Kathryn Merrow | SIMPLE PAIN RELIEF with Kathryn Merrow, the Pain Relief Coach

Pain In the Back of Your Arm? Here’s A Possible Cause…

Last week I worked on a police officer.

I hate to say “worked on” because my feeling is that I work “with” people rather than “on” them. But, if I tell you I worked with him, you’d think I work with him, which I do not…

Anyway, back to my story – the officer was complaining of pain in the back of his upper arms.

As many people in law enforcement are, he was very involved with working out with weights. It is important to be physically strong in his field. Sometimes it is necessary to control a person, and an officer needs every advantage.

I noticed his shoulders were rounded very far forward.

When you lie on your back, your shoulders should be on or pretty close to the floor or bed.

But, this policeman’s shoulders were not anywhere close to the treatment table he was on. I could slide practically my whole fist under his shoulders.

The gap behind his shoulders was huge!

I explained the necessity of getting his back stronger. I explained how his tight front muscles (pectoral muscles) were pulling his shoulders forward.

I explained how his forward shoulders were pulling on and overstretching the muscles in his back and the back of his arms.

His chest muscles were the cause of his pain!

And then I suggested that he lay off the pectoral muscle exercises while he gets back in balance.

He chuckled.

I knew what that meant.

Up to that point, he was with me – he heard what I was saying. But, when I said, “Lay off the pecs for a while,” I lost him.

I saw it in his eyes.

He had no intention of stopping his chest exercises, even though they were causing physical pain symptoms for him.

In his mind, working his pectorals was important to his well-being and safety.

My suggestion was outside of his comfort zone.

But, sometimes, there comes a point when someone is so tired of their pain, they will do anything necessary to feel better.

They will stop blaming aches and pains on “I’m getting old,” or “My aunt had the same pain.”

Sometimes people get to the point where they realize that no one can fix them except themselves. And so they find out what to do.

And they do it.

And they feel better.

Because we can.

You can, too.

Bounce on over to SimpleStrengthening for lots of info on strengthening your back and getting back in balance.

“Because You Deserve To Feel Better!”

December 17November 7

Do You Have Hip Pain?

Have you ever wondered why your hips hurt?

Do you think you need a hip replacement?

Have you paid attention to where the pain in your hip is located?

Is it in the meaty back part, at the outside, or on the bone/at the joint? Is it at the inside or outside of your thigh? Is is mid-thigh on the outside of your leg?

Are there times when your hip pain is worse or not noticeable?

Answering these questions will help you determine what’s going on – why you have hip pain or discomfort – and how to get rid of it.

Having the answers to these questions will also help you explain your pain to your doctor in case you decide to talk to him or her about it.

Lately, people have been complaining about pain at the hip joint.

The hip joint is the bone that you can feel on the outside of your very upper leg. If you drop your hand down at your side, you will feel the bone somewhere around your lower arm or wrist, depending how long your arm is. What you are actually feeling is the head of your thigh bone.

Muscles and tough tissues cross over this joint.

Sometimes the bursa – a little pocket of lubrication for the joint – gets irritated. Your doctor may say you have bursitis. That can go away on its own, especially if you stop doing whatever was irritating it.

Sometimes the muscles get aggravated. This can be from pressure, like laying on your favorite side in bed all the time. It can also be from an over-stretch, like crossing your leg.

The position that would most likely cause over-stretch or strain is when you move your knee closer or past your midline. The midline is the imaginary line is the line that goes from your nose to belly button, straight down your body.

Lots of times people think they need a hip replacement. Often all they need is…

> Some really good therapeutic massage to release the muscles and tissues which have become tight around the joint. This includes the powerful gluteal, or buttock, muscles. They attach to the hip joint and if they get tight, they will pull too much across the joint and cause discomfort.

> To stop aggravating the joint. This could mean learning to sleep on your back or other side. It might mean not letting your knee move toward or across your midline. If you’re a side sleeper, it means to prop your upper leg.

> Finding a new seat or car seat. Sometimes the outer edge of a seat will press against our hip bone, especially if we have wide bones. That can aggravate the muscles and cause hip pain.

> Getting their legs measured by a doctor, physical therapist or neuromuscular massage therapist who understands how to measure for leg length difference. One out of ten of us has a leg length difference. If we do, and if we get a correct lift for our short leg – get this – it takes the pressure off the hip of the short leg.

Sometimes there has been so much wear on a hip joint – usually from having a short leg – that the joint must be replaced.

Other times, just taking the pressure off the joint and getting some deep muscle massage will take the pain away!

Here are a couple of beneficial things we can do at home, easily, in the comfort of our bed.

> The first is to make the muscles around your hip joint move in multiple directions.

Most of the time, we only move in one or two directions. Moving in various directions will warm your muscles and make them more flexible.

> The second is to strengthen the muscles on the outside of the joint.

To do this, lie on your side and lift your top leg. Do this in a way that you can feel your hip muscle – your gluteal (butt) muscles – contract. You want to know that you are using those muscles. Those muscles should be involved in this movement.

If the cause of your discomfort was over-stretched muscles, strengthening in this way will help correct the problem. It will help get you back in balance.

Why do I say “back in balance?”

Because you used to be in balance, when you were a child. You didn’t have hip pain then.

And you can get there again.

“Because You Deserve to Feel Better!”

November 25November 7

Uncommon Migraine Pain Relief Tips

Your head may actually pound. Light hurts your eyes. Every sound is noise and the noise is all too loud. You might even throw up.

You feel bad, and you look bad, too.

I really can’t think of anything worse than a really bad migraine.

A broken leg may keep you from moving but a migraine headache keeps you from being!

Migraines come in variations. Some are worse than others and some are merely horrible. They affect every system in your body.

Some people believe that headaches and migraines are closely related.

I’m one of those people. For years and years, I never had “just a headache.” Each time I started with a headache, I ended up with a migraine.

The best way to avoid migraines is to have perfect posture.

For those of us who are prone to headaches and migraines, any little strain on the muscles around our neck or head can, and will, cause pain.

Keeping a strong back, including the muscles in the back of your neck, helps hugely.

Learning how to have perfect posture will make a big difference in the frequency and severity of your head pain. It’s really important that you have good posture when you sit, when you stand, and you even need your neck and head propped correctly when you sleep.

Avoiding the foods that cause migraine pain for you helps, too. I had a friend who would get instant migraine when she ate an orange. After a while, she started avoiding oranges. Other times, it is not an instant reaction but may take a couple of days.

A varied and healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables helps for many reasons.

One of the reasons is that constipation can create conditions for a migraine. It may be the pressure from the packed intestines on the blood vessels in the abdomen that causes a migraine, because migraines are vascular headaches. That means they are related to what is happening with blood vessels.

“Keeping things moving” through your intestines with a good diet helps prevent migraine. You might consider taking additional fiber from a bottle to avoid constipation.

Also, many headache and other medicines actually cause constipation.

Avoiding a migraine in the first place is a much better strategy than trying to get rid of it after you are already hurting.

But, when a migraine sneaks up, or flat out attacks, despite your best efforts, here are a few tips to help ward off or lessen your pain.

* Ice. Ice the base of your skull. Use a cold pack and put yourself in the most comfortable position you can. Use a thin towel between your skin and the cold pack. You can ice and use the next tip at the same time.

* Cold. Place a cold, almost dripping wet, cloth on your forehead and eyes. You can flip it over as it warms up from your heat. You can keep a pan of ice water next to the bed to re-wet and re-chill the cloth. You can use put a plastic bag under a towel behind your head. That will keep your bed dry.

* Compress. Wrap your head in a long towel so that it is like a turban. Cover your eyes and ears with the turban, too. The idea is to compress your head, to squeeze it. This is comforting, blocking out noise and light, and helps reduce the pain.

* Alka Seltzer. Aspirin does not touch a migraine, but…two tablets of Alka Seltzer, if taken at the beginning of a migraine attack, often knocks out the migraine. I suspect that this happens because it is a large dose of aspirin all at once, rather than gradually.

You can find more information and ways to get rid of head pain naturally in Head Pain Natural Relief, at Amazon or your local library.

Check out Simple Strengthening for help to fix your posture. Good posture will help reduce your headaches.

“Because you deserve to feel better!”

November 12November 7

Does Stress Cause Pain?

Could it be that stress causes pain?

Yes it does. Here is how it works. We each have a central nervous system (CNS.) Our CNS governs everything in our body.

Think of it this way: Your nervous system is a highway. The impulses, or messages, that travel on your CNS are the cars.

Everything is going fine, your cars are all travelling smoothly along the highway.

Ow! Banged my big toe into the table leg. That’s okay, all the cars are still moving right along.

Dang! Another notice from the bill collector! All the cars are still moving right along.

What do you mean, you want a divorce? Tire might be getting flat.

I have such a cold! Cars are still moving pretty good.

Fender-bender. That’s going to cost me plenty. Traffic is getting heavy.

What a headache! Uh-oh. One of the cars just slid into the median.

The dog died. A bunch of other cars are slamming on their brakes to try to avoid a pile up.

Just slammed my hand in the door. I think I broke my finger. Big pile up on your highway. Cars are screeching to a halt, some are smashing into others. Traffic is stopped.

The highway is overloaded, and nothing is moving smoothly now.

We function great when we have no problems. We do pretty well when we have only a few problems. But when a lot of things are going wrong and we feel stressed…

Our CNS – our nervous system highway – begins to show symptoms of overload. We begin to have pain.

If we cannot relieve a lot of the stress, it is possible for our pain to become chronic – we have it all the time.

However, if we can remove any of the stressors in our lives, our pain can diminish and become less. Each stress that we get rid of will lower our pain level.

The more stresses we can get rid of, the more smoothly the cars on our CNS highway will start to travel again.

So, the car gets fixed, we get a new dog, our cold goes away, our toe heals. Our stress level goes down.

To help our CNS highway work better we have to do some things to straighten out the cars and get them all moving again.

You get a nice massage, take a soak in the tub, get lost in your favorite music to relax by, talk to your favorite friend, work something out, finish a project that’s been bugging you, take a brisk or slow walk, sniff some lavender oil or a relaxing blend of aromatherapy oil.

You do some stretching or deep breathing while relaxing. You take a walk in the softly drizzling rain. Clean a closet or a drawer. Hum or sing or read or laugh. Watch a kid or a puppy or a cat. Garden or dance.

Talk with a therapist or counselor, take a nap, or volunteer.

Distract from the stressors or correct them.

Anything we can do to eliminate or negate any stresses we have will help us to feel better.

The less stress we have, the less pain.

And, there are basically two types of stress.

1. The jet fighter pilot. You have stress but it is good stress. You are in control.

2. The prisoner of war who has no control.

Good stress can feel energizing and powerful.

Repeat after me: I am the jet fighter pilot!

Yes, you are.

November 5November 7

Do Your Feet and Legs Ache?

When our feet and legs ache it is often because we aren’t using all of our muscles. I’m going to give you two quick, easy ways to correct that and to feel better fast.

Our ancestors used to run around barefoot. They ran through streams, through cold water and over rough grassy lands. They ran over rocks and pebbles.

They probably had to run so they wouldn’t get eaten!

But, today we usually don’t have to worry about large animals chasing us.

We wear nice shoes that protect the soles of our feet from stones and sticks and dewy grass. We don’t have to use the muscles of our feet and legs to stabilize us. Our shoes do that for us. Many of us wear shoes all the time, even in our homes.

Here’s Simple Pain Relief Tip #1 – The 10-Minute Tip

* Get a tennis ball, preferably, or a golf ball. Naturally, the tennis ball is softer and easier to press against, but the golf ball can get to smaller muscles.

* Stand up and balance yourself by holding the back of a chair or a wall, something sturdy.

*Support all of your weight on one foot.

* Place your other foot on the ball and apply pressure to the ball. Use a fair amount of pressure, enough so that you are aware of the ball.

* Apply pressure in long strokes from your heel to the ball of your foot several times. Keep moving the ball along the length of your foot. Press lengthwise along the outside of your foot, the middle, and the inside of your foot.

* Then move the ball from side to side. Press firmly but gently into the ball of your foot and the bottom of your heel.

* Keep rolling on the tennis ball for five minutes.

When you are done, put your “rolled” foot on the floor. See how much different it feels from the “unrolled” foot.

Now roll the other foot!

Here’s Simple Pain Relief Tip #2 – The 2-Minute Tip

I attended a presentation by a podiatrist. He likes people to be barefoot. He even did his presentation barefoot!

He had this quick and easy way to get circulation and movement back into all the muscles of your legs and feet.

Stand up and balance on one foot. To do this, lift one leg and tuck that foot behind your other ankle.

If you need to lightly touch the back of a chair or a wall to keep your balance, until you get used to it, that’s okay.

Balance on that one foot for one minute. While you are balancing, you will feel that you are using all of the muscles in your foot. You will feel your toes gripping and the sides of your foot trying to stabilize you.

After one minute, put that foot down. How does your foot and leg feel now?

Then balance on your other foot.

If you have really flat feet, without much of an arch, this will be a little harder than for the average person. Still keep practicing, anyway. It’ll be good for you.

Another benefit of this balancing act is that is will help you have stronger legs and be more able to keep your balance as you age.

And, the foot doctor pointed out, if you do this at a party, the conversation will seem much more interesting!

Using your legs and feet like this uses all of the muscles in them. And there’re a lot! It strengthens your muscles as well as helping your legs and feet feel better.

October 28November 7

Choices, Headaches and Vintage People

Choices, choices, choices.

All of our lives we make choices. More than we would like to make. So many!

Some of our choices have been excellent, and some, well…maybe not so good.

But we keep on going.

Jerry L. Old MD is a geriatric physician. I figure, with a name like that, how could he be anything else? But, he didn’t intend to be a doctor with an elderly patient practice. It just worked out that way.

I loved reading his really cool book called Vintage People. Vintage People are elderly people who have aged well. Dr. Old calls them vintage because they are like fine wine.

They are people who have become better over time.

Do they have aches and pains? Lots of them do. It’s kind of hard to get older without something twinging somewhere at least occasionally.

Have they made choices? You bet. Were they all good choices? Not necessarily, but they kept on going, correcting the course as they went.

Dr. Old interviewed his vintage patients. Every one of them responded!

In many areas, there was no common agreement. For instance, eating habits. They were all over the place! Some people ate very healthily, some not, some ate a very specific diet. But, they had all made choices and they all had opinions about why their eating habits were the best for them.

I found that I kept smiling as I read.

Dr. Old told lots of interesting stories, good stories. He shared his own opinions and sometimes tells a joke on himself, too. His chapters cover such things as attitude, humor, religion, marriage. Often these are the words of his wise, vintage patients. You can imagine them talking directly to you.

Choosing to read a good book like this, or any good book that engages your mind, and that makes you smile or laugh is good medicine!

Laughing is like having a massage from the inside out. It creates feel-good hormones. It boosts our immune system!

Compare that to watching the evening news. Do you suppose that boosts your immune system? Did you realize that you can choose to watch the evening news…or not?

Even when I had a television, I did not watch the news. I read the Sunday paper selectively, starting with the funnies. I prefer the local newspaper to the big city paper because the local news has good news, not just argumentative, depressing stuff.

Back to the Vintage People.

Vintage people are active, as much as they are able. They are young for their age. They have friends of all ages, and even regard acquaintances as friends.

They enjoy little pleasures, like the sunset or a flower brushed with dew, sparkling like diamonds. They find ways to help themselves feel better.

When we become absorbed with something beautiful or interesting, we forget about the aches and pain. Sometimes we forget about a great deal of pain. And, often, when we forget to focus on pain, it actually goes away.

My father lived in Missouri. We hadn’t seen him in a few years. So, when we were traveling through Missouri, we decided to surprise him. His wife knew we were coming but he had a migraine headache. When we walked in the door, my dad was laying in a recliner with a cold cloth over his eyes.

He was so surprised and pleased that we were there, that in about ten minutes his migraine headache was gone! We altered his vascular system. 🙂

Will your migraine or pain go complete away if you have a pleasant surprise? Maybe or maybe not. But, when we focus on something other than the pain, often the pain does lessen or go completely away.

And sometimes pain goes away when we focus on it. Does that seem to be a contradiction?

Let’s use head pain as an example. Sometimes it feels as if our whole head hurts. It’s killing us. Where is the pain? Everywhere! It hurts all over.

But what if we pay attention to the pain? What if we direct all of our attention to the pain? Is it here? There? Where is it, really? You may even find that there are very specific areas where it hurts the most.

When you pay attention to them, you may even find that the specific areas of pain move. They are not constant. There is some ebb and flow. The most painful area changes location.

So, it’s not your whole head, after all.

What if you breathe into the pain? Does that change anything?

What if you tilt your chin up, or down?

What if you take deep breaths, moving your whole chest?

Paying attention is a choice. Breathing into the pain is a choice. Changing position to see if that helps is another choice. Focusing on something other than our pain is also a choice.

In my mind, there is nothing like a migraine headache. Not only does it hurt really bad, it reduces your ability to think. It reduces your ability to interact with others. It can strip away days of your life.

If migraines or bad headaches are a problem for you, there are choices you can make. No one but you can help you. Try the little suggestions above and below.

Pay attention to your posture. Not only does poor posture cause head pain, it causes us to be old before our time and to look old.

Watch your diet. Do certain foods cause your head to hurt? Do you still eat them? Why?

The more you understand about why you hurt, the more choices you can make to feel better.

We can choose to be Vintage People. Active, happy, healthy.

We can choose well.

2021 Note: I’d forgotten about this book. Now I want to read it again. 🙂

October 22November 7

Migraines, Headaches, Pain & Diet: Are You Taking Care of Yourself?

I recently went to a birthday celebration.

It gave me the opportunity to observe how some people take care of themselves…or don’t.

The party was for a sixteen-year old boy. He has chronic headaches.

He has been treated by a neuromuscular massage therapist (not me,) which helped, but did not cure him. He is being treated by a headache pain clinic. The various treatments he receives (some of which are not very pleasant, involving shots in his head, and medicine with side effects) also help only temporarily.

Because I specialize in relieving head pain and correcting posture, I watched him “in motion.”

He has been told about the connection between posture and his headaches. Someone told me that when his mother would say, “Sit up straight,” he would respond, “You don’t.” (And she doesn’t, but that’s another story. And, she doesn’t have constant headaches, either.)

So, over the course of several hours I watched the birthday boy. He slouched, he leaned back in his chair with his head pressed forward, he stood with a forward head/casual posture.

The thing is, when we do those things, those of us who are prone to headaches or migraines will get a headache or migraine. And, he does!

Those types of movements aggravate the muscles at the base of our skull and the front and sides of our neck. When those muscles get aggravated, they react by tightening up. They develop trigger points. The trigger points “trigger” pain in our head.

Another thing I noticed was that he was drinking an artificially sweetened drink. Can’t be positive, but I’m pretty sure that the headache clinic would have told him that artificial sweetners cause headaches.

So I wonder: why isn’t he being proactive – taking an active role – in helping himself to get rid of his headaches? He already knows the reasons for his head pain.

Right now I am speculating that he doesn’t know how to keep his head and body in neutral positions. Perhaps his back muscles and the muscles in back of his neck are too weak to hold him upright in neutral positions. Or, perhaps he thinks it wouldn’t be cool to be straight. He is not a tall, lanky boy, so it’s not concern that he is “too tall.”

People who get headaches and migraines have no choice except to fix their posture. The best way to do that is to get a strong backside, from the base of your skull to the back of your thighs.

The second opportunity I had was to talk with a man who has been seeing various nutritionists and naturopaths. He is looking for advice and products to cure his various health issues, and is going to see a new doctor shortly.

He wants herbal remedies or supplements, or some type of magic, to cure his problems, a lot of which are caused by his diet. He wants a doctor to cure him.

He also wants to continue to eat cookies and goodies and big meals and two servings of birthday cake!

Hmmmph! I guess we can’t have our cake and eat it, too, after all.

But, we can take care of ourselves. We can seek out the knowledge that will help us. We can take action. We can change old habits that are not good for us.

Because you deserve to feel better.

October 2November 7

Got Achy, Breaky Shoulders?

If you have achy, breaky shoulders you are not alone!

Our lives cause us to overstretch and strain our upper back muscles often. We work on a line, at a desk, holding our babies, cooking, or other things. All of them require us to hold our arms and hands in front of us for long periods.

The upper back muscles get overstretched and very often complain. They ache. They hurt. They cause headaches. Ouch!

Try these simple movements to strengthen your shoulders and make them feel better.

Let your breastbone lift by pretending there is a hook attached to it pulling you skyward. That will move your head back over your shoulders where it belongs.

Now lift your shoulders up toward your ears, and then let them roll backward. Move them down toward your waist. Lift, roll, move down. And do it again. Try squeezing your shoulder blades together as you bring your shoulders back and down.

Lifting and rolling your shoulders back and down does many good things:

1. It gets circulation going around your shoulders and neck.
2. It loosens the muscles around your shoulder blades.
3. It strengthens the muscles that hold your shoulder blades toward your spine.
4. It gives your poor, overstretched muscles a break!

If it feels good to you to roll your shoulders in a big circle, front to back or back to front, then do it. But, if it feels uncomfortable when you move your shoulders forward, don’t do it. Just lift, roll and lower your shoulders behind you.

Please remember, if you do a movement which your muscles haven’t done in a long time, they may get sore from the new movement. So, start slowly, just do a few, two or three.

As you muscles start to remember what they used to do, and become used to the movement again, you can start to increase the repetitions.

Lift, roll, squeeze your shoulder blades toward your spine, drop. Repeat.

Feels so good to get the muscles moving again!

Ahhhh.

September 20November 7

Four Stories about Bodies Healing Themselves

Healing Story Number One:

Years ago I worked with a woman who fell asleep reading in bed. She fell asleep with her head propped forward. After several hours, she awoke in pain. She could hardly move one of her arms. Over the next month, she came into work only two half days. You could see the pain in her face. She had to go home.

She had been to a chiropractor and a neurologist, but neither could help her.

One day, her daughter came over and said, Mom, could you watch the new baby for just a few minutes while I go down the street?

Well, the new baby started crying, and the woman tried to reach down to lift the baby from its seat on the floor with her good arm. As she did that, her neck popped, and her pain went away. She was back to work the next day.

Healing Story Number Two:

A few years ago, a woman had shoulder pain. She went to a physical medicine doctor who sent her to physical therapy, and her shoulder got better.

When her other shoulder started to hurt, she had deep muscle massage and it helped, but still her shoulder hurt. So she went for physical therapy again. By the fourth session, she realized that it was making the shoulder pain worse, so she stopped going.

That weekend, she helped her husband lift a six-foot long counter top. Her pain stopped and her shoulder has not hurt since.

Healing Story Number Three:

A construction worker came home in pain. He had hurt his shoulder. His boss said to go to physical therapy. He went for four sessions, but didn’t think it was helping.

Then he came home one day with a big smile. His pain was 90 percent gone! He had lifted something heavy at work, and his shoulder popped and the pain left. Now it is almost completely well.

Healing Story Number Four

A woman tripped on her doorstep. She fell face first into the room. It was a jarring fall, and it hurt. For the next several days, her back hurt and she could barely get comfortable in bed.

One night, she couldn’t sleep, so she got up. Her husband came out and said, come back to bed and I will rub your back.

When he pressed on her back, it popped loudly! He jumped back, afraid that he had hurt her. “What was that? Did you hear that?” His wife said, “Yes, I did. I felt it, too. In fact, I think I’m better now.” And, she was.

What Do These Stories Mean?

Well, let’s see. They could mean that sometimes we get a dislocation in a joint. That sometimes we just need a little movement to correct a problem.

That bodies want to heal themselves and be well. That sometimes we need to allow our body to heal in its own time. That sometimes the correct counter-movement or counter-pressure can get things back to where they were.

They could mean that bodies want to be well, and that sometimes we need a little assistance or a little time to heal.

Physician, heal thyself. You can be your own best physician.

September 19November 7

Can Your Back Heal Its Pain?

We have really, really strong backs. Really, we do!

But, sometimes when something happens, like a spasm or a “catch”, we start to think that our back is frail, or fragile. We think we have to “baby” our back.

When we start to baby our back, or move tentatively, we are setting ourselves up for injury. We start to move stiffly, instead of smoothly. We are more likely to get hurt when we move stiffly instead of gracefully.

The bones of the spine are called vertebrae. They are built in a way that allows them to bend, twist and move in a variety of ways. The vertebrae in the neck and upper part of the back are smaller, but the lower back bones are larger and sturdier.

Pads of tough tissue, called disks, cushion the bones and separate them from each other. The disks give us more ability to move.

Long, strong muscles run the length of our spines. They secure each bone to the rest of the spine bones so that the spine acts as one long unit. Muscles allow us to move. Muscles move bones.

Sometimes we panic when our back hurts. Sometimes we become afraid it will always hurt. We may make an appointment with a doctor or surgeon, hoping they will “fix” our back.

Now, I will admit, occasionally someone does have a back problem which requires surgery. For instance, a chip may have broken off a bone, maybe through an accident. If the bone chip presses on a nerve, it may require surgery to remove it from the nerve. That should correct the pain.

And, thank goodness that doctors and surgeons are available for the times when we truly need them.

But, can your back pain heal naturally? You bet!

Think about it. If you cut your finger, does it heal by itself? If you scrape your knee, does it heal? If you break a bone, will it heal? (If it’s a bad break, it will require repair, but the bone will heal, with or without repair. The repair will help the bone heal in the correct position.)

Our skin heals itself. Our bones heal themselves. We get germs, and get sick, and we get better again.

So, please don’t panic.

Ice helps muscle spasms. The rule of thumb is ice for the first 48 hours, and then you can switch to heat, or alternate heat with ice. Ice for 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. Do this several times in rotation.

Take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen. If there is inflammation, or swelling, in the muscles, an anti-inflammatory is supposed to help reduce the swelling. Reducing the swelling may take pressure off a nerve, if you are having nervy pain.

Keep gentle movement going. Move with as much fluidity as you can. Try to be graceful, not lurching. Gentle movement keeps the muscles warm and keep fluids moving through our tissues.

If you have extreme pain, or lose control of your bowels or bladder, see your doctor immediately.

But, even with extreme pain, if you are patient, your body can usually heal by itself.

I had a client who had such pain that he could only kneel on the floor with his upper body supported on the bed for two days! He crawled to the bathroom and crawled back to his bed. Kneeling helped him feel a little better because with his belly supported on the bed, it took some pressure off whatever nerve was getting aggravated.

It took several weeks for him to feel well again, but it did happen. He resumed walking, but it was from picnic table to picnic table at the park. Eventually, he could walk normally again.

Lots of manual muscle therapy, or therapeutic massage, helped his tight muscles relax and took pressure off his nerve.

When he was first injured, his doctor said, “Well, you could have surgery, if you’d like.”

The problem is, sometimes surgery helps and sometimes it doesn’t. Back surgeries are done less now than they used to be, because often they didn’t help.

Often muscles are the cause of our pain. Really often.

And muscles are really good at going into spasm, but they are not so good at releasing their spasm. If we keep moving gently, use ice and an anti-inflammatory on a consistent basis, and get manual muscle/massage therapy if possible, our backs can get better.

Posture plays a big part in back injuries. If you suspect that your back is not as strong as it should be, that would be a good thing for you to work on.

You can find more information about getting a strong back at Simple Strengthening

Strong backs rule!

September 11November 8

How Many Causes Does Pain Have?

I love helping people feel better, to reduce their pain.

Sometimes I even help them see things differently, so they can function better. I help them move better and hurt less. I help them understand why they hurt.

And I have my personal story about pain.

I have had scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. With it came not only neck pain but also migraine headaches that would take me out of commission for three days at a time. Three days of barely being able to think and that if I died right then it would really, really be okay.

I have had various types of pain in my hands, fingers and arms. Understandable, after all the years of using them extensively treating people as a neuromuscular therapist.

You will notice that I said I have had those problems. I do not have them now.

But today, I began reading a book about pain which is very well written. And that author also helps people. She had much more pain than I ever did. Much more formal education than I ever did. And much more training than I have had. And, she basically healed herself with education and by taking action. (And, so can we, by the way.)

So, I am feeling insignificant. She has a lot on me.

But, I know she doesn’t have any more heart about helping you than I do. My sincerity is as much as hers. My desire to help you is just as strong as hers. And, I, too, have a lot of education! (But not the beautiful resume’ that she does.)

So, here is my plan.

I will continue to share with you information about the many causes of pain. The reasons why you hurt, and the actions you can take to reduce or eliminate your pain.

I will share with you the physical reasons. Sometimes we will talk about the psychological or emotional reasons for pain. We will talk about diet and nutrition. We will discuss the role of medicine for pain relief. We’ll talk about massage and bodywork.

We will talk about getting stuck and losing the abilities we had as children. We’ll discuss posture, car seats and couches. Walking and breathing correctly. I will give you good sources of additional information, and I will offer programs to help you. And much, much more.

And, definitely, we will talk about the ability of your body to feel better, get better and be better.

Because you can!

September 9November 8

Does Walking cause Carpal Tunnel Pain?

Are you worried that walking might cause carpal tunnel pain?

I watched a man walking on the sidewalk. He was obviously walking for exercise. And he looked so uncomfortable!

Someone else might not have noticed. Or, maybe they would have, because it was so obvious.

The poor guy looked like he was having electric shocks going into his hands. His hands were jumping and he was shaking them. Man, he looked miserable.

There is no doubt in my mind that he was having carpal tunnel or some other nervy pain. And a lot of it!

So, do you think that walking was part of his problem? Was the walking causing his painful, shocking experience?

Here’s the rest of the story…

Even as I approached in my car from the rear, I could tell that the man’s head was really far forward. His shoulders were rolled really far forward, too. When I got next to him, I thought I had probably never seen anyone’s shoulders as far forward as his were. His chest muscles were really tightened, really short.

Here’s how it works.

When our head and shoulders are not in neutral, when they are too far in front of where they should be, they cause problems. The problems range from discomfort in our backs, necks and heads to carpal tunnel pain.

The nerves and blood vessels which go through the shoulder and arm get squeezed. Then they get unhappy. They cause pain and nervy sensations. They cause carpal tunnel pain.

So the answer is no, walking doesn’t cause carpal tunnel pain. That man will have pain no matter what he is doing. It’s not the walking, it’s the posture.

This is what is necessary for the walking man to feel better.

* He would have to take steps to open or stretch his chest muscles and the muscles in the fronts of his arms.

* He would need to strengthen his back muscles so his chest would stay open.

* His head would have to be repositioned over his shoulders and hips, instead of in front of his body.

If the man had help from a muscular therapist, or a skilled massage therapist, his recovery would happen much more quickly. The therapist could warm and loosen the chest and front neck muscles which are holding the man in dysfunction, and which are causing his pain.

By releasing the muscles which have become shortened in front from the years of incorrect posture, and regaining strength in the muscles of his back which have become overstretched, strained and weak, the man would find a great deal of relief.

A skilled therapist would also warm the muscles in his arms and wrists, and that would help, too.

There are simple steps anyone can take to relieve their carpal tunnel pain, but when someone has as much pain as he obviously was, the help of a well-educated muscle therapist would hurry the process along.

Oh! I almost forgot.

There are correct and incorrect ways to swing your arms when you walk. Walking incorrectly, with the backs of your hands facing out, will shorten your chest, or pectoral, muscles. That will cause your shoulders to roll forward.

Walking correctly, with your thumbs pointing forward, as though you are going to shake someone’s hand, is much healthier. Your arms should swing freely from your shoulders at the sides of your body.

If you watch, you will see people who let their arms cross in front of their bodies when they walk. Don’t be one of them.

Be the one who walks healthy, and pain-free. Thumbs up!

August 28November 8

Does Your Pillow Cause Headaches?

Did you have a good night’s sleep or did you wake up with another headache?

What could have caused your head pain? Could the culprit be, perhaps, your pillow?

Headaches don’t happen for no reason. They happen because your neck, head or shoulder muscles get tight and cranky and complain. They let you know they are unhappy by creating head pain.

Muscles cause headaches. Pillows can help them be better or worse.

Do you sleep on your side or on your back?

If you are a stomach sleeper, we won’t be addressing that much today. Stomach sleeping puts a lot of strain on a neck, and most stomach sleepers I have observed tell me they tend to sleep on the same side all the time. So, stomach sleeping isn’t the best option for anyone. If you do that and can change it, your neck will thank you.

But, there is one benefit to stomach sleeping, especially if you could switch from side to side and not stay locked in one position. The benefit is it helps you maintain the slight curve in your low back that we are supposed to have. In order to keep our head over our shoulders without strain when we are upright, we need a slight low back curve. The curve goes in the direction of our abdomen or belly – forward, not rounded backward. The curve creates a hollow in our lower back.

So back to your headache and your pillow.

If you sleep on your back and your neck is pushed into a too-straight position during the night, either by your pillow or the lack of a pillow, that creates head pain.

There are muscles on top of your shoulders, at the front/sides of your neck and at the base of your skull. If any of those get strained, a headache results. If you are prone to migraines, this is a good way to get one.

Also, if you sleep with a fat pillow pushing your head forward that causes two problems.

1. It can definitely cause head pain.
2. It perpetuates the “head forward” posture that we would like to eliminate.

I have found three pillows which are helpful in maintaining the curve in the back of your neck and preventing waking up with a headache.

1. The Tempurdic pillow or a similar memory-foam construction pillow. It softens and sinks under the weight of your head, but supports the backside of your neck. Warning: Most are way too big for back sleepers. Get a junior/child size or, at most, a medium size pillow. There are generic versions, some may feel different.

2. Interestingly, a down “stomach sleeper” pillow is good for back sleepers. Fluff it up, punch to make a depression for your head, and enjoy. There should be enough down beneath your neck to keep a nice curve in it as you sleep. You can even pull up the wings, or bottom corners, of the pillow to stabilize your head. This is especially helpful if you get migraines during the night. It prevents you from tilting your head to the side and straining your neck muscles while sleeping.

3. You can make your own custom pillow from a fiberfill batt. This is similar to cotton batting, but it is made of polyester fiberfill, which is soft and cushy. You can buy a fiberfill batt (not the loose stuffing) at a fabric store or department. Take it out of the package and roll it into a neck roll which feels like the correct size to you, for your neck. If you feel you need a little more lift under your head, leave a tail on your roll. The flat tail will go under your head and the rounded neck roll goes under your neck. You can just place the part of the batt you are using into a pillow case and roll it up; no sewing necessary! You can always add more or take some away to be most comfortable. You can have two or three in different sizes around, and switch as desired. It’s very inexpensive.

If you are a side sleeper and wake with a headache, the reason is most likely that your head (and therefor your neck) was tilted either up or down. Your pillow is too fat or too flat. Your neck and base-of-skull muscles get shortened or pulled on (strained) during the night and those muscles cause your head pain or migraine.

Side sleepers should use a pillow which allows their neck to be in neutral all night, not tipped chin to ceiling or floor. It’s the tipping or tilting that causes neck and head pain. You may find it useful to stack two flatter pillows, or place a down pillow on top of a firmer pillow. You can also generate your own custom pillow, as discussed above, and place it on top of your bottom pillow. You may find a nice but expensive pillow especially designed for side sleepers which has a firmer core and cushy outer layer.

The idea for side sleepers it to support your head in a neutral position and to support your neck, also. That means slightly more cushioning under your neck.

When you buy a pillow, check on the store’s return policy. If you try it for a night or two and it doesn’t work out for you, some stores will let you return it. That way you won’t end up with a bunch of unusable pillows that cost a lot of money.

Sometimes the answer to getting a good sleep without a headache is as simple as getting/making/creating a pillow just your size.

Here’s to a good night’s sleep! Yours!

August 27November 8

Does Massage Help Tension Headaches?

Massage definitely does help tension headaches. No question about it.

There have been studies done which indicate that trigger point therapy and other forms of massage are beneficial for tension-type headaches.

I’m really biased about the value of massage. I have seen, and experienced, tremendous relief at the hands of highly skilled massage therapists.

But I have a question. Or two.

Why treat something after it occurs?

Why not prevent it from occurring in the first place?

Tension-type headaches, along with other types of head pain, are caused by making our muscles tense. How do we do this?

Poor posture, working or walking with our head forward, instead of over our shoulders. Sitting in rolled-forward positions. Being out of balance.

How can we prevent muscle tension headaches?

Sounds simple but it takes a little effort: We have to get back in balance.

Do you remember (your body remembers) the great posture you had when you were a toddler, when your head was over your shoulders and everything was in alignment? Your ears were over your shoulders and your shoulders were directly in line over your ankles. That is the same posture we should all be in again.

Rather than use therapeutic massage only to treat the symptoms of being temporarily or generally out of balance (your headache is a symptom), take advantage of massage to help you get back into balance. Talk with your massage therapist about this. Not all massage therapists have the education or skill to help you get back into neutral.

Of course, he or she will want to help you get rid of your tension headache, and that’s fine.

But he or she will be doing much more for you if they can help you by straightening you up and helping you get into a strong, neutral position.

Avoiding headaches is possible a great deal of the time. All we have to know is why we get them and how to stop doing that. That’s where Head Pain Natural Relief can come in.

We get headaches because we are out of physical balance. We can avoid headaches by getting back into balance–into neutral posture–when we sit, stand or walk and, yes, even when we sleep.

Pay attention to what you are doing when you start to hurt. That will give you clues as to what position you are in, which may be out of neutral.

Sometimes a headache doesn’t come on for a while after an activity, so look for a pattern. “After I do (blank) I get a headache.”

Ask yourself, “Why?” “What can I do to change my position, so I don’t strain my neck and back muscles?” “What can I do so I don’t clench my jaw muscles?”

Sometimes the (blank) can be as simple as watching tv. Why? Because most of our “comfortable” couches and chairs put our necks into forward positions, and that position strains our neck muscles. Our car seats are not so good most of the time, either.

If you pay attention and think about it, you may be able to pinpoint the activity or position which aggravates your muscles.

Even though there are advertisements for pain relieving medicine which addresses “the common everyday headache”, we are not supposed to have them. We are not designed to have them.

Let’s work on getting you back into the position you were born to be in. And, yes, massage can help you get rid of your muscle tension headaches.

Let’s work on getting you back to the neutral toddler you were.

Your body remembers; you can do it. A little time, a little work, but you can do it!

August 26November 8

Are You Sitting Down? What Hurts?

I wonder if you are sitting down while you are reading this?

I’d pretty much bet you are. And, I’ll bet there is a good chance that something is hurting you while you are reading this.

How about trying something different?

Stand up to read. While you’re at it, reach up to the sky with both arms. Big stretch, that’s good.

You know how a cat or dog stretches their back legs when they wake up? One leg at a time goes into a backward stretch, away from their body. While you are standing, stretch your right leg out, behind you. Ahhh, that’s nice. Now stretch your left leg (while you are standing on the right leg, of course.)

Reading while you are seated is not bad. It is fine, as long as…

1. You are using your strong posture muscles to be upright.
2. You aren’t collapsing forward.
3. Nothing hurts.

Otherwise, try a different position to read. You could kneel, or stand, or sit on a big, round ball which will cause you to balance and use your muscles.

Or, start a program which will develop your strong back muscles so they can hold you up while you read.

My goal is for you to be pain free!