How I am Helping my Clients Manage Their Pain

How I Am Helping My Clients Manage Their Pain A FEW ENCOURAGING WORDS FROM CLIENTS AFTER STRETCHING SESSIONS

There are many reasons that we experience pain or discomfort on a daily basis. Our health is so important, however many of us ignore symptoms. When we are always dealing with tightness, soreness, headaches, and chronic issues, we start to believe that they are “normal”. In most cases it can be improved with the proper protocols and assessment. Most of our pain or discomfort stems from weak and tight muscles. We feel “tight” or sore at the end of the day or when we get out of bed in the morning. This comes from our daily habits, our posture, our gait, and our workouts. It is also consistent with our lack of flexibility. Repetitive poor posture, whether it’s standing or sitting, or overworking muscles and joints create havoc on our body. With my background and certifications in Physical Therapy, Personal Training, Pilates, and Assisted Stretching, I assess all clients specific needs including tight muscles, postural evaluation, exercise routine, body mechanics, etc.

ISSUES THAT YOU MIGHT EXPERIENCE ALONG WITH THE MUSCLES THAT NEED TO BE STRETCHED AND STRENGTHENED

:Low back issues- weak abs/ tight hamstrings and hip flexors

Hip and IT band issues- tight hip flexors, hip rotators, gluteus muscles & weak abdominals

Headaches/migraines-tight neck and back extensor muscles

Tinnitus & vertigo- also associated with limited neck range of motion

Knee problems- tight quadriceps, lateral hamstrings

Rotator cuff/frozen shoulder- tight rotators, extensor muscles, tight muscles within the joint capsule

Disc degeneration- weak back muscles, can’t support proper spinal alignment

Forward head/ rounded shoulder posture- tight pectoral or chest muscles, weak trapezius muscles/rhomboids

Sciatic- tight gluteus muscles, piriformis muscles

Carpal tunnel syndrome- tight wrist extensors/flexors, finger joints

Often these stretches are hard to do properly on your own. The correct positioning for each stretch is pertinent to target specific muscles. While stretching my clients, I am also working towards keeping the fascia and connective tissue flexible and healthy. The fascia surrounds the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and organs. STRETCHING by definition is about increasing the distance between two joints by gently pulling them apart using adjoining muscles. HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Static stretching or holding a stretch only isolates and stretches one set of muscles, such as the hamstrings, and not including the surrounding muscles, such as those that run alongside the upper thigh to join at the hip ( lateral hamstrings) or the inner thigh muscles ( adductors). On a daily basis, if you move your leg, you use every one of those muscles. If those other muscles are not stretched adequately you could stretch the hamstrings all day and it wouldn’t make you feel more flexible. Active Isolated stretching reaches MANY muscles, not limited to the major ones that we normally stretch ( hamstrings, quads, triceps).

YOUR RANGE OF MOTION WILL ALWAYS BE DETERMINED BY YOUR LEAST FLEXIBLE MUSCLE!

Stretching will also help to remove or decrease fatigue after walking or working out by pushing the lactic acid from the muscles, thus experiencing less soreness.

Decrease pain by rotating the joint in the middle of the stretch. By doing this it activates surrounding muscles that tend to get ignored in static stretching. This balances the joint and helps relieve pain. Improve athletic performance-When one muscle contracts- and shortens, the opposing muscle relaxes and lengthens. In active isolated stretching and dynamic movements our muscles constantly alternate between contraction and elongation, so the muscles being used become equally stretched AND strengthened. *It is important to strengthen each muscle, not only stretch them!

Alleviate scar tissue-We accumulate a lot of scar tissue over the years. It comes from muscle tears, cuts, bruises, etc. If we don’t get rid of scar tissue we become extremely stiff. The best exercise and stretches to heal that tissue is doing slow, continuous movements that mimic the body. When Scar tissue develops the layers of the skin become “glued together” and need to be loosened. Stretching, as well stretching education should be a part of your overall healthy routine. There are so many benefits! Contact me to schedule a session today!