SLEEP

Sleep

Jeez, I love my sleep and my napping.  I can sleep anytime, anywhere…with my head down on a desk, on a plane before we have even taxied away from the gate, at the office, in my car.  Wow, it kinda sounds like all I do is sleep.   But seriously, sleeping is extremely important.   It is vital for our health and plays a major role in our well-being.  It has been shown that sleep is important for neural development, learning, memory, emotional regulation, cardiovascular and metabolic function, and cellular toxin removal.

Your sleeping posture is just as important as how you sit or stand throughout the day, and it can have a great impact on your quality of sleep.  It is important to ensure that, as we rest, we are in a comfortable and safe position in order to prevent any additional strain to the body.

The ideal sleeping position is on your side, legs drawn up slightly towards your chest with a pillow between your legs.   If you need to sleep on your back, try placing a pillow under your knees to help maintain a neutral low back curvature.  Sleeping on your stomach is terrible for you and it is a habit you should break.  Tummy sleeping creates strain on your neck and low back that may lead to compression of your nerves, muscle tightness and pain.

Everyone has a different preference on mattress and pillows.  Hard vs soft.  My only recommendation is choose a mattress that does not sag and that supports the natural curvature of the spine.  In regards to pillows, choose a pillow that keeps your neck as neutral as possible, it should not allow your neck to be curved to the right or left.  Your head and neck should be straight and aligned.  

There are more things that can affect your quality of sleep- pajamas, using your devices in bed…look for my future blog post on that.  Happy Sleeping.  zzzz

GRASTON TECHNIQUE

GRASTON TECHNIQUE

I have been using Graston Technique on my patients since I was doing clinical rounds at Logan University.   It is such a cool and effective technique and I wanted to briefly explain what it could do for you.

Graston Technique is a soft tissue technique that uses stainless steal instruments.   These tools allow me to detect and treat areas of scar tissue, fascial restrictions as well as increase range of motion.  As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker which can reduce range of motion, cause loss of strength, pain, tingling, numbness and weakness.

A treatment consists of scraping, maybe that’s not a great choice or word…rubbing, combing over the area of concern with a beeswax emollient cream which smells pretty tasty- (FYI if you are allergic to bees please do not use this emollient) to identify scar tissue and areas of restriction.  Areas of injury, scar tissue and fascial restrictions will “light up” quickly, appearing red and even produce little petechia (red spots on the skin as a result of bleeding).  The action of scraping over the skin brings a histamine reaction to the skin and brings blood flow back to the area being treated.  

Treatment can be uncomfortable, although most patients say it isn’t bad at all.  The area typically gets very warm, can feel like a sunburn.  Some patients have described treatment like getting a tattoo…I wouldn’t know…I don’t have any yet.  Most people do not have any pain after treatment but it can be tender to the touch like a bruise would feel like.   It can leave you black and blue.  I always warn my patients to notify their family members at home what kind of treatment they have had done and that it may be bruised later, it can come as a big shock to them to see such bruising…please tell them I take full responsibility for it. J

It is proven to achieve faster and better outcomes for acute and chronic conditions such as Achilles Tendonitis, Carpal Tunnel, IT Band Syndrome, Lumbar Strain and Plantar Fasciitis.  If you would like more information on Graston or to experience a treatment please contact me.  Happy Grastoning!