dorsal sacroiliac ligament. This is crucial in having freedom of movement in the SI joint. In my opinion, it is a wise idea to do some type of straight leg extensions after "opening up" and "turning on" this tissue. This can be done by lying face down and doing straight leg raises.

(fig.2.) Heinemann, or DH danceman, says he's been getting it in his quadriceps muscles. I agree. Here we roll from above the knee to the hip and back. Easy enough. If you have not used a foam roller in the past, you may be surprised at the depth of pressure you can achieve. Tilt your body left and right a bit to get the lateral and medial tissues of the thigh. An attempt should be made to push the lateral tissues back up to the middle of the bone. Separate the bellies of the 4 quads.




(fig. 3) Knee pain may be resolved to some degree by paying special attention to the connective tissue around the knee. Just below the knee, on the outside, is the attachment of bicep femoris. This hamstring muscle has been known to cram the tib fib joint closed, reducing the available slide, shock absorbing element of this part of the "knee" joint.

Use your upper body to provide movement from the knee to the hip. At the top of this movement do get into the tissue of the TFL, tilt slightly forward, All around that IT band tissue.

(fig. 4) Lats. Latissimus dorsi that is. Very interesting muscle. This dude is attatched to the arm, the low back, and the hip. So it helps in feeding, walking, rotation of the spine, side bending, so we see how this is important in snowboarding. have to eat ya know!

With the arm over head and externally rotated, we roll from around the arm pit, down to the ribs. Watch those floaters at the bottom of the rib basket. The intent is to pull the tissue back to the back to the beat. Get on the back of the "rotator cuff" high at the arm pit. I like to add an enhancer here, internal and external rotation of the humerus.

I hope you find these foam roller techniques useful. If you do not have a roller, you may find one at your local PT department, many massage therapist, running stores, and yoga studios may have them as well. This is a great device to have between massage appointments for at home care. They are cheap, fun, feel good and help create bodily awareness. Have fun with this stuff. Try some balance work. Squats while standing, arms out front. Stand erect doing overhead extensions. Lay on your back, foam roller length wise under spine. try to lift one foot then the other. What do you find. Core.

Team Avocado

Team Avocado was founded in around 1992, give or take six or eight months. (maybe someone can let me know)...... I do not feel as though I was one of the "Original Gangsters" or "OG" as they now call it in the central mid-west. The two who started the posse are long gone from the old turf and I will not give out their names.

I joined up with Team Avocado about two weeks after the historic joining of forces. It was a trip for sure!! MH. and his posters. TB with the macaroni with ketchup. Other DH. with mattress lined rooms for battles of kick. DD best bite mark and flop. GB. the rock and roll bedroom equipped with new drums!! MH.with DRAGNET! TH with the best Mom.* JR best phone number. Fire! Fire! GB best getting his ass kicked around DH's porch by his girlfriend. And the list goes on. We all had our place then and we all have places now. But the houses are not as close.

Here's the plan, have a good trip. Mellow. Get ready for the projects called life. Or just forget about it for a few days.

*all Moms are the best..

Next entry......stretch it first.

Second Heart System- Part One

The walking cycle is complex to say the very least. It takes a harmonious balance between the head and neck, spine, ribs, arms, hips, knee and ankle movement. And that is just with-in the bones. Imagine the process form the viewpoint of muscle, ligament, nerves, and fascia. There needs to be an effective firing order of trunk rotation, latisimus dorsi, thoracolumbar fascia, glute max, and lateral hamstring (bicep femoris). All of this is very complex and is something that I am attempting to understand.

I do know the simple act of walking may decrease the likely hood of deep vein thrombosis in the lower extremity, and increased flexibility and tone may help the return of blood flow from the lower leg to the heart.

Many anatomists refer to the soleus muscle as the second heart. The soleus is located somewhat deep in the calf; it is the second muscle deep to the skin, just deep to gastrocnemius. It may be an active muscle in the “toe off” phase in the walking and running cycle, but it's main job is stabilization in the stance phase. Electromyography shows that this muscle is made up of nearly 100% slow twitch, high endurance muscle fibers. This means it does not fatigue easy, and may just become neurologically facilitated to the point where it needs intervention to turn off.

Just deep to the soleus muscle is the venous return system from the lower leg. The veins have a few branches and some of the smaller venuals entwine through the muscles belly and run deep. The veins need effective pumping and the muscle needs freedom of movement to provide this pumping action. Strength and flexibility are two key factors for healthy lower legs.

There are a few things we can do to ensure freedom of movement in this tissue. Using a foam roller is one great technique for applying just the right amount of pressure to this deep calf muscle. Roll from the head of gastroc down to the heel for lengthening the muscle fibers. Try flexing and extending the ankle to get deeper into the fascial layers and to provide a distraction technique if needed. The key is to get the bellies of the muscles separated, allowing space for the blood to flow when the pumping action of the lower legs is active.

Always check with your doctor if you are in pain. Deep leg thrombosis is very dangerous and may indicate the care of a physician. Do not attempt these movements if you suspect any clotting in the tissue. Please check with your doctor first.

Lifting and Twisting

So.... We have had some snow in Flag. We put old Babs to the test. The snow plow moved this bank up onto the side walk, I cleared the whole thing, then had my Dad stand here for a photo opportunity. He made it out alive!! The lifting and twisting motion of removing this snow fall from our driveways and sidewalks brought many people in with acute back pain.

He moved a lot of snow. Before that he raised three kids, worked in the produce industry, beef industry, and back to produce. Dad is 64 years of age. He retired 2 years ago from a major grocery store in the mid-west, with no back pain!

When we go to the grocery store we pick up items in the produce department. I want you to think about this:

Stacks of potatoes- 10 lbs a bag.
Celery- boxes weigh around 40 lbs.
Carrots- boxes weigh around 40 lbs.
Apples- boxes weigh around 40 lbs. And are stacked high and long. 8-10 varieties.
Banana- boxes weigh around 60 lbs. Organic and non-organic.
Lettuce- boxes weigh around 40 lbs. Washed in freezing water. 4 varieties.
Oranges- boxes weigh around 40 lbs. And are stacked high and long.
Peanuts, Chard, Endive, Green Beans, Pineapple, Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic, Grapefruit, Avocado, Peppers of all variety, Asparagus, Watermelon, Squash.....and on and on and on......

No back pain. That's quite a work out everyday. Go back up and look at this guy's posture. No Hunch, strong core, strong back, all as a result of many years of similar work to the snow lifting.

From Dalton's Blog.......

Much controversy exists in the biomedical and rehabilitation community as to the preferred strategy for lifting. This may actually come as some surprise to many of you who believe that lifting with a flat or arched back (lordotic posture) is unequivocally the safer and more efficient way to lift objects from the ground.

Serge is a proponent of what is called the rounded back (kyphotic posture) lifting theory. At a Rolf Institute annual meeting presentation in the early 80’s, Serge argued that the back muscles are not strong enough to properly support the spine and that when lifting naturally (without being coached how to lift) people will round their backs relying on the posterior ligaments and lateral thoracolumbar fascia to support their spines. He insists that lifting with an arched back is dangerous, since contraction of the erector spinae muscles increases the compressive load on the spine.

In fact, a fundamental problem in spinal biomechanics is explaining why vertebrae and discs are not crushed during the lifting of even relatively small loads. This problem has been wrestled with by spinal experts for years.

Gracovetsky attempts to solve the problem by proposing a model of the spine where lifting occurs without great involvement of the back muscles. They argue that lifting with a rounded back (kyphotic lifting posture) is safer since this results in less contraction of the erector spinae (lower back) muscles.

He believes that to lift properly, we must rely on passive bracing of the posterior ligamentous system and the thoracolumbar fascia of the spine for support. They claim that this lifting posture/strategy is to be preferred, since it results in less spinal compression and less tendency for shear forces in the spine.

Gracovetsky argues that the lower back muscles are not located posterior enough to the spine to be able to exert very much extensor torque and that since the erectors are located very close and lateral to the spine, they were never intended to generate much power.

While I may not agree one hundred percent with this model, many people do seem to lift this way, and many never have acute low back pain......

Hope it helps........and I hope we receive more snow!!

Welcome......

Thoracolumbar Junction Dysfunction Fix. Pain from this junction may be felt in the top of hip, glutes, IT Band, and into the groin. Rarely is pain felt at the site of dysfunction.

Stroke Awareness

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.
If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously..

Please read:

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is t ough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .


Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

Low Back Pain

This is one of my favorite Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques for assisting clients with low back pain. When the psoas muscle (and others) tugs anteriorly on the spine, it can cram the facet joints closed in the lumbar spine. Here we take a client into a side lying position and ask them to do pelvic tilts. When pelvic tilts are performed it asks the joints to open and close, in this case we want the joints to open more, so concentration is placed on posterior tilt, or thrusting the pubic bone forward. Sustained pressure is applied, creating more resistance to clients effort, thus creating more movement in spinal segment upon effort.

Myoskeletal Calander 2008

Here we are, on the front end of another great year. 2008. Again this year I will be assisting Erik Dalton, PhD. and Kim Miller, with the Freedom From Pain Institute, in providing outstanding education to soft tissue practitioners, massage therapists, physical therapists, chiropractors, personal trainers, and sports therapists. The Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques platforms have proven to be the most accurate in assessment and correction that I have studied and used in my practice. I used to find it difficult to reproduce results from session to session. That was until I learned more of the accurate assessments, what to really look for when clients came in with specific dysfunctions and specific pain. Knowing what to look for has made all the difference. The second step is knowing what to do with said dysfunction.

Thinking "out side the box " of typical massage therapy and using all of the soft tissue in the body to achieve results is the corner stone of the Myoskeletal Techniques. We, as massage therapists, are becoming increasingly aware of other inert tissues. Mechanoreceptors in the body give our brain information about the health of joints and healthy, or unhealthy, joint movement. This in turn can activate a response of many other receptors, nociceptors tell us about pain, chemoreceptors tell us about the bombardment of chemicals due to protective muscle guarding and so on....these are all conditions that the soft tissue community should begin to consider when treating people who are in pain. Food for thought.

And so here is our schedule. Hope to see you therapists there!

Feb. 29 - March 2, 2008
Tucson, Arizona Vacation/ Education Destination
Massage Therapy Advanced Neck, Sciatic and Rotator Cuff
24 CE hours

Day 1… Advanced Neck Routines: Dalton’s new head & neck workshop helps therapists determine if pain emanates from pinched nerves or irritated joint receptors. Enhance your palpation skills with this innovative approach for correcting complex conditions such as “chronic cricks”, whiplash, migraines, and facet/rib pain. Pain management therapists will love this skill enhancing presentation.

Day 2…Sciatic: Simplified "back spasm" recipe for torsioned spines, locked SI joints and adhesive hip capsules. Includes innovative side-lying deep tissue massage therapists techniques & assisted stretching routines…perfect for treating large or pregnant clients.

Day 3…Rotator Cuff Corrections: New approaches for fixing impingement syndromes and frozen shoulders are introduced in this combined soft tissue and joint mobilization presentation. Dalton's unique joint capsule, ligament, bursa, and myofascial mobilization techniques will enhance your assessment, palpation and treatment skills. A must take seminar for all sports therapists! This three-day Myoskeletal Alignment Certification workshop compliments all forms of manual therapy.

To register call Michael at 800-766-1942 or register at www.takemyregistration.com

March28-30, 2008

New Orleans, LA. Education- Party on the Bayou

Myoskeletal Alignment for Neck, Back and Hip Pain
24 CE hours

Day 1… Neck Pain: Dalton’s very popular “Dirty Dozen” pain-bustin’ techniques help massage therapists assess and correct neck "cricks", dowager's humps, TOS, pinched nerves, scoliosis, rib pain and more.


Day 2…Back Pain: Simplified "back spasm" recipe for torsioned spines, locked SI joints and adhesive hip capsules. Includes innovative side-lying techniques & assisted stretching routines…perfect for treating large or pregnant clients.


Day 3…Hip Pain: Learn simple myoskeletal pelvic balancing techniques that focus on eliminating joint/ ligament pain originating at the lumbo-sacral junction. Since the SI joint can become stuck “crooked” in ten positions between the innominates, pain management therapists must be armed with effective tools to fix this common complaint….Incorporate these on Monday morning and watch your practice grow.
This three-day Myoskeletal Alignment workshop compliments all forms of manual therapy.

To register call Michael at 800-766-1942 or register at www.takemyregistration.com

Don't Miss This!

Dalton's 6th Annual Costa Rica Retreat

2008 Pain Management in Paradise

Dual Workshops with Erik Dalton and Aaron Mattes-Creator of Active Isolated Stretching

Click the Link to see Brochure!!

June 6-8, 2008

Dallas, Texas Vacation while you learn...

at the world famous Cooper Clinic- Guest Lodge Hotel & Spa

Advanced Neck, Sciatic, and Rotator Cuff Pain
24 CE hours

Day 1… Advanced Neck Routines Workshop: Dalton’s new head & neck techniques help therapists determine if pain emanates from pinched nerves or irritated joint receptors. Enhance your palpation skills with this innovative approach for correcting complex conditions such as ‘chronic cricks’, whiplash, migraines, and facet/rib pain.

Day 2…Sciatic Pain: Simplified "back spasm" recipe for torsioned spines, locked SI joints and adhesive hip capsules. Includes innovative side-lying deep tissue massage therapy techniques & assisted stretching routines…perfect for treating large or pregnant clients.

Day 3…Rotator Cuff Corrections: New approaches for fixing impingement syndromes and frozen shoulders are introduced in this combined soft tissue and joint mobilization presentation. Dalton's unique joint capsule, ligament, bursa, and myofascial mobilization techniques will enhance your assessment, palpation and treatment skills. This Advanced Myoskeletal Alignment Certification workshop was designed for structural integrators, pain-management, and sports therapists.

A must take workshop event for all sports therapists!

To register call Michael at 800-766-1942 or register at www.takemyregistration.com

July18-20

Salt Lake City, Utah

Education-Relaxation Destination

Holiday Inn- Airport West
24 CE hours

Dirty-Dozen Neck, Low Back and Shoulder Routines

Day 1… Neck Pain: Dalton’s very popular Dirty-Dozen techniques help therapists assess and correct neck ‘cricks’, dowager's humps, TOS, pinched nerves, scoliosis, rib pain and more.

Day 2…Low Back Fix: Simplified "back spasm" recipes for torsioned spines, locked SI joints and adhesive hip capsules. Includes innovative side-lying deep tissue technique & assisted stretching routines…perfect for treating large or pregnant clients.

Day 3…Shoulder Pain: New approaches for fixing impingement syndromes and frozen shoulders are introduced in this soft tissue joint mobilization presentation. Dalton's unique joint capsule, ligament, bursa, and myofascial mobilization techniques enhance assessment, palpation and treatment skills for all forms of manual therapy.

To register call Michael at 800-766-1942 or register at www.takemyregistration.com

Aug. 22-24

Kansas City, Missouri

Barbecue and Blues with Erik Dalton

Holiday Inn KCI & Expo Center
24 CE hours

Advanced Myoskeletal Alignment for Sciatic, Pelvic, and Cervical Pain

This newly-added advanced class explores hidden causes of back, butt and leg pain including SI joint dysfunction. New assessment routines based on research presented at the First Fascial Conference at Harvard will look at Ascending Syndromes...pain originating in the feet and legs that affect pelvic balance and Descending Syndromes...pain originating in the head and neck creating scoliotic strain patterns that refer into the arms and thorax.

Participants will learn exciting new Myoskeletal approaches for treating soft-tissue conditions such as ligament failure, joint capsule adhesions and myofibroblast pain. A must--take class for all structural integrators, pain management and sports therapists!

To register call Michael at 800-766-1942 or register at www.takemyregistration.com

October 17-19

Atlanta, Georgia
Myoskeletal Alignment: Neck, Sciatic and Leg Pain
24 CE hours

To register call Michael at 800-766-1942 or register at www.takemyregistration.com

November 14-16

Baltimore, MD
Myoskeletal Alignment: Neck, Sciatic and Leg Pain
24 CE hours

To register call Michael at 800-766-1942 or register at www.takemyregistration.com

Massage Boosts Mood and Benefits Immune Function in Children with Leukemia

Following a month of daily massage therapy, administered by parents, the white blood cell and neutrophil counts of children with leukemia increased significantly, according to a recent study. The research also revealed decreased anxiety and lower levels of depression in both the children and their parents.

"Leukemia immune changes following massage therapy" was conducted by researchers at the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine, in conjunction with staff at Hollywood Memorial Regional Hospital. It was originally published in October 2001 in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.

Twenty children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were randomly assigned to either receive massage therapy or remain in a standard-treatment control group. Throughout the one-month study, each child continued to receive standard care for leukemia.

On the first day of the research, parents in the massage-therapy group were trained to massage their children under the guidance of massage therapists. Beginning with the child in the supine position, parents were instructed to start by stroking the face, followed by the stomach, legs and arms. With the child in the prone position, parents were taught to massage the back; rub and knead the shoulders; and stroke along the back, as well as from the crown to the feet.

The parents were told to massage their children at bedtime for 15 minutes every day for one month. They were also told that the massage was expected to aid in relaxation and the reduction of anxiety and depression.

Parents in the control group completed questionnaires on the first and last days of the research, and they were given the option of learning the massage at the end of the one-month study.

Pre- and post-session assessments were made before and after the massage therapy and control sessions on the first day of research, to evaluate immediate effects. The State/Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to measure the mood of the parents, who rated items such as "I feel nervous" and "I feel calm" on a scale that ranged from "not at all" to "very much so."

The Profile of Mood States (POMS) was used to evaluate both the parents and children. It consists of 20 adjectives, such as "blue," "sad" and "miserable," which are rated on a five-point scale, from "not at all" to "extremely." The State Anxiety Inventory for Children was also administered.

Long-term effects were measured on the first and last days of the study. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), a 20-item scale that rates symptoms of depression throughout the past week on a four-point scale, from "rarely or none of the time" to "most or all of the time," was used to rate the parents' depression.

A complete blood count, which measures white blood cell and neutrophil counts, along with hemoglobin, was recorded from each child's medical chart on the first and last days of the study.

On the first day of the study, following the massage session, parents in the massage-therapy group had lower anxiety and depressed mood levels than parents in the control group. Children in the massage-therapy group had lower anxiety and depression levels after the first massage, as well.

From the first to the last day of the study, the depression level of the massage-therapy group parents decreased, and their children's white blood cell and neutrophil counts increased significantly.

According to the authors of this study, "The increased white blood count and neutrophil count following massage therapy suggests the usefulness of this therapy for maintaining optimal immune function over the course of cancer treatment."

- Source: The Touch Research Institute. Authors: Tiffany Field, Christy Cullen, Miguel Diego, Maria Hernandez-Reif, Phillippa Sprinz, Kristen Beebe, Bonnie Kissell, Vivian Bango-Sanchez. Originally published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2001, Vol. 5, pp. 271-274.

This article was written for Massage Magazine.

Re-birth

I am going to make another run at this blog.....Well, I had many posts up that I deleted. I know you all have been checking daily, and welcome to the new visitors.............