THIS POST is to assist and encourage you in your muscular healing process. Each of us has our own past injuries that have shaped us. I wanted to blog this in a way that it could help someone with long-term pain as well as someone who feels that they need to know what to look for and practice prevention and maintenance.
Obviously, everyone feels changes as they age, and this post can aid you aging gracefully.
I also mentioned the medical profession because getting help is always best. But I found that doctors really don't want to deal with these issues and just advise rest and pain medication. There were times where I felt the medical people treated you as if you were making it all up or it was just in your head. As if they didn't want to believe that someone could have chronic pain that was really just that chronic pain.
My personal struggles with my long-term pain are touched on in this guide as an example. And it has been my determination to heal that brings awareness to certain factors that can help anyone at any stage in their healing. My sincere hope is that the people who read this can heal as well. be determined and be in charge.
Do You Have Chronic Muscle Pain ? ? ?
DOCTORS WOULD TELL YOU TO take anti-inflammatory and aspirin. But I'm not a doctor, I am a regular person like you that has had chronic muscle pain and beat it. You ask : How did I beat it? I beat it by taking my health into my own hands. By being in charge enough to figure out how to fix my pain.
I had a severe problem with my neck. it reached a climax when my right arm stopped working and was like a dead noddle. I tried cortisone shot in the neck, I tried chiropractic, I tried acupuncture, and I tried massage. I would say that each had an effect except the shot in the neck, but in the end it was my persistence and ingenuity that allowed me to heal my self. I did it my way.
Let me explain why. I discovered that the body as a mechanism is constantly trying to find balance between its right and left side. When you injure one side, it literally impacts both sides because change occurs to find a new balance. Muscles kick in to cover for the injured part, more muscle is created to find balance. My personal experience was that I literally had one bad muscle on top of one another, layers upon layers trying to do one thing, find balance. Now my condition was so bad that masseuses gave up working on my neck and my doctor compared it to piano wire, so in my case the acupuncture was necessary to allow the masseuse to make a change to the muscle.
I know there are a lot of techniques to changing muscle, to get it to release or relax. However, the one technique that really works is to apply steady pressure to the knotted area and just wait it out until it caves or releases. My masseuse actually spent 90 minutes holding on one muscle with his elbow to get it to loosen up, it was just that locked up. And when you are in really bad shape each release does take awhile, however the release you'll feel is like a breath of fresh air. And you can assist in the process by taking big deep breaths and staying calm.
Im my case I needed 4 years of massage and at times I couldn't afford the masseuse. When that happens, use a knobble, it's a muscle tool that allows you to place the rounded point to the problem muscle and use the floor as the wedge. Any immovable surface can act as the wedge. You have to find what works for you. As long as the muscle is trapped and has constant pressure, the muscle will release. So yes, you can do this alone, with no cost to you besides buying the $10.00 muscle tool. I know some people aren't comfortable with paying for massage and that's OK as long as you have a way to take care of yourself and this is how you do it.
The days of popping a pill for temporary relief need to go. The body gives us pain to tell us something is wrong and it is up to us to listen and respond. By covering up the pain with a pill we never resolve the underlying problem. We need to start caring for the body in finding the imbalance. And usually there are 3 points affected by a problem spot. Where the pain is coming from is one , then there are to 2 spots on the opposite side. All 3spots need work because they are acting as a team. And often when the knobble is in location, the 2 other spots can flare up to tell you where they are, and it is handy to have more than one knobble so that you can work the body's balance system by releasing both sides of your body, because one bad muscle on one side has a best friend helping him out on the other side. And you'll find thru experimentation, that when you have 2 muscles trapped, a third muscle (a close neighbor) will kick in that wasn't participating before because it's trying to pick up the slack of what the trapped muscle can't do .The body's natural tendency is always to activate a muscle when the body is out of balance or another muscle needs assistance. This can create overlapping bad muscles. Just as the body can create bone where there is deficiencies, the body can also create more muscle. Whereas ideally, we want the original muscle relaxed and working properly then to have one bad tissue over another. My neck was huge with bad muscle and once corrected, my neck became half the size. people thought I had lost weight and all that happened was my neck shrunk.
Even after doing all the muscle work, I found there were still imbalances. I used a weighted tubular bar and placed it in different locations and found more locked up muscles, muscles that I never thought would be impacted by the neck, such as having bad muscles under and to the left of the sternum. The weighted bar allowed those muscles to relax, muscles that I didn't even know existed. so, in essence, it takes some experimentation with your body to find all of the imbalances. And sometimes they aren't even near each other.
Every one of my past injuries played a part in my chronic pain, my body had distorted itself and became unbalanced. After all, pain is the body's only way of communicating with you that there is a problem. And I would say, the biggest problem out there is that we mask our pain with drugs instead of searching for and correcting the muscular problem that caused our pain to begin with.
My Theory
I HAVE THE THEORY THAT there is a way to stave off the aging process where it relates to movement and taken further can prevent osteoporosis. And I don't mean by the act of exercise. I mean by making changes to the body to give it better alignment and balance and correcting structural problems. Chiropractors have tried to use this approach, but have failed in the attempt, their result is usually temporary. Masseuses have also tried this approach and failed, although they are closer. What if neither is necessary, what if what we have to fight is the body's own natural tendencies or the way it operates.
Be aware that the fetal position is the body's natural way of dealing, of protecting itself, more innate than learned.
So if that's the case, then what does the body do in aging? I submit that the body's natural way is to return to the fetal position. Older people begin to slouch, the body literally caves inward as part of the aging process. What if you could make the body return from its inward tendencies to an outstretched position? I have done this, and I have renewed movement, I have found that the parts of the body work again and with more efficiency. I feel younger, while at the same time, I also feel the body does still age, but with less of a price.
I then contemplated osteoporosis. I believe that because the body caves inward with age and injury,it is creating a change to the bones. Through my chiropractic experience, I have found that the muscles are usually to blame for the sublexations that occur. Though either injury or aging, the muscles become out of balance and put pressures on the bones to make adjustments. Where chiropractic is successful in putting the bones back in proper alignment, however, if you don't fix the muscles first, it literally becomes useless. It seems that the muscles have the real power and can overtake the bones, which is where osteoporosis comes in. So once you put the body's tendency of moving inward into play, and muscles overtaking the bones, there is no stopping the bones from forming whatever position the muscles take them in. And this caving in is where the muscles will take them based on the body's natural tendency.
So then you ask, how did I return my body from its caving inward position? I tried something very unusual. I laid on my back on the floor, and applied a tubular weight to positions on my front that would elongate my width, to reverse the caving inward position. Using weights is a similar approach as massage, only there is no need for movement or work by a masseuse. The body's natural tendency with massage is that the pressure causes the muscle to relax. The same works with weight. Only weight is actually more effective. Sometimes it's hard to relax when someone's digging in your muscles. But with a weighted object, you are in control, and you are able to relax and the muscle works that much faster at relaxing and elongating. All you have to focus on is your breathing, nice long deep breaths. Not to mention, that a masseuse can only work one muscle at a time, whereas the weighted object can literally relax all of the muscles in its path.
Another thing I became aware of, was what I learned about bone density. I took a bone density test at 40. They kept saying the test must be reading wrong after getting the same result 4 times. They said if they read the test results as is, my bones are equivalent to a 20 yr old. Apparently the test is based on a 26 yr old and I tested far below that. Because I did gymnastics and did a lot of repetition with landings, I have to assume that old saying "Use it or Lose it" applies here. Your bones must be used to stay healthy and strong. If you are a long-term couch potato, then yes your bones are likely to deteriorate from lack of use. Simple activities such as walking are instrumental to your bone health if you are not the athletic type. For upper body bone health, you can hold the standard push-up position for 30 seconds and you've worked and applied weight on those upper body bones.
So in conclusion, there is ways to promote a holistic approach to gaining your movement back from its aged condition or injured condition. And I'm always in favor of exercise to promote a healthy body. But sometimes that just isn't enough, as I am proof that a life of sports is not enough. I believe in good movement for all regardless of age, so keep fighting the goof fight.
The Mighty Most Overlook Muscle
THE MUSCLE I AM REFERRING to is called the sternocleidomastoid muscle . This muscle can do a lot of damage when it is stressed and has years of neglect. I call it the most overlooked muscle because I've received massages for years and most massage therapists are afraid to work on the neck in general and when they do work the neck it's usually only the back side that they work on. Most of them will say the problem is elsewhere. When you try to pin a masseuse to working on the neck, a lot of them will tell you they don't work on the front side because there is too much health risks involved, which clearly makes this muscle ignored since it is located in the front and side of the neck. You can feel it start under the jaw out wide and travels sideways toward the throat. This muscle is a large muscle that greatly affects the smaller neighboring muscles that are finger like parts that literally grip both your front and back side almost like a claw that clamps both sides and gives you front to back stability.
It has
THE JUNGLE BOOK : The Bare Necessities http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=aZ6OSf1jKiI
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard
And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Obviously, everyone feels changes as they age, and this post can aid you aging gracefully.
I also mentioned the medical profession because getting help is always best. But I found that doctors really don't want to deal with these issues and just advise rest and pain medication. There were times where I felt the medical people treated you as if you were making it all up or it was just in your head. As if they didn't want to believe that someone could have chronic pain that was really just that chronic pain.
My personal struggles with my long-term pain are touched on in this guide as an example. And it has been my determination to heal that brings awareness to certain factors that can help anyone at any stage in their healing. My sincere hope is that the people who read this can heal as well. be determined and be in charge.
Do You Have Chronic Muscle Pain ? ? ?
DOCTORS WOULD TELL YOU TO take anti-inflammatory and aspirin. But I'm not a doctor, I am a regular person like you that has had chronic muscle pain and beat it. You ask : How did I beat it? I beat it by taking my health into my own hands. By being in charge enough to figure out how to fix my pain.
I had a severe problem with my neck. it reached a climax when my right arm stopped working and was like a dead noddle. I tried cortisone shot in the neck, I tried chiropractic, I tried acupuncture, and I tried massage. I would say that each had an effect except the shot in the neck, but in the end it was my persistence and ingenuity that allowed me to heal my self. I did it my way.
Let me explain why. I discovered that the body as a mechanism is constantly trying to find balance between its right and left side. When you injure one side, it literally impacts both sides because change occurs to find a new balance. Muscles kick in to cover for the injured part, more muscle is created to find balance. My personal experience was that I literally had one bad muscle on top of one another, layers upon layers trying to do one thing, find balance. Now my condition was so bad that masseuses gave up working on my neck and my doctor compared it to piano wire, so in my case the acupuncture was necessary to allow the masseuse to make a change to the muscle.
I know there are a lot of techniques to changing muscle, to get it to release or relax. However, the one technique that really works is to apply steady pressure to the knotted area and just wait it out until it caves or releases. My masseuse actually spent 90 minutes holding on one muscle with his elbow to get it to loosen up, it was just that locked up. And when you are in really bad shape each release does take awhile, however the release you'll feel is like a breath of fresh air. And you can assist in the process by taking big deep breaths and staying calm.
Im my case I needed 4 years of massage and at times I couldn't afford the masseuse. When that happens, use a knobble, it's a muscle tool that allows you to place the rounded point to the problem muscle and use the floor as the wedge. Any immovable surface can act as the wedge. You have to find what works for you. As long as the muscle is trapped and has constant pressure, the muscle will release. So yes, you can do this alone, with no cost to you besides buying the $10.00 muscle tool. I know some people aren't comfortable with paying for massage and that's OK as long as you have a way to take care of yourself and this is how you do it.
The days of popping a pill for temporary relief need to go. The body gives us pain to tell us something is wrong and it is up to us to listen and respond. By covering up the pain with a pill we never resolve the underlying problem. We need to start caring for the body in finding the imbalance. And usually there are 3 points affected by a problem spot. Where the pain is coming from is one , then there are to 2 spots on the opposite side. All 3spots need work because they are acting as a team. And often when the knobble is in location, the 2 other spots can flare up to tell you where they are, and it is handy to have more than one knobble so that you can work the body's balance system by releasing both sides of your body, because one bad muscle on one side has a best friend helping him out on the other side. And you'll find thru experimentation, that when you have 2 muscles trapped, a third muscle (a close neighbor) will kick in that wasn't participating before because it's trying to pick up the slack of what the trapped muscle can't do .The body's natural tendency is always to activate a muscle when the body is out of balance or another muscle needs assistance. This can create overlapping bad muscles. Just as the body can create bone where there is deficiencies, the body can also create more muscle. Whereas ideally, we want the original muscle relaxed and working properly then to have one bad tissue over another. My neck was huge with bad muscle and once corrected, my neck became half the size. people thought I had lost weight and all that happened was my neck shrunk.
Even after doing all the muscle work, I found there were still imbalances. I used a weighted tubular bar and placed it in different locations and found more locked up muscles, muscles that I never thought would be impacted by the neck, such as having bad muscles under and to the left of the sternum. The weighted bar allowed those muscles to relax, muscles that I didn't even know existed. so, in essence, it takes some experimentation with your body to find all of the imbalances. And sometimes they aren't even near each other.
Every one of my past injuries played a part in my chronic pain, my body had distorted itself and became unbalanced. After all, pain is the body's only way of communicating with you that there is a problem. And I would say, the biggest problem out there is that we mask our pain with drugs instead of searching for and correcting the muscular problem that caused our pain to begin with.
My Theory
I HAVE THE THEORY THAT there is a way to stave off the aging process where it relates to movement and taken further can prevent osteoporosis. And I don't mean by the act of exercise. I mean by making changes to the body to give it better alignment and balance and correcting structural problems. Chiropractors have tried to use this approach, but have failed in the attempt, their result is usually temporary. Masseuses have also tried this approach and failed, although they are closer. What if neither is necessary, what if what we have to fight is the body's own natural tendencies or the way it operates.
Be aware that the fetal position is the body's natural way of dealing, of protecting itself, more innate than learned.
So if that's the case, then what does the body do in aging? I submit that the body's natural way is to return to the fetal position. Older people begin to slouch, the body literally caves inward as part of the aging process. What if you could make the body return from its inward tendencies to an outstretched position? I have done this, and I have renewed movement, I have found that the parts of the body work again and with more efficiency. I feel younger, while at the same time, I also feel the body does still age, but with less of a price.
I then contemplated osteoporosis. I believe that because the body caves inward with age and injury,it is creating a change to the bones. Through my chiropractic experience, I have found that the muscles are usually to blame for the sublexations that occur. Though either injury or aging, the muscles become out of balance and put pressures on the bones to make adjustments. Where chiropractic is successful in putting the bones back in proper alignment, however, if you don't fix the muscles first, it literally becomes useless. It seems that the muscles have the real power and can overtake the bones, which is where osteoporosis comes in. So once you put the body's tendency of moving inward into play, and muscles overtaking the bones, there is no stopping the bones from forming whatever position the muscles take them in. And this caving in is where the muscles will take them based on the body's natural tendency.
So then you ask, how did I return my body from its caving inward position? I tried something very unusual. I laid on my back on the floor, and applied a tubular weight to positions on my front that would elongate my width, to reverse the caving inward position. Using weights is a similar approach as massage, only there is no need for movement or work by a masseuse. The body's natural tendency with massage is that the pressure causes the muscle to relax. The same works with weight. Only weight is actually more effective. Sometimes it's hard to relax when someone's digging in your muscles. But with a weighted object, you are in control, and you are able to relax and the muscle works that much faster at relaxing and elongating. All you have to focus on is your breathing, nice long deep breaths. Not to mention, that a masseuse can only work one muscle at a time, whereas the weighted object can literally relax all of the muscles in its path.
Another thing I became aware of, was what I learned about bone density. I took a bone density test at 40. They kept saying the test must be reading wrong after getting the same result 4 times. They said if they read the test results as is, my bones are equivalent to a 20 yr old. Apparently the test is based on a 26 yr old and I tested far below that. Because I did gymnastics and did a lot of repetition with landings, I have to assume that old saying "Use it or Lose it" applies here. Your bones must be used to stay healthy and strong. If you are a long-term couch potato, then yes your bones are likely to deteriorate from lack of use. Simple activities such as walking are instrumental to your bone health if you are not the athletic type. For upper body bone health, you can hold the standard push-up position for 30 seconds and you've worked and applied weight on those upper body bones.
So in conclusion, there is ways to promote a holistic approach to gaining your movement back from its aged condition or injured condition. And I'm always in favor of exercise to promote a healthy body. But sometimes that just isn't enough, as I am proof that a life of sports is not enough. I believe in good movement for all regardless of age, so keep fighting the goof fight.
The Mighty Most Overlook Muscle
THE MUSCLE I AM REFERRING to is called the sternocleidomastoid muscle . This muscle can do a lot of damage when it is stressed and has years of neglect. I call it the most overlooked muscle because I've received massages for years and most massage therapists are afraid to work on the neck in general and when they do work the neck it's usually only the back side that they work on. Most of them will say the problem is elsewhere. When you try to pin a masseuse to working on the neck, a lot of them will tell you they don't work on the front side because there is too much health risks involved, which clearly makes this muscle ignored since it is located in the front and side of the neck. You can feel it start under the jaw out wide and travels sideways toward the throat. This muscle is a large muscle that greatly affects the smaller neighboring muscles that are finger like parts that literally grip both your front and back side almost like a claw that clamps both sides and gives you front to back stability.
It has
THE JUNGLE BOOK : The Bare Necessities http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=aZ6OSf1jKiI
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard
And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you
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